Things I never thought I'd think:

"We're finally that close to the Sudanese border!"

After a smooth check-in and a very long flight, I am here in Addis Ababa!

I live through fourteen hours every day, but for some reason, the fourteen hours between 10:20 am Annapolis time and 7:55 am Addis time felt especially lengthy. Maybe it was that I switched seats so that a mother-daughter pair could sit next to each other, not realizing that I would no longer be occupying a window seat, which as you know, are prime sleeping-on-a-plane locations; maybe it was the incredibly cute but very clearly unhappy youngest daughter of the beautiful Somali family sitting across the aisle from me; maybe it was the fourteen hours of coughing and sneezing and sharing germs with more strangers than I usually interact with in a week; or maybe it was simply the fact that I have been looking forward to this trip for so long that there's no way the flight couldn't drag on for an eternity. Whatever it was, it felt like forever.

Which, naturally, only made getting off the plane, through baggage claim and customs, and into a van on my way to a friend's house even sweeter. 

The drive here was an adventure unto itself, and I feel like so many of the things I've heard about African traffic are true. Pedestrians walk in and out of the road and in between moving vehicles like it ain't no thang, riders of the public taxis hang out the side windows, rules are more tentative guidelines, following distance is close enough to shake hands with the people in the back row of seats of the vehicle in front of you, the third lane area of the road is a perfect place to replace a tire or two, and you will definitely spot at least a couple trucks with blue-camoed guards carrying large, intimidating guns in the back.

I'm now showered, rested, and fed and enjoying the sights and sounds from the second floor bedroom where I'll be staying for a couple of nights until I fly north to Mekele to meet up with my cousin. 

So far, so good.

I (very stupidly) forgot to charge my camera battery in the chaos that was the two days before my flight, which I only realized when I'd pushed the shutter button to take a picture of one of the roadside markets and it didn't work. I'll charge it and get some "real" pictures taken and uploaded of Addis in the next couple of days.

Mahalo nui loa, nagyon köszönöm szépen, betam ameseginalehugn.

In exactly two days, assuming all goes well, I'll be at the airport about to board a fourteen hour flight to Addis Ababa.

At this point, I'm mildly overwhelmed with everything I still need to do, people I need to see, and things I need to pack. That feeling is absolutely nothing in comparison to how absolutely overwhelmed I feel with support and love and encouragement. Everyone I've told about this trip has been more positive and supportive than I could ever have imagined, from my amazing coworkers, who chipped in on a water filter system I'd been eyeing, and the patients at work to my incredible family that has made sure I'm stocked up with all my third-world emergency preparation and technical needs.

These past few days have been stuffed fuller than a Thanksgiving turkey with a variety of see-ya-laters, from trivia nights, to swing dancing, concerts, and family farewells and I am feeling sosososoSO blessed to have all these people in my life who care about me and wish me well. I know there will be challenges while I'm on this adventure, but having all these people back home praying for me and sending positive vibes my way will certainly help me get through those hard times.

So, if you're reading this and I haven't had a chance to say this in person, or if I've had that chance and didn't take it: thank you. Thank you a million times over for being in my life and for that support and encouragement you give me.

I'm at my metro stop now, and fingers crossed this embassy visit is more productive than the last one.

One Fine Day

My days here are numbered (sixteen, in case you were wondering), so I've been trying to pack my time off work full of family, preparation, and "I won't be able to do this for a while!" activities.

This weekend the padres and I made the five hour trek down and back to visit my step-dad's family in southwestern Virginia. The point of the trip was definitely to spend time with la familia, but luckily, there was some time in there for me to get my hike on too.

Saturday morning I headed out bright but not-too-early for Tinker Cliffs, a short section on the Appalachian Trail that's been on my to-hike list for a while. It was a beaaaaaautiful, sunny, and not terribly cold day, with just a few other people on the trail- practically perfect. I spent a few hours getting there, meandering my way up the mountain and exploring the cliffs, then making my way back down and home. All in all, an excellent way to spend my third to last (WOAH.) Saturday in the country.

Have some peeeectures:

Trail courtesy, left by some kind soul who thought it very important that we respect the bovine.

 

 

The engineering of this bridge looks a little dubious, but it held up just fine.

 

 

This was part of the 900 foot gain/.4 mi stretch without any switchbacks. What a hill.

 

 

In general, presence of icicles like these indicates sub-freezing temperatures, just in case you were unaware.

It'd snowed semi-recently, but not recently enough for it to still be on the trees, so the mountain sides looked like they'd been cross-hatched by a giant artist in the sky.

 

Enjoy more landscapes:

 

This shot courtesy of 3G service on the top of the mountain, and google, who was kind enough to tell me how to activate the self-timer on my camera.

 

 

And you know your hike has been good when you get back to the car and your boots and the bottom of your pants (not visible here, obviously) are caked in mud. I was still stoked about figuring out how to set the timer. So sue me.

 

In all likelihood, I won't make it out on another hike before I leave, but this was an excellent note to end on. Luckily, there are mountains in Ethiopia, and I'll have a bit of time to adventure over there as well.

 

In other news, I (finally) purchased my ticket. I totally could've put it off longer, but why not give myself a little more time to look at my bank account and be amazed at how quickly the money disappears?