This post
has been a while in the making so some of the phrasing no longer makes sense,
but I will be leaving it like that. Also
I should provide warning that this post may not be the shortest as it will
discuss my entire trip from New Jersey to Ethiopia through three countries and
multiple cities.
The last few
days have been a whirlwind of wonderful experiences and sleepless nights. I’ll do my best to remember all that I can
and the rest will have to be lost to the past.
Wednesday is
where this account will begin because like all stories it has to start
somewhere. Wednesday was my last day at
home before the journey to Gambella began.
As anyone who knows me can attest this means that there was still plenty
to do. It turns out that packing for a
year in Africa was more difficult than I expected. I would be allowed two bags and they could
not be overweight. This process of
making sure they did not weigh too much was quite the adventure in itself. Each bag had to weigh less than 23 kg or I
would be charged possibly outrageous fees for each flight I took. Thank you so much to the Olmes who lent us
their luggage scale! Before borrowing it
we were using the bathroom scale which was very poorly suited to the job and
changed its mind quite often. Finally with
much help from my parents both suitcases were at the proper weight and everything
was ready to go.
I slept very
little that night which is not unusual before I travel. There were so many thoughts going through my
mind that sleep was a hard won victory.
It felt like I had barely closed my eyes before Wham! time to go. I expected it to be difficult to say goodbye
to my parents for a year. This would be
different than my year in New Orleans.
There would not always be the opportunity to contact people. There would not be a trip home for my
birthday, Christmas, or my parents’ 25th wedding anniversary.
I am happy
to say that I was able to see my Aunt Kari and Noah before leaving the
states. I also was able to spend some
quality time with my grandma and grandpa on my mom’s side. I was really glad I got to see them and say
goodbye before I left. My grandpa and I
were even able to find time for a round of golf before I left which was
wonderful.
We left the
house early to travel to Newark Airport.
From there I would catch an Amtrak train to Washington, D.C. This would be the first leg of my journey. My parents parked in short term parking and went
with me to the Amtrak station within the airport. A very nice Amtrak employee allowed them to
wait on the platform with me until the train arrived. With a couple last hugs and kisses I was off!
My time in
DC was wonderful! I was able to spend
time with many of my friends there whom I had not seen in a long while. A special thanks to Andre for his willing
service as a driver. He picked up Robert
from BWI and drove us both to Dulles the following day. More thanks go to Tim for allowing Robert and
I to use his apartment as our temporary home in DC. My last thank you is for Isaac and his
roommates for hosting an impromptu farewell party slash social gathering. It was wonderful to see so many friends
there, many of whom I have not seen for too long and some not since graduation.
I arrived in
DC on Thursday morning and departed with Robert and Erin for London on Friday
night. Semhar unfortunately was delayed
due to bureaucratic annoyance. Once we
got through security at Dulles we had only to wait a little while and then we
would say goodbye to American shores for a year. This time was nice because it allowed the
three of us some time to relax and chat.
Also it allowed us some time to talk to those we cared about before
departing. I was able to say goodbye to
my girlfriend until I found internet in Ethiopia. I was also finally able to catch up with one
of my best friends after playing phone tag for what seemed like months.
It was time
to board the plane. We were off to
London!
