Getting to Moshi

The thing I was most nervous about on my trip to Africa was actually getting there.  I am here and now I know there was nothing to worry about, it was extremely easy to get here.

I got on my flight in Boston, and surprisingly the flight to Amsterdam was only 6 hours long ( a very good tailwind!).  It was much shorter than I expected.  I sat next to a nice man from the Netherlands named Hans (not kidding!).  He was in Boston for work and said he really liked it (even before I told him that I was from there).  He told me some wonderful things about Amsterdam and insisted that the next time I go I must stay for more than 2 hours (my layover). I promised him that I would.

As soon as I got off the plane at the Amsterdam Airport a lovely young woman was waiting to tell people where to get their connecting flight (they don’t call them gates, they are piers).  The Amsterdam airport is very modern, clean, and nice with a shopping mall in the middle. If I were a shopper I would have loved it. I found my pier with no problem.

The gate area was filled with people of many nationalities but they all appeared to be going to Tanzania for a safari. And I was amazed at how many elderly people were there…several pulled out gallon size Ziploc bags filled with bottles of medication.  After seeing that I knew I would be fine…how bad could Tanzania be if unhealthy seniors were traveling there! The plane was completely full, the KLM flight attendants were wonderful, service was great, and they fed us every couple of hours.  I didn’t do a lot of sleeping, I’m just not a good plane sleeper.  But all in all it was a good trip. Much better than I anticipated.

We arrived in Tanzania about 8 ½ hours later.  I had to wait in line to get a Visa and everyone in line was shocked that the Americans had to pay $100 when people arriving from other countries only had to pay $50.  Not sure why but it’s probably to make up for all those rude, arrogant Americans, or maybe they think all Americans are rich.  After getting the Visa it was off to Immigration.    Finally, I made it to the baggage area where my suitcase was waiting for me.

Monika, the head of the NGO I am volunteering at, was there to meet me as I made my way out of the airport.  I got in the minivan taxi with Monika and my luggage and off we went.  So here I am…in Africa!  Much more to follow…..