Our flight left on time with EVERYONE on board. Woo! This trip was from New York to South Africa which was a 14 hour flight. Gah. The plane was HuMOnGoUs. I was able to sit next to Haley Rees and we snuggled into our seats for the long flight. Not long after we were in the air, our first meal was served. We had the option of chicken marsala with mashed potatoes or beef with rice. I went with the chicken. For airplane food, it wasn't too shabby. They also had sandwiches a while later and then breakfast (omlet or pancakes... I went with the omlet) towards the end of the trip.
After our dinner, we attempted to watch a movie. Haley's audio did not work; it sounded like there were little gremlins chatting in her headphones. After a few offers, she agreed to alternate seats with me during the flight. I was excited to find Bohemian Rhapsody and A Star Is Born to watch since I still hadn't seen them. After each movie, we would stand up, stretch out our legs, and I would fall asleep as she watched her movie. Unlike the majority of those in my group, I successfully managed to get about 6.5 hours of sleep. At one point, Haley and I both stood up and did a lap around the plane just to get the blood flowing. Apparently, the stretches and single lap was not enough. We landed and noticed that our ankles were SO swollen! For those wearing tennis shoes and sandals with straps, they had trouble getting their shoes back on their chubby feet. I know the picture below is kinda gross, but that's how I felt after the trip so it's fine.
Arriving in South Africa was super exciting because 1) the long trip was over and 2) we were finally in Africa!!!! After leaving all of our bags with some other group members, a few of us walked around in the airport admiring the different shops they had. Just like in the U.S., we found restaurants, jewelry stores, and souvenir shops, but we also found shops selling zebra skins beaded mugs and figurines, bracelets being sold as a fundraiser to fight malaria, and so many other things that could only be found in Africa. Kacie and Carrie found things they wanted to buy, but the cashier said they needed their boarding passes to make a purchase.
The 2 hour flight from Johannesburg, South Africa to Livingston, Zambia seemed like a piece of cake compared to the edema-inducing flight beforehand. This plane was also big, but not as big as the last one. As we were coming in to land, we could see Victoria Falls, one of the seven wonders of the world!!!! It looked so small from above, but it is a natural boarder that separates Zambia from Zimbabwe. Towards the end of our stay, it is in our plans to visit the falls and see it up close.
Photo Credit: Ashley Taylor
In the airport, we grouped together and were told exactly what to say when going through customs. A man named Ba Simeon (Ba is a term of respect like calling someone Mr./Mrs./Miss) walked up to our group and gave Mr. Chance a big hug. He is well known around the surrounding areas for being associated with Namwianga Missions, the organization and campus at which we are staying for the next few weeks. From what I understand, he works for the Zambian government. Instead of us getting in the long line for customs, all we had to do was hand our passports to one lady and follow him right on through the gate. A bus picked us up right outside of the airport and a big, open truck was used to transport all of our bags. It's always surprising to see the driver on the right side of the vehicle, driving on the left side of the road, but it still felt safer than driving in New York.
The entrance gate to the Namwianga Missions campus.
We rode the bus for about an hour until we finally arrived to the campus. It was now Thursday the 23rd around 4:00 pm. We are 6 hours ahead of Eastern time. The air was warm, it was super sunny, we had the windows wide open, and we accidentally slept most of the way there. It wasn't until the last 15 minutes or so that the dusty roads turned super bumpy and woke us all up. We were finally here.
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