Saturday, May 18, 2013

Safe and more than a little bit jet-lagged....


                For some reason I had in my head that I had two 8 hour legs to my journey and a stopover in Amsterdam…. So discovering that both legs were actually 10 hours was a bit of a mental shock and the fact that I only slept that weird airplane sleep for 3 hours overall which didn't really help. But nothing uneventful happened. I got to watch one movie on my flight to Amsterdam before my video system crashed (and the rest of that flight was a bit painful….) and on my second flight I had a seat mate with whom I could actually converse so we just chatted for at least half of the flight.  I would never claim that I was organized…. But I made it on and off all of my planes without losing anything and that is all that matters. While I was traveling (and incredibly bored) I recorded a couple of thoughts that ran through my mind that might share some of those airplane events; if you are really bored I’ll include them below.

                My first day in Kampala was fun but it has been a little hard to process. I got about 6 hours of sleep last night and that wasn't nearly enough to properly realize that one is living in a foreign country….. This morning Don and Trina, friends of my parents who are living here, showed me around the city. I got a cellphone, exchanged some money and took a driving tour past all of the major landmarks. They pointed out a couple of good restaurants here and there but if I remember a third of what I saw I will have impressed myself. We at lunch at a restaurant that overlooks Lake Victoria and the view was lovely. It has been a little warm here but over all really pleasant. I’m sorry if this blog doesn't make a whole lot of sense. I’m hitting my wall for the day and I can only hope that I am actually communicating something here! I’m excited to be here and see what the days will continue to bring!

Airplane thoughts:

After Security
                “They didn't take my knitting needles!!!!! I don’t have to start over!!!”
                “Oops. I didn't screw the water bottle lid on right…. Only like 23 more hours, the wet spot on my jeans isn't that awkward….”

Seattle to Amsterdam
                “Seriously?  You wouldn't think screwing on a water bottle lid would be that difficult. I’ll just use my jacket to mop up my seat, it’ll dry soon. Nope that didn’t work as well as it should have, I’ll just fold up my blanket a couple of times and sit on that for the entire flight…”
                “I forgot how much air conditioning there is on an airplane, I should put on my jacket…. Oh wait it is still wet. But I have a blanket!!! That is even wetter….”
                “I”ve watched on movie and read a book!!! Only 7 hours till Amsterdam!!”
                “I really forgot to lock the airplane bathroom doors? That could have been way more awkward. Maybe I messed up my med this morning.”
                “My video screen broke a half an hour ago…. Only 5 and a half more hours till I land in Amsterdam…”

Amsterdam to Entebbe
                “Finally! A seat mate I can talk to!”
                “I hate these immigration forms…. I don’t even always know what I will be doing in Uganda, what do I tell them?”
                “My seat mate and I just pounded out the basic logistics for an intercontinental monkey battle… I think I need sleep…”
                “This is the flight that never ends, never ends, never ends, this is the flight that never ends only three more hours to go!”
                “Okay I lied, I forgot the Kigali stopover. Five and a half hours to go…”

After that I was so incoherent I can’t even translate my notes now, but the important bit is that I still made it through the airport and I found a bed to crash in :)

Thanks so much for all of your prayers!!!!

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