IN BURUNDI!!!

Texas àFlorida à D.C à Virginia à Maryland à Italy à Ethiopia à Kenya à BURUNDI

I am in BURUNDI!!! It has been a long journey, but I am here and LOVING it!!

Jessica and I met up at the airport in Washington D.C. We quickly ate some Dunkin Donuts and then boarded the plane. We were VERY fortunate that our flight was early in the morning because all the flights after ours were cancelled due to a snow storm in the area. Because I have flown internationally so many times, I know a few secrets of flying. One is to ask for an entire row. Both Jessica and I had our own ROW on the plane. It was a beautiful thing. We could lay down whenever we wanted. I actually slept quite well on the plane. Our first flight to Rome was 9.5 hours. We couldn’t get off the plane; we just had to sit for an hour while they re-fueled. The next flight to Ethiopia was about 6 hours. We did get off there only to quickly update our Facebook status and board the next plane. The next flight was about 2 hours to Kenya where we couldn’t get off the plane. We waited another hour while they refueled and let most of the passengers off. We then FINALLY flew to Bujumbura, Burundi, which was a 2-hour flight. We met some wonderful people along the way. That is always a bonus to a long flight; you get to meet people from all over the world.

We arrived yesterday afternoon and have been treated like royalty since. Our new friend, Diodonne, picked us up from the airport and brought us to his house where we will live for at least the next month. He introduced us to his lovely family. His wife Mary, his son Nathan, and his daughters Tracy and Zoë are like family to us already.

We were exhausted when we arrived, so he gave us the afternoon to rest…the afternoon turned into the whole day!! We woke up at 8pm…oops! Diodonne took us for a quick tour of the city. We stopped and got some cold sodas and milk for breakfast. We ended up at an Internet café where we called our moms and ate chicken and French fries. J

Today, we woke up and walked to church (the church is in our front yard). There will be NO skipping church here…ha ha. We had a translator who sat in between Jessica and me. I am embarrassed to say that I was falling asleep throughout the service. My body is not quite adjusted yet…or at least that is the excuse I am using. We had a great time being the token Mzungus (white people) at the service. Everyone wanted to take pictures with us. That always makes me laugh because we use MY camera. I guess they want me to remember them.

After church, we took a little nap (I love the daily naps in Africa). We woke up to spaghetti and beans (I really should have taken a picture).

After lunch, Diodonne and his wife took us for another tour. They wanted us to see ALL of Bujumbura before we start working tomorrow. It has been a great way for us to get to know them. Their passion for their country, especially the orphans and street kids is unbelievable. I am truly thankful that we are here and have the opportunity to be a part of New Generation (their organization). When we get in the groove of things, I will give you a better idea of what it is they are doing.

I cannot even express how happy I am to be here…cold showers and all!! Africa has a very special place in my heart. Well, I need to go put some more bug spray on my legs and eat some beef jerky. J

Thank you for your love, prayers and support!!!!!!!

PS---> I am uploading pictures to this blog from my room. Wireless internet in AFRICA. Who knew???