Airplanes and Meetings

We just got back a few days ago from a long trip to South Africa. I have realized that traveling from Tulear to anywhere is going to be something I need to get used to. For this specific trip, we had to take two flights (both pretty short) to get to the capital of Madagascar, where we had to spend the night. The next day we flew 2 more flights to get to Johannesburg, South Africa. In the past we have only had one flight on this day, but the new "procedure" is to stop in a small town called Nosy Be, before going to Johannesburg. This stop is the worst possible "African" detour any person can make. They made us get off the plane, pick up our luggage, go through customs, recheck our luggage, fill out paperwork, and then get back on the plane...all in 30 minutes! On top of that you are in a tiny airport with hundreds of tourists trying to board different flights, and tons of Malagasy workers trying to bribe you for money. There were definitely some tears by the end of it all...but hey - you try being screamed at by a 100 angry Italians at the same time as being told you need to give bribe money to get through the mob in time to get back on your flight! It was utter confusion. Fortunately, we got to go through the experience with several of our colleagues from the island...and it is definitely a memory we will be talking about for a long time! :)

Once we arrived in South Africa, we attended a meeting for our cluster. It was a great time of fellowship, and we were so blessed to have a church from America come and encourage us with great childcare, worship, and teaching. Eli had a great time and loved participating in Vacation Bible School. He was really sweet, and he loved coming "home" each day and telling us all that he learned.

One thing I realized on this trip is how out of western culture we have become. I don't have enough space to tell you about all of the small things we experienced culture shock with, but here are a few examples from day one:

* Eli and I went to the bathroom after we got off the flight. The counter to wash your hands was a long, marble counter where the water falls onto it and then down the drain. The water came out automatically when you put your hands underneath the faucet. It took me about 5 minutes to convince Eli that it was okay. He was so freaked out by it all, and didn't want to go near it. I finally got him to wash his hands and then told him we needed to dry our hands. He asked, "Where is the towel?" And I said, "There is no towel. We use this to dry our hands." I pushed my hand on the automatic dryer, and within a split second Eli was running for his life out of the bathroom. I could almost see smoke coming from those little feet!

* After the bathroom, we had to face the escalator. This was a bit overwhelming for Eli...but by the end of the trip he thought it was like a roller coaster ride, and he just wanted to go up and down them all day.

* Once we got to the hotel I decided to run over to the grocery store to pick up a few things. Once I walked in the door, I pretty much stood there with my mouth open wide for the first 10 minutes. There were even a few tears. By the way...how are there people starving in this world??!?! Oh and please, never go to your local grocery store and stand in that long isle of cereals and complain that there isn't a good selection. :)

Anyways, the trip was full of all kinds of other adventures: movies, shopping, and LOTS of doctor appointments. But the best part was getting to spend some time with our friends and fellow missionaries.

Coming back to Mada proved to be just as challenging as getting to SA. All four flights home were awful. I think it was storming in every location we departed from! One flight was so bad that everyone got really pretty upset and nervous (I'm always nervous!). The turbulence was the worst that I have ever been through (and I have been on A LOT of planes)...we even got struck by lightning. It definitely ranked among the top most terrifying moments of my life. After the flight landed I was so sick from anxiety, that it lasted the whole night and next day. Hopefully I will be able to recover from it quickly - as my next flight is in about 2 weeks to head back to South Africa for the delivery of our sweet baby boy.