T-Minus 5 Days

I've succumbed to the spirited encouragement to blog about my trip to South Africa. So, here we are, just a handful of days away. Lee Anne and I will be leaving for our adventure in Cape Town on Friday. At 2:38pm we'll be taking off from Logan, and headed to DC. From there, it's a 15 hour flight to Jo'burg, before one last flight that will have us landing in Cape Town at about 9pm local time on Saturday night (2pm EST). I'm quite anxious about the flight. I can't say planes are my favorite mode of transportation and 24 hours is a long damn time to be traveling, but I have a plan (it comes in the form of SimplySleep and a neck pillow).

Once we arrive in Cape Town, we'll be greeted by Marita, a former professor from UConn (she is the faculty advisor to the honors study abroad program in Cape Town; however, back in the day, we knew her as the Director of the Women's Studies Program and our beloved internship advisor). Marita will generously share her 3-bedroom flat, which is in a middle-class suburb called Rondebosch, with us for our month-long stay.

Thanks to Page, I'm about as packed as I can be at this point. Just the last minute toiletries will go in the suitcase Friday morning. My goal was to only bring 4 pairs of shoes, but somehow that number has since doubled. Other than that, lots of summer clothes, along with a plethora of hope and nervous excitement in anticipation. I am going with ZAR 1,860 (South African Rand; $200 US), a list of names of people who want postcards, a soon-to-be-filled anti-Malaria 'script, a new passport (with a mighty-fine passport photo, if I do say so myself), and the quiet expectation that this could be a life changing experience.