6/23/11
The Bumpy Road to Paris – Literally & Figuratively
I drove up to Charlottesville on Tuesday morning (6/21/11) and met my roomie for the summer, Erin, to drive up to DC for our first flight. The flight was scheduled to leave at 9:50pm to Paris. When we got to the airport, we found out that the AirFrance employees were on strike, so we were delayed until 11-ish. Thank goodness for the delay though. Apparently your luggage can’t be over 24kg without paying a fee, but I didn’t mind to pay it. I placed my bag on the scale, and it weighed a whopping 40kg. The lady at the desk said, “We can’t accept this bag. It can only weigh 32kg at the max.” On top of that, your carry-on can only weigh 12kg, and mine was 18kg. So, needless to say, I had to unload a TON of stuff. No food from home, no hair dryer, no conditioner, no extra washcloths, no camera case, etc… The list goes on and on. So, now, I will be “roughing it” for the next 7 weeks. After I paid the $75 fee for my now 30kg bag, I felt like the worst part of the trip would be over. We finally boarded the plane and we were on our way to Paris. The flight was terrible. It was so turbulent, so I didn’t get much sleep. We landed in Paris around 11:30am their time, and our next flight wasn’t until 11pm. So, we descended upon Paris… after freshening up and dropping off our bags of course…
In Paris, we took the train from Charles de Gaulle airport to Notre Dame. We saw Notre Dame, the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, and more…just in a few hours! We walked about 5 miles total in Paris. Our lunch at a cute French café consisted of ham and cheese crepes followed by Nutella and banana crepes. I definitely enjoyed the Nutella one more, but that probably goes without saying.
Once we were finished at the Eiffel Tower, we were going to get back on the RER (the metro/train thing) and head back to the airport to get our bags and get checked in to our next flight. However, something was wrong with the train, so we figured we’d take a cab from the Eiffel Tower back to the Notre Dame RER station and go back to the airport. Well getting a taxi in Paris is pretty much impossible. After trying for 20 minutes, we finally flagged one down, and shelled out 20 Euros or more for the cab ride. When we finally made it back to the airport, we were lucky to get our bags back. They needed to be picked up by 9:30pm, and we got to the airport at 9:15. Erin, Caroline, and I searched for Tylenol PM or Benadryl to help us sleep on the plane but had no luck. So we got on the plane, and we were on our way to Africa!
We took an AirBus A380 for this flight. HUGE plane. It was a much smoother ride, the food was good, and I had a whole row to myself. I watched Tangled and Hall Pass on the flight before finally going to sleep. Not a great sleep, but better than the first flight. Oh, wine is free on the flight too, so that may have helped with the sleeping….
Now I’m sitting on the bed in “Jo-burg” at CitiLodge Hotel. I had a shower, put on fresh clothes, and I feel much better. Tomorrow we leave for the 6-hour trip to Limpopo… A world of difference I’m sure from the hotel with a McDonald’s down the street…
Just got back from the first South African meal… We ate at McDonalds. I got chicken nuggets and corn. I spent 32.40 Rand. Some of the group ate at KFC.
6/24/11
"On The Road Again"…to Thohoyandou
Just got unpacked and decorated the room with pictures. It feels so much better not living out of a suitcase for a while. I’m not homesick yet, probably because we’ve been so busy. Hopefully it’ll stay that way for the next 7 weeks. I have cell phone service, so I’ve been able to talk to mom and dad a few times, which helps. We met the rest of the group, and everyone seems really fun, so I think the summer is going to fly by.
6/25/11
Winter Nights in Limpopo
As we sat around the fire tonight, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of home. We all laughed, and it felt like I’d known everyone forever. After nicknames were assigned like “Dirty Dan” and “Sexy Sid,” I knew immediately we would all become very special friends forever. Today, a Univen student named Khutalani told us a lot about the Venda culture. I was surprised by a lot of things – the chieftaincy, the role women play, and all the protocols that are observed. But one concept definitely stood out more than all the others – UBUNTU – “I am because we are.” The Venda people are very close, and relationships are very important. The concept of ubuntu is seen all throughout the everyday lives of the Venda people. If you have food, you share it. If you have hands, you help. I know that I definitely needed this lesson because sometimes I get caught up in myself. So, from this day forward, I am challenging myself to show at least one act of ubuntu every day for the rest of the summer.
We went to the grocery store for the first time today. It was quite an experience. It was very loud, and a little unorganized as well. The plastic bags are called “plastics” and you have to pay for them. A few other things I noticed: the red lights are called “robots,” there is literally a KFC on every corner, people drive on the left side of the road, and roads that are 2 lanes easily become 4 lanes here. So far I am enjoying my days here. Even though it may take a while to get used to the culture, I can already tell that I will miss it when I’m gone.
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