Disclaimer: I’ve been in Ethiopia for a month and a half now and have multiple blogs to post so I apologize in advance for the spam of emails you will get about my updates!
The day came where it was time for my squad and I go say goodbye to Guatemala and hello to Ethiopia.
December 5, 2019 at 7:30 in the morning, my entire squad is packed and ready to take off for our next adventure. We loaded the buses up and headed to the airport. That ride was so long but so short at the same time. I didn’t want to leave Guatemala, I had gotten so comfortable with how things were done there. But that was just why we had to leave.
You know that saying like, you don’t grow inside your comfort zone? It’s so true. Guatemala at one point wasn’t a comfortable place for us. But after being there for 3 months, we got comfortable. God said, “Time to get uncomfortable again!” And that we did! We had a pit stop in the United States first though.
The goodbye to our alumni team leaders was brutal. As we got off the bus and hadn’t even gotten to go inside the airport yet, we said goodbye. I had no idea my heart could hurt so much. After all, I had only spent 3 months with Anabelle, but those 3 months were amazing and I will never forget them. Anabelle taught me and honestly my whole team so much in those short 3 months!
Travel day number one was off to an interesting start. After crying and hugging Anabelle goodbye, we were off to check our bags and find food to eat and our gate. Our first flight would be headed to Orlando, Florida. Just a few hours. I listened to music, played on my phone and slept the way there. I was excited to get to go back to the states again before going off the grid in Africa for 3 months.
We were in Florida for 3 hours and being deprived from Chick-fil-A for 3 months we all wanted to find the one in that airport and get some. Unfortunately The Chick-fil-A there was before security and we would have had to go eat and then go back through security which I didn’t want to do. So my teammate Chelsea and I found a store with candy and drinks and things to go get food from. We were both so overwhelmed and amazed at the same time! We kept converting USD to the Guatemalan Quetzal because we got so used to it. I don’t remember what I bought but I remember I ate or drank it so fast! It was so good! A little bit later I ran and got a Wendy’s frosty a few minutes before our flight because I could and wanted to.
From there we flew to Newark, New Jersey. We had a 22 hour layover there. This layover was real fun. We landed at about 10pm. We got off the plane and everything and maneuvered our way to luggage claim. Spent a good amount of time there. Maybe an hour or 2 there. From there we all walked around with our big packs and day packs and got on a few air train things to get to the exit we needed to be at. It took a good hour probably to get there with our big group. When we got there we had to wait for the hotel we had reservations at to come pick us up with shuttles. We’re all sprawled out on the floor and everything of this airport, exhausted and ready to get in a bed and sleep.
Our logischicks ended up calling the hotel and they had no idea they had to pick us up so they sent one shuttle right after the call. The shuttle was small and only held about 10 of us. There are 42 of us. So the shuttle had to make several trips back and forth to get us all to the hotel. I was part of the last group that got to the hotel. It was 3 or 3:30am when we got on the shuttle. I was exhausted and had taken a nap on the floor. I also rode on one of those carts that carries your bags for you, which was fun! I didn’t end up going to sleep till like 4am that night. I was planning on getting up pretty early to eat breakfast and go to Times Square also so I only really got 2 hours of sleep. It was rough. However, that didn’t keep me from having a great day in New York City! 22 hours in the states after being away for 3 months was something else let me tell you! I rode a train from Newark, New Jersey to New York City and got to go to Target for the first time in 3 months and then a Starbucks, and then…. the place all World Racers make sure they go to…. Chick-fil-A! I got nuggets and a peppermint milkshake! I was in heaven! It was so good!
Also, at this time in New York it was cold and I didn’t have warm enough clothes so I was cold every time I stepped outside and we walked everywhere there. We went to the M&M factory and looked around and got warm. Lots of M&M printed things in there, but what do you expect?
We headed back to the hotel pretty early because we had gone where we wanted to go and bought what we needed and wanted to buy. We chilled at the hotel until they kicked us out and then we chilled at the airport.
At the airport I ended up meeting a Nigerian who was heading home for the holidays. He told me about how he was gonna see his family after 3 years of being away. He ended up asking me where I was headed and what I was doing. I explained to him about the World Race and how we were in Guatemala for 3 months and now we’re heading to Ethiopia for 3 months to share the word and love of God. He hadn’t heard of the World Race but he explained that his girlfriend was a part of the Peace Corps somewhere.
It was cool to talk to him. We ended up on the same flight to Ethiopia but he didn’t stop there. I also never saw him again once we got on the plane.
The plane was so massive, I’ve never seen a plane so big with my own eyes before. This plane had a middle 3 seats and then an aisle and 3 more seats next to the window on both sides! I’ve only seen these types of planes in movies! I was so excited to ride a big plane for once! I’ve never flown so far either so that’s why. When I sat down in my assigned seat there was a pillow, a blanket, socks, an eye mask, and a little toothbrush and toothpaste! I was like woah! Of course our flight was 9 hours so it was expected too but also unexpected!
We were served 3 meals on the plane and there was, of course, a tv screen in front of each seat. I watched like 5 movies, fell asleep during every single one and also just straight up napped. We traveled throughout the night so there was a point on the flight where it was dark and everyone almost was asleep! It was pretty cool. My feet got swollen from either lack of blood flow or too much… one of those. I got antsy and was allowed to get up and walk some laps around the plane. I didn’t do that because I had never been able to do that but the option was there.
The first flight was 9 hours but when we landed we didn’t get off the plane because that same plane was going where we needed to go. The first flight was to some place in Africa but not to Ethiopia white yet. The next flight was 5 hours. We essentially had a 14 hour straight flight to Ethiopia.
I overall enjoyed the flight very much! Except for the swollen feet, I didn’t mind the long flight. I love watching movies, I did that all the time at home so it was good! I also love to sleep. I did both on the flight! When we landed I was so tired I couldn’t keep my eyes open long so I just slept while waiting for the fasten seat belt sign to turn off so we could get our stuff and get off the plane.
Everyone was talking about how their feet are swollen and how they couldn’t get their shoes back on they were so swollen. I was smart and was wearing crocs so I was able to put my shoes back on but there was no space to spare in there like usual.
The airport had Wifi so I was able to text my family and let them know I made it. It was 10pm and we were in line for our Visas and it was 2pm at home. It felt so weird. Daylight at home and night time in Ethiopia.
After receiving and paying for our Visas we got on buses to take us to the hotel we’d be staying at for the night. We still had to get to the AIM base which was 2-3 hours away. So we stayed the night in a Best Western in Addis Ababa. I slept like a baby that night and took my last for sure hot shower.
We left for the base the next morning. I slept some more on the way to the base. When we arrived we were all ecstatic to be in Ethiopia finally, after 3 days of travel. (I’m not complaining I like the travel part a lot!) we were shown our rooms and we settled in!
Even though I wrote our travel days out for y’all to read and hear about, it doesn’t quite do the thing justice, but does anything other than the actual thing?
I hope you enjoyed this blog story about my experience from Guatemala to Ethiopia!
God bless you all! ??????
