At last, the day that would never come

Here I am in JoBurg, 2 July, 2011 on my way back. It was more difficult than I thought it would be to say goodbye to Mike, Lindy and Claire at the airport. Though the same is certain for the lab techs as well. They will definitely be remembered.

So here I am as the sun begins to set in the evening of the second of July, two thousand and eleven. It is still mid morning back home and I am drinking coffee as a tribute (not that I wouldn’t drink a cup even it is were two in the morning back home… In this instance I find myself searching too broadly for poetry). My trusty MacBook managed the year in Zambia like a champ and keeps me company here as I wait for the connection to Heathrow Airport.

I am looking back on my time in Zambia trying with little success to separate that blasted project from the country itself. I don’t know how to do it. Perhaps if I were to come back at a later date, in a different capacity, or at least (which goes without saying) with another initiative I would be able to snag the perspective that doesn’t loath the place that housed the operation that taxed and tested me beyond my limits. As it stands however, short of wanting everyone to get to see the majestic Victoria Falls, there is no way that I can be pumped about anyone heading to this/that part of Africa.

It is hard to believe the extremes that I have seen. Here in the Tembo Airport I am enjoying a cup of, comparatively sublime, filtered coffee with flock of paper Mache geese lamps just above me while there are those that will never see anything like this and are more than thankful for the instant (Ricoffy) coffee in the mug with the broken handle. As I have said before though it is better to have this explicit dichotomy bolster a thankful heart than guilt.

Of course, there is the sort of lifestyle awareness that inevitably accompanies such an experience. I am enthusiastic about looking up opportunities that the lab techs might be able to exploit. The programs are there and have been and I might have been one to look dimly on them once; however, if they are going to continue I would rather see them support individuals that I know deserve a legitimate shot.

Struck up a conversation with a Zambian fella on the plane (Lusaka to JoBurg). He was an electrical engineer that is currently working in South Africa. We chatted about his background, family, career, education, and politics of Zambia. I accidently have a decent knowledge about that place (or at least enough to keep up an hour long conversation), what do I use that for now? I reckon I will iron that one out soon enough.

Oh, I had one last adventure before I was able to escape my year-past motherland. My bags were miserably overweight. The allotment is two bags at 23kg (~50lbs) each. Well I heaved them on the scale and the larger of the two tipped the scale at 32.1kg and the smaller at 25.4kg. Ok, now what? How much is it for an overweight bag? Mr. Banda informed me it was one hundred U.S. per bag. Well… Alright then, I have to go throw a bunch of stuff away. I removed myself from the queue to sort out this dilemma.

Mike, Lindy, and Claire are not yet gone as there is a place on the stairs where you can watch folks get checked through. I tried my darnedest to explain, through a very naive version of sign language, the details of the situation. Aha! I will just take a hit for a hundred bucks and move a couple kilos into the one that is already past obese. I rearrange and march back up to the counter. Sure enough the one is good to go at 22.3kg and the other weighed in at a whopping 37kg. Fella then decides to inform me that they do not take bags over 30kg. Brilliant! Next idea.

I exited the holding pen and explained the predicament to Mike and Lindy. They know the drill. May not have told you about a terrific couple that has been staying the past couple weeks with the Howard’s. Carl and his wife Sandy are from Cleveland, Texas where he is the head of Calvary Baptist Church and she is an elementary school counselor. All that to say that they will be returning to Cleveland very soon and would be able to take some of the heavier items of mine back with them where I can just pay them a visit and pick up my ten kilogram of wooden hippo, dress pants, and a couple coats.

Once again, I am thankful for the relationships that I have been able to develop and for the patience to make it through that without exploding. After the fiasco I managed to weigh in at 23.1kg the third time around. Mr. Banda was too tired at this point to put up a fight for the 0.1kg.

Turns out I am ripped… or, more likely I was tapping some hundred dollar adrenaline trying to fool the scale by tossing that hefty bag on the conveyor, ha.

It’s all done now though and I sit here with my violin and messenger bag happy as I can be considering the flight time remaining. The sun has gone down now and I see the lights of the baggage-mobiles scurrying here and there. Hoping that mine makes it where it needs to be. The flittering green and red luminescence from the monster birds waiting to take off to who knows where are proof that I am leaving Africa for real and I will be home soon.

Going to pay for my three-dollar (16 rand) cup of coffee and mosy around the shops here to spend the time I have left. Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers as I am sure that they are the only reason that I have gotten this far and I am trusting them to finish me off to sweet Aggieland.

All is just dang dandy.

3 July, 2011, DFW Airport, I made it but, it was important apparently that it not be easy. My flight from Johannesburg was delayed four hours. I was told that it was necessary for them to change planes as the intended failed inspection. I reckon that set back might have been a blessing in disguise because the key is that I am sitting in Dallas right now.

Sorry Mom, Dad, Brother, and Jennah, despite my catch me if you can run through the Dallas airport and cutting to the front of every line/lane/queue I made it to the gate only to watch my plane pushing back. I will be there four hours later than scheduled.

Going to try and recount the more interesting bits of this long flight back if I can. There was a group of us in the JoBurg Airport trying desperately to sort out this pickle we found ourselves in with three connections still pending. With a little… persuasion, (ya, that’s what it was) I convinced the South African Airways fella to let me update my itinerary. I was there with Amy and her group bound for Texas as well. Amy was really quiet and intrinsically the worrying sort (ahem, mom, thanks for teaching me how to work with that). She appreciated my ‘calming spirit’ and followed me around from gate to gate as we made our way through JoBurg, to Heathrow and off to Dallas.

Brother, can you believe that they had The Glenlivet on the plane? It beat the heck out of the Johnny Walker that I had on the previous leg. Might have taken advantage of that, you know, persuation and waiting until they look the other direction when they pass by pushing the little beverage cart.

Sis, you need to come to Victoria Falls. I know that I have said it before but, for real. I want you guys to see it and you to get some more stamps in that passport of yours.

It feel like it has been ages since I have been in America. I know that I was just here in December but, I am feeling to difference more intensely this time. Katy, I am sure that you can relate very well. It is going to take some time, I think, before I fit back in or at least until I feel that I fit in.

Everything is a comparison; just as it was when I arrived in Zambia. This time it is just working in the reverse.

Can’t wait to get on this last little puddle jumper and find my way back to my comfortable bed and my amazing family. It has been a long time coming but here I am. I have learned so much and, as expected, hind-sight says that the year was well spent and that I have experience that few with my pedigree ever get to realize. The details will come. I reckon I am too sleep deprived now to make any deep or insightful over-arching intellectualities concerning lab work over the past year in a developing country.

All is a bit blurry but, the sleep should solve that nicely. All smiles over here, will be there in a matter of hours now.