So, I think most people know what's going on with us, but just in case you don't, I will catch you up. A few postings back I mentioned that I wasn't feeling so well and so we went to Galmi. Galmi is the missionary hospital that is about 4 hours away from Abalak. That was March 25. By the time we got on the road that day I was actually feeling better, even able to eat and keep food down. The next day we followed up with some labs that showed that I did not have malaria. We decided to check in with the OB doctor, since we were there. Well, she checked me and immediately put me on strict bed rest and medications. I was showing signs of premature labor, and didn't even know it! For the next two and a half weeks I spent my days in our room at the guest house where we were staying, pretty much just getting out of bed to go to the bathroom...I was so grateful she wasn't making me use a bedpan! I spent hours online, played lots of Sudoku, read many books, and watched the first two seasons of NCIS. Donnie's time was spent making sure that all of my needs were met and looking into getting us home. Unfortunately, there are no good pictures commemorating those two and a half weeks.
Hiding from the sun on the little plane from Galmi to Niamey.
Donnie didn't have to be lying flat on a stretcher, so he got to see the view from above.
On April 11th, we flew down to Niamey where we did not know if we would be able to make our flight the following night due to a strike at the airport.' We did, however, notice that that old Air Afrique wreckage is still there. When I first visited in 1998 that was one of the first sights I saw in Niger. I'd thought that they'd gotten rid of it, but really they just moved it to the back.
In the end we made it out of Niger only 4 1/2 hours later than scheduled. We missed our connecting flight in Paris, but that was okay since they put us up in a nice hotel and fed us good food.
Dinner at the Raddison.
Haagen Dazs in Business Class.
We arrived in San Francisco Tuesday afternoon and were back in Humboldt by 10:00 that night. Now we're just settling back in to life in the states for the next seven months...returning to Niger October 21...Inchallah.
