Africa The journal

What is the lesson here?

 

Journaling has been fun and therapeutic.  These are journals that I sent while in Africa with my impressions and reactions to what I experienced.  I hope you enjoy them.

 

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Be the change you wish to see

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It’s never easy is it… or as Gilda Radner would say…  it’s always something!  [she died of cancer you know…].  I have been ‘off line’ for some time now and so much has happened I don’t know how to get it all down.  Everything changed the last Wednesday in January.  I received an email from Ken, my brother in law, that Evelyn my mother in law was fading fast and it was only a matter of time… very short time.  I decided to skype him at 10:00 my time [3:00 his time]  but at 9:30 the internet went down.  It seems we had used up all the gigs the land lady had contracted for.   So I tried from school. Of course I could get out a short email, but I tried 4 different ways to skype… no luck.  Finally a very kind librarian allowed me to call from school to Ken’s cell.  I’m sure her budget will take a hit but it was the first in many kind favors the people would do for me.  I had to go home… I wanted to go home.  I needed to be there.

That was the last communication I had with the family until I hit the pavement in Miami.  While waiting for my flight to Tampa I called Ken and found that she had passed away Thursday night.  Damn.  Well at least I could attend the funeral though I would have to change my plane ticket it to do it.

The family, Ken, his wife Kris, Kaelyn & Chris my step kids were all there.  Everyone was at the end of their emotional rope for many sorted reasons.  Tension was high as we all dealt with grief in our own way.  I’ll just pass that over by saying that I wrote 30 pages in my private diary.  What is most important though was all the kindness people gave though out this adventure.  Leaving Cape town was a hassle,  British Air couldn’t find my reservation.  A special agent walked me back to the desk to help them.  Later when in Tampa I had to get rebooked so I could attend the funeral and it took some poor lady 30 mins on the phone trying to figure it out.  The church consolation officer could not have been kinder to the whole family nor could he have been more helpful.  Ken and Kris’ friends were charming and supportive.  As a family I think we grew closer together.  It wasn’t always easy, but we were always family.   Then when it was time for me to leave we arrived at the airport to find that the United Air flight leaving Tampa had been delayed… This was 4 hours before take-off!  It was delayed again and again  until it’s arrival time was after my international flight left Washington.  OK  now they will rebook me.  But there is a problem.  It is an American Airlines ticket, but I am on a united plane and the ticket is actually owned by South African Air.  Who has the authority to change the ticket?  “But it isn’t our ticket sir, you have to go back to United.”  But they sent me here I protested!” The American Airlines agent took one look at me… locked his drawer and said, “come with me.”  He walked with me to the United airline booth, talked to the agent and walked me back to my booth.  20 mins later and after a brief scare about me not having a passport valid for six months he printed me a new ticket… against the advice of another agent.  Holy Cats man, this guy went way out of his way.  Just like others did.  Like the booking agents, the librarian, and the church guy.

My ticket took me to Dallas [wrong way I know…] where I would fly to London have a 9 hour layover and then on to Cape Town.  As I was starting to contemplate 9 hours in Heathrow airport I saw a sign for an express train to London.  Super… a few hours in London  Why Not!  So what looked like the journey from hell became a mini vacation within a vacation.  Getting lost in Heathrow is a national pass time I found out.  It has to be the most confusing airport ever.  But everyone I met could not have been more

helpful.  I found the train, made it to Paddington station and wondered what to do next.  I went in to a smoke shop where two Middle Eastern men were behind the counter.  They got out a map pointed out a route, sold me a bus pass and almost took me to the bus stop.  There I met a man and his family who were taking the same bus as me pointing out all the landmarks like a 250 year old toy store.  That is a store that has been selling toys since before there was a USA!  I passed Piccalilli circle, Trafalgar Square, The Old Bailey [for you Rumpole fans], the Royal court, and finally the tower of London and that famous Tower Bridge.  Not bad for a 4 hour tour.  Having taken the bus I had to experience ‘the Tube’.  So I took the subway back and ended up at the airport.  They couldn’t get my boarding pass up… something about my ticket.  Was it American Air Lines,  United,  South Africa… “Are you sure you are flying British air?”  Oh man… have I died and gone to hell?

But… wait for it…  another agent came over to supervise this confusion.  She hit a few buttons and BANG  a boarding pass.

I boarded the plan [now 25 hours of travel… 2 hours of sleep] and off for a 9 hour trip to Cape Town.  Upon arrival the man who was supposed to pick me up wasn’t there.  No sign saying MR. NOBLES.. No land lady.. No one.  But wait….  There was another smiling face from Christel house.  Randal Davis, a teacher was there waiting for me.  The principal, Ron Fortune had covered his classes so he could pick me up.  He took me home and after 36 hours of travel I was ready for a nap.  But one quick look at email and BAM!!! My adapter blew up.  YES! The computer was fine but with very low battery, and no charger I really couldn’t use it..  Stuck for the weekend!  I located a shop somewhere in the mysterious roads of Cape Town that had one in stock and decided I would try to get it Monday.  Getting there was going to be a hassle… a very expensive cab ride.  But… wait for it…  the registrar, Howard said I’ll take you.  He skipped his lunch to take me to buy a new adaptor.  And that is why I am able to write to you now.

So dear reader you might be wondering why I dragged you through all this detail and trivia.  I have left out my visit to Table Mountain,  a rugby game, and visiting the end of the world - the Cape of Good Hope [I’ll cover those later].  I dragged you and me though all this stuff to discover a story I didn’t even know was there.   When I started writing this update my plan was to present you with a cute, though somewhat cynical tale of how the world conspires to make life difficult sometimes.  I was going to rant about the bureaucratic quagmire of detail, and the ridiculousness of all these little challenges.  But as I started writing a whole different point emerged.  Call them angels, call them saints,  call them good people or simply fellow human beings.  But many went out of their way to help me in this journey, and I could not have done it alone.  Everywhere I looked, if I was willing to place my trust in someone, there was help to be had.  We do not travel alone on our journeys and Help is just waiting to extend a hand.  All we have to do is reach for it.

As a post script….  I have been wondering if I am really doing much good here.  Saturday the social worker who is my supervisor said the anger management group is going so well she would like to see it implemented as part of the curriculum for all students.  Wow!

It’s funny.  I really don’t feel any pride about that.  I feel gratitude.  I am grateful that some good will befall those kids as a result of me being here.  I am grateful to have gotten out of the way and let the Energy do Its work.  There is Help all around us and all we have to do is let it happen.  That is the real story here.

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