The final leg of our journey, out plane was about an hour late departing. Darcy and I had only had two and a half hours of sleep the night before our journey began (from 3:30 am to 6:00am) because we were frantically trying to finish up loose ends before leaving. Neither of got more than a catnap here and there during the trip, then our wait through immigration and customs was very long. There was another team of medical mission group who we let go ahead of us (while we were still trying to track down whether or not we needed to say "yes" to pharmaceuticals on our customs paper) and they got EVERY SINGLE one of their bags hand searched...even their personal luggage...took forever. Our team had nearly twice the baggage per person as their team. Each of us were hauling about 140 pounds worth of luggage apiece. Darcy and I were the first ones through the line, followed by Larry. Customs officials checked our two large trunk suitcases that were filled with medications and the medication suitcases that Larry had, but then waved us through without going through our personal baggage and without checking any more of anyone's bags in our group of 31 people. As we walked out of customs, I saw Jimmie in the distance happily waving to us...and Walter there by his side! What a joy to see their familiar faces once more...brought back so many memories of the last time I was here with them! I remember last time, there were so many new faces and I could not keep straight who was who...but, this time, two of the faces in the group were quite familiar!
We traveled by school bus the long way to our hotel. I was amazed at how familiar things looked. I am so geographically challenged and have such a poor memory that I get lost in my own back yard, yet, as our bus sped through the black night, I recognized so many familiar places along the road, from my time here two years ago.
I Awoke this morning to what sounded like very LARGE tropical birds singing just outside our window. Looked out the window for the first time in daylight and found I was looking straight at a very large, very close volcano...whose top was obscured in a blanket of low lying clouds!
Now I am sitting in a nook just off the open air courtyard typing to the sound of silverware being sorted and someone singing acapella in a deep, rich voice as he works! When we arrived last night, it was to the sounds of a very loud band playing lively music. Music seems to be an integral part of life here...be it the strange melodies of birds I've not heard before, or the joyous rhythms of a Latino band or the dear soul singing so beautifully this morning to the happy clinking of silverware being rapidly sorted.
We are to go downstairs to breakfast in a few moments, then we will leave to go to Jimmie's church this morning and another sister church this evening. In between times, we will be busy sorting medications and preparing for clinic that will begin tomorrow. I will try to post pictures later this evening if I have time!
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