So, while we were not truly sad to say goodbye to Haiti, we were also not looking forward to the amount of airtime we would be getting in so short a time span. We arrived back in Texas Wednesday night. And, bless Kelly's heart, he stopped at Chili's on the way from the airport to the IOC. What a wonderful driver! My stomach was so relived to have choices again.
We had just enough time at the IOC to do some laundry and organize the last of our packing. We sent off one final box via container, which means we should receive it in November! We had only packed one suitcase for our Haiti trip, but we had three checked bags for the ship. All three were just under the 50lb. limit. For those of you mathematically challenged, that is close to 150lb. of luggage!!
We left Friday morning along with 13 of our teammates. We flew from Tyler, Texas to Dallas to London to Madrid to Las Palmas. Four planes in all. The journey was about 30 hours long. Our entire 15-person group took the same flights from Tyler to Dallas and again from Madrid to Las Palmas, but for the longer two flights, we were split in two groups. Joe and I literally left our phones on until Dallas, Texas. We called Verizon from the airport. After being on hold for a short while, I was literally canceling service as they called us to board the plane!
We had a 6.5 hour layover in Madrid, so Joe, Jessica, and I left the airport for a few hours.
Spain is beautiful. I really enjoyed our short walk in Madrid. I loved looking at the architecture. Europe is filled with such history…the US is just a baby nation compared to Europe.
We had a nice meal at an outdoor cafe - although, of all the cafes in Spain, we ended up at the one with American cuisine!! But still, the ambiance was definitely Spanish!
And, of course, we cannot forget dessert…
We arrived in Las Palmas just before midnight…but our bags did not. All three were misplaced. Thankfully, having experienced lost luggage before, I was prepared. I had two changes of clothes for each of us in my carry-on along with my own iPad. Joe had his guitar and a tech backpack (which contained his computer, iPad, camera, and a bunch of wires). We filled out a claim and prayed it would not be long until our bags joined us onboard.
I am pretty sure God is trying to teach us something. Perhaps about being content in all situations, as our third bag is still missing…seven days later. Remember that I mentioned I was prepared to lose our luggage? Well, I was wrong. Our new bedsheets and towels were among the bag's contents along with Joe's work clothes, our underwear, and various other clothing items. Now, in Haiti, we got used to taking showers with our underwear and shirts on so we could wash them. However, it is difficult to do that when you are only allotted two minutes of water for a shower! And we are not yet that desperate. We have already done laundry twice in the seven days we have been here.
We are blessed to have travelled here with good friends. They offered to give or lend us everything. Even underwear! (Although I am pretty sure that was a straight gift rather than an item to be returned!)
We climbed aboard the ship at almost 1:30am. I was exhausted. I could not fully appreciate the beauty of my new home.
Reception guided us through Embarkation, which is basically some safety instructions and paperwork required by some official maritime organization (I have already forgotten the name). Finally, carrying only our carry-ons, we were led to our cabin.
After a very brief look around, I changed into my only set of pajamas and fell asleep, not to awake until 10am.
No comments:
Post a Comment