How does a video like this happen, and what exactly does it look like when a squad transitions from one continent (and one season) to the next? Here's a timeline of the past two days:
Saturday
6:00 A.M.
Wake up in Swaziland. Eat breakfast. Finish stuffing everything into pack. Today's travel outfit is a dress over leggings (way more comfy for long plane rides than jeans) and ballet flats (technically, North Face “camp slippers,” but they've functioned great as regular shoes up until now).
7:20 A.M.
Find out that the bus that was supposed to be arriving at 7:30 will now be arriving about 45 minutes to an hour late. Pray that when the bus company says “45 minutes to an hour,” that they actually MEAN “45 minutes to an hour.” Soak up the amazing views and the sunshine for just a little bit longer.
8:30 A.M.
Praise Jesus because the bus was actually only an hour late. Realize that being happy that something is “only an hour late” is an emotion that happens on the race at lot… at home, not so much! Start loading packs. (Each racer has a 60-70 L pack weighing about 45 lbs, along with a backpack and usually some other carry on item. You wear the pack on your back, your backpack on your front, and, well, the carry on item… eh, you figure something out. All in all, each person is probably carrying around 70+ lbs. This is the first of many times in this journey that we'll carry our stuff from point A to point B.)
8:45 A.M.
Packs and people loaded, it's off the airport we go!
9:45 A.M.
Eat PB&J that I packed for lunch. Hoping to eat “real” food when we make it to the airport, making up for the fact that I have eaten my sandwich way before lunchtime.
10:00 A.M.
Border crossing… get off bus, wait, fill out paperwork, get passport stamped, walk across border, wait, get passport stamped again, get on bus. Fun stuff.
11:00 A.M.
While the bus fills up on gas, get final Magnum Bar to be enjoyed on the continent of Africa.
1:30 P.M.
Thankfully uneventful bus ride concludes at the Joburg Airport. Unload bus, put on pack, regret decision not to use a wheely-cart thingie. Note to self: if there is a cart with wheels, always, always use it!
2:00-4:30 P.M.
Blissful airport free time. Find Mugg & Bean (aka South African Panera), get chocolate chip muffin (served with butter, strawberry jam, and cheddar cheese… don't knock it 'til you try it) and Mexican Hot Chocolate, use internet to send out accumulated emails and call super-awesome-amazing-fiance. (The Skype connection stinks and we can only talk for a few minutes, but it's the best part of day so far!)
4:30 P.M.
Print tickets and check bags (which have been sitting in a guarded pile in an out-of-the-way corner of the airport). The counter is supposed to open at 4:30, but the line doesn't start moving until about 5:10. Blegh.
5:45 P.M.
Acquire magazines to entertain me (and my squadmates) for the remainder of travel. This turns out to be extremely helpful in passing the time for the remainder of our journey.
6:00-7:30 P.M.
Wait at gate, better early than late. (It rhymes, so it must be true.) Start boarding on time. (Yay!)
8:00 P.M.
Take-off! Receive complimentary socks, eye mask, lip balm, ear plugs, mini-toothbrush and toothpaste. Decide that this is the 2nd best part of my day.
9:45 P.M.
Airplane food. Includes a hunk of real chedder cheese… 3rd best part of my day! Watch “Crazy Stupid Love” and attempt to fall asleep.
Sunday
3:30 A.M.
Get woken up by the meal cart, because this is obviously the perfect time for breakfast.
5:30 A.M.
Land in Istanbul for a brief layover. Find the first Starbucks we've seen since Beijing. Very, very happy! Realizing we are now experiencing Winter, decided to put on socks, a striped cardigan, and a scarf (aka airplane blanket) that I've “borrowed” from our previous flight. I'll return it when we fly to Central America in 3 months…
7:30 A.M.
Board flight for Bucharest. While on board, enjoy the second breakfast of the day. Includes more hunks of cheese. Yummy.
10:30 A.M.
Arrive in Bucharest, believing that we will soon be boarding a train and arriving at our new placement by tonight. (Please note that the video that opens this blog has NOT yet appeared in this timeline.)
10:30 A.M.- 1:30 P.M.
Do all the stuff you have to do after an international flight: pick up bags (nothing missing, yay!), go through customs, etc. Wait around reading magazines while squad & team leaders, along with logistic and finance people, do their “business” stuff (acquire SIM cards for their phones, withdraw money, get tickets for bus to train station, etc.). They are the best!
1:30 P.M.
Leave airport by bus and arrive at the Bucharest train station. It's snowing and frigid, and even with the added layer of my winter coat, I realize (5 months too late) that having a pair of wool socks and boots on the race would be really helpful and I really wouldn't have minded dragging them around for 5 months.
2:00 P.M.
Discover that our train won't be leaving until 9 P.M. We also discover that we will be getting off that train at 4 A.M. and boarding another train at 6 A.M. before arriving at our final destination at 8 A.M. this (Monday) morning. The video's starting to make a little more sense now, isn't it?
2:00-8:15 P.M.
Enter weird travel twilight zone, where it's too cold and dirty for you to fall asleep anywhere comfortably and yet all you want to do is close your eyes. We station ourselves and our packs in one corner of the waiting area and find refuge (with clean bathrooms and free WI-FI!) in the train station McDonalds. Take advantage of the great internet connection to call Devin and my Mom (yay to both!). Computer dies. Flip through magazines a lot. Talk with squadmates a lot. Continue to visit McD's to both warm-up from the waiting area and use the facilities. Discover adequate pizza and an amazing cup of hot chocolate. Decide to add another layer to my ensemble by putting jeans on over my leggings. This is definately World Race style at it's best.
8:15 P.M.
Hear that our train will be boarding soon. Make final bathroom run. Loaded up with our packs, we stand outside in the absolutely FREEZING COLD with no train in site. After what seems like forever, and all of us really wishing that we had boots and warmer clothes in general, the train finally appears.
9:00 P.M.
The train cars don't have numbers. This results in us boarding the wrong car, but, the conductor is amused with us, and because the train is basically empty, he lets us stay put. We promptly take off our wet socks and put on the socks that we got on the airplane… thank God for those socks!!!
11:00 P.M.
Fall asleep to the train's rhythm… one of easiest ways to fall asleep on the race, for sure.
Monday
3:30 A.M.
For the second day in a row, wake up at 3:30 A.M. Load up packs, get ready to disembark train. It appears awfully cold and snowy out there…
4:15 A.M.
Guess what? It IS awfully cold and snowy out there! We step off the train and into at least 8 inches of snow. My teammate Amaris, in the most graceful move of the journey so far, falls backwards while crossing an unused track. My mind registers three things: this is funny, she looks like an-upside down turtle, and, she could probably use help. My body, however, keeps moving. Sorry, Amaris!
4:30 A.M.
I record the video posted at the beginning of the blog. We then snuggle up in our sleeping bags and make the best of a ridiculous situation.
4:35 A.M.
It occurs to me that all my friends back at home are at Superbowl Parties. They are probably warm.
6:00 A.M.
Board our final train. Thank God, the conductor checks our tickets before leaving, because apparently our train splits and we're on the wrong half. Trudging as quickly as we can through the snow (the conductor yelling after us, “Rapido! Rapido!”) we make it to the other half of the train and can barely make it into the car because of the snow, the car's height off the ground, and our heavy packs. Some random woman helps pull us up into the car. Thank you, random woman.
7:30 A.M.
Two-plus days after we left Africa, we arrive at our destination in Romania. Almost. Half of our team goes with our contact to get groceries while the rest of us obtain some breakfast pastries and I have the most delightful cup of hot coffee ever. I consider getting a second one to dip my toes in.
8:15 A.M.
Amaris and I get the giggles realizing how hysterical it is that I left her behind when she fell over in the snow on train tracks. Again, sorry Amaris!!! Majil takes a picture of both of us together so you can see that she survived and we're still friends. =)
9:15 A.M.
We get on a bus for a short ride to where we're staying for the month….
10:00 A.M.
Finally, we arrive!!! Our house this month is perfect for the two teams staying here, and, for the first time on the race, I have access to the internet where I'm staying- what a great surprise! It's still cold, and getting some boots and warm clothes is top on everybody's list before we start ministry this week, but… we made it!!! Yay!!!!
