Arrival

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4th

After a grueling 31 hours of traveling - from O'Hare to Minneapolis, Minneapolis to Amsterdam, Amsterdam to Kilimanjaro Airport, and then a car ride from Kilimanjaro to the town of Arusha - I safely arrived at my destination tonight. The trip itself was very uneventful, with the exception of an emergency landing we had to make in Nairobi for a medical emergency with another passenger (and even that was much less exciting than it sounds). The only real part worth mentioning would be the last hour and a half since landing. I was picked up by my contact in Arusha, Faustine, and his friend, who owned the car, after landing about 11:00PM local time. I was surprisingly at ease for most of the ride, considering I had no idea where I was, how to get to our destination, what my hotel would be like, and that I had only just met the two guys I was traveling with. I think this probably speaks to Faustine and his friend, both of whom were exceedingly kind and willing to answer all of my questions as we drove along. Upon arriving here at the hotel, I wasn't sure what to think. Not that I had any expectations, but again, it was the middle of the night, I had no idea what part of Arusha I was in, and it didn't appear that anyone here spoke any English. Not exactly settling. However, once I got to my room my fears were put to ease. The room is fairly plain, but is still more than I could have hoped for. It has a bed (complete with misquito net), a private bathroom area that includes a sink, toilet, and best of a all, a shower with hot water, and it even has a small tv. I spent a few minutes watching a soccer match (no idea who was actually playing), and then decided I was better off writing a few words on my travels and heading to bed. Although I haven't a clue as to where I am, and only have a small semblance of a plan as to how I'm going to find volunteer opportunities, I do know that I safely made it to my destination, and that's enough for now.