5/16/09 - The Arrival

Today I arrived in Cape Town at about 4:30 pm after nearly 20 hours of flying and a day and a half total spent travelling. When the plane landed, the flight attendant announced over the plane intercom that the weather was “quite horrible actually.” I found as I looked out the window and as I travelled to my home-stay an hour later that she was objectively correct. It was raining off and on (mostly on), and the winds were travelling at 20-40 mph over the course of the evening. Nevertheless, I felt a profound sense of joy that I was finally in South Africa!

Even though I packed with the knowledge that I would be spending my 2 months there during the rainy, winter season, I still clung to the illusion that there would be warmth and sunlight due to the stereotypes that I had heard over the years. I discovered just how foolish some of my clothing choices were (including 3 pairs of shorts and my thickest jacket being my black North Face) as I felt the rain begin to pour just as I reached my home-stay and the winds howling within 15 seconds of stepping outside that night.

When the Martins got home (they had gone out thinking I was arriving 3 days later due to an office mix up), they quickly welcomed me to the home and showed me my room, which I will be sharing with another girl when she arrives in about a week. Mrs. Martin immediately told me about how important it is that I be open with her about my likes, dislikes, and preferences. I immediately got the sense that she cares about me as an individual. She expressed a sincere interest in making the home as comfortable as possible for all of us volunteers. Speaking of the other volunteers, I soon met the 4 boys who were staying with the Martins as well. This includes Mark (who also works in the Human Rights Office), Christophe (the German who speaks impeccable English), and Jason (the Canadian who happens to be a die-hard Duke fan--perhaps more so than I am!!!). My first conversation with Jason went as follows…

Jason: Hi, I’m Jason. It’s nice to meet you. Where are you from?
Snayha: The US [he nods]…North Carolina specifically.
Jason: Do you support Duke or North Carolina?
Snayha: [convinced I was about to make an enemy right off the bat…let’s face it--there are more UNC fans than Duke fans] Well…I kind of have to support Duke since I go there.
Jason: YES!!! [add as much emphasis as possible here to recreate the moment] I’m a Duke fan as well…[goes on about basketball games and new recruits]

…It’s nice to have a little taste of home when you are on the other side of the world!

The TV in my room was the final indication that technology (and technological expertise) was far more widespread in the Martin home than I had anticipated. In addition to modern appliances, the Martin’s son, Angelo, is a technology wiz. Especially given my prior knowledge that the Martins do not have Internet access in their home, I was unprepared for Angelo to know WAY more about computers than I will ever know. He is even working on setting up a secure Internet connection.

That night I hopped in a taxi with Jason and Christophe. They had already made plans to meet up with some of the other volunteers. Despite several changes in plans and turning around in the taxi, everything finally got worked out, and I met Andrea, Angie, Allison, Donna, and Ilinca…not too bad for my first day in Cape Town!