Day 0 - July 17, 2001
Monterey to SFO

‘Twas the day before departure and all thorough the house every creature was stirring and packing the house… Leaving for a month over seas in a foreign land is not always the easiest packing job. It is true Sara and I are somewhat experienced travelers but this was a different situation. Now maybe that was because we had just made it back into Monterey 2 days before or maybe it was the fact that our parents had just gotten back from their over sees travel the night before. Most likely it was the fact this was going to be the first time Sara and I traveled beyond the US borders without parental accompaniment. This was also a new destination for our family. Our only knowledge came from our good neighbors Lev and Barb who not only helped arrange this trip but also gave us numerous suggestions and insight from their previous trips to Zimbabwe. By 6pm many of these suggestions and our day had congealed into two large suitcases and two carry-on bags.

Since we had an early flight the next morning, it was decided that we’d spend the night at a hotel near SFO instead of braving the two-hour drive early the next morning. This also helped Becky, a good friend of mine, who was also flying out of SFO that same morning for Boston. Slightly after 7 we all loaded into the van with our combined luggage and were off to the hotel. The drive was pleasant but filled many of us with a feeling of day-ja-vo given many of us had been on parts this route just days before. As the final slivers of the sun passed over the horizon we arrived at the hotel.

The place we picked was a perfect choice for the situation. First, it was located just a few miles south from SFO making the next mornings commute a very short one. It was also quite close to a number of restaurants, which was nice since we were all quite hungry after the drive up. However, the most notable feature was the configuration of the room. As a group of five, one would think it would be hard to fit comfortably in one room. This was not the average hotel room though. While it was all one giant room, it had a second story loft with one bed and bath, a cove under the loft with a second bed and bath, and finally the living room area had a fold out bed. To say the least, it was a perfect fit.