We're Here!

We made it! We got to MacDella's apartment around 11:00 last night. In terms of home time, Justin dropped me off at Tammy's at noon on Thursday, and we finally arrived around 6:00pm on Friday. My whole trip (starting at Tammy's house) was more than 24 hours!

It's nice to be here and be done with traveling. The trip went pretty fast. We couldn't sleep on the first flight from New York to Belgium, but we slept in the airport in Brussels and on the second flight. We stopped in Abidjan in the Ivory Coast, and then we came to Monrovia. The flight will go directly to Belgium on the way back, with no stops. I hope the trip home goes just as fast as the trip here did. I think it will feel longer because I'll be anxious to get home.

MacDella warned us that the airport was small, but it was a very interesting experience. We just walked down some steps from the plane and across a little ways to the building. There were different lines for Liberian citizens and others so they could check our passports. Then we had to wait for our luggage. It was crazy trying to get our bags. So many people were in one little room. But then I think it was a little crazier outside. The driver had found me and Tammy in the airport and had let me talk to MacDella on his phone so we knew she was waiting outside. He found someone outside to help me carry my many bags (I shouldn't have packed stuff in so many bags). There was a whole bunch of people outside trying to help us, but MacDella says that they just try to touch your bags so they can say they did something and claim that you have to pay them.

OH, and the roads were ridiculous! There were lots of potholes because it's after the rainy season. The driver used both sides of the road. It was like a maze trying to get around them all. And everyone beeps and passes each other on the road. They're all in a hurry to get somewhere. And tons of people were walking on the side of the road. It wasn't a road that I would walk on by myself at night (or expect to see others walking on), but here it's considered a highway. MacDella said that we couldn't see the little villages along the side because it was dark. But she pointed out a few of the orphanages. We stopped by her friend's house to see his yard. He offered to let her use it for her Christmas party. His house was so nice. It had this big balcony. I definitely want to go up there and get some good shots of the kids on Christmas. :)

It's more interesting (and less scary) to see it here during the day. People are always on the street. There were little shacks along one wall with shops. We say an old woman sweeping her little place. These two little kids saw me and Tammy waiting in the car when MacDella stopped at the laundromat, and they were pointing and smiling and waving to us.

We're in the Royal Hotel now. It's a nice cafe with wireless internet. We all ordered eggs and bacon and toast (real food! and not airplane food). I'm wearing my money belt and my bug spray. I think we might be visiting two orphanages later and maybe the market. The little girls that live with MacDella are so cute! Me and Tammy gave them the crayons and coloring books and sketch books that we bought them. Belle, who's three years old, was reading the letters on the back of a book that Tammy's reading. I don't know if she can read, but she was spelling all of the words for us. And she was telling us the colors in our room. She thought brown was blue sometimes, but she'll get it right soon.

I don't know how often we'll come to use the internet. It's not working in MacDella's apartment, but I should be back sometime. Sorry I don't have any pictures today!

I'm being safe. :)

Tammy updated her blog, too. Her posts are shorter and probably much more organized. Sorry mine is so long. I can't help it.