Arrival and First Impressions

Posted at 10:11 am local time

I'm here! Traversed the Atlantic Ocean with success!

I had anticipated that I'd need to go with my aunt and mom to buy a wireless router for my grandpa's house, which is where I'm staying.  Luckily enough, she had a DSL modem/ wireless router already and didn't even know it.  I got my phone linked up to the WiFi last night, but hadn't unpacked my laptop yet-- so apologies for the late update.  All set and running now!

The flight from LAX to Atlanta wasn't too terrible; we enjoyed a rather monumental tailwind that got us in far earlier than anyone could have expected.  After that, my mom and I sat in the terminal until our flight departed at 7 pm Atlanta time.  Then it was time to sit for the roughly 12 hours it took for us to fly to Johannesburg.  Longest flight of my life.  I vaguely remember sitting through that flight in the past when I'd come to South Africa, but because I was so little, it didn't have that much of an effect on me.  After this particular instance, however, I was too exhausted when I got into OR Tambo at about 4 pm local time to do much of anything but catch the Gautrain, get picked up by my cousin in Sandton, eat, shower, and go to bed.  It took exactly 24 hours to get from door to door.

Flying in to Jo'burg after 12 years of being away is very intense.  You fly through an intense, black oblivion for hours and hours and then the sun rises over the Atlantic, turning the sky into a rich, burnt orange-blue.  Then you pass over the west coast of Africa and begin to see that it is a land of red clay dirt.  Even from the sky you can see how robust the color of the land is.  I saw numerous fires on my way in, but they all appeared to be in sparsely populated areas.  I had few memories of the flight in last time, and I can't remember what time it  arrived, but I vaguely remember the airport which is now completely different-- renovated in part for the hosting of the FIFA 2010 World Cup.  We then caught the new Gautrain (Gauteng+ train, where Guateng is the location of Johannesburg) to Sandton City, where we were met by my cousin Bianca, who was thrilled to see me after 12 years.  She hasn't changed a bit, but I'm taller than her now :P

After that, it was on to the house I only ever had memories half-a-lifetime old.  When my grampa began to slow down a few years ago, my aunt moved in with him to take care of him. She decided to renovate the house, which is now absolutely beautiful.  Vestiges of its remembered past take shape in the form of the pressed ceilings, scents, original light fixtures, and various bits and pieces that have been integrated into the newer portions.  Some rooms have retained their original purpose, but many have been repurposed.  What used to be the living room, dining room and foyer have been transformed into the suite that forms my aunt's bedroom.  The house had only one bathroom when I was last here, but that is now a storage room. The former kitchen is now a bedroom, which is to be mine for the duration of my stay.  The two bedrooms which used to be empty (but had previously served as my mom and aunt's room, and my other aunt and uncle's room in their childhoods respectively) are still the same, although they now have ensuite bathrooms, and one is my grampa's room.  My grampa and grandma's room has been transformed into the kitchen, and an entirely new area was added on consisting of the living room, dining room, and an office for my aunt.  It's crazy that I have a picture in my head of all these things before, and how I can compare them to what exists now.  Ah, nostalgia.

After a bit of supper, my aunt arrived back from a meeting, and we all spoke for a bit before retiring.  I slept well, and I have no real feeling of jetlag yet, but I was very tired after the flight, and it felt extremely refreshing to sleep while laying flat. Today, I have plans to visit my grampa, attend a birthday lunch, and probably go for a bit of an outing to buy some things to eat for breakfast.  My cousin Ricci will be returning from Port Elizabeth today, and he's going to coach me on the Dos and Don'ts for my stay in South Africa.  I'll let you know what transpires!

Time for a shower, a SHAVE (good god I have a full beard after that flight, I swear, traveling accelerates beard growth) and then to get going!  Ciao!

Adam

Foreword...

Hey guys,

Welcome to my blog; a chronicle of my trip to Johannesburg, South Africa beginning on Tuesday, October 26, 2010 and ending in January 2011.

I couldn't be looking forward to the trip more, despite the sad events which prompted it in the first place.  My grandfather isn't doing too well, and we're not too sure what the outcome of that is going to be.  Please keep him in your prayers.

In regards to posting, I'm going to try my best to post every day, keeping you updated on events as they occur in relative real time.  I have a few planned (and unplanned, I'm sure) trips that may leave me without access to my computer and/or internet, including a trip to a game reserve (For want of a better term; a Safari, for those of you who are unfamiliar) and will update whenever possible.

On to the matter of photos.  I am bringing my DSLR camera and I will upload pictures as I go if I have the time.  Look for an album on facebook!

My flight is at 9:00 am on Tuesday, October 26th, and I will spend the next roughly 24 hours in the air before touching down at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg on Wednesday, October 27.  That's when you can expect my next entry!  While I'm abroad, I will have my iPhone but will not be able to use it as a phone. I have skype on it and and on my laptop, so add me: sfvstyle.

Farewell my friends, until Wednesday!

Adam