Written by Nicole Mills in Uganda-
Well, I finally made it to Uganda after a serious delay in Brussels due to snow. It was a three and a half hour plane ride from Florida to Washington Dulles and then a two hour lay over from which I boarded a United flight to Brussels. Once in Brussels I had to take a bus, for which I had to go outside! To the Transfer terminal. I was in flip flops and a light sweater and it was -3 degrees outside. Oh ya, exciting stuff. The Brussels Airlines flight was boarded, pulled away from the gate and then....stalled. I still do not know why we were delayed on the runway for over three hours, but I finally put the tray table down, laid my head on a pillow and went to sleep. When I woke up we were still sitting on the runway. Apparently, we had sat for so long that the plane nearly completely iced over and they had to de-ice the plane before we could take off even though we were cleared. Once in the air I slept fitfully and sporadically until landing in Kigali Rwanda for a brief stop over and passenger change before finally ending up in Entebbe Uganda at 1am on Christmas Eve. I bought a Visa at the airport counter and made my way through customs. My luggage made it, although a little roughened up, and my Mom was there waiting for me behind the security ropes. She jumped the security ropes to give me the biggest hug! It was so good to see her. With her was a volunteer who is visiting from Texas, Lauren, and one of her employees Cliff. The best part about my arrival was that on the car ride home we stopped off for ROLEXES!!!! For those who don't know these are my favorite snacks in Uganda. They consist of an Africa tortilla called a chapati, with a fried egg on top all rolled up together with raw cabbage and tomato sprinkled with coarse kosher salt. DELICIOUS!!!!! I was stoked. We arrived at the house, which currently has no running water, and I washed my face and brushed my teeth with a bottle of water. Then I crawled under a bunk bed and tightened my mosquito net around the mattress and tried to fall asleep to no avail. The sounds and smells of Africa created a rush of memories from the last time I was here and I realized with bitter happiness that it had been way too long since my last visit. Somewhere in the middle of the roosters cock-a-doodling, dogs howling, and pigs grunting, the smell of damp earth, and the rustle of trees I drifted to sleep.
My mom woke me up this morning to scrambled eggs and African tea. Maurice Kirya even stopped by for a visit. www.mauricekirya.com
My sisters and other kids in the house are still being shy, but have slowly started to warm up to me being here. They are so beautiful. I cannot wait to see them open gifts in the morning. I will take lots of photos and continue to post blogs.
Tomorrow is Christmas and there is a Charlie Brown Christmas tree decorated downstairs with presents wrapped in shiny paper. I am just excited to be here again...
Well, I finally made it to Uganda after a serious delay in Brussels due to snow. It was a three and a half hour plane ride from Florida to Washington Dulles and then a two hour lay over from which I boarded a United flight to Brussels. Once in Brussels I had to take a bus, for which I had to go outside! To the Transfer terminal. I was in flip flops and a light sweater and it was -3 degrees outside. Oh ya, exciting stuff. The Brussels Airlines flight was boarded, pulled away from the gate and then....stalled. I still do not know why we were delayed on the runway for over three hours, but I finally put the tray table down, laid my head on a pillow and went to sleep. When I woke up we were still sitting on the runway. Apparently, we had sat for so long that the plane nearly completely iced over and they had to de-ice the plane before we could take off even though we were cleared. Once in the air I slept fitfully and sporadically until landing in Kigali Rwanda for a brief stop over and passenger change before finally ending up in Entebbe Uganda at 1am on Christmas Eve. I bought a Visa at the airport counter and made my way through customs. My luggage made it, although a little roughened up, and my Mom was there waiting for me behind the security ropes. She jumped the security ropes to give me the biggest hug! It was so good to see her. With her was a volunteer who is visiting from Texas, Lauren, and one of her employees Cliff. The best part about my arrival was that on the car ride home we stopped off for ROLEXES!!!! For those who don't know these are my favorite snacks in Uganda. They consist of an Africa tortilla called a chapati, with a fried egg on top all rolled up together with raw cabbage and tomato sprinkled with coarse kosher salt. DELICIOUS!!!!! I was stoked. We arrived at the house, which currently has no running water, and I washed my face and brushed my teeth with a bottle of water. Then I crawled under a bunk bed and tightened my mosquito net around the mattress and tried to fall asleep to no avail. The sounds and smells of Africa created a rush of memories from the last time I was here and I realized with bitter happiness that it had been way too long since my last visit. Somewhere in the middle of the roosters cock-a-doodling, dogs howling, and pigs grunting, the smell of damp earth, and the rustle of trees I drifted to sleep.
My mom woke me up this morning to scrambled eggs and African tea. Maurice Kirya even stopped by for a visit. www.mauricekirya.com
My sisters and other kids in the house are still being shy, but have slowly started to warm up to me being here. They are so beautiful. I cannot wait to see them open gifts in the morning. I will take lots of photos and continue to post blogs.
Tomorrow is Christmas and there is a Charlie Brown Christmas tree decorated downstairs with presents wrapped in shiny paper. I am just excited to be here again...
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