Getting to the orphanage

I'M DOING IT!!!! I'm finally writing about Africa. It's been hanging over my head for 7 months, but no longer! Bear with me. I'd like to make this a short summary, but we all know me better than that, huh? ;)

OK. So Africa. NOT on my bucket list. I haven't been anywhere across seas except Hawaii. Not your world traveler. I've always wanted to go to Europe, maybe Asia, definitely the Carribean, but I never contemplated Africa. That seemed too "out there". 

Well if you know me, you know I am very close to Josie Solomon. She is the founder of The 444 Project. And her non-profit was the organization behind this. They had been working for a year advertising and getting volunteers for it. From day 1, she (and her husband Brighton) had been trying to get me to go. I completely wrote it off because 1- I am a mom of young kids 2- We were planning on having a baby that year 3- I really just had no interest in going without my husband 4- Anxiety 5- It was very expensive 6 through 245,567 can't be listed. You get the picture. 

Well a month before the trip I still wasn't pregnant. And Josie kept dropping hints. No, they weren't hints, she was really pushing for me to come. I feel a strong responsibility and tie to her and I don't take it lightly so suddenly I was entertaining the smallest possibility of this happening. But it just seemed like a BIG deal to me. The BIGGEST deal. I would be gone 2 weeks. I've NEVER been away from my family that long. It was too expensive for both Travis AND I to go, so I knew I'd be flying solo. This wasn't going to be a vacation. I wasn't exactly sure what to expect but it wasn't the Hilton. I pictured eating rice for 14 days and sleeping with bugs. I just reasoned with myself that it just wasn't my time or season. 

Buuut, I wasn't pregnant. And that seemed strange. The first three kids came with zero problems. And yet I was coming onto 9 months of trying with no positive pregnancy test. It made me wonder. 

And then, I opened up our lap top and searched Falco's Children's Village. And I'll never forget where I was sitting when those children's faces came onto my screen. I knew. I knew right then I was supposed to go.

But I have this thing with fighting Heavenly Father on stuff I'm not a fan of. 

So I stifled that feeling and sought for more assurances. 

I fasted. And prayed. And cried. Then did it all 10 more times.

I got a priesthood blessing. I went to the temple. I made pro/con lists. 

I talked to Travis about it. I told him to tell me what to do. The booger wouldn't so much as even HINT that it would be a burden to him or our family. 

I talked to friends. I talked to my mom. She told me to call my Aunt Carla. Unbeknownst to me, my Aunt Carla had done a service trip to Ghana 10+ years ago. She has also done many subsequent service trips to South America and was about to leave on another adventure to the Arctic Circle. So I called her and she answered right away and we talked for over an hour. And she told me stories that had me hanging on the edge of my seat. She had experienced miracles and testified of angels and we both cried as she related life changing events. For the first time, I was excited about possibly going. Actually, it was exactly what I needed to hear to give me the boost into doing it. 

So, that very day, I signed up. 

And then made an appointment with my doctor to get a prescription for Xanax. ;)

Even though my conversation with my aunt gave me courage, I had non-stop anxiety leading up to the actual day. In fact, I was dreading it. It seemed scary. I like my comforts. My husband, my food and my bed are extremely high priority to me. I kept wondering what I had gotten myself into. I had Travis give me another blessing. I sort of pretended it wasn't happening and didn't really pack until the day I was leaving. 

It was on a Sunday in July. We went to church then I spent the afternoon packing my bags. We had dinner at Travis's parent's house then we all got in the car to take me to the airport. I was freaking out inside. Almost thinking of Travis, "How can you let me do this! Why are you actually driving me to the airport?!!" 

I had explained it all to the kids before and Weston took it pretty hard. He cried and asked me not to go. I really did worry about him. Travis was all positivity. Nothing but supportive and loving. He's beyond amazing. After lots of hugs and kisses I walked into the terminal.

It was a slow gathering of our group as we all showed up at the check in line. Most of us were meeting for the first time. As Josie had spoken at firesides the past year, hearts were touched and people started signing up. Many were from Arizona but there was also a good amount from Utah and California. I was impressed by the people who felt the Spirit prompt them and signed up not knowing Josie or another soul in the group. 

We flew out of Phoenix at 10:40pm and arrived in Philadelphia at 6:10am. We had a 4 hour layover there and took our first group picture!

Not everyone was on our group flight but the total was 44 people... pretty fitting for the 444 Project!

Now it was on to international flights!

We left Philly at 10:10am and arrived at DOHA International airport in Qatar at 5:20am the next day. That was a 13 hour flight. 

I was exhausted but couldn't sleep. I watched a couple of movies and ahhh-ed over the legit meals! It was already feeling foreign!

The screens on the back of the seats showed where we were traveling at that moment. Flying over Europe at night and seeing lights below of big cities was absolutely incredible to me! Flying over France I just pictured Paris beneath us and I was beside myself with awe. I can't even describe it. It's like I've known there was this whole other world out there my whole life, but actually SEEING it (well, sort of seeing it, haha) made me feel like I was going to heaven or something and seeing that it actually IS real! I felt like a giddy kid at Disneyland. I mean, AHHHH!!! How COOL is this??!! I suddenly had the strongest desire to travel the world! I wanted to see it all!!

Arriving in Qatar! If you don't know where that is (like I didn't) it's in the Middle East, right off the coast of Saudi Arabia and just south of Iran. 

Gulp.

When I had found out my flight itinerary I was not excited to be spending any time in a country near Iran!

However, the moment we disembarked, I became star struck. Or maybe country struck. ;) 

Everything was in Arabic but usually had an English translation underneath. There were lots of people in traditional clothing, but plenty in Western clothing. It's not against the law here for women to show their hair, but I guess in Saudi Arabia it is. Still, everyone seemed to be dressed modestly. I only saw one woman with a plunging neckline and she stuck out like a sore thumb. It even seemed to be disrespectful, given the surroundings. It was a FANCY airport. Nothing like this in the states. It felt more like we were in a ritzy mall than an airport. Huge, flat screen billboards with advertisements. All the high end stores like Burberry, Tiffany's and Rolex. Everything just felt, EXPENSIVE.

I haven't mentioned yet that even though The 444 Project was the mastermind behind this trip, a business called Revive Service Tours had organized it all and arranged the flights and accommodations. The head of Revive, was Ryan. I felt safe having him around. He's traveled all over the world and knew the ins and outs of all the airports, countries and cultures. He told us to not drink the water here, even in the airport. 

There were women and men's prayer rooms in the terminals. 

I'm such a tourist but seeing all of the clothing made me stare. This isn't politically correct, but the only ones that made me feel uneasy were the women who only showed their eyes. It just doesn't sit right with me. 

I should have bought some souvenirs but I thought I'd have time on the flight home and we didn't! Boo. 

I did order some food though. This was Brighton's plate. Olivia and I shared some noodles and baklava. I got a riyal back in change!

It's probably pretty lame that I got such a kick out of an airport, but it piqued ALL my curiosity! Whereas before I was dreading a layover in the Middle East, now I was so sad that we weren't staying! I was itching to get out in the country and see more of the culture and land. Maybe someday!

The Qatar Airlines flight attendants were so professional! It almost seemed like what they must have looked like in the USA in the 50's. They had nice blouses with matching hats, jewelry and lipstick. Very classy. It made me wonder if being a flight attendant in another country is more prestigious than it is here??

We left DOHA at 8:50am and got to Zanzibar, Tanzania at 2:45pm. 

My first glimpse of Africa!

Zanzibar is a little island off the coast of Tanzania. We stayed on the plane for a couple of hours while some passengers got off and they did maintenance on the plane. By this time, I was losing it. I hadn't slept since Saturday night at it was now Tuesday! I was getting restless legs and claustrophobia. Basically, I just felt like I was about to crawl out of my skin! I almost couldn't handle this delay. We finally took off for our last hour in the air and landed at Kilimanjaro around 4:45pm.  

The airport was small and primitive. We exited the plane on the runway. To use the bathroom we had to make sure we had a partner with us for safety as we made our way down the dingy staircase into the ill lit basement. 

Going through customs was annoying.  Their government isn't well organized and the whole process felt chaotic. We had to fill out papers, be electronically fingerprinted and stand in multiple lines. Ryan warned us that if we marked that we were here on a humanitarian trip, they are known for charging 5x the standard amount. So we all marked that we were just here on a vacation, which is a $100 visa. Oddly, I never got charged. I was the only one in the group. I went up to Ryan to tell him and he just said to consider myself lucky and not worry about it. It felt dishonest, but I went with it, wanting to avoid any more interactions with those workers. 

Mary is a "Mama" at the orphanage and helps run it too. She was there to greet us once we finally got out of there. Jerry and Tammy Backus (the founders of the orphanage) were also there to welcome us.

It was dark once we loaded our luggage onto these old buses, but it was still surreal to be driving through AFRICA! The airport seemed to be in the middle of nowhere. We drove for about an hour on a one lane highway, passing dirt, dirt and more dirt, with the occasional late night walker or hut. It was very clear from the get go that there are really no traffic rules. Especially when passing! Yikes! Here is a good example of when I should have been freaking out, but for whatever reason, I was as cool as a cucumber. Somehow, I just knew we were going to be OK. 

We arrived at the hotel late. I don't even know what time it was. It was the Ngurdoto Mountain Lodge in Arusha. Here's an aerial view in the daytime. It's located between Mt. Kilimanjaro and Mt. Meru on a 140 acre coffee plantation. You could tell it would be considered a very nice place there, but compared to American standards.. not as much. 

The concierge unloaded our bags and showed us to the dining hall. I felt bad because you could tell they had all stayed up late waiting for us. The staff was standing by, smiling  in their white uniforms and ready to jump in and serve us. 

I was really surprised by the food! Much more variety than I was expecting. We were told not to eat any of the fruit or salads, however, because the produce would have been washed in their water. 

We were assigned rooms, and I was sharing with Olivia, Katelyn, Stacy and Josie's little sister, Jordan. Since Katelyn and Jordan were cousins, they shared the queen and Olivia and I took the twin beds. 

It all felt similar to staying in a spacious RV or something. Taking a shower felt luxurious even if it was semi-warm and more mist than spray. I didn't realize we weren't even supposed to use the tap water to rinse our mouths when we brushed our teeth. Oops!

I don't remember how, but I was able to call Travis and talk to him for a few minutes before bed. I was so so tired that I don't remember it being hard to fall asleep. However, at some point in the middle of the night something woke me up. It seemed like a loud noise. I felt groggy and not sure what was going on, but then I heard Katelyn get up to use the bathroom not long after. I figured she had been making the ruckus and remember even feeling a little irritated that she had been loud enough to wake me up in the middle of the night. WELL, come to find out the next morning, there had been an earthquake! It was recorded as a magnitude of 5.1 , which is moderate. How about that?! Everyone was buzzing about it and whether or not it had woken them up.

The breakfast buffet was delish! This papaya was DIVINE. I got a made to order omelet and pancakes.

This was millet porridge and would be comparable to our Cream of Wheat, I guess. Bit of a different flavor, but it was OK. 

Mmmmm. the pineapple and watermelon juices for so sweet an tasty.

After breakfast, we met as a group in a conference room upstairs to introduce ourselves and be separated into groups. Tammy and Jerry told us a little about themselves and their story with starting the orphanage. By then, we were supposed to pack up and get the buses loaded to drive to the orphanage. 

While we were waiting for our luggage to be strapped to the buses, I started visiting with one of the hotel employees. We had been challenged to talk to as many people as we could on this trip about what brings them joy. (This has to do with Josie and the 444 Project) His English was OK, but I felt like we still had some communication problems. He said WE brought him joy because it brought business to the hotel. Then he wanted to get my phone number... because apparently they think that having any American's phone number might be advantageous in some way. :/

As I was finishing up with him, we started to hear singing. Curious, we all filed out to the back of the hotel by the pool where this large group of women were singing. There were men in suits with microphones and news- looking cameras and they seemed to be some sort of performing group. Gradually, they all came over and swarmed around us, some taking us by the hand and trying to include us in their numbers. They didn't speak any English, but sang with the sweetest voices in what I guess would be Swahili. This was the friendly lady who took my hand. 

They ushered us around the pool, trying to have us mimic their choreography while we all tried to enjoy the moment, yet steal puzzled glances at each other. None of us knew what was going on!! It lasted at least 30 minutes before it seemed they were done. We clapped and thanked them then took a group picture. From what we understand, they were performing for a local TV show that was being recorded. So random!

We were told it would be a 2-3 hour drive to the orphanage. After leaving the mountainous terrain of the lodge, we passed through the city of Arusha. I was amazed at how it seemed to be an industrialized city... in the dirt. No landscaping. Crowded and chaotic roads. Everything just felt old and beat up. Lots of big trucks and vans zipping by, weaving in and out of each other. Cars would turn right in front of other cars, just expecting them to stop. And they did. There was a rhythm to it all even when there were no rules. It seemed a miracle that we didn't witness any car accidents. 

Just outside the city, Tammy directed the bus drivers to stop at a little plaza with a convenience store and bathrooms. She said this place catered to tourists and was a safe place to stop. We were warned that it would also be our last place to buy any prepackaged food or snacks. I had packed lots of protein bars, jerky and trail mix so I didn't feel the need to buy anything. But I did peruse the newspaper. I sure hope this was more akin to our National Enquirer than to our NY Times. 

Once we were out of Arusha it was all rural country.
Cattle and goats grazed by the roadside. There were sporatic huts off in the distance. Tammy was in our bus and she explained that when you saw a cluster of huts, you could count them and know how many wives that man had. Each wife got her own hut. 

Lots of random people just walking...

The kids were always so excited to see us. Tammy said it was because we were white. They always stopped and waved with gleeful expressions. 

I was kind of shocked at how much it was exactly what you'd expect to see in Africa. Women in tribal clothing, walking with baskets or bundled branches on their heads. Shepherds! It was crazy to see small children all by themselves with sticks, prodding a herd of cattle. 

I later learned that you aren't supposed to take pictures of these boys with the white face paint. This one is by himself, but usually they are in a group. It means that they are a boy coming of age and have recently been circumcised. When this happens there is a ceremony and then the boys are sent off to live on their own for a month! Surviving however they can.  I guess they usually stick together in a group. They are only 8 or 9 when this happens. Broke my heart! They looked so miserable. The bus in front of us started taking pictures of one group and they shouted angrily and chased the bus, hitting it with their sticks. It kind of scared me. They don't like it if they aren't paid when you take their picture. 

If you notice the big hump that the cattle have on their backs, we were told that is an adaptation of the cattle here. 

Saw a billboard for Lake Manyara. That is one of the safari's we got to go on.

Our first wildlife encounter was with baboons! We drove through a huge pack of them.

See the baby in the mama's pouch?!

The landscape was quite breathtaking. Again, I just felt like pinching myself! Africa!! How was this real life?!

Well the supposed 2-3 hour drive actually turned into SIX!! There was no A/C and it was dusty and bumpy. I was hungry and tired and so sick of sitting. The last half hour was on a windy, dirt road off the main highway. I don't even know how the buses made it. 

FINALLY.

We arrived. I think it was around 4pm.

The children were all waiting for us with a song! It was adorable. 

They showed us to our rooms and I got a little unpacked. They let us play with the kids for about an hour before dinner. I pulled out UNO cards and was instantly swarmed. Every kid wanted a turn and it was a little overwhelming settling them down. 

They had a tent set up outside as our "food hall" and served noodles, brown rice, watermelon, pineapple and a cucumber and tomato salad. They had hired a cook just for us because of how large a group we were. We sat at folding tables in the dirt and ate off plastic plates. It felt very much like girls camp. After that, I retreated to my room feeling so very tired. And homesick. They had limited WiFi in just the house I was assigned to. I was SO grateful. I had downloaded an app that let me call internationally for free using WiFi. So I called Trav and gave him an update. I felt like crying. I think maybe I did a little. The excitement of the journey had worn off, and the fatigue of  traveling was setting in... hard. And I couldn't help but think... that was EXHAUSTING. And now I have 8 days of work ahead of me. But Travis was perfect. He gave me the best pep talk I didn't even know I was asking for. His words completely lifted and encouraged me. It was exactly what I needed to hear. How did I luck out with such an amazing husband? I fell asleep shortly after, which was just what the doctor ordered. ;)