Flight delay in your favor, spend 24 hours in Paris!

THis has got to be quick because connection is slow and we are supposed to have group bonding time via scrabble right now.

Day 1.

Arrived at O'Hare at 3:30pm. Boarded plane late because of Tornado signs and the security alert going to code orange.

Because of weather, we waited another 2 hours to fly (so 2 hours of sitting on an unmoving plane. reeeeally exciting). 7 hours flight. I coudln't sleep and realized that the malaria medicine made me sick. Not a fun plane flight.

Day 2.

Finally got into Paris at 10:30am their time (3:30am at home). Very quickly realized we missed our flight. After standing in line for an hour or so, we finally got arrangements for the next flight out....at 11am THE NEXT morning.

The Louvre

Bad news: NO luggage. for 24 hours. (and mom, I know you're going to kill me, but I forgot clothes)

What else was there to do but explore Paris...but first. Pres Timmermans really impressed us all with his ability to negotiate. We left the airport several hours later, but with vouchers for a free lunch, dinner, hotel room, and breakfast the next morning. We dropped off bags at a hotal near the airport...(rinky dink operation) and boarded the train for Paris.

Need I say? The Eiffel

It was breaktaking...I'll have to write more later. The short version. The eight of us Trinity students ran 7+ miles in about 1.5 hours and saw the Louvre, NotreDame, and a million other sites...in the dark. Paris was beautiful. We met back up with TImmermans to see the Eiffel Tower. It was breaktaking. Then we RODE UP!.

Day 3.

Got back on the plane and flew ALL day. I slept about 4 hours on the plane...the longest of the trip so far. This flight was more bearable. Got there at 9:30, and thank good ness our luggage arrived. Mr Smuts was there to greet us and was really great. WE traded US$ for SA Rand. (it's about R7 to $1)

Arrived at the Game Reserve past 2am. Finally got to sleep around 3:30am with a 7:30am wake up for our Safari. It was raining and about 55 degrees. The weather hasn't changed since.

The safari was incredible..and it is so beautiful out here. I want to post more about the safari and the people and the language, and the history. It's amazing.

We are in the Mes-Aksie inner city mission in Johannesburg now. TOmorrow and Saturday we'll work here. If i get internet tomorrow I'll catch up from there. but I probably won't have access again after saturday.