well, today could easily go as the most eventful day of my journey. I know i'm not that far into it but, it has been a whirlwind.
my first flight with british airways was cancelled due to a delay leaving me unable to make the connecting flight to entebbe. so with the help of my aunt, i was able to change my flight to emirates airlines. the route i was to take with them was from zurich to dubai then from dubai to entebbe. after waiting till 11pm, the flight was then cancelled due to technical difficulties with the plane.
long story short, i am now in an amazing hotel connected to zurich airport waiting till morning to hear what my flight plan will be.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Sunday, August 29, 2010
8/30/10 12:33am
Today, I tried three new things.
1. Riding on a down hill toboggan track thats just about 2 miles long (longest in the world)
2. Riding an all terrain type scooter down super windy roads (long road going through two or three different towns, all down hill)
3. And ate sausage salad, or Wurstsalat (I ate a lot if it)
All together a pretty awesome day
Tomorrow, concludes my stay here in Switzerland and it's on to Uganda.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
8/28/10 1:17pm
I've been thoroughly enjoying my stay here in Zurich so far. Jet lag hasn't bothered me too much, sleeping in till noon is my usual M.O. anyway. My Aunt and Uncle's house is in a quaint little laid back village with everything you need within walking distance.
In the past couple days I got a nice little tour from my aunt of some of the surrounding cities, had Kebab, the european equivalent of a fast food choice (possibly the greatest thing I've ever eaten), and last night I went with Nickolas to his school's big Las Vegas themed party (very fun, and surprising how many people could pick me out for being American and could speak english). Today we're going to their friend's engagement tea party (meaning this will be my first official european tea party haha). It's been great catching up with the extended family out here and it makes me think of the family and friends back home. Miss you guys :)
In the past couple days I got a nice little tour from my aunt of some of the surrounding cities, had Kebab, the european equivalent of a fast food choice (possibly the greatest thing I've ever eaten), and last night I went with Nickolas to his school's big Las Vegas themed party (very fun, and surprising how many people could pick me out for being American and could speak english). Today we're going to their friend's engagement tea party (meaning this will be my first official european tea party haha). It's been great catching up with the extended family out here and it makes me think of the family and friends back home. Miss you guys :)
8/26/10 noon-ish
The first leg of my travel is over! I'm writing this as I wait for my flight from Heathrow to Zurich. I will have to wait until I get to my aunt and uncle's house to post this though, I can't connect to any of the wi-fi networks.
Got to use my power plug adapter for the first time, got a few funny looks as I attempted to figure out the correct adapter combination to be able to plug my laptop in. Getting even more funny looks because I'm sitting in the middle of a big empty area to be near the plug. They probably all assume I'm American and move on..
Just flying over London briefly made me very excited for my stay when I'm done in Africa. But obviously not in the forefront of my priorities. Food is up there right now. You can all assume the in-flight meal was terrible, so finding a place that takes US dollars or allows me to exchange just enough dollars to pounds for fish n chips is my next goal.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Last few hours in the USA
As I write this, I'm taking a break from the packing. I think I hate the packing part worst?
Anyway for those of you that didn't know, I am actually flying to Zurich, Switzerland to stay a few days with my family out there before I actually go to Uganda. Im excited to see all them and take in the beauty that is Switzerland.
Just in case any of you would like to follow along as I fly, here's that general info:
If I was unable to say goodbye to any of you, I'll take this chance now to say "Goodbye! I'll miss you and I'll see you in 3 months!"
(p.s. my grammar and spelling issues will definitely surface in this blog, I don't have my Mom to help with the proof reading haha)
Anyway for those of you that didn't know, I am actually flying to Zurich, Switzerland to stay a few days with my family out there before I actually go to Uganda. Im excited to see all them and take in the beauty that is Switzerland.
Just in case any of you would like to follow along as I fly, here's that general info:
25AUG 4:00pm LAX - London 26AUG 10:05am
26AUG 12:10pm London - Zurich 26AUG 2:50pm
30AUG 7:30pm Zurich - London 30AUG 8:15pm
30AUG 9:15pm London - Entebbe 31AUG 7:45am
06DEC 12:40am Entebbe - London 06DEC 6:45am
10DEC 10:15am London - LAX 10DEC 1:20pm
If I was unable to say goodbye to any of you, I'll take this chance now to say "Goodbye! I'll miss you and I'll see you in 3 months!"
(p.s. my grammar and spelling issues will definitely surface in this blog, I don't have my Mom to help with the proof reading haha)
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Welcome to my blog
My name is Chris Richert, I'm 20 years old, and I am going to Uganda.
This all began with my Mom and I talking about possibly taking some time off from school to refocus on the upcoming years of school that I still have. I will be a Jr. when I return to school leaving two years of college, 4-5 years of medical school, then residency and internship. Basically its a lot. So I decided that right now, as opposed to later, would be the best time for me to take some time off before the 8+ years of school gets any more intense.
While throwing this idea around, we had also discussed what I would do during this break. I cant just sit around and do nothing, right? So we began looking into a possible mission trip. After exploring a few possibilities, I talked to our family friend, Karl Zeile, and his father-in-law, Larry Thrasher. They both are on the board of directors of ARM, Africa Renewal Ministries (http://www.africarenewal.org/) I told them about my situation and asked about doing a medical mission trip in Uganda. They both were excited about the idea and said they would bring it up at their next board meeting. The board was apparently in favor of the idea and have been very helpful in the planning of this trip.
So, once I got the go ahead from the board here, I was put in contact with Dr. Martin and the group at Wentz Medical Center in Kampala Uganda (http://www.wentzmedicalcenter.org/). From there the past month or so has been finalizing traveling, where I will be staying, etc.
I've got a week to finish getting everything together on my end, buying anything I need for my 3 month stay. I'm stoked for all this. Everyone, or at least almost everyone, asks if I'm nervous. I reply, "No, but I anticipate for everything to really hit me in the next couple days." Which is fine, I'm excited for that too.
I welcome you to follow my travels and experiences on my blog here, feel free to suggest it to your family, friends, co-workers, whoever. Along with that I ask for prayers for myself, those who I will be working along side, and those that God can use me to touch not only on a medical base but also in furthering His kingdom. Your prayers are much appreciated.
This all began with my Mom and I talking about possibly taking some time off from school to refocus on the upcoming years of school that I still have. I will be a Jr. when I return to school leaving two years of college, 4-5 years of medical school, then residency and internship. Basically its a lot. So I decided that right now, as opposed to later, would be the best time for me to take some time off before the 8+ years of school gets any more intense.
While throwing this idea around, we had also discussed what I would do during this break. I cant just sit around and do nothing, right? So we began looking into a possible mission trip. After exploring a few possibilities, I talked to our family friend, Karl Zeile, and his father-in-law, Larry Thrasher. They both are on the board of directors of ARM, Africa Renewal Ministries (http://www.africarenewal.org/) I told them about my situation and asked about doing a medical mission trip in Uganda. They both were excited about the idea and said they would bring it up at their next board meeting. The board was apparently in favor of the idea and have been very helpful in the planning of this trip.
So, once I got the go ahead from the board here, I was put in contact with Dr. Martin and the group at Wentz Medical Center in Kampala Uganda (http://www.wentzmedicalcenter.org/). From there the past month or so has been finalizing traveling, where I will be staying, etc.
I've got a week to finish getting everything together on my end, buying anything I need for my 3 month stay. I'm stoked for all this. Everyone, or at least almost everyone, asks if I'm nervous. I reply, "No, but I anticipate for everything to really hit me in the next couple days." Which is fine, I'm excited for that too.
I welcome you to follow my travels and experiences on my blog here, feel free to suggest it to your family, friends, co-workers, whoever. Along with that I ask for prayers for myself, those who I will be working along side, and those that God can use me to touch not only on a medical base but also in furthering His kingdom. Your prayers are much appreciated.
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