We made it!

Got here okay, getting ourselves acquainted on Njinikom time and weather.  

Milan finished a 400 page Redwall book during the 3 1/2 day journey here.  We left Windber about 1:30pm on the 14th of June and got to the Pittsburgh airport okay. Sat in the plane for 4 hours on the ground before they decided that the mechanical malfunction could not be fixed and the fuel tank was not good enough to go over the ocean to Paris.  So... they flew us to NY Kennedy airport where we waited for a plane to come from Atlanta to pick us up and take us to Paris. That was about 1am on the 15th.  We got to paris about 2:30pm their time (they're about 6 hours ahead of PA). 

Once there, with the delay, we missed our connection to Douala and had to wait for the next day's flight. It was a 4hour wait in line for the complimentary hotel, but we met 2 gentlemen from Kosice, Slovakia who I ended up having to translate for. The following day we left at about 2pm and got to Douala at almost 9pm (with 1hour back from Douala-9pm to Paris-10pm).  

We were so happy to see Sr. Xaveria and Emmanuel, our driver.  I considered myself pretty tan amidst my American friends, but in Africa, I am very white!!  There were many, and I mean MANY helping hands at the airport, and even Sr Xaveria had some difficulty explaining to them that we did not need assistance.  Anyway, we got to the car and came to our place of sleep at the Shishong hospital with the Sisters there.  We had french fries, green beans with carrots, and some beef stew with orangina (an orange soda).  All of the Sisters were very nice, welcoming us and embracing us.  The following morning we didn't leave as early as planned which allowed us to witness the raising of a blue water buffalo on top of a building.  No, not the animal... not that exciting!! But a huge blue container, (the size of a buffalo) that had to be hoisted on top of the builiding for the well to function and provide water to the hospital.  That was a very long process, and I'll figure out how to connect video so you may see this.  Needless to say, most of the hospital was outside coaching them and suggesting different ways to getthis buffalo up... and at the end was a great round of applause.

And then began the 8 hour drive to Njinikom... Thanks God, neither of us got carsick.  That was but by the grace of God. About 3/4 of the roads were paved, while the last part of the trip was dirt roads and very bumpy.  We stopped for the most delicious pineapple, so sweet, and a fruit called Leechee.  Half way we had lunch of pizza, which was surprising to me, and it very good too.

So this brings us to now, today we slept in because we had such a hard time getting to sleep. Milan and I were making up stories and telling them to each other to help get each other sleepy. We hope to visit the orphanage today and will attend mass at 5pm.  We have lunch and dinner with Tim, the doctor here that lives above us, and he is very nice and great to have conversations with.  He is thoroughly impressed with Milan's yoyo and spintop tricks.  Milan needs tape to fix a spintop so we'll see if this is possible.
 
We will update soon, hopefully with pictures next time.