The group travels were an adventure, but at least this time we all made it to our destination without losing anyone! Our flights went well but I learned that sometimes the rules are different when you are leaving a small country like Rwanda. The tags for our luggage were hand written, which is a SLOW process, as you can imagine. And it seems like some rules are taken more seriously than I am used to. Leaving Kigali, the Kenya Airlines manager was insistent that our carry on baggage should not weigh more than 10 kg. He singled me out more than most of the group and I panicked for a minute thinking that I would be leaving my carry on suitcase (or the stuff in it) behind in Kigali. Somehow Matt and Kathy snuck off with my backpack and so I made it through - what a relief!
Jet lag. I suppose I am experiencing jet lag. I'm exhausted. But I'm not napping. I refuse to nap. So instead last night I was in bed at 8 pm. It was awesome! More of that to come this week... in fact, I think I'm headed to bed in just a few short minutes. Tomorrow I need to actually show up at work before 9 am. Oy.
I'm experiencing more sadness than I expected. I miss my friends from the team. And I miss my Rwandan friends. While I am glad to be home, I was surprised that while we were there, I didn't miss 'home' that much. The things I did miss... hot showers with good water pressure, toilets, my bed, and Pacey the cat! But I didn't really miss those things all the time. I didn't actually think about them all that much. And I didn't miss constant access to email and internet or the constant buzz of news and other media. It was good to experience silence from these things. And space. And to just enjoy the moment and time with new people - new friends. I hope to stay in touch with my new Rwandan friends. I have already gotten emails from a couple of them. And I hope to stay in touch with the team I travelled with. We are truly bonded.
As I settle back in and recover from my exhaustion, I plan to relive some of my favorite moments, tell some stories, and post some pictures. But not tonight. Right now it is past my bedtime... I cannot keep my eyes open any longer.
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