April 9-10: Let the Adventures Begin!

So, what has happened thus far?

9 April 2013
Take off from Pasco. On the way there I am overwhelmed with anxiety; until now I don't think everything really hit. Dad listens to me blubber a bit and then begins to sing "It is Well"--amazing how music soothes the soul.

10 April 2013 In Heathrow I come to the realization that the only debit card I am carrying has a balance of, get ready... $0.00. Not wanting to have too much cash available to drain out should a card be stolen, we set up a specific bank account...well, we never transferred money over. Not only that, I never notified Bank of America, the credit card that I decided to grab at the last moment, I would be traveling abroad. Doh.

I manage to get ahold of Mom and Dad via Skype and they assure me they will transfer money. No one but me can work with Bank of America, however. There's a collect number to call from abroad, but the call keeps getting dropped. This sends me back to Skype and my rapidly dwindling balance. Additionally, my headset with my iPad doesn't work so everything will be on speaker. Everything. Numbers, codes, identifying info. Doh!

I finally get through, thankfully with limited wait time and, despite being in a very public area, somehow find the only quiet corner. As far as I know, everything's fine....though I don't have email access to be sure that's the case...

Departure: I am so busy trying to untangle financial matters that I nearly miss my flight--fortunately, it ultimately is delayed by nearly 2 hours. Departure is further setback once onboard since the communication system is down (no communication from Captain; no entertainment, personal reading lights, and air conditioning). Well, they finally get things worked out--except the individual air conditioner/lights/and entertainment system; fortunately it is a night flight.

While the night is mostly restful, the next day certainly is not!

This blog entry is going to be shorter than I would like, but internet access will not be as easy as I originally thought and I wanted to give you a quick update.

Adventures to tell you about in the future:

Nearly missing a flight, slipping through customs, and being left stranded at Lusaka airport; finding out my bank account was empty and running out of cash; a flood, drunken arguments, and threats of "pay me, or else!"; a lovely, Italian dinner; a very tasty--and hot!--Indian dinner; a drunken solicitation for a shared shower; a marriage proposal from the "Nameless Wandering Man"; getting lost in one of Lusaka's poorest compounds (with friends) and wandering through Lusaka to get to a mall (alone); trying out one of the little blue mini-buses; being left alone in Kitwe surrounded by people wanting to "help" me with my bags; being rescued by my own "Auntie Angel," Annie; getting involved/riding along in an anger-fueled mini-bus competition that left us careening around semis, riding up on banks, and down ditches all while on-coming traffic made it's way around potholes; and being welcomed to a place that feels like home!

The moments of joy and wonder, however, far outweigh the challenges--Friend's of the Street Children's work is inspiring. Each team member is dedicated to the point of self sacrificing in the care of the children and young adults. I am honored to have been embraced by the young women and care-takers of Cibusa Housecan't wait to update you!

I hope to include pictures in the future, but I'm having a horrible time connecting! I can't wait to share them with you.