(Dis)Orientation

The plane ride to South Africa wasn’t bad. I tend to like road trips and long stints of travel that give me the excuse to watch movies, read books, and stare off into space for long periods of time. I sat with my group the whole time, so it was a great opportunity to get to know the people I’ll be living with for the next five months.

The Amsterdam airport was beautiful. They even had a small art museum that we walked through, muscling our carry-ons along with us. We flew over the Swiss Alps, the Mediterranean sea, and the deserts of Algeria before the clouds covered the land below.  I have about a million airplane window pictures.

We arrived in Cape Town around 11:30 pm on the 22nd, where customs agents glanced at our passports, stamped them, and unceremoniously let us through. So much for all that worrying about paperwork. Malikaya, the South African program coordinator, and Pearnel, our wonderful driver, dropped us off at 1 and 2 Kimberley Drive, the duplex that I now share with 19 other students. After a mad scramble to pick rooms and roommates, we all got settled in.

I’m finally unpacked, and the jet lag is slowly starting to fade away, though my feet are still strangely swollen from the plane ride here and all the walking we’ve done. I’ve been so busy the past three days that I’ll need to split everything into several posts. I love this place!