I arrived in Africa aboard an "airbus" after a fifteen hour flight across the ocean. The airbus had some major airflow problems, which made sleeping nearly impossible.
At one point when everyone was asleep (or at least silent) I lifted the window shade expecting to only see the black of the Atlantic below, but to my amazement I found an endless horizon glittered with thousands, maybe millions, of silvery white pinpoints, like little granules of sugar sprinkled across the sky. Calling it a canvas of stars fails to describe the sight because there were so many more dimensions to this breathtaking view. I have never seen a starscape like this, not even in West Texas.
I finally drifted to sleep, thanks to the mesmerizing effect of the stars, the coolness of the window on my cheek and probably the 4:30am packing job from the night before.
After a harder than expected slumber, I staggered off the plane in "Joburg" (Johannesburg) only to gather my luggage, register my passport and pass through customs before getting on the third airplane within 24 hours.
I was either compromised by my luggage markings or the dazed look on my face because a luggage porter made a beeline for me, smack dab in the middle of the mass exodus occurring around me. Without a hint of hesitation, he assumed my luggage and informed me that the domestic terminal was "dis way."
We exchanged remarks somewhat successfully, even with his thick Zulu accent. When I told him I had a five hour layover he whisked me to a ticket counter (skipping a line of 15 other patrons), put my bags on the conveyor belt and gave me a ticket for a flight departing in 20 minutes.
After the comparatively shot plane ride to Durban, a handsome, quiet young German picked me up and dove me to God's Golden Acre. The landscape of Africa was still unknown to me, as night had fallen. Volker, the beautiful German boy, gave me an old skeleton key and directed me toward the girls' volunteer quarters. The room was the dirtiest bedroom I have ever seen, but did have a bit of rustic charm, especially with the mosquito nets.
