We're Coming to America!

Sarah in the airport, waiting to take her first-ever flight!

I met Sarah Monday morning, April 4th, and we made our way to Entebbe, the Ugandan airport.  The airport gave me a few mixed feelings over having an American passport.  Everywhere we went, I got through without a hitch.  I’d start walking on, turn and see Sarah being held up, either waiting for some supervisor that had been called or being questioned endlessly.  Always, I’d go back, answer their questions and then she’d be allowed to come along with me.  Part of that was certainly just because this little Ugandan woman had no frame of reference for what she was doing or where she was going, so she would get all mixed up when they would ask her questions.  “What is your final destination?”

“Ecuador.”

“Please wait here.”  That’s when I would start heading back.

“What’s the problem?" I would ask.  "She has a ticket and a visa.”

“Her ticket says she’s going to America, but she’s now telling us a different story.”

“She is going to America.  She’s not heading anywhere else on Ethiopian Airlines, we are going to Washington.”

It was like this all day.  I was thankful for my passport that let me go where I wanted without question, but quite frustrated that Sarah was treated so differently, even with a visa in her passport.  Finally though, we made it on that plane and took off.  And Sarah flew like a pro.  She didn’t get nervous at takeoff or landing, she didn’t have any pressure problems or get sick at turbulence.  And that woman can sleep anywhere.  After a long layover in Addis Abbaba and an even longer flight afterwards, we finally touched down on American soil.  And that’s when it hit me, I was home!  I had been so busy the last few weeks, and so concerned with getting Sarah onto that plane, it truly hadn’t really registered that I was going back to my motherland.  But seeing that masonic temple through the airplane window had never felt so good.  

We walked into the airport and made an immediate stop in one of the restrooms.  Walking in, I was amazed and just had to wonder what Sarah was thinking.  The place had at least 30 stalls.  It was so huge and shiny with it’s stainless steel doors.  It had just been cleaned and we were the only ones in there.  I was so giddy about the clean and normal toilets I just sat my bare bottom right down on that toilet seat without even putting down a paper liner (which I used to do compulsively in public restrooms) just for the novelty of it all. Oh, it was good to be home.  

Being stopped in customs for 45 minutes because of the 10 necklaces I had brought back for Barbara deflated my elation just a bit, but as climbed into Barbara’s car and she drove us down the George Washington Parkway so Sarah could see it, my excitement returned.  Though I couldn’t stop commenting on how big all the houses and buildings were, seeing all the familiar sights and all the lush greenery everywhere, I felt at home.

Barbara dropped me off at my friend Allison’s home, and as I walked in the door I became slightly overwhelmed.  I was there alone, Allison and her roommates were at work, and while I had remembered Allison had a nice sized home, suddenly it seemed monstrous.  As I took my stuff down to the room I’d be staying in, I immediately started breaking the house up room by room, counting how many people would live in this place if it were in Gulu.  But then I shook my head, I was only here for three days, I didn’t want to suffer from too much reverse culture shock.  So I dumped everything I owned into their washing machine (imagine, a machine that washes your clothes for you!) and went and took the longest, hottest shower of my life.  I just reveled in the novelty of the fact that the water just poured out.  It just came right out of that little spout that was above my head, right on to me.  I didn’t even have to do anything.  And it stayed hot the entire time.  Wow.  After my shower I raided Allison's closet for sweat pants and a sweat shirt, and then raided her pantry for soup and wheat thins (which I ate the entire box of!)  I got myself some water (which comes right out of the refrigerator door and is cold!  Imagine!) and proceeded to hunker down under several blankets for the next three days, because I was COLD!!  OK, so I didn’t just stay under blankets for three days, but truly I was cold all. the. time.  

It was so fun to see old friends, visit old haunts, and eat yummy bad-for-you American food.  I’ll admit, I had a really hard time when my friend Crystal came to pick me up to take me to the airport.  As worthwhile as I think what I’m doing is, sometimes it gets really heavy and hard.  America is just so easy in so many ways I’d never even thought about.  Was I sure I wanted to continue on?  But of course, when I get serious about it, continuing on is exactly what I wanted to do.  And so, I had Crystal take me to one of my favorite health-food stores, MOM’s (My Organic Market,) so I could get my favorite Mango Tango drink and my favorite Kiss-My-Face chapstick, and then she dropped me at the airport. 

In writing this post, I have realized I really stink at taking pictures.  I just rarely think about it when I’m in the thick of things.  Which makes for a very boring blog post, and I’m sorry.  These are the only two pictures I took all week.  Lame.  I’ll try to be better in the future.  Really.  I’m sad thinking of all the pictures I don’t have with my friends.  

The only reason I even have this picture is because on our way in, I told Jamie, "Don't let me forget to take a picture when we leave."  And she didn't because she's amazing at remembering things like that.

This one I took so you all could see the finished product of the necklace I video recorded Lucy making.  This isn't the actual necklace but it's made from the same paper and is the same style.  When I went to buy it for Barbara I saw Lucy had an extra, and I just couldn't resist.  Isn't it awesome??