On our way home

A very excited little girl prepared for the plane ride.  Her behaviour indicates when she's excited, and she did tell me she was a little scared.  Understandable I guess when you think this is all new and she's pretty clueless as to what a plane is, how it works and where she is going.  No matter how many aeroplane books you read, nothing can really describe the feeling you have as you soar above the clouds.  We were ready in 2 hours, all ready to go to the airport.  Finally we get to go home!

The airport was an experience in itself.  We managed to get through the first lot of x-ray machines, that are located before check-in!  Not sure why they do this in Uganda, when you can see people manage to get spears/swords through???  As I pull off our luggage the other side, I notice Lutaaya is not by my side.  I turn and see the airport lady has gripped her arm.  She is speaking to her in Lugandan, meaning I had no idea what she was saying.  I could tell by Lutaaya's face that she was not impressed.  So I shout across and ask her to come and pick up her cases.  The woman refuses to release her arm.  Back of my mind thinks, here we go.  First hurdle of the airport journey.  Little did I know this would be the beginning of the escapade.  So I call over and ask if she can come to me, in a very strong and sure voice.  The woman then lets her go, and thanks me to taking care of 'the child'. 
We go to check-in and unbelievably it is my passport that causes concern.  The lady on the desk, who is unbelievably shirty with me, says they have no record of me entering the country or being on a flight, and I have no stamp in my passport.  Now I know I have the stamp in my passport but she would not give me my passport back.  Nightmare!  I know the stamp I need to say I entered the country is there, but I am helpless to show her.  To her, I entered the country illegally!  Eventually she hands me my passport back and says she hopes I'll be ok.  I don't want to hope I'll be ok, I wanted to know I would be fine.  I must admit I had great joy in finding the stamp and putting it directly in her face.  Have that, rude lady!
So next step in the airport: immigration.  This is where the stamp kicks in.  They then stamp to show that you have left the country on your entry stamp.  What I didn't know was that I needed a copy of the legal guardianship order to leave with them.  The lady, again was really stroppy and had a bad attitude.  Thankfully, I had a copy in my bag.  (Not sure what would have happened if I didn't have this?)  This satisfied the lady at the kiosk and she stamped both our passports, giving us the ok to leave!  Woohoo, Thank God we are on our way home.
Then we hear even more disappointing news.  Our flight is delayed.  It should have left at 1.45am and now it will leave at 5.20am!  We were given food vouchers to tide us over.  We had already eaten but could do with a drink, so off we go to see if we can spend the voucher on a drink.  The man was so helpful.  He says rather than us waste the voucher, he lets Lutaaya spend it on drinks and chocolates.  Sugar high look out.  At least it kept her going til we managed to get on the plane.

So we waited and waited.  Then they ask us to go through to the Departure Gate.  It gives us false hope that we are leaving soon.  Unfortunately it just meant they cleared us from the main airport, and put us, like caged animals, in a smaller room, filled with flies and mosquitos.  Going through the passport check, the staff are so abrupt, 'What relation to this child are you?'.  Made me feel like saying I'd just found her on the street and dragged her in.  Can people not understand that to get the visa stamp in the passport, takes more than a fluke? 
The snow, which I normally love, is the cause of the problem to our delay.  The snow is that bad in Amsterdam, they have to wait for the runways to be cleared!  I hadn't given thought to the snow being in Amsterdam I must admit. 

Finally we board our flight.  Lutaaya is able to talk through all the stages of going through the airport after reading her plane book.  She loved going through the tunnel, onto the plane and finding our seat.  Right at the back of the plane.  Her eyes were everywhere and they lit up when she saw she had a TV right in front of her. 

She made me giggle as she watched the safety video.  As they explain about the life jackets, she looks around to see if anyone is actually putting them on.  Then says, 'We don't have to wear?'  You don't really want to tell a 9 year old, who has never flown that no we don't need them unless we crash.  I simply answered no.

I thought that by this point, bearing in mind we have gone through the night without sleep, that she would be exhausted and look forward to sleeping.  I must have forgotten how excited she was.  Straight on with a film once we were in the air.  She gasped as we took off and her tummy turned over.  After that, she took flying in her stride.  I actually fell asleep before my film finished and she tapped me to say hers had finished too.  Obviously tired at this point as she turned her TV off and snuggled down to sleep.

Amsterdam proved a difficult part to our journey.  We missed our connecting flight to Cardiff due to the delay.  The lady at Entebbe told us that we could catch the next flight to Cardiff in the afternoon.  She couldn't issue us boarding passes though and explained we could collect them at Amsterdam.  Obviously Amsterdam was crazy with lots of delayed flights.  People were everywhere and there weren't enough staff to go round.  They use a ticket system that you take a number then wait to be seen at the desk.  Unfortunately this system took a long time, when so many people needed re-booking on flights.  So after waiting over an hour I asked a lady to help.  She was very kind and looked into our flight for us.  She managed to say what flight we were on and printed off our boarding passes. 

So back on another plane.  This time the plane is just a city hopper so much smaller than the first plane.  No TV's this time, so the air hostess demostrates the safety procedures.  Again Lutaaya sees the bright yellow safety jackets and hears that they are situated under your seat.  She leans forward, hand down and searchers for hers.  We don't have she says.  Bless her.  Desperate to know where her yellow jacket is. 

This time it's a short flight, and it's made by daylight.  So Lutaaya has her face up against the window, looking at the clouds.  How amazing this must be to a little mind?

Then touch down.  Cardiff here we come!  One last hurdle before we're on the ome run: immigration.  It's so daunting.  Even though you know you have everything you need and everything has been completed legitimately, you know that should this one person find fault, we could be heading back to Africa.  They procesed us quickly in fairness.  Lutaaya had to wait and give her fingerprints.  I guess it's to check I haven't smuggled the wrong child out.  All matched, so passport stamped and away we go.  Off to meet Jjajaa (My mother) and Auntie Andrea.  Welsh soil and one car ride to home!

Wrapped up for the snow!