The flights were uneventful with some but not too much sleeping. I met my PhD adviser, Knut, in Amsterdam and flew the last leg of the journey with him. Part of the flight was a beginning conversation about my PhD dissertation. (It was officially accepted about a week ago, so I will defend it in Norway on May 2-3.) He was very pleased with the report, written by my defense committee. (See the post from Feb. 23, 2016 to find out more about my “opponents.”) I’m relieved that he is pleased.
Upon arrival at the Kilimanjaro International Airport (with all our luggage!), I was able to get on the airport’s free WIFI and send a text to Anya that I made it safely. (The WIFI worked better here than at Sea-Tac!) Then, we were picked up by my friend, David Mtui. He owns a safari company and drives too. It is great to have a safe and trusted drive. The greatest risk to health here is not malaria, snakes, or lions, but rather auto accidents, especially at night. As the sun goes down at 6:30 pm all year round, there is a lot of darkness in every evening.
I had asked “the dangerous question” to a couple missionary friends: “I have an extra bag, what can I bring for you?” So, on the way to Arusha from the airport, we stopped at the Tumaini University Makumira gate, where we met Randy Stubbs, who oversees the only music BA in the country (with more people than California!). I brought 18 pounds of Costco sized chocolate chips, almonds, and craisins (donation from Leslie and Gary), as well as a violin bow, tuning pegs and a few other supplies for strings, (donation from LaDeana). I told them it was “like Christmas at Eastertime.” Randy’s family have extended us hospitality, even staying at their home, so it is great to be able to return the blessing.
Somewhere in the mix, I got some mud smeared above my ankle. This is Africa. Life is always an adventure here.
Our hotel is close to the clock tower area of Arusha. It is good for walking around for banks and making connections. Knut stayed here earlier as part of his research grant. He likes the view from his room’s veranda overlooking a grassy courtyard. Unfortunately, we were both given rooms on the side overlooking an ally! But, Knut will deal with that in the morning. I’m off to clean up a bit and get to bed.
Travel packing tip: Pack an extra pair of travel underwear (that can be washed out and dry overnight) and a T-shirt (such as dry-weave or clima-lite fabric that can also dry overnight) in your carryon. If your luggage doesn’t arrive, you have a clean pair of underwear (“chupi” in Kiswahili) and a clean shirt for the next day. In the past, this has come in handy when Anya was little threw up on me on the plane, and the time we were stuck in Nairobi for an overnight.
Travel packing tip: Take a picture of your luggage, so if it doesn’t show up, you can show it to the lost luggage people. I guess if you were really concerned, you’d have brought along a print out of it to attach to the form!
Travel jet lag tip: I used to be skiddish of pills, but after dealing with vertigo and almost getting sick from lack of sleep due to jet lag, I now take a sleep aid for the first two nights. I still wake up at night, but usually I am able to get to sleep again. After two nights, I’m good.
Travel jet lag tip: I also bring Melatonin to help get my circadian rhythm on this time zone (10 hours difference). Take it at bedtime. I actually started this the day before I left (a tip from Tom R).
With blessings,
Beth