Born for this

Day 2: No luggage. No toothbrush. No problem. Or at least that is what I keep telling myself. The airport says that my bags are coming tomorrow “after they inspect the contents and clear the bags for delivery.” I am just hoping for contact solution, allergy meds, and at least one outfit with accompanying clean underwear. And everything else can just be.

So today we went to the bank, the market, bought things for the nursery, and a few food items for me. We weaved through LOTS of people and traffic, negotiated near death experiences (not really!), and came out the other side victorious. I was a little overwhelmed but no sleep, no shower, and general jet lag aided this problem. Oh well. The best part of the day was yet to come.

So, late this afternoon, I met the children. Ilse, one of the volunteers, says that it takes only three days to find your “favorite” child. All of the volunteers agree that we aren’t supposed to have a favorite, but that it is impossible to avoid. And even though I was determined to meet ALL the children before letting my heart fall on any specific child, I think my heart has already “imprinted.” (THAT’S RIGHT, I SAID IMPRINTED.  ECLIPSE MAKES A CAMEO APPEARANCE IN MY BLOG!) Anyway, her name is Ellie and she is just the most beautiful creature. She was in a bouncer and crying for attention. The moment I picked her up, her little tears stopped and she become silent. I was holding her close while attending to another child, but as soon as she could wriggle her little body loose she turned to look at me. All she wanted to do was look at me. And without any effort on my part, she smiled BIG and reached her skinny little hand to lay on my cheek. And with that one little movement I was won over. Gone. Done. It is a good thing that she is not available for adoption and that TZ has a three year residency policy to adopt. Otherwise, “I” would become “we” returning to the US in December.

Note to self # 1: Your heart is going to break when you get on that plane in December. Accept that there is no way to prepare yourself. Ok, then say this with me- go “we were born for this, we were born for this, we were born for this.”

~Shae

Airplanes (I could really use a wish right now)

Its 1:32 in the morning, and I can't sleep! I arrived here in Tanzania and was quickly processed through the Visa office. I was one of the first people to get off the plane. But I was one of the last people to leave the terminal. KLM left all my luggage in Amsterdam. Yay. This is going to be fun.

The airline lost both of my bags in amsterdam. This would normally be ok because I ALWAYS give myself a back up plan with my hand luggage. Unfortunately, the airline forced me to check my carry on with extra clothes and medicines, so I literally am here with some books, a laptop, and a sweater! I won't get my luggage for two more days. WELCOME TO AFRICA!!! hahaha. Please pray that when I do get my "luggage" my allergy/asthma medicine is still in tact. I can live without all the other stuff. I just foolishly forgot to pull it from my carry on when it got checked. To give you an idea of its importance, there was a man with heavy cologne who sat near to me on the plane. After two hours of smelling his scent, I started vomiting. I really have a weird allergy/sensitivity to certain scents. Feeling a little gross right now not having a toothbrush. But the flights were otherwise very comfortable and the food was decent so I really can only complain about lost luggage.

There were two volunteers from Germany who came with to greet me at the airport. They are so sweet and excited that I am here. We are going to the market tomorrow to get some food and supplies.

Here's to a safe arrival, a safe delivery of my luggage, and a safe adventure in Tanzania. Pictures coming soon. A big shout out to Todd Gable for sending me the most detailed email on how to set up my blog and get it on facebook. Lets hope I get it right Todd!

~Shae