My flight experience

What a trip! Sadly to say it's not even over yet. My journey to Doha has been a test of my patience so far. First, I started my journey in South Carolina. After spending Christmas with my family, I had to fly back to Dulles airport in order to go from there to Abu Dhabi and then later to Doha. That means I'm taking four flights to get to my destination. I'm used to flying so it's not that difficult especially since three out of the four flights are under two hours in travel time. It was the 15-hour journey from Dulles to Doha that I was dreading.

So the first two flights went on without a hitch and I found myself in Dulles in no time. My auntie and cousins came to get me since I arrived in the early afternoon and my later flight was around 10pm. After spending a few hours with them, I went back to Dulles around 5 pm to wait for my later flight. And I mean wait! The flight was delayed for about an hour. I used this time to keep my family posted, to make sure I was sitting at the right gate, and to send silly Snapchats. I was flying with Ethiad Airways, a company I'm not really familiar with but the service was pretty good. I could tell from the check-in process alone that the airlines was detail-oriented, all business, and efficient. They even weigh all your carry-on to make sure it complies with the weight requirement. Let's just say your girl here tried to take everything but the kitchen sink with her. Thank God I was able to shift stuff around and meet all the requirements. Yes Lord!

On my way to boarding the plane, I was just praying that I wouldn't get the middle seat. It's just really inconvenient if you have to use the bathroom and I feel like I have to fight the others for my right to use the arm rest and let's not even get started with bumping shoulders. It's just too much! As luck would have it, I got the middle seat. Yay me! Maybe if I prayed that I did get the seat, then I wouldn't get it. God definitely has a sense of humor. However, at the end of this flight I was kinda glad to get the middle seat after all because I met some nice people sitting around me.

The flight was fine. Other than losing all sensation in my lower extremities, it was fine. The food was really delicious! I only got up once to use the restroom because the lady sitting next to me in the comfortable aisle seat got up so I seized the opportunity to get my stretch on. I went to the bathroom and had a mini-workout in there. I still had about 7 hours of flight left. God please help me!

Sitting on the plane I definitely felt like a minority. Besides myself, there were only about 2 or 3 brothers and sisters on the plane, if you catch my drift. Thankfully there were English translations after the Arabic speaker. The Arabic language is just so remarkable to me because it uses symbols in lieu of letters. It's definitely something I want to try learning while I'm here, even if all I can write is Hello, my name is __.

So far, I'm enjoying this immersion and I hope to learn a lot about a culture outside of stereotypes and what the media chooses to cover about this culture. I want to get that first-hand experience and make my own judgment. Unfortunately I'm yet to get to Doha as I'm waiting on a later flight from Abu Dhabi. I still have to wait for about an hour and I'm praying fatigue doesn't get the best of me. I will inform you all on my first impressions of Doha soon. Until then, take care and be blessed!

P.S. If anyone knows how to insert pictures and videos in this kind of blog, please let me know! Thanks in advance.

Oh the Places You'll Go!

For some reason the book by Dr. Seuss, "Oh the Places You'll Go!" is on my mind today. I remember this book when I was graduating from college and the pastor at my church read it out loud to all the graduates. It instilled in us a hope that our journey in life was just beginning.

“You're off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting,
So... get on your way!” 
― Dr. Seuss, Oh, The Places You'll Go!

 I'm traveling to Qatar today and my day has already been a bit hectic. I have to journey from South Carolina where my parents and siblings live to Maryland to get to the Dulles Airport. Right now I'm waiting for my flight to Maryland and I'm trying to pass the time by crocheting and saying prayers in the hope that the rest of my journey will be smoooooth sailing.

I still can't believe that I'm traveling to Qatar. Doha, Qatar to be exact. It seems so random to me but I'm convinced that God planned this trip way before time and it is just unfolding now. But still...Qatar?! When I think about this trip I'm about to embark upon, my mind goes to the story in the Bible concerning Abraham. In Genesis 12:1, God said to Abraham, "Go from your country, your people and your father's household to the land I will show you." And guess what? Abraham, illustrating great faith, just left his land and trusted God. That's amazing!

As for me, I won't lie. I had my moments of panic. I questioned God's direction. I was like, "God really? Doha? You sure?" This trip came very suddenly and before I knew it, I was packing all my things out of my auntie and uncle's house in MD the day after I graduated from business school and getting ready for a trip that I believe will undeniably change my life. Despite my whining and complaining, I had to realize that I had to trust God in this and that He is indeed working all things out for my good (Romans 8:28).

So yes, I'm excited for Qatar now! I'm excited for any opportunities that may come my way! I'm excited for whatever God has in store for me! I'm excited to see more of my great, big, African family! So in this excitement, I decided to do a little research of the place to which I'm going. I learned that Qatar is an Arab country located in Western Asia. Its official language is Arabic. It is the world's richest country per capita and has the highest human development in the Arab world. Its culture is influenced by Islam. Its climate is warm and as warm as it is (75 degrees F), I can't wear tank tops. There is so much more information to consider but I'll stop here.

I know that the culture is different than what I'm used to but I'm up for any challenge. I've always had a desire to travel to many countries and immerse myself in as many cultures as possible. I love how God made us all unique and different. I believe it's our differences that actually make us connect. It's all about appreciating the different perspectives and having an open mind. I can't wait to see how the people are like in Qatar and how their culture differs from mine.

I'll definitely keep you all in touch with the rest of my travel and my first impression of Doha, Qatar. I should be arriving there tomorrow evening.