Getting There

Getting There

First flight- 

Welp, its finally time to head to the Heart of Africa! I am scheduled to leave on December 30th and am prepared- mentally and physically to get there and start what God has called me to for as long as I can remember. So Douglas and I go to the airport- in what I believe is plenty of time. We got there around two for what I thought was a 5:00pm flight. It turns out I had read the time wrong and it was actually a 3:00pm flight but when I figured that out we were at the check in counter- so I had an hour to finish their and get through security- overall, not as much time as I would have liked but not terrible. 

As we stood by the checkin counter and tried to check my bags there was a lot of unexpected information thrown my way- the most important of those being that I needed not one but two covid tests! One to get on the plane in the states and one to arrive in Dar. I was prepared to have the one when I arrived and because of the hour maximum I had gotten it that morning- not enough time to have my results to get on the plane that day. So I had to reschedule.

Rescheduling ended up being a bit breezier than I had initially anticipated. All I had to do was call the airline and rebook it, change the dates for my hotel stay in Dar and rebook my local flight to Mwanza. I also let Steve (my regional director) know and the office in New York know what was going on. 

Everything was set for me to now fly out on the 1st of January. I just have to get an extra covid test for when I land in Tanzania and the one I took on the morning of the 30th should come back by the 1st to use to get on the first plane. 

Second flight 

January 1st, 2022 I had scheduled an additional covid test for 10am (that was the only option really) however, the test I received on the 30th came back ‘inconclusive’ probably meaning they didn’t get a good enough sample. Which means I wouldn’t be able to get on the plane… again! 

This time I didn’t even go to their airport- I just immediately started rebooking everything… again. But the covid test I received that morning would (hopefully) work for the next flight which had been rebooked (after two hours on hold) for January 3rd. Which (luckily) was the day that Doug’s company observed the New Year holiday so he was able to take me to the airport one last time. 

Third times the charm 

This time I had both my covid tests and double checked the timing of the flights and the check ins. Feeling good this time around Doug and I made it to the check in counter with plenty of time. Planning on paying for one overweight bag, I was surprised when the lady at the desk said to me that Qatar Airways does not accept baggage over 70lbs. (I had one bag at 50 and one bag at 86). So I had to go out of line and repack a bit but after some re-arranging I had one bag right at 70 and one bag at 64! I did it and they took my bags back and gave me my boarding pass! The hard part was over… or so I thought.

Because we had gotten there so early Doug and I had plenty of time to say goodbye which was good but very sad. I don’t know how to explain it- I know this is what I am supposed to do but leaving him was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. After about an hour of making sure I have everything, and hugging goodbye I finally went through the security line (the first of many) and kept looking back and seeing his smiling face. When I got my bags from the other side of the scanner and looked back one last time I could see his Chicago beenie bobbing up and down as he walked away. 

From this point on I am alone until I land in Mwanza for Steve to pick me up. I went to get a bottle of coke from the store in the terminal and also (impulsively) bought a St. Louis snow globe with the arch on it. I looked at the board and my flight was already delayed 20 minutes! I only had an hour in a half in Chicago for my layover but all I could do was pray and plan at that point. 

Flying Domestic

My flight from STL to ORD was not bad. I was a little nervous for my short layover but if I missed it American would have to rebook my others for me (but I would still have to rebook the hotel and the flight to Mwanza). On this flight I mostly just looked out the window and enjoyed knowing the landmarks as they passed below. When we came up to Springfield I became quite sad, knowing my best friend is down their preparing to plan her wedding and I, knowing I would be the maid of honor since I was 15 became very sad. However, I can do some things and luckily she is planning a long engagement so I will (probably) be able to make it to the wedding. 

As we got farther north it took me a while to figure out why the ground started to have a funny color to it- it was snow! I didn’t realize they got that much snow up there recently. And eventually I could see lake Michigan and the Chicago skyline. The skyline brings back so many wonderful memories for me and I get sad… again. 

When we land it takes a LONG while to get off the plane- especially becuase I am at the window seat and my row mate won’t get in line until 10 rows behind us are off the plane. When I finally deboard and go into the terminal at O’Hare, I see the board and figure out my gate. As I follow the signs for it, there is a point where it appears that I will be leaving the secure part of the airport (I will have to go through security again if I go through the doors) so I ask a guard and he says- yes, you have to go out that way to get to terminal 5. Super confused I do as he says and eventually I am on a train that feels like a subway on my way to the international terminal. Once I get there I find the security and there are a lot of people rushing to get through because we all have short layovers. Two different people run past me in line screaming that their flight leaves in 10 minutes. Mine wasn’t THAT close- I had about 45 so I was feeling okay. 

When I get through security I have to find something to eat and I am still feeling on time- I have gone to my gate and it looks pretty empty so far. There is a Burger King just down the hall and instead of getting my usual Impossible Whopper, I figured I should get a real burger for my last US meal. It takes a bit to get the food after I’ve ordered, but not terrible. As I am walking back to the gate, I hear my name called on the intercom! Ive never had that happen before so naturally, I start to panic- have they boarded already and they are waiting for me? Have I dropped my passport or my ID somewhere? I couldn’t understand the announcement farther than the fact that it was a list of names and I was one of them. I rush back to my gate and there is still no one there. They must have changed the gate number- I rush to find a board and see the new gate on it. 

When I finally arrive at the gate there are loads of people there waiting to board so immediately I get a wave of relief- they won’t leave me here if there is this many people still waiting. I go up to the counter and ask why they called my name- they need to double check my covid test because the lady in stl didn’t scan it. I was so nervous I was shaking as I tried to find the screenshot of my QR code they could scan. Eventually I found it and he said I was good to go! Now time to eat my burger before boarding! I did enjoy it very much.

Flying to Qatar:

I boarded with zone 1 and was towards the back of the plane. Feeling hopeful as everyone else boarded- so far I had the row to myself. It was a decent sized plane with three seats on one side, four seats in the middle and three seats on the other side. 

I settled in and got comfy- I put a bunch of movies on my watch list and browsed the games and TV shows. For dinner I chose the chicken option which was chicken and rice, with a quinoa salad and chocolate pudding. I also got Pepsi to drink. After dinner I used the restroom and brushed my teeth and washed my face- it was afternoon in TZ but it was around 10pm in the states so- not working on my jet lag very well but the last thing I need is a sleep-migraine. I took one melatonin and slept decently (probably the most I’ve ever slept on a plane though). It helped that I had the whole row and could lay down somewhat properly. 

For breakfast I opted for the veggie option which was an egg bake type of thing with potatoes and fruit. There was also purple yogurt that I was not a fan of. I got coffee with that that was pretty strong. And we started to prepare for landing. They played a short video saying the usual things- put up your tray tables, put your seat upright, etc. But the video also explained what to do when you get off the plane- transfer, quarantine, leaving the airport, etc. At this point I learned that I will have to go through security, yet a third time- but at least I was prepared for it. 

When I deboarded I followed the signs for transfers and made it to the security. For the first time- my bag was flagged but the tsa guy asked where I was going. When I said Dar he let me go ahead- probably because he knew I had a short layover. So I was speed-walking through the airport and trying to connect to the wifi at the same time. I finally got connected and was able to let Doug and my mom know I had made it and my a thing margin, was going to make my connection to Dar! However, in all the hubbub I had later realized I forgot to tell Steve that I had made it but I just made a mental note to be sure to tell him when I got to the hotel in Dar. 

Flying to Tanzania:

The plane to Dar is a lot smaller than the one I had just been on. It was only two rows of three seats and felt much more cramped- more like a short domestic flight in the states. I was seated on an isle with an empty seat next to me and a gentalman by the window. After we got to the cruising altitude he switched to an empty row, though. I mostly worked on my laptop during this flight and watched some TV. 

For snacks they served spicy rice crackers instead of pretzels and I got a bottle of water and some apple juice- very potent apple juice.  For the meal they had chicken (the same as the last flight) lamb stew or some kind of veggie. I opted for the Lamb stew and it came with mashed potatoes and a white cream sauce. Desert was a banana pudding. 

When I got off the plane, it was straight to a covid test. The results came back in about 10 minutes. Then I went downstairs and filled out the immigration form. One of the immigration guys was very nice and even gave me a fist bump for coming into the country. The other two I dealt with were not quite as nice- one of them just seemed tired, it was 1:30am after all. But the other one was a typical boy making typical comments. But after I got through all of the customs and immigration, I went to pick up both my bags. For a second I thought the medium sized one I brought wasn’t there, but then I saw it and I felt so relived. Its funny how ‘stuff’ can mean so much to us. A snow globe from home, a matching blanket with a loved one, a cup of real Swiss miss hot chocolate. Nevertheless, I was so glad to see it. 

After I picked up my bags, I went out to see the driver from Triniti hotel (the one Steve recommended) holding a sign with my name on it. That was also quite a relief. The drive to the hotel was short but I remember as we pulled out of the parking lot, the first thing I saw of Dar Es Salam was 3 big grain silos and I knew I was home here, in this country. The second thing I saw was a big church with a big cross in the window. It’s almost like it was a sign saying you are okay, no need to worry, God is always with you. After about 10 minutes we were at the hotel. I checked in with my passport and paid the $57 dollars for my room. When I finally got in and got settled it was around 2:00am. I had to go back into the lobby and ask for the wifi password but I don’t really care if they think I’m an obnoxious American- which, by how much luggage I have they most defiantly did… but oh well. 

Triniti Hotel:

When I got into my room I was very pleasantly surprised by the size and look of it and by the temperature! For some reason I was not anticipating it to be THAT hot (and it was the middle of the night) but here is a newsflash for everyone- Africa is HOT! Lol but the room was set on 18 degrees Celsius… whatever that means, you can do the math. Whatever it was, it was very pleasant. The room had a queen sized bed and a twin sized bed- both outfitted with mosquito nets. There was also a nice bathroom with shower, western toilet and bedea, and sink. The room also had a small kitchenette! 

I got all nested in, let everyone know I made it safely to the hotel and to TZ in general, took my shower and tried to get some rest. I wasn’t super tired (after all it was about 5 in the evening in the states) but I knew to nip the jet lag in the but I would need to stay up the entire next day so I tried to get at least a little. I dosed in and out for about an hour before it was time to get up and put everything back together to head back to the airport.

Domestic Tanzanian flight:

The same driver took me to the airport and we left Triniti around 4:30am. I got to the airport and fairly breezily checked in and checked my bags… after I paid the overweight fees of course. Went through 4 different types of security and on the very last one my fork that I had brought got flagged. The man threw them away and I went on my way, waiting to board. 

There were several little shops past the security in the airport but I didn’t visit any. I only had about 40 minutes before boarding and decided I should use the airport wifi to update everyone one last time before arriving in Mwanza. 

After some time it was time to board! The Air Tanzania planes have a giraffe on them by the way. It was a short one hour flight and they served a pack of cashews and coffee on the plane! some of my favorites! When I landed in Mwanza Steve and Jaclyn were there to pick me up and I was home free! even my luggage made it! 

    Here we go!