DSM-ORD-FRA-ADD

Greetings from Frankfurt, Germany!

Hannah and I arrived here in Germany around 6 am (local time). Friday, we left Des Moines right on time at 8:05 and landed at the Chicago O'Hare Airport earlier than expected around 9:10 am. We took off from Chicago a little later than expected due to do the extremely full plane and mechanical problems. It was about 3 pm by the time we got going.

The overnight flight to Frankfurt was actually quite nice. Free movies, very nice flight attendants, and some interesting food. As it came time for dinner and the attendants began passing out food, they ran out of the only thing I wanted, BBQ Chicken, by the time they got to the row ahead of us. So, I settled for what they called pasta. It was like a tortellini with squash and a strong cinnamon taste. It was decent so I ate about the whole thing. I really don't think that it settled with me too well. I continued watching my movie selections of Hidden Figures (really good movie!) and Ocean's Eleven (a classic). Afterwards, I was able to get about 2ish hours of sleep, which was nice. By the time we began descending, I began to not feel too good. The pressure, elevation, weird pasta, and lack of sleep was catching up to me and coming out. Yep, I got sick. Luckily we were getting off the plane soon. I was able to clean up and refresh in the bathrooms.

I'm very much looking forward to getting to Addis Ababa. I really just want to sleep! We should arrive around 8:45 pm (local time). I'm also hoping our checked suitcases make it to Addis with us! That's about all I have for right now. I'm praying that this next flight goes well, smooth, and very quick!

UPDATE:

I have officially arrived here in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia at the International Livestock Research Institute!

The latest flight, Frankfurt to Addis went well! I slept about the whole time in hopes of not getting sick again. The flight actually had one stop to drop off passengers in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. That was actually really cool to see! Of course those going to Addis were not allowed off the plane but it was definitely a sight to see! Very sandy as one would imagine. After about an hour of letting off passengers and refueling the plane, we got back in the air and made our way to Addis Ababa. This was about 1.5 hours. I started watching National Treasure but fell asleep, again.

When we landed, it was still all a shock that we are actually here in Africa. We went through customs where our passports and visas were checked. Then we made our way to the baggage claim, where we found both of our checked bags! That was quite a relief. We went out to the arrivals and pick-ups and due to Bole International Airport strict security. A kind man from the airport helped in contacting our ILRI driver. He was waiting outside for us along with other taxi drivers begging to give rides and military men/women holding guns. He helped put our bags in the car and away we went.

I really had no idea what to expect of Ethiopia. When we driving through the city, houses were made of metal tin and very, very small. There were people all in the streets and at one corner there were a mass of vans with people outside looking to be street sellers. After about 15 min from the airport to the research center we arrived and were given the keys to our hostel rooms. It doesn't seem as if the people here can really pronounce my name. They say 'Keely'.

I am blogging from room right now. My room really reminds me of a hotel. I wanted to get a shower super super bad so I go into the bathroom and the shower head is not attached to the holder on the wall. I tried to put the head up there but the holder cracked and hold the head. So, for the next two months I may be holding my shower head. But all in all, I am so glad that we arrived, our luggage made it, and the hostel is nice. Have a good night all!