I'm here!!

Well I set off from York at 5pm on Sunday and I arrived at Tubakunde House in Ruhengeri at 10pm....29 hours later!! I can tell the 2hour drive from the airport to the house seemed to go on forever - and I swear there are more potholes in the road than there were two years ago!

I knew I was in Africa when I was standing in a long queue at the "Transfers" desk in Nairobi airport...which didn't move for about half an hour, and no-one really knew why we were there...but we continued to queue patiently anyway! When I finally got the front of the queue it was another 20min wait until they could take the money for my flight and then give me a boarding card and confirmation that the flight on the way home had changed time. It was supposed to be at 11.50am and they had decided to change it to 3pm. No-one even pointed this out to me - I only noticed because I dissected the garbled sheet of numbers they gave me, and when I asked about it, they said yes it had been changed. No-one seemed slightly bothered that if I cannot leave Kigali at 11.50 that I won't make my connecting flight to Dubai!! So, that is something I must sort over the next few weeks!
Well, it was amazing waking up here and hearing the chatter of little children as they turned up for the day...and its so strange because part of me feels like I never left, and the other part feels like I was never here! Some things are exactly as I remember, and other things have changed so much! It is absolutely brilliant to see all the people I remember, but there are lots of new staff who I must get to know, and of course all the 57 children that are here now! Nathan's 'baby' who was born while I was here in April 2007 is now a little girl...and that is the thing that really emphasises the passing of time. The adults have obviously not changed much in appearance, but the children really make me realise that the two years I was away was a LONG time!

Pam and I have just had lunch at a cafe with free broadband internet access (!), so I am using this opportunity (and Pam's laptop) to let you all know that I am here safe and sound, and really looking forward to my four weeks here! I have also had a lovely drink of African tea, but I don't want to make Tracy too jealous so I won't tell you how delicious it was...and so much nicer than the approximation we make in England! (I am missing you Trace, and I've had an extra cup on your behalf!!)

My virgin mobile sim card is working here this time, so I THINK you can text my normal number for what it would cost in England...though it will cost me more to reply, but I may be able to reply on my Rwandan SIM card if I get it sorted...watch this space.

Right, people to see, volcanoes to climb, I must away...I'll write again soon!