Halfway between the gutter and the stars...

Current mood: in good spirits, but getting weary. Current Song: "Changes"--Common ft. Muhsinah

Hello friends!! Bonjour a tous de Paris!!

So we've made it about 2 quarters of the way to Swaziland--we landed this morning at 5:30 a.m. (eek! for a morning person like me, this is unreal. The flight, by the way, landed 35 minutes early!) from an overnight flight from Toronto to Paris, which was probably one of the best flights i've been on in a very long time. i think i probably speak for most of the group when i say that, since the food was great, the staff was extremely accomodating, and the whole team got *some* sleep...gotta give credit where credit is due--big shoutout to Air France. I mean, who would have thought that we would have a choice of either green curry chicken or salmon with a chocolate banana brownie and other desserts for dinner and unlimited water and drinks for the whole trip?! The Europeans definitely know how to travel in style...

At about 8:30, we met with Gabriella, who would be our guide for a driving tour of Paris for the day, with Jacques, our driver (most people, as expected, remembered "Frere Jacques" name, not Gabriellla's. hahahaha...). Notre Dame Cathedral, l'Hotel des Invalides, Place Vendome, les Champs Elysees, the Seine, the various Opera houses, the Louvre...we drove past all of these landmarks and many more today, and i couldn't help but to think, "how am I gonna afford to buy those shoes from the Galleries Lafayette?!!"...well, not really. I know I'll only have to save up for maybe another hundred years before i can afford them. :) Before lunch, the team was very upbeat, taking tons of pictures, and generally looking like a bunch of very, very keen tourists...but after lunch, the weariness set in, with most of the team (including yours truly) falling asleep at some point along the tour. There were reported symptoms of drooling, open mouth, and nodding head...all in all though, it was a great day, and we were grateful to Gabriella and Jacques for showing us around downtown Paris.

We're now in Terminal 2 in the (very posh, i might add) gate lounge, where i'm currently writing to you. Next stop is Johannesburg, an 11-hour flight, which surprised most of the team at first, but since most of us will most likely be sleeping during the flight, i'm sure we're not too worried about it.

Reflecting on the day and the next leg of the journey ahead, , my ipod skipped to the song "Changes" by Common:

I see the future and the walking path
Don't let these fools take you off your path
Laugh if you need to, smile if you need to
Life is a trip while a long and proceed to
Try to believe to, do what you wanna do
Remember you're kings and queens and still humble too
Life is a funny you no need to look back again
Victory can be claimed while you still battling
Drive along with a food I provide you
To awake and the voice that's inside you

Good words for even those going on a mission trip. Despite the impending jet lag, tired feet, questionable smells, droopy eyes and even a little motion sickness, we're halfway between the gutter and the stars (btw, that's taken from a Fatboy Slim album title)--that is, we're halfway between what we've known so far, and the mind-blowing experience we're about to have while serving God in Swaziland...that's totally worth walking off the pain that's currently felt in my feet, anyway, thanks to my now constricting diabetic socks.

Next stop, Johannesburg, South Africa!!

peace and hairgrease,
june.