Orientation: Travel and 1st Day

UPDATE: All pictures have been removed until further notice.

This week I have STA (Short-Term Associate) Orientation, followed immediately by the NEXT conference. Praise the Lord :) On my way out on Tuesday, I stopped at Carousel for my first (and possibly last) Funky Monkey of the season. I used my gift certificate from Teacher Appreciation Week :) 

I ran into a nice young man named Gary a few times going through security, and he ended up walking me to my gate, "spinning yarns" to pass the time. He was a delightful fellow. He was departing from gate B78 (pictured below), while I departed from gate B76. It was a lovely convenience, allowing us to sit together and pass the time quickly. 

These are the chairs we sat in. I thought it would be too forward to get a photo with him, after our half our of acquaintance (plus I didn't think of it!). But a photo of the seats we sat in are good for memories!

Since I will be severely limited in the amount of media upload I can do while I'm in Burkina Faso, I figure I will go a little overboard now, to get it out of my system. 

Ahhh, the classic Coke and Peanuts. What is an airplane ride without peanuts?

This is the gate at which I stood, shivering from the thunder, while I waited for Stuart to pick me up in Charlotte. 

And this is the sign under which I stood. 

As part of our orientation, we are taken to a multicultural dinner. This was an Ethiopian Restaurant, and eating from a communal dish with our hands (really, just the right hand- the left hand is traditionally used for other purposes) was not anywhere near as strange as I imagined. And the food was amazing. I wonder if I will ever be satisfied with American food again!

Because there were 5 of us, we sat at a normal table, but for parties of 2, this is the traditional table for an Ethiopian meal. The cone shaped top comes off and they set the tray or platter in the center. So cute!

At the SIM USA office, they have signs all around pointing to the various countries. They list how many miles it is to that country. This is a picture of Kathy. She will be serving in Kenya.

This is Lindsey, who will serve in Malawi.

And this is me, posing awkwardly with my Burkina Faso sign :)Well, that's all I have for you now. Tomorrow we will be meeting missionaries who have served in our respective countries. I can't wait! 

Please pray that the three of us will have energy and attentiveness tomorrow. Pray for an eagerness to learn and the ability to do so.