At JFK!

It's just before 2:30 at New York JFK. The group has been here for about four hours now and the anticipation of boarding our flight to Johannesburg is beginning to build. Our flight left Minneapolis this morning at 7:05, meaning we were at the airport before 5 am. Many students on the trip stayed awake through the night. Most of us are exhausted but are waiting for our 18 hour flight to South Africa to catch up on sleep. We were pleasantly surprised this morning when Rev Run (he has an reality show on MTV) boarded our flight to New York. 

I've known that I was going to be going to South Africa for several months now, but with the distractions of school and everything else, I hadn't found a great deal of time to really reflect on what type of experience this is going to be for me. A lot of people ask me if I'm excited, to which I always respond an enthusiastic "yes," but when I really consider the purpose of our trip, I can't help but feel nervous and a bit uneasy. 

The places we'll be working primarily in are overwhelmingly poverty-stricken. This trip will be far from any other international experience I've had, simply because I've been well protected from the hardships of other cultures and countries. My nerves mostly come from the fact that I don't know how I'm going to react to what I see. I anticipate seeing and hearing incredible stories of tragedy and survival. What I can't anticipate are my emotional reactions to those stories. 

All nerves aside though, I am incredibly excited. I love traveling and the opportunity to go to South Africa doesn't present itself often. The notion of being halfway across the world is a thrill for me. I'm eager to learn more about the AIDS pandemic in South Africa and how its history of apartheid plays a role in the pandemic, in fact, I'm eager to learn more about South African history in general. By the few people I know who have been to South Africa, I've been told that Cape Town is one of the most beautiful places on Earth. I'm excited to explore a new city, in a new continent, with a new purpose. 

I look forward to hearing your responses to this blog. I really enjoy hearing from people from home, so please send me an e-mail (blan0196@umn.edu) or write me on facebook. Also, I'd like to extend a HUGE thank you to everyone who donated to medical/school supplies or money. I couldn't even take everything donated, I had so much. Anything that I couldn't stuff in my suitcase will be taken by Kevin Winge (director of Open Arms of Minnesota) on his next excursion to South Africa. THANK YOU! People in South Africa will be very appreciative of your generosity. 

Next time I write, I will be in South Africa! Yay!!

Laurie