Sunday, March 21, 2010

Where will my feet take me tomorrow?

We left Antalya yesterday afternoon, and headed to Istanbul where we spent the night. Our flight was good- uneventful besides the fact that we had to circle around the airport waiting to land for as long as the flight was. Caught a taxi to our hotel, which was near the airport. Never have I gone anywhere that required a vehicle be checked with one of those mirrors they use to see if there is a bomb under the car. Well, never HAD I been anywhere that that happened... And then before even getting to check into the hotel, we had to put our baggage and ourselves through security like you do at the airport. A totally different experience altogether, but overall we enjoyed our short stay in Istanbul.

We were up early this morning to make sure we caught the free shuttle (we're cheap, ok?) to the airport. Took a 4 hour flight from Istanbul to Paris, which went a little longer than expected, so we changed terminals and pretty much just walked onto our next flight- this time 6 hours- to Conakry, Guinea.

We are now at the guesthouse, and haven't seen much, as when we got here it was dark, and there aren't any streetlights so it made it difficult to see much along the way. The streets were filled with people- we're assuming because its so much hotter during the day that most of their activities take place at night. Driving here will definitely be interesting- we've got our motion sickness patches on and are ready for what may come tomorrow! We will have some challenges trying to sleep tonight, as it is about 30 degrees, plus humidity, so I'm not sure- probably around 34 or 35. The heat will definitely take some getting used to, and don't be surprised if you see no pictures of me from our time in Africa- already I'm getting a bad frizzy hairdo thanks to that natural curl, and even rosier than normal cheeks that will blind these poor Guinean people.

Yesterday when we checked into our hotel, I Skype'd with my mom who told me that my grandpa had passed away the night before. This was very sudden and unexpected, so please pray for our family as we all mourn the loss of our Papa. Please pray especially for us being so far away from family- in times of grieving it is nice to have that support of one another, so it is a bit difficult for me to be here when they are all gathered there. They want us to stay and continue with what is here for us, and while we are excited to be here, we can definitely feel the pull toward home. The funeral will be on Wednesday, so we will not be able to make it. Please pray for me, as it is really hard that I won't be there alongside my family to say goodbye.

Getting acclimatized in Guinea will take some time, I'm sure, but please continue praying for us in our time here as well. I find that I am really feeling uneasy with the military presence that is so prevalent here, as that is something we don't see in Canada. I know that makes them feel more secure, but it really freaks me out. Please pray for peace in this, as I want to enjoy the time here and get as much out of it as I can.

As far as we know, tomorrow will start with a trip to the market, where we'll be shopping, I'm gonna say probably sweating a whole lot more, and other unknown surprises! Will keep you apprised of any new developments.

1 comment:

  1. The calling from God would have to be very special, loud and specific for me to go where you are now. I am a wuss when it comes to travel so good on you guys for putting up with it. All the troubles you listed make me envy your faith and bravery.

    Our condolences for you and your family for the loss of your Grandfather. Hopefully you can focus on the task at hand and grieve later.

    ReplyDelete