Travel....and more travel

We leave in less than 2 weeks! Yikes! Our lay-overs are in Dakar, Senegal instead of Paris, which is kind of a bummer (we also stop in Minneapolis and NYC both ways).  I think the Dakar airport will be interesting to say the least.  Our luggage cannot be checked straight to Bamako, Mali.  We have a 2 hour lay-over in Dakar on our way to Bamako and this is how we will fill the 2 hours: get luggage (hopefully), go through Customs, physically leave the airport (apparently required that we actually walk out the doors), walk back in the doors to the airport, re-check our luggage, go through security again, and get on a plane to Bamako.  I’m not exactly sure what happens if we miss that flight, but as our team leader (Steve) keeps reminding us: “It’s all part of the adventure” (hence the name of this blog).  Steve also told us several things that we might be asked by the people in the airport, and basically, the take-away point was that we should just answer “no” to everything!  On the return flight, we land in Dakar at 11pm, and we don’t leave for NYC until 8am.  We will be spending the night in the airport and taking turns standing guard while others sleep. Again, should be interesting…

Once we land in Bamako, we have a 6 hour drive to Koutiala, which is where we will spend all our time.  I didn’t really consider what this would entail until we were told at the last team meeting to make sure we bring along toilet paper for that van ride.  This should be character-building for me. 

We were also told to expect to see other vehicles on our trip to Koutiala, and they will often have a goat (sometimes more than one goat) tied to the roof.  I’m going to have to take a deep breath and not let my animal rights tendencies get to me!  I’m the official “team photographer” so I’ll try to get a picture for you!  Also, we were told that there are pot holes big enough to swallow our van on the road to Koutiala!

Our trip will consist of approximately 60 hours of total travel time (6 hours driving plus time in the air, provided our flights aren't delayed).  We pray that the flooding in Omaha doesn't reach Eppley.  If it does, we might be driving to Minneapolis to catch our 2nd flight.

Being the official team photographer sounds perfect for me, right? Well, I thought so until I was warned to not take a picture of any airport, government building and/or government official or we could all end up at the police station.  I’m hoping that was an exaggeration (I’m guessing it’s not).  So, this official team photographer is officially scared to take any pictures. J

We have our final team meeting on Sunday, and I’ll try to get a team picture to post and also introduce all the team members.  Please don't forget to pray for our team....that our travel goes according to plan, so we are able to accomplish our goals in order to make a difference in the lives of the people who live in Koutiala.