This is one of those moments when profanity seems appropriate but I can’t quite manage to put it in print so just know I’m thinking it but I won’t actually scream it into the computer!! We landed on time at Heathrow and came off our British Airways flight in good spirits having slept a full 5 hours. Mind you, I haven’t slept in almost three weeks and have lost 5 pounds just getting ready to leave Boston and the Cape houses to renters, implementing the Kindle project, organizing our lesson plans for the school in Koru, planning and equipping us for our trip, getting visas & vaccinations, saying goodbye to Rashi with Gussie who will go to Nobles next year, managing through all the end of year performances and projects for the kids and finishing up my big interior design project for Riverside Partners. Although a hassle, we didn’t think much of the fact that we had to clear security just to transfer from our British Airways flight from Boston onto our British Airways flight to Nairobi until our carry-on bag with the 46 Kindles in it was pulled aside. It landed at the back of a pile with 10 other bags and the man at the front of the pile, the supposed supervisor of security was in no rush to make his way through the pile. The clock was ticking and our pleas for help went unaddressed. They wouldn’t open more than two bags at a time and insisted on taking every item out of every bag and scanning it separately. The worst part was the supervisor himself. He was uncaring and unresponsive and I make up that he was on a major power trip. Do I sound frustrated? When it came time to open our suitcase he took one look at the Kindles and prepared himself for his joyous confiscation of our goods. He announced that there was no way he would let me through security without calling customs to determine whether our goods could pass. Even though every Kindle was fully charged, out of its box, in a leather case with a number on it and loaded with books, he insisted that this quantity of electronics required a receipt of purchase to prove they were really mine. A receipt!!! I never thought to bring a receipt!! 18 minutes and counting until flight time…12 minutes and counting and I’m trying to stay calm as he calls customs. Ned, Zac and Izzy run for the plane as I request that they at least begin to scan each Kindle. Gussie and I frantically take each one out of its Ziplock bag and place them in the gray trays…8 minutes and he returns with my carry-on bag and the Kindles in a pile when I remember that I bought these Kindles on Amazon and had a receipt of purchase by email confirmation on my Blackberry!!! I search by sender and there it is! I show him the receipt on my phone and the poor female assistant is horrified because she realizes now that there was no way we would make our flight and all this was for charity. Gussie and I pile the Kindles back into the bag and try our best, but the flight is in Terminal C and we were in Terminal B. Hopeless. British Airways wouldn’t hold the flight so Ned, Zac and Izzy stayed behind with us and we all spent the day at Heathrow. 11 hours later we boarded our new flight for Nairobi.
We are now on Virgin Atlantic somewhere over the Mediterranean. ETA 7:50am Nairobi time.
We arrived safe and sound and are in Nairobi at the Serena Hotel. After a swim and some breakfast we are off to visit a women’s cooperative where they make beautiful beads. Dinner tonight at the Carnivore where the kids are having a contest to see who can try the most new meats! Crocodile and ostrich are on the menu along with about 15 other unusual species!
More soon!