We’re back in Senegal after a great three-week Christmas vacation in the USA.

Phew. International travel is not for the faint of heart. Saying goodbye to family and close friends, driving 2+ hours to the airport, going through customs and security, having your bags chcked and rearranged, waiting at the gate, lining up, showing your passport 100 times, boarding (aka: lining up like cattle and moving one inch at a time, only to stop and hold up the line while you cram that “within carry-on regulations” bag into the overhead bin, sit, wait, and try to get some rest as you fly over the ocean and into another time zone.
It’s exhausting. It’s exciting. It’s our life.

It's HARD to say goodbye to family and close friends. The drive to the airport is never easy.

HAPPY 2012 to you! We were celebrating from the sky this year as we came back to Senegal. We had a tasty meal and rang in the new year a few times, actually, as we crossed over a few different time zones.
One of the highlights of our trip: seeing fireworks from up IN THE SKY as we flew over the NYC skyline. It was spectacular. It’s what I had secretly hoped for.

Shawn checking in our bags at the Columbus airport.

Our flight was very crowded. In fact, somehow, the airline had OVERbooked the flight. So we waited for a long hour before even taking off, just so the flight attendants could move people around and try to figure out where everyone should sit.

Random thoughts:

+ If you ever want to see a glimpse of Senegal, without leaving the country, just go to an international airport and visit the Dakar boarding gate. I thought we were in Senegal! We were the minority on our flight back, let’s just say that. Men and women were dressed in their traditional clothing and men had their prayer mats spread out on the airport floor.

+ Flying over the ocean is exceptionally bouncy, I would venture to say. At least this time was. At one point they announced, “Flight attendents take your seats for severe turbulence ahead”. Severe?! Did they just say, “severe?” What does that even mean? I was nervous. But as always, God’s good and calming grace and Shawn’s hand were there.

+ Having a head cold + jet lag = a complete case of what I refer to as “fuzzy brain”. Hoping we both feel better soon!

+ Since we’ve arrived in Dakar the public transportation sysetem (taxis, buses… and everything else people rely on to get around town) has been on strike! We were bummed because we couldn’t even have dinner at our friend’s house because we had no way of getting there! Also, this is happening all over the country, not just in Dakar. So we’re hoping this won’t interfere with our trip back down to Cap this weekend.

+ As we move from 2011 to 2012, we are thankful that one thing is certain in this unknown future: GOD WILL NOT CHANGE.

Wishing you a terrific NEW YEAR,
s&j