Where am I?
Okay, so I'm FINALLY back in the States after a full day 2 days of airports and planes and bad food and no sleep. I'm ridiculously tired and groggy and I can't even remember my own name, but I don't care because I'm home!!! I met our new kitty--he's a Maine Coone kitten named Hobbes--and he's the most adorable thing ever. I'm totally going to steal him and take him to Egypt with me. So anyhow...
Okay, so, the first flight was from Uganda to Brussels, and it was 8 hours long. They tried to make me watch Rumor Has It...AGAIN. It was the movie that was showing on the way to Uganda as well! I seriously don't know what the deal is, but their plans were foiled, because I don't want to watch that goddamn movie...ever. So I chose boredom and bad sleep instead. Take that, SN Brussels Airlines! Bwahahaha.
Anyhow, I got to Brussels, and the lady at the security checkpoint was quite the superbitch. She kept interrogating me like she seriously believed I was some kind of terrorist. And then she was all, "You look VERY distracted right now," like I wasn't telling the truth?!?! So I was like, "Well, I just had a red-eye flight on which I got 2 hours of sleep, so I'm a bit tired." And I said that very politely, but then she got all belligerent and was like, "THIS IS A SECURITY CHECKPOINT! EVERYONE HAS TO GO THROUGH THIS!" Um, dude. I KNOW. I was trying to explain to you why I seemed distracted so I wouldn't get arrested and detained! Excuse me. Anyway, she glared at me for awhile longer and then finally gave me my boarding pass. God.
So then I had a 5-hour layover in Brussels and then an 8-hour flight to Chicago. Less than an hour after I arrived, Liz and Regena called my cell and it made me happy. 4-hour flight to Seattle, plane delays, and I got to Alaska around 12:30 in the morning. I'm incredibly tired right now, so why in God's name am I updating my journal? Who knows.
Yeah...good times. Not. Tomorrow is the beginning of movie extravaganza week! First up is Pirates of the Caribbean 2, then The Devil Wears Prada (because I read the book and it kicks ass), and then Superman Returns. Maybe I can drag my sister along to several of those with me, because I feel like such a loser going to movies alone...even though I do it all the time in Alaska. I also have to buy a purse and a wallet to replace the ones that were stolen in Uganda. Man, I had had that wallet since freshman year in high school or something. It had sentimental value *sob*.
To conclude, I'm going to do a fun little Africa Top and Bottom 10. It's going to be awesome. Here goes:
Bottom 10:
10. AIESEC was rather irresponsible throughout the entire traineeship. Get your act together, please.
9. Felix, my partner, was not very smart, really disorganized, and pretty annoying in general.
8. People asking me "how are you" and saying "good morning" about every 5 seconds. I mean, I like it when people are friendly, but I have my limits. Leave me alone already--I'm fine!!!
7. Ugandan public transportation. Words cannot describe my hatred for it.
6. The permanent layer of dust covering my lungs...the air quality left something to be desired
5. Lack of things to do in Kasese a.k.a. the middle of fucking nowhere
4. Not being able to talk to or hang out with my friends
3. No cell phone!!!
2. Having to wash my clothes by hand, and the fact that no one at all understood why this pissed me off so much
1. The food. It's just...bad. Seriously. It has very few redeeming qualities, and I'm too tired to think of them if there are any. Matooke (tasteless mashed banana paste) is especially vile.
Top 10:
10. Dude...the fact that I have now been to AFRICA. I've wanted to go there since I was a little kid!
9. Actually having to be responsible for myself...not fun, but important nonetheless
8. Nigerian soap operas on TV...yup, good times right there
7. Really amazing cheap jewelry! I wish I had had time to buy more souvenirs.
6. Chapati (this really tasty fried dough that they eat all the time...but mind you, all the other food sucks ass)
5. Crazy elephant and hippo-filled safari at a lodge that had a completely out-of-control dessert table at every meal (ahhhh, it was heaven)
4. Seeing life from an entirely different perspective
3. Feeling like I actually made a difference in something I believe in (the fight against HIV/AIDS)
2. Discovering that I'm actually a good teacher, and overcoming my fear of public speaking in the process
1. The children, hands down. You won't find kids like these anywhere else.
Don't you want to go to Africa now? It was an experience, that's for sure, and I'm so grateful I had the opportunity. And yaaaaay for my beloved United States and my friends and then Egypt with Sara and Molly...and maybe Leah??? Things are SO looking up. :)
All right...I am tired beyond belief. And I feel like a colossal idiot for staying up this late. Whatever...I'll call people tomorrow. Zzzzzzzz...
Okay, so, the first flight was from Uganda to Brussels, and it was 8 hours long. They tried to make me watch Rumor Has It...AGAIN. It was the movie that was showing on the way to Uganda as well! I seriously don't know what the deal is, but their plans were foiled, because I don't want to watch that goddamn movie...ever. So I chose boredom and bad sleep instead. Take that, SN Brussels Airlines! Bwahahaha.
Anyhow, I got to Brussels, and the lady at the security checkpoint was quite the superbitch. She kept interrogating me like she seriously believed I was some kind of terrorist. And then she was all, "You look VERY distracted right now," like I wasn't telling the truth?!?! So I was like, "Well, I just had a red-eye flight on which I got 2 hours of sleep, so I'm a bit tired." And I said that very politely, but then she got all belligerent and was like, "THIS IS A SECURITY CHECKPOINT! EVERYONE HAS TO GO THROUGH THIS!" Um, dude. I KNOW. I was trying to explain to you why I seemed distracted so I wouldn't get arrested and detained! Excuse me. Anyway, she glared at me for awhile longer and then finally gave me my boarding pass. God.
So then I had a 5-hour layover in Brussels and then an 8-hour flight to Chicago. Less than an hour after I arrived, Liz and Regena called my cell and it made me happy. 4-hour flight to Seattle, plane delays, and I got to Alaska around 12:30 in the morning. I'm incredibly tired right now, so why in God's name am I updating my journal? Who knows.
Yeah...good times. Not. Tomorrow is the beginning of movie extravaganza week! First up is Pirates of the Caribbean 2, then The Devil Wears Prada (because I read the book and it kicks ass), and then Superman Returns. Maybe I can drag my sister along to several of those with me, because I feel like such a loser going to movies alone...even though I do it all the time in Alaska. I also have to buy a purse and a wallet to replace the ones that were stolen in Uganda. Man, I had had that wallet since freshman year in high school or something. It had sentimental value *sob*.
To conclude, I'm going to do a fun little Africa Top and Bottom 10. It's going to be awesome. Here goes:
Bottom 10:
10. AIESEC was rather irresponsible throughout the entire traineeship. Get your act together, please.
9. Felix, my partner, was not very smart, really disorganized, and pretty annoying in general.
8. People asking me "how are you" and saying "good morning" about every 5 seconds. I mean, I like it when people are friendly, but I have my limits. Leave me alone already--I'm fine!!!
7. Ugandan public transportation. Words cannot describe my hatred for it.
6. The permanent layer of dust covering my lungs...the air quality left something to be desired
5. Lack of things to do in Kasese a.k.a. the middle of fucking nowhere
4. Not being able to talk to or hang out with my friends
3. No cell phone!!!
2. Having to wash my clothes by hand, and the fact that no one at all understood why this pissed me off so much
1. The food. It's just...bad. Seriously. It has very few redeeming qualities, and I'm too tired to think of them if there are any. Matooke (tasteless mashed banana paste) is especially vile.
Top 10:
10. Dude...the fact that I have now been to AFRICA. I've wanted to go there since I was a little kid!
9. Actually having to be responsible for myself...not fun, but important nonetheless
8. Nigerian soap operas on TV...yup, good times right there
7. Really amazing cheap jewelry! I wish I had had time to buy more souvenirs.
6. Chapati (this really tasty fried dough that they eat all the time...but mind you, all the other food sucks ass)
5. Crazy elephant and hippo-filled safari at a lodge that had a completely out-of-control dessert table at every meal (ahhhh, it was heaven)
4. Seeing life from an entirely different perspective
3. Feeling like I actually made a difference in something I believe in (the fight against HIV/AIDS)
2. Discovering that I'm actually a good teacher, and overcoming my fear of public speaking in the process
1. The children, hands down. You won't find kids like these anywhere else.
Don't you want to go to Africa now? It was an experience, that's for sure, and I'm so grateful I had the opportunity. And yaaaaay for my beloved United States and my friends and then Egypt with Sara and Molly...and maybe Leah??? Things are SO looking up. :)
All right...I am tired beyond belief. And I feel like a colossal idiot for staying up this late. Whatever...I'll call people tomorrow. Zzzzzzzz...