TMI

On the eve of my departure, I slept surprisingly well. I woke up without any nerves or a sick feeling in my stomach which is extremely abnormal considering I get sick to my stomach before driving through downtown Dallas. This is much bigger than that. Duh.

I felt at peace and very calm, which I know has everything to do with prayer. Thank you to all of you who have been praying. It is great to know that there are people interceding for me daily. 

It was nice to have my family altogether on the way to the airport. We acted as if I wasn't about to leave for half a year. My sister was such a huge help in all of this, especially in supporting my mom. My dad and brother are great too but in a different way...like for rolling luggage.

My sister bought all three of us these beautiful bracelets to make us feel as if we are together and to of course remind us to pray for each other. I know this isn't easy on my family (not that I'm the light of their life or anything) so as much as I need prayer, I need the reminder that they need it as well.

When I got on the plane, someone was in my seat. MY. WINDOW. SEAT. I am not a fan of conflict, and I didn't want to play the "I don't know what I'm doing. Have mercy on me," card so I kind of implied the guy was in my seat, and a nearby flight attendant had my back.

As we were pulling out I started to cry, and then, I decided I wasn't going to let this be sad, and I also found Frozen in the airlines movie selection. Just from what I had  heard...and heard...and heard again I could only infer that it might cheer me up a bit. It did. I don't think I'll be singing "Let it Go" on the regular, but I did enjoy it.

A month ago, my friend Sarah had a going away party for me, and for a lack of a better word "persuaded" some of my friends to write me encouraging notes. I could hear them giggling most of the time...and when I say "them" it was mostly Lillie because some of them did take it a little more serious. (Love you, Lils) While Lillie did write a sweet one, most of them consisted of sayings like "your heart is as big as your lips..." Anyway...I had been looking forward to reading them and totally forgot until about 5 hours into the flight so that was a nice treat. Ignore the ugly wire in the picture.

Many other people gave me encouraging letters and tokens before I left, and I know those are going to come in handy on my toughest days. 

I don't really know how many details I should share about my trip, and in all honesty, I can't remember much. I watched A LOT of movies and TV shows.

After a 15 hour flight, I landed in Dubai, and I was all out of whack. I remember feeling slightly delirious. I prayed for peace and calm, and God answered my prayer quickly in the form of PINK. BERRY. It was a little taste of home that I needed, and well ya know...froyo. I am pretty positive I took a picture before I ate it, but for whatever reason I can't find that picture...so here's a picture of the aftermath.

The flights were draining, so I was relieved to finally be in Durban after 36 hours. My host mom and I went to have coffee by the Durban beachfront and the coffee and the view did not disappoint. 

I have been here three full days so far and still feel very disoriented. I have met so many people, most with names I can barely pronounce. The roads are very confusing, even though I am just a passenger at the moment, but I definitely have no complaints about the view from my room.

I have been to the office where I will be volunteering and felt very welcome. The people remind me of all the wonderful people I was able to work with at Focus on the Family in Colorado.

I am still getting adjusted and trying to get over jet lag. I haven't started sleeping all the way through the night, but I am hoping that happens soon. Today was my first full day in the office, but I am watching training videos and going through orientation right now which works great because I am still kind of out of sorts. There are a few girls there my age which makes it a little easier. Today was a great day, and God answered my prayers for peace and joy this morning. One day at a time.

And to close, here's a little view of my "office." I got an official mug today and requested a sign with my name on it because I saw everyone else had one. #needy