It’s hard to believe that I’ll be halfway around the world three days from now.  I’ll be leaving for Malawi bright and early this Friday, via Ethiopia.

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Here’s what my trip will look like according to a cool mapping tool on www.gcmap.com.  It’ll take a little bit over 24 hours to make it from here to there.  If the ash cloud keeps blocking Italian airspace then I might be rerouted through Dakar, Senegal instead of Rome on my way to Ethiopia.  Either way I’m going to be on a plane (Ethiopia Airlines flight 503, a Boeing 767-300) for about 16 hours.  At least I should have a window seat.  Anyone have tips on handling long flights?

I’m a little nervous about catching my connecting flight in Ethiopia, I only have a little over an hour.  (On a side note, saying “Addis Ababa” is kind of fun and makes me smile).  This is my first time flying internationally, so it’ll be a new experience.  After leaving Ethiopia my flight will stop in Lubumbashi, Congo before continuing on to Lilongwe, Malawi.  (Another side note, no I’m not quite sure how Lubumbashi is pronounced).  I’ll be great to see my friends Michael and Hillary again.

I’ll be working on several technology related projects there that should meet a requirement for my major at IUPUI.  I’ll post some details about what I’ll be doing there in the next couple days when I have a chance.