Tired but Hopeful

It's been a long day; it's been a good day. Today I was "very Kenyan" and used all public transportation to get from Eldoret to the Nairobi guest house where I stay when traveling through the city. I left the house at 6:30AM and arrived at the guest house at 4:30PM.

Had I flown the flight would have been much shorter than the trip to the airport. But I also would have spent nine times the price of the public transport. That's right, NINE times!!! That's what I kept reminding myself as my teeth were rattling out of my head down the bumpy road.

Then I had the privilege of hauling my luggage from the mini-bus shuttle to a matatu (14 passenger van) to do inner-city transfers. This also cost me a fraction of what hiring a taxi would have. It was my first time ever navigating public transport without William at my side. I was pretty proud that I arrived in one piece without anything lost or stolen in the process.

So why am I in Nairobi? I'm carrying out the next step in applying for William's visa to the USA. We are really really really hoping we can make it to CA for Christmas. But we have no idea how the timeline is going to go. I have an appointment to turn in an application tomorrow afternoon. From there it will be 30 to 60 days before we can move to the next step of a physical exam, immunizations and background checks.

But for some reason I'm feeling hopeful tonight. I'm remembering how for two years we tried to get William a passport. And then the doors opened just weeks before traveling to Congo. So I know that when the time is right we will get the visa. I have a good feeling about this application.

I'm also smiling after catching up with a friend who is a missionary in Sudan. It just worked out that we were both staying at the same guest house this week. She is also a nurse and we spent a few hours this afternoon laughing and sharing crazy stories about nursing in Africa.

But I'm also missing my hubby. He called to tell me that the house was feeling big, quiet and lonely without me there. He tells me that even Jack (our cat) is sad that I'm gone. But I'll be back by Wed. This is an in-and-out trip to get the paperwork filed. I'm having a hard time keeping my eyes open after this long day. I think it's time to call it a night and fall into the wonderful Mayfield bed! Lala Salama (Sleep in Peace!)