Hello my adorable Thinkers!
Today I am posting the last email that I sent from Zimbabwe with its corresponding pictures. Since I have so many pictures from Victoria Falls I am going to write a different post to tell the whole story of what happened there. I am also going to remove the story of Victoria Falls from this post and make other grammatical changes from the original. Without further ado here is the edited version of email eight of eight that was sent from Zimbabwe in 2020.
Again it has been way too long since I wrote, but a lot has happened! A week ago my family was planning on joining me and Emily in Zimbabwe. All the preparations had been made but when they went to get their covid tests so that they could travel, three of them tested positive. The news was disappointing, but not really surprising. A couple of them had been showing symptoms of something so it made some sense that it would be covid. Emily, Ishmael, and I were sad that the family would not be joining us this time, since we were excited for them to meet Ishmael. Although we were very disappointed, God has everything under control. We may have to work on our plan B but God is still on His plan A.
Time seemed to go so quickly. We had to get our Covid tests on Monday then picked them up on Tuesday. Monday we were exhausted from the bus ride (from Victoria Falls) so most of the day was spent asleep. Tuesday we got to say goodbye to Ishmael’s brother Cyril and his family and meet a childhood friend of Ishmael’s. Tuesday afternoon Emily and I packed our bags and prepared the cottage for us to leave. That night I didn’t really sleep. It was all of a sudden super real that we were going to leave the next morning.
Around 5 the next morning we all got up and got ready to go. Ishmael’s friend drove us to the airport. But he drove us the scenic route and showed us where they went to school and some other significant places. When we got to the airport we all said teary goodbyes and that was that.
Me and Emily checked in and waited for our flight. Our airplane was very small and for the first time I got to walk up the steps into the plane like the president or something. That was not the last time that would happen on the way home, so it doesn’t feel quite as special anymore. Our first flight was from Harare, Zimbabwe to Johannesburg, South Africa. To our surprise in order to get through the Johannesburg airport you have to get your passport stamped. So I not only have a Zimbabwe stamp in my passport but also a South Africa stamp. That is pretty cool if you ask me!
The South African airport was extremely confusing. Nothing seemed to be labeled for leaving the country so we probably walked across the whole airport before we found where to check in. Eventually we did find it but we had even more paperwork to fill out once we got there. Then we had to have all of our bags checked again. By the time we got through that craziness we were running to make our flight in time. We were the last people on the plane but thankfully, we made it! This flight was our first long flight, we went from Johannesburg to Doha, Qatar. The flight was about 15 hours long so it was the first flight we were going to be served meals. When I got my ticket, for the first time I was offered the option of being served gluten free meals. I was shocked! I didn’t know people did that! It made sense and I was very happy to sign up for that! On the first flight a stewardess came and sat beside me to discuss what I would need for my gluten free needs. I was so honored! Then for the rest of the flight, I never had to worry about my food. They fed me very well! I could have cried, I was so happy! I was also able to move seats so that I sat beside Emily for that whole flight. I slept for probably six or more hours on that flight.
When we landed in Doha we had no rush to be anywhere. It was more than eight hours before our next flight. At first we looked for a lounge to sleep but when we found none available we settled in the waiting area. I did not sleep more than an hour that whole night. I occupied myself with talking to people States side while they were awake, and eating the snacks I brought. Eventually it was time to get up so Emily and I went to get breakfast. One thing that is very hard when staying on a gluten diet is finding a hot breakfast. I was very cold all night because I had left my sweater in Zimbabwe. I did not find a hot breakfast but I had a fruit tray and a strawberry-banana milkshake and Emily had chicken shawarma.
After breakfast we checked into our flight. They were EXTREMELY thorough in their luggage checks. Thankfully we had nothing to trigger them and made it through easily. Soon we were on our last flight and heading for Houston! This time I could not move to sit with Emily and also could not sleep. (I think the two facts are related?) It was a long flight but at 3pm we landed in Houston, Texas, USA. When we got off the plane I was so happy to hear Southern American accents again! We had to stand in a long line to make it through customs but eventually we made it through, only, there was one problem. I had some bell peppers I had brought from Zimbabwe and I had to declare that I had them. The first officer was confused and did not know if that was something that had to be declared. He told me to tell an officer of the Department of Agriculture. When I told the guards outside the Department they also did not know and said to get that checked. So I started to go in, Emily asked if I wanted her to go with me. Before I could answer the guard told Emily that we should stay together. Odd, but oh well. (Another odd thing was that these guards had big guns. Not like pistols, big guns!) So me and Emily went in. An officer of the Department of Agriculture waved us over and asked what we had. I said that I had a little bit of rotten bell peppers. The officer was confused, so he had us both scan our bags. Then he asked again, “What do you have?” So I told him again, a little bit of rotten bell peppers. He asked if they were fresh, they were, so he asked to see them. I pulled them out and handed him a swollen box puffed up from the rotten peppers inside. He tried to hand it back saying, “No! This is jam!” I insisted that they were fresh! He shrugged and opened the box. He then made a horrid face and coughed because they were indeed, quite rotten. They were then disposed of and we were free to go.
When we made it out of the airport Mommy was texting saying she was almost there. Then I saw her car rounding the corner! I was so excited! It was so good to see her again! We then went home where we got a sweet reunion with most of my siblings. My oldest sister is married and lives in Missouri and my next younger brother is living with my Grandmother until we are sure there is no longer Covid in the house. I miss them but I am still so happy to be home.
Since I got home I have been switching my clock back and spending some quality time with my family. Since I am Stateside I will be starting school soon and hopefully will get to see each of you once everyone in my house who tested positive, tests negative (or no longer shows symptoms for a long while). In a few months I will probably be returning to Zimbabwe for Emily’s wedding and when I leave, I will let each of you know of my adventures! So I guess this is the end of my Zimbabwean adventure, at least for now…
Wow it feels good to finally finish a series! Thank you all who have tagged along and who supported me while I was there.
Until next time my adorable Thinkers! ~The Pondering Panda
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