Joburg 2012

May 6 2012

I am exhausted! Traveling for two days is tiring, even when you’ve travelled in the utmost comfort. I arrived at the Da Vinci Hotel in Nelson Mandela Square at 7 a.m. and thankfully they had a room ready for me, even at that hour. Beautiful room…I love the style.  I was asleep by 8a, and didn’t wake until 330p. I have no clue what that means as far as my body’s clock is concerned; the only thing I know is that my body is tired, and not only from the travel, but from losing items on every plane and every security stop along the way. I swear, being ADHD can be very inconvenient. I have a “stick” with me, it looks like a walking stick but it is actually a mount for my new camera. I lost it no fewer than 3 times, and I found it all 3 times if you can believe that. I lost my hat, but it caught up with me at the baggage claim here in Joburg. Of course I had to check my backpack dozens of times for items…glasses, power chargers, medicine, etc. I really am a walking, talking tornado.  No wonder I am always exhausted!

I am awake and planning to stay conscious for an hour or two…well, maybe less. The car comes at 730 a.m. to take me to OR Tambo Joburg Airport and my flight to Inhambane, Mozambique. I confess to being nervous about it….first, the plane is a prop which seats 70, and LAM (Mozambique airline) is one of the airlines banned by the European Union as having “safety concerns”. Well, this flight goes every single day, so there is no reason to suppose that tomorrow would be the day something would happen. I shall follow my usual coping method which is to make the decision to do it (which I have) and ignore the rest. The volunteers on the project will be on this plane as well. I have no idea how many of us there will be, or the ages of the volunteers. I have a feeling I will be the oldest at 52. 52! When my parents were that age I perceived them as old…I do not feel old, at all. I worry about being able to keep up because of my bad back which is held together by 4 rods and 8 pedicle screws, but that worry has been with me all of my life, it is not an age thing. Hopefully my fellow volunteers will be an interesting group. I am a little embarrassed about all of my (heavy!) luggage, but I have to have my cameras and strobes, and my new GOPRO Hero 2 with its different mounting systems. I must have my computer to process the photos and videos I plan to take. I have to have clothes for the safaris Randy and I will take after the volunteer trip. So. I will just have to be embarrassed.

Well, tomorrow will be the big day of meeting my fellow travellers, arriving at my destination, doing an orientation. I am eager for the work to begin.