We survived!!!

I should probably preface this post with the fact that I DO NOT sleep on planes. No matter how hard I try, I am just incapable of getting any significant amount of rest. Actually, my roommates back in Provo can attest to the fact that I need to sleep with blackout curtains in my room. Light creeping through a window at night is one thing but on a plane, no matter what you do, you are constantly bathed in light. The light emitting from the video screens, tablets, phones, and other approved electronic devices becomes a baptism of unnatural, sterile white. That with the constant rumble of the engines, plus the crowded cabin, that no amount of plastic foam earplugs can drown, leads to an uncomfortable night of constantly shifting in your seat. I can generally handle some noise (unless it sounds like someone is getting murdered outside my window, but let’s be real, that doesn’t happen often in Provo), but something about the rumble of an airplane surpasses even the rowdiest nights I experienced living in Chile (they really know how to party). In other words, by the time I post this, I will have been awake for close to 30 straight hours. 

Anyway, you probably aren’t here to listen to me rant. You want to hear about my life (or else you are definitely in the wrong place). The last week flew by. I planned to take all of my finals on the very first day that they were available so I could drive home that Saturday and spend Easter with the family. It ended up being one of my best ideas yet in my short life.

Saturday, I realized that I needed to make sure I had a friend to accompany me with all my travels. I realized that an inflatable alligator/crocodile pool toy I bought last summer would make a great companion. My friend Kristen and I christened him, Sir Philip last June and the name stuck. I plan on taking him with me everywhere this summer. I hope it is cute and fun, not creepy. Either way, it is going to happen.

The rest of the time I was with my parents, it was preparing myself to go to Africa. Some errands were easier than others but late on Thursday, I had everything I needed for both Paris and Malawi. There were a few moments this week where it finally hit me that I would be leaving the country for three and a half months. I really didn’t expect to leave the country for this long again after my two year LDS mission in Chile, but I guess this is actually happening.

It also merits mentioning that I made it to Paris alive and at least physically well (mentally is still in question). I am going to have to re-watch all the movies I watched on this flight to make sure I didn’t just enjoy them because I have officially hit my limit, or if they were actually good. Sir Philip, who spent the entire trip packed in a duffle bag also appears to be holding up pretty well. The taxi ride from the airport was pretty interesting (I saw three drug deals from the taxi window), but we are actually staying in a really nice neighborhood. My brother and his wife are renting a flat for about a week from a friend of theirs. We can walk to the Notre Dame and the Louvre from this place. It is pretty freaking great. My family and I will try and be good about taking pictures while we are here and I am going to try and post something every 3 days or so. 

Peace out,

Topher