We are finally home! After spending 40-50 hours traveling back, I believe everyone was ecstatic when our plane hit that Des Moines runway. Chicago brought us a little frustration and unrest the night before as our flight was first delayed and later cancelled. It stunkbecause we were so close, just a 45 minute plane ride, but so far away at the same time and there wasn't really anything we could do. Virginia had to wait in the packed customer service line for awhile. In the end, we got hotel accommodations at the Ramada and were booked to leave for Des Moines at 6:00am. So we got a 4 hour nap and we were at the airport by 4:30 the next morning. It wasn't exactly ideal and how we planned, but I think it could have been so much worse. It would have been awful to miss aplane or have one cancelled earlier. Then we might have beenstuck in Belgium or D.C. At least this way we were only an hour flight 
away, it was our last one, and we wouldn't miss much because we were leaving so early in the morning. I'm thankful and I think we're blessed that was theonly glitch we ran into. Well, not all of our lug
gage made it with us on our flight either, but that worked out fine too. They had three 
flights coming into Des Moines from Chicago that morning so the luggage was all mixed around. It wasn't lost though, so that's good! They called when it came in and I picked it up on my way home. This trip was amazing! I got to meet awesome people and we all came together for a common purpose and goal. We made a plethora of unforgettable memories. I learned about and immersed myself in another culture, experiencing both the similarities and differences. It was so freeing to be without a cell phone, TV, computers (besides doing the blog), and any other kind of technology. It allowed me to focus solely on what was going on around me and I loved it. The people were beyond friendly and I will really miss them. Back in the States, our celebrity days are
over. Ha! A big thanks to Virginia for staying and cool and keeping everything organized, despite the African sense of time and plans. We couldn't have done it without you!
A few pictures from the trip:
I couldn't quite figure out how to organize all of the pictures right so they're a little everywhere.
The first is a gorgeous sunrise in Uganda on our way to Queen Elizabeth National Park!
Next is a group shot at the Mweya Lodge with our 'Thank You!' sign for all of the people who donated for our trip.
Kayla and Annie smile with a group of kids at recess. There were so many and they just crowded around us. It was crazy!
Anna, Tiff, Kayla, Annie, and Emily join in the fun dancing and singing the people from the Gishwati village one night. For many of us, this was our favorite memory.
Tiff, Emily, Kayla, and Arron are all smiles after finishing our 4 hour rain-filled amazing hike through Gishwati!
Some boys of the Gishwati village play with the American football we brought. We tried to teach them to throw it but eventually there were kicking it around like a soccer ball, getting a 'kick' out of how it bounced.
Again, it was a completely amazing experience which I will never forget! The people of Rwanda will always be in my heart. As will all of the great people I shared this trip with :) Thanks everybody!
No comments:
Post a Comment