Travel Itenerary

Let me tell you a few things about buying a plane ticket to Africa.

First, they are expensive. We're taking $900 in taxes alone expensive.

Second, it helps if you are going over to do humanitarian aid, like me. Then the people at British Airways say, "hey, thanks for being all giving and such" and give you a big discount on your ticket. And make it possible to stay over in London for no extra charge for 3 days on the way back to the states. Then the people from South African Air also say, "yeah, thanks for helping out, we'll book you some $70 tickets to Mozambique that usually cost $300." It's nice to get a little help on the ticket situation, but even if I didn't get the discount, I'd still be going anyway.

So it's official. I will be in the air starting at 1:40 pm on the 25th of April, and won't touch down in balmy humid Mozambique until 3pm on the 27th of April. Yes, that is two days of straight up airplane food, in-flight movies, layovers, weird neck pillows filled with goodness knows what, covering your ears after you flush the vacuum-powered toilet (yes, I cover my ears okay. It's loud, and scary.) swollen feet, and gross alligator skin from the dry plane cabin.

And you know what? I love every minute of it. I love traveling, getting to a new place and stopping along the way. I also love Africa, Mozambique, and the Indian Ocean, and if it takes over 25,000 miles, 60 hours of flying, 8 separate flights, and 4 days round trip I'll be the first in line to get there. Why? Because I miss my friends there, I miss my little 5th graders, I miss my primary kids, and I miss the sunsets of Mozambique.

April 25th won't be here soon enough.

Honestly

I never thought I would post on this blog ever again. Not because I hate this blog, or because I hate Africa, or Rain, or the Rains down in Africa. I love all three of those things actually. I didn't think I would be clicking away at a new post at this site...

Because I never thought I would be back in Africa, hence no reason to blog on here. Well, I have been thinking about Mozambique and the time I spent there for months on and off, and came to the decision over break that I needed to go back. The hard part was I had no way or getting there. My scholarship for school only covers my main semesters, and I already took the classes that are offered in Mozambique. It didn't make sense to go back.

Well, today is my third day back at school. I went to my first class this morning which is taught by the professor that runs the program. He and I stepped outside a few minutes before the bell and he proceeded to tell me that he had been speaking to my boss at the Kennedy Center, you know my Italy and Mozambique boss, and they both decided that they wanted me on the trip this spring to Mozambique. So much in fact that they agreed to rustle up some funds for me to go for free. Tuition is paid, food, lodging in mozambique, safari, hotel while traveling, everything. I just have to buy the plane ticket. And I'll still be getting paid while I'm there.

How can you say no to two months in Africa, giving service alongside amazing people?

You can't, and I didn't.

So long story short, I already have classes taken care of that will prep me for my Brazil experience coming this July and count towards my graduation, and I will be flying off to Africa once more just four months from now. I feel very blessed to have the opportunity to go once again, and even more so to have it financially taken care of. I guess my the little voice whispering consistently these past few months was indeed right, I need to go back. Why? I don't have that answer, but that's okay. We seldom get all the pieces to the puzzle at once. So if you notice my other blog is looking abandoned, unloved, forgotten, or any other tragic adjetive you can think of at the end of April come look for me here!