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Published: February 4th 2015
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11. Travelblog
February 1, 2015
Layover in Amsterdam. Checked in with family, checked email, had tea and rested. Boarded and departed right on time. I found myself envious of those who could actually sleep or rest and decided to accept the fact that I was awake. I finished some notes on various meetings in Karagwe, organized the backlog of email, prepped for activities that awaited in my office and read a bit from my book. At one point the man in front of me turned around and asked me to turn my music down. What? Oh my gosh! The earbud jack had fallen out of my iPad and Aerosmith was blasting. Oops. 3 meals, a snack, 5 beverage deliveries, 2 movies, 3 playlists, 78 emails and 4 chapters later...
...we landed at noon in MSP. Home. Ahhh. As we gathered our things I told Christopher that I couldn't imagine anyone else who could have completed the tasks he did. He conducted a multi-level needs analysis on water harvesting, treatment, delivery and reuse; collaborated with our architect and local water resource workers and community leaders; worked with our technology advisory; and befriended everyone along the way. I am grateful
for his presence at the Touchstone ceremony and hope that provides some closure for him and his family regarding the legacy of his mother. As we moved forward, ETI wants to remain focused on our own goals and milestones, and not get distracted by the side activities surrounding the KARUCO project. Christopher and I agreed that we will remain focused on our deliverables and the steps needed to bring them about. We're both grateful for the trip.
TRIP SUMMARY: ETI: •
has a preliminary plan and will outline 'next steps' for water delivery for KARUCO; •
has a preliminary plan and will outline 'next steps' for Technology, Internet and computers for KARUCO; •
celebrated and participated in the Touchstones ceremony at KARUCO; and •
met with local water resource workers, church and community leaders, government officials and farmers to advance friendships and plans for KARUCO. After the regular post-land shuffling and adjusting, we deplaned and headed into customs. The 'normal' line appeared to have about 300 people in it. Christopher alerted me to the Global Entry line which had 0. We looked at the line with no one in it, burst out laughing, 'high-fived', "see you later", and parted ways. I recall, at various parts in the trip, wondering about the value of my Global Entry card. It didn't seem to make any difference that I went through the background check and interviews with Homeland Security to get a Global Entry card. Well...it just became valuable. I entered my info into the Global Entry kiosk, presented my receipt, got my bag and was whisked through customs in less than 5 minutes. That's a new one.
It was great to see Steve - in his 'regular' spot - the first person just outside the International flight arrival door.
Welcome home.
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