Hello everyone! Day one of our trip is coming to a close end, finding Alex and myself relaxing for the first time all day at the Gresham Belson Hotel in Brussels, Belgium. On the menu tonight? Pitas from the little Pita Restaurant down the street. And of course, Fanta drinks (which by the way constitutes 43% of one’s daily sugar intake). All things considered our trip has been pretty smooth sailing. We almost didn’t make it to the Calgary airport due to the Abma family van breaking down at an intersection (right in view of the airport!). Thankfully a kind stranger saw Alex, myself and my sisters attempting to walk the rest of the way, and gave us a lift. Our flight from Calgary to Paris took about 8.5 hours taking us from 8:55 PM Calgary time to 2:06 PM Paris time. We were supposed to sleep during that flight but I think between the both of us we collected about three hours of sleep total. After we arrived in Paris we were scheduled to take a train from the Paris airport to Brussels. We almost missed that one too… I accidentally got Alex and myself in a very long, very slow line that we didn’t need to be in. As soon as we found out that we didn’t need to be there we booted it to the platform, where the train itself was just arriving. Yikes! It was pretty intense at times, that’s for sure. But now we’re safe a sound at a pretty classy hotel in the country of Belgium, set with all our limbs and belongings. What a blessing! Tomorrow is the big day where we’ll finally be arriving to our destination country – Rwanda…
Friday, June 27, 2008
Thursday, June 26, 2008
The Journey Thus Far
While in our last year (spring of 2007) of university at the University of Lethbridge, we became involved with an Alberta based organization called Ubuntu Edmonton, an amazing organization that seeks to help victims of the 1994 genocide re-capture their livelihood and economical sustainability ( http://www.ubuntuedmonton.org/ ). While acting as co-presidents of a university club called Apprenticeship For Humanity the club, on the insistence of a club member, JoAnna’s sister, Christina, asked Ubuntu Edmonton to be the charitable cause behind our annual black-tie gala. Through the gala we met two of the organizations founding members, husband and wife, co-presidents, Jean and Igor. While chatting with Jean and Igor we described our wish of travelling the following year (after getting married in September) and someday seeing Africa. “Why not come to Rwanda and work with Ubuntu?” Igor exclaimed. “Yeah, that would be great, we’ll consider that for sure!” Alex said (meanwhile thinking “Ha! Funny stuff, yeah right”) trying to end the conversation and appease the guests. Soon, after wrapping up the gala we began talking and very quickly a “small-talk” type comment made in passing in an attempt to create conversation had become a hard-set plan… we were going to Africa in the summer of 2008.
Planes, Trains and Automobiles.
Fast-forward a full year and half and we’re about to board a plane, destination: half-way around the world! On June 26th at 8:55pm we’ll be boarding a plane from Calgary to Paris, landing in Paris at 2:00pm local time the next day. After landing we’ll then board a train destined for Brussels, Belgium, spend the night in Brussels and then again board another plane to Kigali, Rwanda. We’ll then spend 6 weeks in Kimironko (a suburb of the capital) volunteering with the organization in one of their many worthwhile projects aimed at helping the town’s most vulnerable, the widowed and the orphaned. Following our six weeks in Africa we will have a small respite in Europe and then head home. We hope to keep updating this blog throughout our time in Africa and Europe so check back for updates on what we’re up to and how things are coming along.
Before taking off we also have to thank all of our friends and family. Thank you for all your support (emotional, financial and otherwise), your prayers and well wishes. There’s no way we would endeavor to take on such a big journey without so much support and love from our family and friends. We love you and will see you soon.
P.S. For more information on Rwanda read up at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rwanda
Love,
Alex and JoAnna
Planes, Trains and Automobiles.
Fast-forward a full year and half and we’re about to board a plane, destination: half-way around the world! On June 26th at 8:55pm we’ll be boarding a plane from Calgary to Paris, landing in Paris at 2:00pm local time the next day. After landing we’ll then board a train destined for Brussels, Belgium, spend the night in Brussels and then again board another plane to Kigali, Rwanda. We’ll then spend 6 weeks in Kimironko (a suburb of the capital) volunteering with the organization in one of their many worthwhile projects aimed at helping the town’s most vulnerable, the widowed and the orphaned. Following our six weeks in Africa we will have a small respite in Europe and then head home. We hope to keep updating this blog throughout our time in Africa and Europe so check back for updates on what we’re up to and how things are coming along.
Before taking off we also have to thank all of our friends and family. Thank you for all your support (emotional, financial and otherwise), your prayers and well wishes. There’s no way we would endeavor to take on such a big journey without so much support and love from our family and friends. We love you and will see you soon.
P.S. For more information on Rwanda read up at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rwanda
Love,
Alex and JoAnna
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