We have arrived!!

Friends! We arrived in Rwanda safely about a day and a half ago! I apologize for the radio silence, which for some has been worrisome given our connection through Istanbul, Turkey at a somewhat inopportune time.  Our trek here took slightly longer than originally expected. The short version is that we arrived a day later than planned and, miraculously, so did all of our luggage! If you care to know more detail, i.e. the long version, read on:

Our long flight from San Fran to Istanbul went very well, especially for our children. I highly recommend Turkish Airlines to anyone traveling abroad with small children. We were given a bulkhead seat, complete with a bassinet for the wee one. She LOVED the bassinet, as did I, because it not only gave her a place to lay down, it gave me a place to sit her (other than my lap) while I ate. 

Sweet angel asleep in the airplane bassinet; such a gift!

She slept like, well... a baby, for many hours. There were 4 babies with bassinets across our row and at least two more at the next set of bulkhead seats, so we were in good company on the flight! I was wishing I had a bassinet of my own, as sleeping on planes is not something I do well. My only complaint about the flight is that my in-flight entertainment system was not working. So, although a peacefully sleeping baby on the 13 hour flight gave plenty of opportunity to watch movies, I didn't watch a single thing.

Thanks to both a delayed departure and having to circle around a bit over Istanbul before landing, we missed our connecting flight in Turkey. Turkish Air put us up in a hotel close to the airport and booked us for a flight the next evening!  

Our room with a view...of the highway!

"Istanbul was Constantinople...why they changed it, I can't say. Guess they liked it better that way..." (Anyone? Please tell me I'm not the only one hearing this song!)

Anyway, initially we thought our unexpected day in Istanbul would be a fun chance to do some site seeing in a part of the world we had never had the chance to visit before, the Hagia Sofia in the old city being number one on the list. We were blissfully unaware of the events that had transpired in the old city earlier in the day. But, thanks to my dinner deciding to come back up the next morning (no worries, I feel all better now), I stayed back while my sweet friend took the girls to breakfast. When I flipped the tv on and learned of the suicide bombing that took place very close to where we wanted to go, I realized my feeling sick was possibly a blessing. We decided to stay away from crowded areas and not to trek out to the old city. Kind of a bummer, but it felt like the safer option!

Our next and last flight went smoothly, and we landed in Kigali around 1am with friends ready to greet us and pouring rain, complete with lighting and thunder! We thought we were coming during the dry season, and according to those who live here it IS supposed to be the dry season right now. The sheets of rain that woke me in the morning as they pounded on the metal roof could have fooled me!

the view from the Hanlon's porch

We are currently still in Kigali, staying with missionary friends, the Hanlons, who also have small children. 

fast friends, both one year old!

Fresh avocado from the tree in the
backyard anyone?  Yes, please!

Being with them has been such a blessing, and, though I'm excited to make our way to Byumba (likely tomorrow), it has been very nice to linger in Kigali, relearn some of the culture, and adjust-ish to the time (what? That's a word...or should be). Mo and I were up at 3am today, Beebs came in about 5am...so you can pray we get our internal clocks reset quickly! Right now, melatonin is our friend. 

Coram Deo - The Mrs Dr