I've taken several long bus rides in my life - it's not something I relish by any means anymore... Here's why:
July 28, taking the bus back to Santo Domingo from Port-au-Prince...
I woke up at 520am. Left the house at about 620am. Got to the bus station at 645. Waited until 730 for the terminal to open. Waited until 9 for the bus to arrive. Left at 920. Dude stapled something to the leather bag... And am now passing back by my compound at 940am. I will never take the bus again. Yes, it's 1/2 the cost, but for the time I feel I've lost (I'd have already LANDED in Santo Domingo) it was a unfortunate decision. Epic fail for $85 saved. Especially since I have 5 hours to go... And that's the terminal in Santo Domingo, not even the house... :(
Ok, its 1210; just spent at least since 11am at the border b/c even. though the bus was supposed to take care of it, there "was a problem" and we all had to get off the bus and go through Exit immigration. Now I have to wonder if entering the Dominican Republic will go smoothly. I hope so.
And this means its already 110pm in Santo Domingo now... there's a possibility it's only 4 hours after getting past all the gates at the border...
Whoops, I forgot about the lineup of cars... Let's see how long this takes!
1230 and we haven't moved.
1250 and we haven't moved.
145p just changed gears.
200p nope I was wrong, just rolled back a little bit.
210 and she's giving us our passports. Hopefully that means she just got them and we're receiving the green light to move on. But I have no idea.
Here's the thing about how suffering produces endurance which produces character: that passage is about suffering for the sake if the cross. This didn't feel like that and now I'm tired and it doesn't really give me better time to rest in Jesus, which I could use right now after 2 straight weeks of working. It just gives me sadness that I could be really sabbathing or getting clean or preparing for tonight's meeting/dinner or writing proposals/fundraising letters. Instead I'm stuck on a bus at another border crossing - which I've done in my life.
215p and the bus just moved forward. A meter. Please please please keep going. My god, my god, please open these gates and let us pass. I don't just pray this I beg this of you. Please move this bus, my journey, and my life with you forward, pressing on to the goal.
Nope, instead we've moved off to the side. Wow.
225 signs of life. Traffic moving a liiiitle bit. Advanced a full bus length or 2...
I can actually see the Dominican flag that I saw when I walked up to it at 1130 when the lady said I could go find the bus, except she hadn't said it was behind the building we were in, so I walked to the border and decided it would be a bad idea to pass by without my passport which hadn't been returned yet. And now I can see it again, and that makes it all the worse...
245 haven't moved again.
255 another short length. The restlessness stirs within everyone on the bus when we move at all. It's just complete despair coupled with loss of control, and this is just transportation - not even life or death.
320 just got back on the bus after getting my passport stamped into the Dominican. At this point I'll be arriving over 12 hours after intending to leave, which is longer than it takes for me to get to Los Angeles. Hopefully everyone will be done and on board soon.
Of course the worst thing in my opinion is that another TerraBus just pulled up beside us which means they caught up or something, which is just frustrating & disappointing.
335 finally past it all including the one-vehicle-width gate. Over 6 hours spent so far... And since we're in the DR now I'll say it's 435pm because we're in the eastern time zone again. Silly Haiti!!!
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435p I'm in the DR.
6pm and all I see is jungle. I hav e no idea how far it is to Santiago, and then how much further to Santo Domingo... I've lost an entire day on a bus - alone. Something I pretty much swore I'd never do again. I rest in worship music & I think, but I also contemplate being clean and talking to friends & family via phone & relaxing from a patio or something... anything other than sitting on a bus all day long - alone, with only you, God, to keep me company, but distressed that THIS was my first day off in 2 weeks and that it was spent on a bus.
I'm thankful I take my rest. I've prized it and stolen time away from other things in order to be capable of working so much so constantly. But I lost any time with the boys - NONE of whom are orphans, btw - and I dealt with politics & money & other challenges around every corner.
830pm the bus arrives. But I have to get a taxi.
930pm i make it to the house... It's been a loooooong day. I'm flying from now on if I go solo. :-)
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