The day we left was just chaotic! We had a few last minute errands to run, and wanted to spend some time with Maya before we left. So we ran around, got new tires, and took Maya to lunch. After that we went home, packed up the Aspen...and drove Maya to Cassie's house. It was just awful saying goodbye because I knew Maya didn't really realize how long we would be gone. Thankfully, she is in SUCH good hands! I am so thankful for my family and friends who have really looked out us and helped make this time as easy as possible for us.
After drying my tears, we enjoyed the rest of the drive to Chicago full of anticipation and nerves. We really didn't know what to expect. Neither Andrew or I have done much international travel. My sweet sister, Carri, greeted us in Chicago with a beer to calm our nerves before driving us to the airport.
Flight one went well. It was pretty smooth and we were able to get a little sleep, although it took a while to get tired enough to ignore how uncomfortable plane sleeping is. Once we got to Istanbul...things got a little crazy. We got off the plane and were completely lost! We had no idea what gate we needed, and it wasn't showing on any of the screens. We tried to ask, but the airport employees didn't speak English and better than we spoke their language. Eventually we figured it out and were able to relax a little.
The second flight was rough. We were exhausted, but couldn't sleep well. Our monitors that each seat have for watching movies and listening to music were broken in our row. Just our luck. BUT, we had lots of time to think about what was to come. I was nervous about the culture shock and what it would be like to be placed in uncomfortable positions that we weren't used to. I was nervous about court, and mostly just the unknown of the whole trip. That flight was only 6 hours and soon enough, we had landed....in ETHIOPIA! IT was a great feeling to finally be there!
The airport in Addis is NOT like our airports in the states, or even the one in Istanbul. But we got our visas, found our luggage, and then met our very sweet driver who greeted us with a huge smile and hugs. He drove us to the Sadula, our hotel. There, we unwinded a little and went to bed. It felt so good to lay down!!! My mind went about a million miles a minute with thoughts of what was to come....until I finally dozed off.
After drying my tears, we enjoyed the rest of the drive to Chicago full of anticipation and nerves. We really didn't know what to expect. Neither Andrew or I have done much international travel. My sweet sister, Carri, greeted us in Chicago with a beer to calm our nerves before driving us to the airport.
Flight one went well. It was pretty smooth and we were able to get a little sleep, although it took a while to get tired enough to ignore how uncomfortable plane sleeping is. Once we got to Istanbul...things got a little crazy. We got off the plane and were completely lost! We had no idea what gate we needed, and it wasn't showing on any of the screens. We tried to ask, but the airport employees didn't speak English and better than we spoke their language. Eventually we figured it out and were able to relax a little.
The second flight was rough. We were exhausted, but couldn't sleep well. Our monitors that each seat have for watching movies and listening to music were broken in our row. Just our luck. BUT, we had lots of time to think about what was to come. I was nervous about the culture shock and what it would be like to be placed in uncomfortable positions that we weren't used to. I was nervous about court, and mostly just the unknown of the whole trip. That flight was only 6 hours and soon enough, we had landed....in ETHIOPIA! IT was a great feeling to finally be there!
The airport in Addis is NOT like our airports in the states, or even the one in Istanbul. But we got our visas, found our luggage, and then met our very sweet driver who greeted us with a huge smile and hugs. He drove us to the Sadula, our hotel. There, we unwinded a little and went to bed. It felt so good to lay down!!! My mind went about a million miles a minute with thoughts of what was to come....until I finally dozed off.
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