How was your day, Ann?: Malawi, Day 1(ish)

I've been so slow to update you all, so here it goes! I say this is day 1, but really with the travel, I have no idea where day 1 ended. So here is the info from the time I left up until I got to London. Hang in there, it's sure to be long...

I got up Thursday morning and went straight away to get my hair done. This was totally necessary because I had gone to a lady who had seriously fouled it up. Twice. There were tears involved, and she still hasn't cashed my check. Hoping it stays that way. Anyway, my usual place couldn't squeeze me in so I went to the place above Cup O'Soul, and the lady was super sweet and my lovely roommate Aubrey had gone before me and paid and left me a sweet, sweet note!!! Talk about a great start to the day! Moral of the story: don't go cheap on your hair.

[Side note of thanks to Aubrey and Theresa, without whom I would have showed up in Malawi with a t-shirt, a pair of jeans, a pair of tennis shoes, and nothing else. Well, definitely nothing so organized, anyway. Don't underestimate the power of community even when packing! Thanks, girls!!!!!]

Then I went to work for a while, which felt so crazy, not being fully packed, and the kids were so full of questions. But they were excited and that got me excited, too.

Went home, got to talk to Stephen for a few minutes, and he helped me calm down some. That was definitely a blessing. Finished putting little stuff in my carry-on and I was out the door!

I got to Casa de Salzman at about 4, we loaded up alllllllll our junk (2 suitcases and a backpack for me. Although one was my stuff and one was full of Stephen's.). On the way to the airport I started to get pretty antsy, and then when we got there I was a ball of nerves. Thinking, "What am I doing?! It's so far away, I don't even know that I can handle it." My friend Lauren prayed for me right there on the curb at MCO, then Charlie scooped me and all my stuff up and chauffeured me through the check-in line, instructing me to "act married, with different last names" if necessary. It wasn't. He secured me aisle seats throughout the trip, and then it was all decided. I was really going. (You may or may not be surprised that it took me that long to decide I was truly going...) After that one bout with tears, though, I was fine for the rest of the trip. In fact, I think I only cried 4 times the whole 9 days. That's a record for me!

On the way to DC I watched a movie on my Zune with Katie Sullivan and talked to a lady from DC. Katie was annoyed that I wanted to chat over her with the lady in the window seat, but I explained to her that me being Extrovert Extraordinaire, I needed to get the woman's story. She didn't get it, but she got over the pain.

Here I am in DC-->

On the flight to London, however, it got even better. I was in the 2nd to last row on the plane, on what I had been told was a full flight. It looked as if everyone was on the plane, though, and there was still an empty seat next to me! Until... the Australian showed up. Bruno, a world traveling Aussie, and chatty as can be. We got going as soon as he sat down and talked for probably a good hour. He was full of advice as to my fear of flying, which food to choose (why were they serving us dinner at 1 am anyway?!), and what to do when I saw Stephen/how to relate having not seen him in so long. He was actually pretty insightful and caring. Pleasant to talk to all around. I asked if he was a counselor, but he was, in fact, an insurance guy. Told me his company doesn't insure Malawi b/c it's unstable. Awesome, Bruno, just what I needed to hear...

I slept a maximum of 2 hours that night, due to Bruno's snoring (he'd had a few drinks and passed out), the loud flight attendants right there in the back of the plane with me, the lights left on because clearly we need dinner at 1 am and breakfast at 4 am, and just being so stinkin' flat-out excited!!!! During the little bit of sleep, though, I clearly recall waking up and asking Jesus to make Bruno disappear so that I could lay flat. Didn't happen.

So we make it to London, I have no idea what time, but early in the morning. (Travel time vortex? Check!)

me, Jessie, and Dan at Heathrow Airport-->