Step 1:
Board conveys to leave El Shaddiah around 12:00 on November 30th
Step 2:
Reenter South Africa around 1:00
Step 3:
Arrive at Johannesburg airport where we are reunited with the rest of our squad
Step 4:
Spend the night at the Johannesburg airport. Fall asleep only to wake up freezing because what I names the wind tunnel was blowing on me. Fall back asleep after moving, wake up, enjoy a delicious breakfast with great people and prepare to check in for our flight to Nairobi, Kenya.
Step 6:
Leave Johannesburg for Nairobi, Kenya. While we were flying we saw Mount Kilimanjaro poking above the clouds (the rocky looking thing right below the tip of the wing.) Also, I didn't sleep on this flight at all, even though I was sure I would be out the second I sat down.
Step 7:
Arrive at Nairobi, Kenya for 4 hour layover. Find out you can spend American dollars at the airport so I buy gummy bears and a nativity set. Completely exhausted but can't sleep.
Step 8:
Leave Nairobi for Hong Kong. Finally able to sleep on this flight!
Step 9:
Unexpected 2 hour layover in Thailand, where we were just supposed to drop off and pick up passengers. We entered the airport with meal vouchers in hand and enjoyed some free food (iced chai, chocolate croissant, and ham and cheese croissant for me!) We then reboarded the plane ready to go to Hong Kong.
Step 10:
Arrive in Hong Kong the evening of December 2nd. Go through customs, get our bags, and board a bus headed to our base for the next few days.
Step 11:
Refill out our visa paperwork so we can get visas to China
Step 12:
Hang out in Hong Kong
Step 13:
Find out all the teams are changing and find out my new teammates, make a memory and come up with the name Holy F.I.R.E (Fierce intimacy rooted in eternity)
Step 14:
Get our visas!!!
Step 15:
Start our journey to China by bus and subway, complete with all of our packs
Step 16:
Cross the boarder from Hong Kong to China late December 5th
Step 17:
Help my new team leader buy train tickets to Zhengzhou
Step 18:
Try to find a cheap hotel we can all stay at. Talk with several people, finally find a lady who is intent on helping us. I use pretty much all my Chinese and we finally end up in a decent hotel and can sleep.
Step 19:
Board a 24 hour train to Zhengzhou on December 6th. We were eventually given seats all together when they thought we were crazy that we didn't want to upgrade to hard sleepers. We made friends with the people sitting around us, especially Skip, who continually shared food with us and talked even though he knew no English. I was thankful the train wasn't full so we could spread out to sleep at times. Lots of ramen noodle bowls later we finally we done with the train.
Step 20:
Arrive in Zhengzhou the morning of December 7th, where it is now officially cold. We have 2 immediate tasks, get bus tickets and get food. Some people are sent to McDonalds and Angela and get bus tickets, leaving in about 15 minutes. We frantically move our stuff to the bus, pray the McDonalds people get there in time, and board the bus just as it is about to leave.
Step 21:
Arrive in Jiaozou, find our contact and move into our apartment for the month!
