God is so good! We are so thankful that God called us to South Asia. After several days of traveling we finally made it to our destination. It seemed that as we got closer to our destination our reliance on God increased! At one point at the end of our trip we were totally, 100% dependent on the Lord as we were waiting in an airport with no way of communicating to those around us due to the language barrier, and no way of communicating to the people who were meeting us at the airport! We were in God's hands! But more about that later. I wanted to share with you details of our journey and some pictures of our time so far.
December 30th, 2011
After much anticipation this day quickly approached. Our plan was to have at least a day of relaxation before our travels but unfortunately we were still packing until 2pm. We left for JFK at 3pm so we really had no time to relax! My parents drove us in 2 separate vehicles...my dad drove our 8 trunks in his truck while my mom drove me, Brian, BJ, and our 5 carry-ons. On the way to the airport we stopped to pick up some money for traveling. I am SO thankful we stopped at the bank! When Brian attempted to withdrawal money we found out there was a hold on our account (due to the money we were spending in the past week to prepare for our trip). After about 30 minutes with the bank everything was cleared up but I am SO thankful we found out while we were stillin the States and not when we got here!
We made it to the airport about 4 hours before our flight, thinking we would check in our baggage and then relax for a bit. However, there was only 1 flight going out of JFK for our airline and they didn't feel the need to open the counter for another hour! We used this time for my parents to spend a few more moments with BJ :) We were able to check our trunks with no hassle. One piece of our carry-on was too heavy so we ended up checking it.
Our flight took off around 11:30pm. BJ feel asleep around midnight and only slept til 6 am. It was VERY difficult for him (and us!) to get comfortable on the airplane. Although he didn't sleep his normal 11 hours he was still a trooper and hardly cried at all! We entertained him with movies, games, and the flight attendants (they absolutely adored BJ).
December 31, 2011
We arrived in Doha, Qatar at 7:30pm their time (which was about noon Eastern time). This was the first time (and, as we'd soon find out, the first of many) that we really felt out of our comfort zone and remained in constant prayer as we navigated the airport. As we exited the airplane we had to take a shuttle to the terminal. We had to make sure that we exited at the correct terminal, which really isn't a big deal except that we're in a different country at night! There were many signs in English and since it was an international airport many people spoke English. After some help from the airline staff we made it to our gate for our connecting flight.
We had a 5 hour layover at Doha International Airport, from 7:30pm to 1:35 am. Because of the time difference it really felt like the afternoon for us. I'm sure people thought we were crazy having BJ up at this late hour! We played, walked around, had dinner. BJ ended up taking his nap around 11:30pm.
January 1, 2012
When the clock stuck midnight BJ was fast asleep. I snapped a quick picture of the 3 of us to remember what we were doing for the New Year (like we could ever forget!). To celebrate, the people around us started clapping and cheering. The loud noise woke BJ up and he ended up crying for about 20 minutes after that :( He ended up falling back asleep in Brian's arms.
At about 12:50am it was time to board our next flight. We learned quickly that lines don't really mean anything in that culture. Although we were in line, people would just walk up and cut in wherever they wanted. That's just something we'll have to get used to.
Our flight to Bangladesh was basically uneventful. BJ did a wonderful job during the flight. He really is a blessing! As we approached Dhaka International Airport our nerves began again. Because we had to go through customs and immigration we were very nervous that everything would go smoothly.
Unlike the Qatar airport, not very many people spoke English. Signs were still in English though. The airport itself was markedly more dirty than the other airports we had visited in the past day. BJ was very antsy and wanted to run around but I didn't want him touching things! We stood (and silently prayed) in the immigration line for about 30 minutes. When it was our turn we simply handed our passports and visas to the official and basically kept our mouths shut. Brian has a work visa and BJ and I have family visas. The visas are good for 1 year. After just a few minutes we were approved to enter the country :) Thank you, Lord, for no complications!
We acquired two luggage carts and made our way over to baggage claim. On the way to baggage claim we noticed area that was FILLED with baggage. Apparently it's the lost baggage area and it had literally hundreds of bags. I started praying for our bags at that moment:) Thankfully, our 8 trunks and 1 extra checked bag made it quickly out onto the belt. Many people stared at us as we piled trunk after trunk on our carts!
As per our instructions, we quickly made our way out of the airport, not stopping for any check points. Apparently, if you look like you know what you are doing no one will ask any questions! As we made our way outside we quickly spotted our driver amongst the throng of people (he had a sign that read "Brian"). He flagged down the van, put our trunks in the back, and away we went!
It was 11:30am as we made our way out of the airport. We got our first real glimpse of the city. The buildings were no taller than 5 or 6 stories. There were rickshaws, baby taxis, cars, and pedestrians all fighting for space on the road. Honking (or ringing bells on a rickshaw) is a constant noise as drivers communicate to one another. Because it is the dry season, dust and dirt are abundant. It struck me funny that many of the billboards were in English, advertising things like liposuction and beauty products.
We arrived at the Guest House around 12pm where we could relax, take a shower, take a nap, etc., until our next flight. We were very thankful for the break in travel! We put BJ down for a nap ASAP and we organized our carry-ons for the last leg of our trip. Our original plan was to stay at the guest house until our hosts, Jim and Marilou, arrived. They were flying into Dhaka at 1pm from Christmas break in Thailand. Unfortunately, their flight was delayed and they wouldn't be arriving in time for our flight to Chittagong. We didn't know what to do!! There was a communication barrier between us and the staff at the guest house so it was hard to find out what was going on. So we did all that we could....we prayed.
Our 7:30 pm flight ended up being delayed as well. We headed back to the airport at 8:30pm in hopes that Jim and Marilou's flight would get there before our plane took off. We were dropped off at the terminal and, once again, we were totally in God's hands (which I know we always are but this was just a time that you are REALLY aware of that!).
Security at this airport was, well, not that great. We stepped through a metal detector and our baggage was screened but I really don't think the guy was even watching the monitor! We were able to bring water bottles in our bag and I know that I wasn't following the 3-1-1 rule for carry-on liquids! When we got our boarding passes we didn't even have to show any ID!
At this point we learned (thanks to a wonderful man who spoke English who took it upon himself to make sure that we knew everything that was going on) that our flight was again delayed til 11:30pm. Many people were upset but I was SO happy because that meant that maybe Jim and Marilou would get here in time!
At around 11pm our flight was called to board. Boy, do I wish I had my camera ready! We walked outside, and walked under a bridge, and walked up a flight of stairs til we got to the plane. We sat in GREAT seats (lots of leg room) and then waited. And waited. During this time the people on the plane were getting VERY upset. I mean, we almost thought there was going to be an uprising. Men were standing up and yelling at the flight attendants. Thanks to the English speaking man next to us who informed us of what was going on, it turns out that this particular plane had come from Dubai. They had been delayed 5 hours already and were not fed nor were they allowed to use the restroom. It's easy to see why they were upset! Thankfully, the plane we were waiting for had arrived and they brought Jim and Marilou!!! It was such a wonderful relief to see them walk onto the plane!
Honestly, from here on out was a big blur. I think it was because we were exhausted from being on such high alert up to this point and having someone else to guide us the last leg of our trip meant that I could just turn my brain off :)
We arrived at our destination around 1:00am. We called our parents to let them know we were okay.
That's the story of our arrival. We have been here for over a week and I have SO much more to write! Thanks for your prayers for our safe arrival!
BJ posing by his favorite plant at Doha International Airport in Qatar.
Happy New Year from the Deschaines! (You can see BJ is stirring from his nap. This is right before he woke up screaming!)
