Jetplanes and Jetlag

We have arrived! As an update, our flight went reasonably well. Now that long flights have personalized movies it makes flying much more tolerable, though I can't help but think that I am not unlike the toddler who needs tv to travel in the back of the mini-van. When we landed, though, things became more interesting. We had to go through a infrared heat gun and sign a statement that we had not had flu-like symptoms or a fever. (India is trying to prevent the spread of H1N1) Then passport control where we were given a quick look over and stamped through. And then baggage claim. We waited for our flight to show up on a carousel and when it did we waited. Then another flight was on the same carousel and we waited and then both flights disappeared from the carousel. At this point, I was worried but Bekah remained calm and we waited and about an hour and forty minutes after landing, we received our luggage. I felt bad for our friends who had waited that entire time outside in the heat for us. They explained that this was pretty typical and they were not worried at all.

After then getting a day of rest we went and had dinner at a local restaurant where the food was excellent. On the way home we had to pass through a festival, stopped and got pineapple that was cut in the most amazing way, and then listened to shouting and singing till nearly 11 p.m. We are still getting used to the sounds and smells of this new place but I think we will be able to be happy here. It is warm but we have fans and when it gets hot we will use the AC. Thank you all for your encouragement so far!

Safe and sound

We are now at our destination and getting ready to get some much needed sleep! Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers. We had zero trouble with our journey.. which is awesome.
More updates to come, but wanted to let you all kw that we are safe.
B

Flying out

We're heading out today really quickly. We'd appreciate your thoughts and prayers as we head out.
Also for anyone that had the experience of reading that bizarre twitterfeed here.... sorry about that. We're fixing it :)
B

Cross-country meadering

We're back in DC hanging out with friends and preparing to fly away on our big adventure. After a long train ride I'm glad to be sitting on a squishy couch doing a quick post!

(Fishing on Lake MI.. I'm on a boat!)

We've had a great past month visiting friends and family all over the mid-west. As usual, it is always very difficult to say goodbye. We're going to miss everyone so much, but hope that you all will keep in touch and let us know what is going on in your lives as you hear about what is going on in ours!

(getting in some paddling)
(At 'the bean' with the fam)

Besides our friends and family, we also said a (much less tear-filled) goodbye to over half of our closets. That may sound really silly, but living out of a suitcase (or hiking pack) is swiftly becoming our way of life, so simplifying is a necessity. It's good to figure out what we need and what we can do without. We get some mixed reactions when folks figure out that the things we actually use fit into four suitcases.. and honestly it challenges us a lot to think that we even have anything in storage when we have figured out how to problem solve without all of that other 'stuff.' This time though, we put our wardrobes through the 'cultural sensitivity' filter and had to bag two thirds of my clothing. Bummer. I guess it is time to get lessons in eastern modesty. should be fun :) I'm at very least looking forward to picking up a colorful scarf or two!
Looking forward to giving some updates from the other side of this big blue globe!
:) B

(Extra points if you can find us 5 times!)

OOOOOHH WE'RE HALF WAY THERE!!

OHhhhhhhh! Livin' on a praaayyyyyer!!! (sorry.. couldn't help myself.)
Just wanted to give a quick shout out to all of our friends and family in the Northern Michigan area. We really appreciate all of the love and support you all have shown us in the last couple weeks.

Just as a quick update on the finances front.... (drum roll please.)

We're just a squeak over half way! Thank you for everyone who has gotten behind us and is partnering with us.

B

Quotable quote

I love a good quote... and I also happen to have a strange love for Teddy Roosevelt. So I found this among my daily design & craft blog wanderings (guilty pleasure) on a blog called "Make it Do." I love the do-it-yourself attitude of the craft world. It helps me stay motivated to keep going in a world that often has the attitude of waiting for someone else to fix what they are complaining about. Which brings me to my next quotable quote for today (drum roll please)....
"You must be the change you wish to see in the world." -Mahatma Gandhi
Be the change in your world today by doing what you can with what you have.
:)
B

Read All About It

This came through the twitter-feed today thanks to our friend @shuttergrace and I thought it was worth a share. This article gives an interview with journalist & humanitarian Benjamin Skinner. A very well articulated interview about some of the realities of human slavery internationally. Check it out!

There Are More Slaves Today Than at Any Time in Human History

By Terrence McNally, AlterNet.