Disclaimer-I did not proof read this and wrote it jet-lagged…SO I’m sorry for anything said incorrectly…

Well…I am here! I AM IN AFRICA!!!!! Currently I am sitting outside in Kenya at a Safari lodge right now enjoying the clean crisp air and sounds of exotic birds. I will definitely share more on this later but let me recap my adventures in getting to Kenya. 

I was as excited as one could be as I arrived at the Birmingham airport last Friday morning. When my best friend prayed over me as we parked curbside, I burst into tears! It was finally happening! I was going to Africa to see my boyfriend! Anticipation builds as I walk in to the Delta check in counter to get my boarding passes and be on my way. I realize that I’ve trained and led many teams overseas and set up travel coordination, but I did not check in online before arriving at the airport. However, Delta never sent me an email with a check-in reminder like they always do. I did not think this was strange until I tried to check myself in at the kiosk. When it prompted me to show my credit card I purchased the ticket with, I withdrew from the kiosk and went to the main desk. A nice but obviously new worker named Adam pulled up my flight reservation and said, “Yes mam, I’ll need to see the credit card you purchased this ticket with.” I kindly said with a smile, “Well I’d love to do that but the card holder is in Africa. What do you need to see from me?” He replied, “Well I have to have that card here to check you in on this flight.” Panic ensured. This exchange continued as I was trying to understand why they needed to see the card when the credit card with that transaction had already been paid off. To further complicate matters, my cell phone had absolutely no service. As I waited for Adam’s supervisor to come speak to me I walked outside the airport and down both sides of the departure counters to find cell service. I had asked a random man if I could use his phone as he was clearly using it. Come to find out the man had not paid his bill and was merely playing with a game. Adam was nice enough to let me use his cell phone so I could finally call my best friend. That is when the big tears came. I tried to calmly use my words to tell her what was taking place but all that came out was, “They…(tried to breath) won’t (fighting sobbing tears)…let me… GO TO AFRICA!!” (all through deep tears of course). So there I was going on 3 & ½ hours of sleep, completely drained, and uncontrollably crying in the airport. Of course people were staring at me and I certainly made Adam feel uncomfortable. I asked her to come back and pick me up. I had no credit card on me and did not have the cash in my checking to put the ticket on my debit card. This is where Adam’s supervisor comes and explains that they must see the card, but no worries! All we needed to do was get my boyfriend to the nearest airport and they could verify it there. Really?!…First of all, let me repeat, HE IS IN AFRICA! Secondly, it’s nearly 10pm his time and they told me he would have to do so within the next 26 minutes. You are kidding me right?? I know my look of disbelief in their lack of understanding might have been rude, but I was so shocked. That customer service smile and using the word “mam” were not making up for the lack of common sense in the situation.  I then called my boyfriend’s parents to see if we could charge their credit card. Of course this is where Adam informed me that this would be no problem if they could just go to Delta counter at their nearest airport in the next 18 minutes.  So that failed. I called my best friend back and asked if she had a credit card on her, to which she said, “Yes! That is my plan! You have to get to Africa!” I was relieved but still shaking. Then my now buddy, Adam tells me that if she didn’t arrive in the next 11 minutes that he could not check me in! If I did not make that flight, I could not get to Nairobi until nearly 24 hours later and would miss Easter Sunday services. That would be the scenario right? SO I put a fire under my friend’s rear and asked her to run inside when she parked. Many tears, sweat, and with 1 minute remaining, my friend came running in! Halleluiah!! Adam almost failed to check the proper ID with the credit card purchase which would have been ironic to say the least. I also had to give him back the proper receipt for my luggage and ask him to put the luggage sticker on my bag so it made it out of Birmingham and eventually to Nairobi. :-) It was an adventure! I made it on my flight to Atlanta and proceed to run to my gate to catch my flight to Amsterdam too! I was talking to my dad as I heard “Miss Seng” over the loud speaker. I started crying and my dad told me to get on the plane and relax. I was just thankful to have made my flights! My flight to Amsterdam was a divine appointment as I had a small two person row with a window seat. The passenger next to me was in the US Army stationed in Alabama so he understood my new culture shock. He was heading to Amsterdam to propose to his girlfriend! He took comfort sitting next to a super girly girl full of wedding coordinating ideas who loved ever detail he shared. I land in Amsterdam, and had a great fresh juice at an adorable Dutch breakfast place. It was a moment where I really wished I could eat gluten as their pancakes looked fabulous. At this time it was around 1-2am back home, so I decided to journal and people watch to stay awake. I met many people and walked around the airport before beginning the 45 minute journey to board my plane to Kenya!! I all of a sudden became a tourist. I took a picture of the gate sign that showed I was boarding the flight to Kenya haha! This is even remotely the normal for me in international travel, but I was so excited. I befriended a few people who would become key in the coming hours, along with an 8year old named Samuel from Spain. He was excited because I could speak Spanish with him and he let me play with his stuffed animals :-) SO cute! Once I boarded the plane, I snuggled into my window seat as the two passengers next to me were shuffling around trying to sit together with the wife of their family. I came to find out that they were going to Nairobi on a mission trip to work in the slums and with orphans. I conversed with the husband who was seated next to me about their work then he and his son moved to sit with his wife, leaving me with 3 seats to myself!!! Halleluiah! I stretched out and finally slept for about 6 hours on and off. I then woke up with a runny nose and decided to stretch and get some water. I walked back to my row to sit down and sat in the middle seat. I was wearing loose cargo pants made of a very thin material.  As I sat down I felt a sharp thing pierce the underside of my right leg just underneath my rear! I jumped up grabbing my pant leg out from touching my skin. I hopped over to the next seat and looked for what I’d sat on. There crawling on the dark navy seat was a bug crawling. I grabbed the nearest thing to me, an airplane pillow and tried to squash it. Unsuccessful. So I grabbed a shoe and again, unsuccessful. So I grabbed a napkin and quickly ran to an older British man that I had befriended who was sitting in the exit row two behind me (it pays to talk to people!!). I handed him the bug and he smashed it against the wall next to him. I dashed into the bathroom and looked at my leg. It was swelling and there was clearly a hole where it had been pierced by this insect. The man had discussed the situation with a flight attendant and when I came out f the bathroom I was whisked to the back and there, dropped drawers for three attendants. Let’s just say I felt very close to them at that moment :-) We were all laughing at such a random event, but I was starting to feel a little strange. My heart was racing and I started getting shaky not to mention my leg was hurting. One of the ladies told me she was going to bite my leg and suck the stinger out…um…ok?? She didn’t get it and I think I had initially pulled it out when I grabbed my pant leg. Anyways It was so random but I ended up being fine but honestly I think because of prayer! The final identification of the insect was that it was a black wasp. So I got stung flying over Egypt on a flight from Amsterdam to Nairobi by an American wasp! How’s that for random? When I landed in Naiorobi I had to be escorted off to see a doctor who just laughed at me along with all of the Kenya airline people. Understandably, it was a funny scenario and certainly not one any of them had come across before. I was given some random pill (that I did not take :-) ) after I was asked if I was expecting haha! SO eventually I made it to customs and headed to baggage claim where the majority of my flight was still waiting on their bags. Some 30 minutes later, this is where another person I’d befriended came in handy as I shouted at this man to grab my bag for me. I was so thankful that my bag made it after I had barely made it on my flights the first two times. With bags in hand and a Kenya visa in my passport, I headed out and found myself greeted by a handsome man!! I was so relieved and excited to see that smiling face. I received a dozen red roses and had two other gentlemen assist with my bags as well. Once we got to the car, I received a dozen pink roses!! :-) Nothing could be better than being in Africa with my boyfriend and getting two dozen roses! He is so good to me! This is a long entry, but I am thankful for traveling mercies and prayers that covered me. After I landed on Saturday, the airports here in Kenya went on strike, so I may not have gotten in had I been on a later flight! God’s timing is always right and even with obstacles like my ticket and a wasp, I am glad to be found in His will.