Inklings of what’s to come…
In less than two hours, I begin my 25-hour journey to Kigali. Lots of deep breaths and cup after cup of orange pekoe tea have provided some temporary comfort for those pre-departure jitters I’ve got coursing through my veins.
The first departure point: my parent’s house in Windsor, Ont. Soon, I’ll get in an airport taxi-bus with about fifteen other sleepy people bound for Metro Detroit Airport. I zip over Washington and from there catch a 16-hour flight destined for Addis. I’ve never been on one of these super long flights before. I’m wondering how many pilots it takes to get there. Is it like life-guarding where they rotate in fifteen minute cycles? Is there a healthy stock of Red Bull in the cockpit? How many times will they feed us? Will it be rolls of lovely injeera bread beneath a steaming tray of beef tibs? (A recovered vegetarian can only hope.) Anyway, I’ll be relieved when I land in Addis, because that means that I’m only three hours away from Kigali where I meet the Rwanda Initiative crew. So excited!
I think I have everything: laptop, recorder, microphone, meds, clothes, DEET, mosquito net, flashlight and a couple of books. This is the lightest I’ve ever packed. I think I’ve brought more things with me going clubbing in Montreal for the weekend.
I’m looking forward to becoming very pink very fast (a shout out to my British roots for giving me such fair skin that it’s almost see-through). I remember when I was in India, the cook in the house I lived in would point to my face, and with what sounded like a quizzical concern in her voice, would say “Lal! Lal!” which means “Red! Red!” I plan to make a similar impression in Rwanda.
As I told people what I was up to this summer, they often returned their interest by asking me what I expected from this experience. Even though this became somewhat of a standard question, I never developed a rehearsed answer. I’m just excited, and honestly, I don’t know what to expect. Maybe I have no expectations, just excitement and an open mind. Anyway, I’m very grateful for this opportunity and I hope to make the best of it.
1 Comment
May 5, 2008 at 11:38 am
Best of luck Steph! We’ll miss you for the summer…