Between saying goodbye to dear family, friends, and my classroom and having too heavy of a carry-on (I was only allowed to have 15lbs) which meant I had to leave some things behind, the start of my journey was a little rockier than I anticipated. But throughout all of it, I felt the kind of peace that only the Lord can provide.
My flights were both better and worse than I expected, but mostly better. Some airports were tricky to navigate and I had trouble sleeping on the plane, but everyone was so friendly and I even made a buddy on my flight from LAX to Brisbane. His name was Manuel and he was coming all the way from Lima, Peru. He asked me where I was going and whether I was going for tourism or not. I told him about me being a student teacher and he told me that he had been an English teacher for 25 years. We talked about our previous travels and he showed me some cool pictures from one of his trips to Mexico. Manuel said that if I ever end up in Mexico again, he can show me some of the ancient ruins he visited. He also told me all about astronomy and history (his two favorite subjects). Toward the end of the 14.5 hour flight, I was watching TV and Manuel tapped my shoulder and told me, "I want to talk to someone. I need to process something." I said he could talk to me about it. He then went on this long explanation of Mars and how people are trying to live there. He said it was crazy that technology is that advanced but that it is his dream to be one of the first people to live on Mars. I was so blessed to have such a good companion beside me on that long flight. He even made sure I ate breakfast since I had slept through dinner :) At the end of the flight, Manuel got my carry-on down for me and walked with me through the gate. Unfortunately, it was time to part. He shook my hand, wished me good luck, and said that he was sad that it was time to part ways.
Pictures from my international flights
After landing in Port Moresby, it was time to find my shuttle for my SIL flight (SIL is what Wycliffe is called overseas). When I went outside to find my shuttle, I met two other gentlemen who were heading to Ukarumpa. One of them would end up on my flight from Port Moresby to Aiyura, a valley outside of Ukarumpa. It was a short trip from Jackson International Airport to MAF Hangar. Both of the pilots were so kind and one of them was even from Reading, PA! I got weighed in and then went into one of the back air-conditioned rooms where some of the other passengers were waiting. The other passengers had all been Bible translators in PNG for a long time and were returning from the States to visit. They shared some of their stories and were excited to hear that I would be student teaching at UIS.
After about 20 minutes it was time to board the tiny plane that would take us to Aiyura. And when I say tiny...I mean TINY. It was a small plane that could hold 6 passengers. To the right is a picture I found online that is the same type of plane we took. It was a tight fit and a turbulent ride, but the views were absolutely stunning! Below are some pictures from the flight.
As we were pulling into the Aiyura Airport, we saw a small group of people waving to us. One of them was Leah, the woman I would be living with, and another was Kelly, the vice principal of UIS Primary Campus. I got such a warm welcome from these lovely people. Kelly, Leah, and I then drove off to Ukarumpa to the house I would be calling home for the next 2 months.
Leah and Kelly told me about how anytime someone new comes to Ukarumpa, it is customary to do a meal train. That night's meal would be Burger Night. Burger Night is a night when the teens of Ukarumpa gather together to run a restaurant. They have burgers, shakes, fries (aka chips), sodas, floats, salads, etc. You order your meal at the counter and then head to a table where they will come find you and serve you. It is the type of event where most of the community goes and gets to catch up with each other. It was a little overwhelming at first but was a great way to spend my first night here.
On Saturday I slept a lot and then got a tour of Ukarumpa and some of its outskirts. Leah and I then headed to our next meal location, the home of two female teachers. We had a great dinner and then watched Hocus Pocus and another movie to end the night. This morning we went to the English church service and then headed to Charity's house, my mentor teacher, for lunch.
Overall it has been such an amazing start to my trip and I couldn't be more blessed. I'll be starting at UIS tomorrow which is so exciting! Thank you all so much for your prayers and support which made this trip possible!
Here's a picture of the view from the living room!