Fri August 3, 2007

Fri August 3, 2007

We left Anne and Joe’s at 9:oo to head to RDU. Jason another student pastor was kind enough to give up a ride to we didn’t have to pay for parking. We were able to check our luggage all the way to Nairobi which was exciting. We watched them at security in case they opened the big bins we brought (yes mom I got it right this time it’s a bin not a bucket) we could tape them back up again. I really don’t think anyone was watching the security screen when they were scanned, that was a little unnerving. From Chicago to London to Nairobi be had book through a travel agent but we’d done are add on flight to Chicago ourselves and even though it was through American Airlines (British Airways partner) we still weren’t sure how that would work.

It was quite an uneventful flight to Chicago. We landed got some food and went to the gate to meet Kate and Jami, they were flying in from St. Louis. They were 1.5 hours late but it didn’t matter we had a 5 hour layover. Kate and Jami had to go out of security to claim their luggage because they couldn’t get it checked through, and Anne went with them. Joe and I headed to the international terminal and unfortunately we had to go out of security too. We found the security line insanely long (this was a continuing theme for us) it was technically three line but really it was one big mass about 100 years long. We got to the front about 30 minute later only to find that we were supposed to have gotten out boarding pass stamped by Bristish airways. Thankfully the lady told us that after we do that to just come right to the front, not to wait in line again. So we went to the British Airways counter and found Jami, Kate and Anne so we stepped in with them and got stamped and then they joined us going all the way to the front of the line in security so it worked out well. One the other side of security Anne laughed that she’d made it through (not meaning to) with water. By this time we are questioning American security. Remember this when I describe the security in Nairobi when we left.

Chicago really does have an ugly international terminal. but we were only there for 30 minute before we started boarding. It was a huge plane 3-4-3 with an upstairs. We sat Jami, Kate and I by the window and then Joe and Anne in front of us. We did a very poor job picking these seats and when I say we I mainly mean me. We were right in front of the bathrooms (the ones the middle of the plane) so our seats barely leaned back at all, plus we were on the side of the plane where the sun would both set and rise (it’s the same side because they fly north over Greenland and then back down again, not straight across). But it wasn’t a big deal, I hadn’t really planned on sleeping. We had this really cool thing where we could watch movies, or tv shows as we wanted and there as probably like 15 new releases and 30 other movies to choose from. They also fed us twice, it was a 7 hour flight. I’m a dork and got excited about the number of airline meals we would get on this trip. Not that they are the best food, I just find them fun to eat because there are several sides and even dessert, I never have that much variety. So we arrived at London at 7:30.