(I was on the fence about bringing back my beloved "Here I Go Again On My Own" Australia travel blog to chronicle my South African adventures. But shortly after leaving, I realized that I just love to share these stories. So I hope you enjoy reading about these adventures as much as I like having them. So here I go! Again! On my own!)
I wake up. I would like five more minutes of sleep and hit
snooze before realizing that today is the day: I’m going to South Africa!
Finally! I’ve been preparing for this, what, since last April? I am then wide
awake.
Its absolutely pouring cats and dogs outside, flashflood and
tornado warnings all over the state. A great day to get out really. After
loading up all my luggage (I’m a notorious over-packer, I just want to be
prepared. And I certainly don’t want to spend money to buy things I already own
but just left at home…), Mom, Claire and I pile into the car. I drive us
through hell and high water down to the airport in New Orleans. We say our
goodbyes in the airport and I head through security. Its one of the most quick
and painless check-ins ever. I stop by a Perlis store next to my gate and buy a
Tulane colored koozie with the lil crawfish on it, of course. Make a few phone
calls and board plane number 1. No delays. No problems. This is highly unusual
for me and plane trips. The rest of the trip is much of the same, to my extreme
delight. My Itinerary: MSY --> IAD –(DKR)àJHBàCPT (~24 total on planes, not counting layovers. Plane crazy, no?
I think that was the Lord sparing me, because plane number
two was pure nuts without adding any extra delays or complications. My
connection is tight and I’m running through Dulles freaking out over the fact
that I don’t have a window seat for the next 18 hours. I come up with all sorts
of creative ways to try and wrangle one for myself. Asking someone to swap with me, checking at
the counter before I board to see if any are available, bugging the stewardess,
throwing a fit on the plane… I first try asking at the counter, doesn’t work.
Then I settle on asking my seatmate to switch and decide that if they’re
difficult I should tell him/her that I get really anxious/airsick and being by
a window helps me overcome my extreme nausea. That’s not true, I just can’t
sleep without leaning on the window because I fall over when I fall asleep
unless the wall is supporting me. I don’t want to stay awake for 18 hours on a
plane, but threatening nausea is more convincing, right? I sit and wait for
them to arrive. Soon a small-ish girl who looks like a college student comes
towards me, I hope that’s the one, I think it is! I ask if she’ll switch with
me and she shrugs and says, “Sure.” YESS! Fireworks go off in my brain! And
thus, Cara and I begin a great friendship. She is on her way to study abroad at
a small uni in Cape Town. We chat, laugh at the children sitting behind us, I
climb over her in the middle of the night when she’s sleeping and I have to
tinkle, we agonize over the stinkin' pit stop we have to make in Senegal without being allowed to get off the plane, we pal around in the airport together in the Jo-berg airport and then again in Cape
Town until we must go our separate ways. We exchange emails and I hope we catch up again
soon.
So all-in-all, the flight can be summed up by the word long.
It wasn’t completely awful. Just very boring and I ate about 4-5 airplane
meals, which got old. But I finally got to watch the Avengers and made it in one piece! Folks from Connect 123 are
there to pick me up at the airport. They give me a warm welcome, make comments
about me bringing too much stuff (and I point out I didn’t pay a single cent in
baggage fees because I know how to work the system after having been a place or
two!), and hand me a package. In the package I get my apt key, some tea,
information sheets, and this horrific old cell phone. We then drive back to my
apt building in the heart of the city centre.
I arrive and it’s a very lovely apartment! Spacious living
area and open kitchen, one wall of big windows that halfway look out over the
city from the 10th floor, nice furniture. I try to assess how I’m
feeling… something like a total zombie with very swollen feet, but not a sleepy
zombie, even though I just spent like 2 days on a plane and its 11pm. Just then
my roommate, Cailey, comes home and shrieks when she sees that a zombie has
wandered into her apartment bringing lots of luggage with it. I assure her its
ok and she helps me get on the internet and take care of other sorts of basic
needs. She’s a very nice girl from Alaska, goes to school up in the Northwest
doing International Studies. Cool. She also informs me that a group is going
out tomorrow on a little adventure in the morning involving lions, vineyards,
and hiking. I tell her that sounds great and I would love to come if my body
allows it.
We say goodnight and I go into my room. I’ve been living out
of a suitcase ever since I moved away from Austin about a month ago and I
decide one more night of that is one too many. So I take on the monumental task
of unpacking and fitting everything I brought into my little closet. After I
pull that off, I take a shower and feverishly write emails to mom, dad, Kyle,
etc. then lay in my bed and let it sink in that I am in Cape Town. I AM IN CAPE
TOWN! And how the heck am I ever expecting myself to get up in the morning and
go on some huge adventure?? When am I going to grocery shop and find my way
around and settle in? I figure I probably can’t do it.
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