I made it to Africa!

My journey has begun! I headed out from Oklahoma City on Tuesday, August 5. The lovely Jacquelyn Jetton (last year's Global Eye Care Fellow) and her husband were kind enough to give me a ride to the airport.

There were no hitches along the way. I made it to Atlanta on time, and then took off at 7pm for Johannesburg. The Delta flight was long (about 15 hours from Atlanta), but it was nice that there were no layovers.

Western coast of South Africa...Sand as far as the eye could see!

We arrived in Johannesburg, deplaned, and then headed for customs. An hour after arrival, my passport was stamped, and I headed next door to the Intercontinental Hotel. It was extremely convenient (right out of the International Arrivals terminal), and I got a good night's sleep.

South Africa!

The next morning (Aug 7...I think all of Aug 6 was spent on the airplane!), I had a 45 minute flight from Johannesburg, South Africa to Manzini, Swaziland. All my bags arrived, although one of them was a bit beat-up. (Anne, think of our adventure with your luggage in Thailand...)

A kind driver, named Luis, from Good Shepherd Hospital (where I will be working), picked me up at the airport. All in all, I have to say the entire trip went off without one delay or hitch.

We pulled into Mabuda Farm, where I will be staying, in the afternoon. Viv and Dr. Tim Fetherston from the United Kingdom, greeted me. They got me all settled and took me to the grocery store in Siteki (the nearest "town", which is about two blocks long x 2 blocks wide). Mabuda Farms is a wonderful little farm run by the doctor I will be working for, Dr. Jonathan "Jono" Pons and his wife Helen. I will write more about the farm later...it deserves a blog post all to itself.  Their website is: www.mabuda.com. Here is a photo of my "chalet".

The middle section is mine for three months

I must say, right now it is "winter" here. This is my first time in the Southern Hemisphere, and it is so weird to get used to July/Aug being winter! The temperatures have been unseasonably cool, according to the locals, and people are walking around with winter hats, sweaters, etc. It is quite entertaining to me, because at these temps in Iowa, everyone would still be wearing shorts and flip-flops. I guess it is all relative.