Friday, May 31, 2013

A Whole Lotta New

As soon as we got off our sweet little plane, we gathered our carry-on luggage and went inside to gather our larger bags.  Before we could even locate our bags, we were greeted from behind with "Are you Heidi and Amanda?"  We turned around to find Br. Philippe, who we had spoken with so many times via email and finally could meet in person.  We introduced ourselves, as did he, and we headed for his car.  

Although international flights, long days of travel, customs, and all of that had been new to me, the very first new thing I experienced that will take some getting used to was driving on the left side of the road!  I wonder how long it will take me to get used to that...thank goodness I will not be the one driving!

It only took about 10 minutes to get to Emaphetelweni Dominican Priory, where lunch was waiting for us.  We did not get to eat right away, though, because we had so many people to meet!  Emaphetelweni Dominican House is home to about 15 Dominicans, 11 of whom are studying Brothers.  We met 6 or 7 of the Brothers who would be our gracious hosts for the next 5 weeks, and were overwhelmed by their hospitality...and their names.  There were far to many to keep track!  Each Brother has an African and an English name, and I promised to know all of their English names very soon, as I couldn't possibly get them all today!  I don't know if I'll be able to get the African names before it is time to leave...

Though I knew it was coming, the second new thing to get me was the food.  I expected it to be different, but I know that it will take me a while to get used to how spicy everything is, and their different ways of preparing things.  For a picky eater like me, this may very well be one of my biggest challenges here...

After nearly two long days of travel and one significant time change, we were both exhausted.  After we were given a tour of the priory and shown our rooms, we spent a little time unpacking...and a lot of time napping.  Four hours, in fact.  Having slept through dinner, we went downstairs, grabbed a snack and some tea, and found out that our day was not over.  We were invited to a talk by one of the Brothers about his work at a local newspaper.  After that, thoroughly spent, it was time to turn in for the night, excited (and honestly still a bit anxious) about what the next day would bring but mostly just happy to be sleeping in a real bed.

Thursday, May 30, 2013

Up in the air...again

After a good night's sleep in a real (and really comfortable!) bed and grabbing our complimentary breakfast at the hotel, it was time to board the shuttle to take us back to the Johannesburg airport for our last flight before arriving in Pietermaritzburg.

So, after checking our bags, Heidi and I sat at our terminal, surprised that at gate E10 there were only about 20 seats...how small was this plane going to be?!  We sat and read our digital books as we waited...but naturally, I had to keep things exciting.  At 10:45, I sat bolt upright and looked at Heidi slightly horrified and said, "Oh my gosh, did we ever check out of our hotel?"  Leave it to me...in our hurry to get to the shuttle, we strolled right past the desk, forgetting to actually check out.  So, I dug for the phone number, Heidi grabbed her cell phone, and we called.  Luckily, there was no harm done. (We will be staying at this hotel one more time, and you can bet that I will NOT be doing that again.)

Finally, it was time to board our Turboprop airplane, which was indeed as small as it sounds.  Fr. Robb was not kidding when he said we would be taking a 'puddle jumper'...)  It was small, seating one on the left and two on the right, leaving room in between for a small aisle.  Thankfully, I am not claustrophobic, or it would have been terrible.  (Actually, I was pretty excited for this flight.  Not only was it going to be only one hour, but the smaller plane made me fondly remember the times that my grandpa had flown me and the time that I had even flown a plane myself.  This long journey from Boston to Pietermaritzburg was made a lot easier by the fact that I love flying so much.)  After a rather loud journey right next to the giant propeller, we arrive at the Pietermaritzburg Airport...or at least that's  what they called it.  Actually, it was basically a landing strip amid a field, and not much more...I'm pretty sure I have seen larger driveways...  But, at last, we were here.

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

And so it begins!

After a long two days of traveling, three flights, one layover, one long delay, and one hotel overnight, we have finally arrived in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa!  It has been quite the journey already, and I am so glad to finally be getting settled.

Early Sunday afternoon, I met Heidi at Logan International Airport, where were were due to take off en route to Amsterdam.  After checking my bag (which was carefully packed, weighing in at 48 lbs, just under the 50 lb limit!), I sat with my parents and my sister to grab a bite to eat before meeting Heidi and her family, saying my rather difficult farewell to my family from whom I had never been away farther than Providence, and heading through security to our terminals. 
Finally at the gate, we excitedly waited to board our plan for what was my first ever international flight!  

My first Trans-Atlantic flight was almost as good as it gets, and almost spoiled us for our next two flights!  The plane had many empty seats, and many people, including Heidi and me, got rows to themselves.  This additional elbow and leg room, the wonderful flight attendants who kept coming by to check on us, and the complimentary movies made this flight one of the most enjoyable I've ever been on.  In fact, as much as I was trying not to sleep, I couldn't help at least catching a nap because of the turbulence we experienced...yes, that rocking in the air that usually makes people uncomfortable  rocked me to sleep.  (My dad likes to remind me of the flight home from our last Disney World vacation when everyone was kept up by the bad turbulence except me, who asked "There was turbulence?" when asked if I felt it.)

Anyway, we left Boston at 4:45pm EST, and arrived at 11:30pm EST...but in Amsterdam, it was actually 5:30am.  For someone who has never changed time-zones, this threw me for a loop and for the entirety of our 5 hour layover, I was pretty much a zombie...very, very tired.  However, Heidi and I made it a point to check out the shops around the airport, since there was not enough time to leave, this being my first and only visit to Europe.  

At 9:50am (which according to my internal clock was 4:50am), we began boarding our plane for our 10-hour flight to Johannesburg.  Shortly thereafter, we began our taxi to the runway, and just as we were preparing for take off, we turned around and taxied right back to the gate.  Since the announcements were first in Dutch, I, having no Dutch experience at all, had to wait for the second announcement to come in English, informing us that there was engine trouble.  With no spare aircrafts, it took 3 hours to assess the engine problem, gather the parts, fix the problem, and refuel the aircraft before we could go, but the flight attendants were on their game, keeping the passengers happy with good and drinks.  Finally, at 2:00, our 10:25 flight was on its way.

This flight was not nearly as comfortable as the previous one, but it proved to be just fine.  I even was lucky enough to have an empty seat between me and the gentleman in my row, giving us both extra elbow room.  I slept for probably 7 or 8 of the 10 hours, but while I was awake, I was lucky enough to make some friends!  Sitting next to Heidi was a woman who recognized my Providence College sweatshirt and struck up a conversation.  It turned out that Lagina was a PC Alum...what are the odds of that?!  Just another thing to love about the Providence College Family...we are everywhere, and somehow manage to find each other. 

After falling in and out of sleep for the 10 hours of the flight (plus the 3 hour delay), Heidi and I finally landed in Johannesburg.  That night, we stayed in the Johannesburg Airport Grand Hotel, but missed all of the shuttles due to the delay, so we had to catch a taxi.  Lucas was quite the interesting taxi driver, but I was so glad once we were checked into the hotel and in our room for the night.  After what seemed like the longest day ever, we were finally able to get some sleep in a real bed before waking up, grabbing breakfast and catching yet another flight.

Sunday, May 26, 2013

On our way!

Right now, I am sitting in the airport with the lovely Heidi Fraitzl waiting to board our first flight! Shortly, we will board our flight to Amsterdam, and from there we will fly to Johannesburg, South Africa! Tuesday morning, we will take a short flight to Pietermaritzburg and be picked up by our wonderful contact Br. Denis to begin our journey of service and learning! It's going to be a long two days of travel, but well worth it! :)