We are in Latvia!
In case you are unaware of where Latvia is located, look to the right of Sweden. Yup we are practically in Russia. North…waaaaaaaaay North.
Back track to 3 days ago. At midnight, all 48 of us loaded on two buses heading to the Nairobi airport to catch our 4:45am flight. Due to system failure (thank you Africa) the airlines had to hand write all of our plane tickets, so during our hour and a half layover in Istanbul, each ticket had to be reprinted. Sometimes an hour and a half is just not enough time. 46 of us made the flight, 2 were left without assigned seats to spend the night in Istanbul before catching the next flight the following day. Ah travel days, never a dull moment.
After some pretty incredible plane food (bless you Turkish Airlines, never thought I would say this, but I will miss airline food) we arrived in Riga during the middle of winter. I would like to say the Latvians were amused by our excitment to see snow, but somehow I think they were just annoyed…
Coming into Europe, I was excited because for once on the race, we would no longer stand out. From Asia to Africa, we make quite the spectacle with our white skin. Surely not the case in Europe! But as the 46 of us left the airport to catch the bus wearing nothing but chacos and light sweatshirts, lugging our huge backpacks, laughing and chatting in complete awe and joy of the snow, I realized that slipping by unnoticed was a far off dream. Never again will I make fun of the Floridans who arrive in the Denver airport with their flip flops and shorts. I now know what the Jamaican bobsled team felt like when they arrived in Calgary.
We are indeed in a different world. In previous months, it was assumed that we were rich purely because of the color of our skin. Now we are greeted with cool stares and curiosity as we hustle through the ice and snow in toms and rain jackets. It is quite a transition from the red African dirt to the beautiful architecture and light snowfall in Riga. We have to relearn the simple things- like crossing streets, taking public transportation, and containing the volume of our voices.
We have been so blessed even within the first 24 hours of arriving in country. Easter Sunday turned out to be one of my favorite days on the race so far (will blog about it soon!) and it is such a relief to be in cooler weather that reminds me so much of home! I am in Liepaja by the Baltic sea working with YWAM this month and we have an apartment complete with an OVEN! Baking ministry? Yes please!
