The Beginning

It is 9 am at the moment, so it is 4 am at home. I am sitting in Angela Austin’s living room, in N’Djamena, in Chad, in Africa. This feels very surreal.

Before I begin my Africa reflection, I am going to quickly flashback to Wednesday the 14^th.

My plane was scheduled to leave Sioux Falls at 6 something in the morning, so I was up around 3:30, trying to gather all my important things and squish them into my suitcases. By the time Dad had searched the dark farm for his cell phone, and I had run through the house audibly saying goodbye to precious things like my bed, we were a little bit behind. It is an awful feeling watching your home disappear in the dark, so I guess it was good that I was too stressed about time to let more than a few tears trickle out. We met Mr Brett Pidde at the airport (who was on time, I might note), got rid of my bags, and said our goodbyes. To keep it simple, saying goodbye was not fun.

Quick story:

            The airlines were calling my name over the loudspeaker by the time I had finally gotten through security (no one will rush my goodbyes) so I was the last one on the plane. Then God threw some blessings my way. First, they moved my seat so that I could sit alone. This meant I could quietly cry in peace. Then we took off into a sunrise, which would make anyone forget about leaving home for a few moments. Then the nicest airline steward in the world went out of his way to make me comfortable. He probably could tell that I had been crying, and thought that I looked like I was 12, but he gave me his journals to look over, talked about my trip, and gave me an encouraging letter when I left the plane. An angel.

I am going to skim through the next week of orientation in Akron, PA.

All of the SALTers and IVEPers (young adults from other countries who have come to do service in the US) gathered together to eat, pray, attend sessions, sing, and play. I was delighted to play volleyball with some pretty competitive players from all over the world. I also met my fellow Chad SALTers (Alex Hurst and Michelle Metzger) and our MCC representative, Jon Austin, and his 4 wonderful children (we would meet his wife once we arrived in Chad). Overall, it was an incredible week that slowly allowed us to let go of home and set our minds on the upcoming year.

So this past Wednesday we left Akron at 4 in the morning, flew a 13 hour flight to Adis Ababa, Ethiopia (picked up Sheralynn Neff – a student from CMU working in Chad with us for a semester), and then boarded a delayed flight to N’Djamena. Arriving in Chad was an experience in itself. The heat, language, different clothing, and bustle around immigration made it difficult for me to process what was going on. Thankfully, I was in a group of French-speakers  who puzzled through it with me. Getting our bags felt like playing football. Africans are pushy! I was physically moved numerous times. Seeing Angela outside the small airport’s doors was a huge relief.

We are staying at Angela and Jon’s house until Monday when we will head to our host families. This is a wonderful house in the middle of a dirty, dusty city. To be honest, driving across N’Djamena was disheartening. Like many other foreign cities, the streets are littered with trash, dust, and mud stemming from a rainy season. Overall, the city is just dirty. This wasn’t exactly what I wanted my first impression of Africa to be.

I got a real taste of the city at the local market yesterday. The girls in our group put on our skirts and headscarves and followed the Austin’s housekeeper down the road. At the corner we squeezed into a little van/bus/taxi that packed in a few others before driving, a little carelessly, down to the market. The market was packed with people selling vegetables, scarves, flashlights, diapers, meat, beads, clothes, etc. We wound through stalls that were so close together only one person could walk comfortably. This meant at least three people would try to wriggle in together. Some women wore their hair in braids, some in scarves, and some wore burqas (burkas?) that only showed their dark eyes. The noise of countless languages, the heat (again), mud puddles, smells (most not so good), FLIES, and the sheer amount of people and goods that were so different completely overwhelmed me.

Everyone noticed the white people walking through the crowd, and I felt completely distant with this culture. A big part of me wish for home. I was thinking to myself, “I don’t know if I can do this. Other than green peppers, I don’t recognize a single thing in this place. What could I possibly have in common with any of these people staring at me??” At that moment, a little boy who was about 7 or 8 brushed by me. He was singing to himself, oblivious that anyone around him might possibly listen. He had such a sweet voice, and I automatically thought of my cousins, Liam and Solomon, and the music that floated around them as they roamed the farm. I am not sure why, but that calmed my heart in those few seconds. While Chad might be foreign to me, there are some things that are universal.

I can tell that these next few months are going be tough, but to combat the bad smells, trash, humidity, language struggles, different food, bumpy roads, and stares, there will be sweet smelling flowers outside the Austin’s house, orange and blue lizards, laughing children, friendly hosts, and music with those who feel as out of place as I do.

So I leave this safe place on Monday to tough it out by myself. I am nervous and excited and nervous some more. Thank you for all the prayers and messages from home. I can feel them.

NOTE: I am so sorry i can't add pictures! The internet is unbelievable slow!