I made it, after over 30 hours of travel. Of course, I was a complete mess yesterday and couldn't sleep until after 11 pm last night (which night? where am I?) I always forget how profounding disorienting this long travel can be. I missed my connection in Atlanta, like anti-clockwork, like everyone said I would. We spent nearly 1 extra hour in Cape Verde refueling, God knows why. That put us behind and then customs clearance in Atlanta... Yeah, anyway I got on a flight which left 2 hours later and ended up in Seattle just before 3 pm local time on Saturday. What's the first thing I did? I went to Tully's. Then, I drove by our house. The garage doors were open and a woman was inside unpacking kids' toys. Life is unfolding as it should. I didn't stop to chat because after 30 hours of travel, I'm sure I looked a bit rough and didn't want to scare her.
My flights were uneventful in terms of travel, but quite interesting personally. From CPT to Joburg, I sat next to a member of SA Parliament. We discussed the current political situation and he was impressed that an American high-tech company (like the one I work for..) would locate an office in ZA and employ local nationals. I didn't want to burst his bubble by saying that we are employing only *very* educated and experienced software developers and we aren't really adding much to the local economy in terms of expansion, growth, or aiding in building infrastructure. Still, it's salaries and tax base. He described Joburg's inner city and work to make it less dangerous. He grew up there and has been mugged twice at gunpoint. He also gave me a list of places to visit in the spring. I'm excited to get out of Cape Town and check things out.
On the flight from ATL to SEA, I sat next to a student from Seattle Pacific U. who was returning from a 6 week stay at an AIDS orphanage in Kwazulu-Natal. Man, what a humbling and humanizing experience. I felt a lot of guilt as we compared and contrasted my lifestyle in the Southern Suburbs of Cape Town with her stay in a cold little building with a corrugated tin roof. Obviously, everyone there was extremely poor and had little hope of escaping. Mothers would bring their children to her to feed, hoping the white girl from America would have money. Men in the village were drinking away their lives with the meager pension they received. Not a pretty site. Still, it's gratifying to know that people are being sent to help and perhaps the cycle can be broken. I need to get out and learn more about this stuff.