New York NY...here I am!

Well all has been said and done I have finally made it. After two more fundraisers (a garage sale and a going-away BBQ) and photo sales also with the generous help of friends and family I have successfully raised the funds that I needed to be able to go to South Africa.

Thank you so much to those who have and continue to support me!

So the last week is all a bit of a daze...packing, planning, making lists, getting shots, buying toys and school supplies to donate, making more lists that all cumulated with a deadline that I reluctantly obliged. Dan and Laurie left for the Seattle airport at 1am. We arrived 3 hours later because traffic was non-existent at that time and finally I said my good-byes and was on the very plush Virgin America Airbus with leather seats plenty of leg room and personal touch-screen with remote/game controller. I connected in LA and waited for my next flight on the very same plane thankfully I didn't have to navigate LAX for this reason.
LAX to JFK was the nightmare flight. I was supposed to take 4 hours 20 minutes. We were delayed because of bad weather in NY and ended up having to land in Rochester NY to re-fuel. Where we were delayed even longer for a total of 12 hours on that flight! I got into NY at around 1am but it took about an hour to wait for a cab who subsequently didn't know where Adelphi University was. He then told me that it would cost $80 to get there, and then there was traffic! We then got lost twice and drove all over long island to by fluke come across the university. He then dropped me off after I very reluctantly paid him to find that I had no idea where the dorm was. I finally found it and got to bed at around 3am Eastern for a total of over 20 hours traveling, by the end I was totally wasted and deflated my hope was that I had a bed and that everything would be better very soon. I expected hard traveling on this trip just not on my way to NY!!!

The only good thing was that I got to fly a plane.! Ok, Ok I was just pretending...we got to tour the cockpit on our long stopover.



some flight photos:

Mt St. Helens



First images of NY



So it was a long trip to get here but my excitement for South Africa has not been quenched, especially after meeting with my group today, all of whom seem like wonderful people. Orientation has been very well done so far and I have met so many great people. I will be leaving for SA on a 17 hour flight on Sunday in the afternoon.
Yes. I have to keep telling myself that this is actually happening!