Travel day

---

It was a long day. Sunday felt like a long day while we were waiting at the airport. Everyone seemed to have their own quiet anxious moments. A few moments aside to talk to loved ones and reflect inwardly as our departure approached. Of course, my brain was having its own last minute anxiety. Have I forgotten anything? What if I didn't bring the right materials? How will they react to me? A few loving reassurances from home and I was ready to go. The first changeover, there really wasn't enough time to rethink our decisions and wonder 'Should I even go?' because our flight landed late in Montreal and we were (all eight of us) literally rushing and running through Laval. There was no time for hesitation or questioning. Life had decided we needed to hurry out of the country and our reptile brain kicked in before our neocortex could say 'Hey, what the f#%&? Let's think about this leaving our safe and secure comfort zones to step out of the box and off the ledge into the unkown.' I think it really hit about 2/3 way over the Atlantic. I had a little panic attack, cried a little, was reassured very kindly and comfortingly by my team leader that this was a little blip or bump in our lives, and smoothed it over with some wine. It's a good thing I couldn't call home because I would have been a blubbering mess and then they would have worried about me even more. I watched a movie and had more wine, but didn't sleep. I think I had a little hangover in Brussels cause my head hurt a little and I felt dry. Brussels, we didn't rush as much but still had to focus to manage directions and get ourselves to the right gate. I was disappointed that I couldn't see much out the window, but it seemed rather cloudy out. The flight to Uganda was pleasant. I noticed the crowd was rather mixed which I found a little surprising. I don't know why I should think we were the only foreigners going to Uganda or that all the other whites were not nationals. I mean some of the Brits would have stayed behind. The first thing I noticed getting off the plane was a burning smell. I think it might have been diesel. There were people from UNATU there to greet us like when I arrived in Guatemala. Then when we had our bags and were leaving the airport, I noticed the blanket of warmth and humidity. It reminded me of going into a butterfly garden at Science North or a zoo. You could smell the lush earthiness in the air, and even at night I could see the greenery like palms and the rich brownish red earth. Our ride from the airport to the hotel was like a strange fun house ride since we were driving on the left, flicking lights and signal lights, and avoiding traffic and obstacles like motorcycles and pedestrians. I was glad when we arrived at the hotel. The rooms were large and comfortable. The beds were soft and I finally submerged into sleep despite the beat of the disco up the street.

---