Phoenix!!

It has been a long but exciting day already! Now I am in Phoenix Arizona!!

My family got up at 2:15am and drove to Logan airport. I had no problems checking in or going through security. The only concern I had was that my bags are going to to be too heavy for me to carry myself. I REALLY should have packed them in a rolling suitcase. It was sad saying goodbye, but I was so tired and focused on getting where I needed to be that I didn't let it get to me. I think a few weeks in I will have a bad case of homesickness... but I hope it goes by quickly.

My flight from Boston to Memphis was actually really great. I sat next to a really nice guy who just graduated from a college in Boston, and we had a great conversation the whole way! It was really nice to have someone to talk to. In Memphis I got some breakfast and watched the news.

There was a really terrible earthquake in Port au Prince, Haiti. It was a category 7 quake with around 25 or more aftershocks that were category 5. My adopted brother and sister are still in Haiti waiting for their paperwork to go through and their orphanage is right in that area. I am really really worried about the safety of everyone we know there and the country as a whole. They don't have any kind of emergency workers to respond to stuff like this, so it's pretty devastating for such a poor country. It was sad to see the capital's palace with the roof caved in. I remember driving past it a few years ago when I was there. Pray for Haiti!

On my flight to AZ it was definitely a God thing that I got seated next to another girl who was going with Go Ed! I thought she might be, but then she took out on of our reading books and I knew for sure! We had some nice conversations and then put our heads on the tray tables and napped for the rest of the flight. When I got my baggage I knew that without a doubt I will not be strong enough to carry my stuff by myself. A security guard took my bag and helped me find the place to meet the shuttle. He was very nice and said "God bless you on your trip" when he left. The shuttle came and picked me up, and then I recognized Janae and Ryan at a different stop and we picked them up as well. I really hope we weren't supposed to tip the driver because none of us can really afford that right now... Hopefully they understand.

At the hotel we signed in and got our room keys. They gave us a map and a bus route so that we know how to get to FFH tomorrow. I got to my room and met my new friend Susan from Georgia. She has the sweetest accent and it makes me almost start talking with an accent too for some reason :) We turned in paperwork and then the 4 of us went to a Fair Trade coffee shop to eat. I got a chicken curry salad sandwich. There was no room inside so we sat outside in the warm sun on the ground. It was GLORIOUS to be out of the cold. Now we are in our room relaxing and using the internet. I am absolutely exhausted. We are all meeting to start orientation at 4:30 downstairs so until then I think I will rest a bit. Tonight we are having a BBQ!

My nervousness from last night is gone. I am SO excited to be here!
That's all for now! Love you all!