41 Hours

Amsterdam

Traveling for 41 hours is not very much fun, but I met some good people along the way.

First I met Lorenzo on my flight from Chicago to Amsterdam:

Lorenzo is probably in his late 60s maybe early 70s and has a lot of life experiences to share…or so it seems. He was born in Romania and lived there for what sounded like 25 to 30 years then moved to the United States. He likes to keep up with what is going on around the world. First I pictured him as the man sitting at the dining room table with a cup of coffee and the newspaper sprawled everywhere, but then...he got out his iphone. He asked me some questions but mostly told stories in a voice that was a little too quiet for the loudly pressurized cabin and a still quite heavy Romanian accent. I explained that I was going to South Africa. He made sure I was up to date on my current South African history. 

Next he brought up religion and asked if I am religious.I said yes and asked if he is. He is a Seventh Day Adventist but does not really practice anymore. He explained the denomination because I honestly don’t know too much about it. The conversation shifted slightly to heaven and hell. Lorenzo said people are too concerned about where they go after they die and do not think about bringing heaven here, to earth. He said that he wishes people would stop talking about one day going to heaven and hell and start thinking about what they are doing here, now. Are they bringing good to the world while they are living? I agree with him, let’s think about what we are doing here. While I do think it is important to think about the ultimate destination, I also think it is important to think about what we are currently doing. I was asked this question about 6 years ago by a Christian friend, “If there was no heaven or hell, would you still believe in God?” What a good question. Sometimes, I think we do get too caught up in the ‘later’ and forget about the ‘now.’ While I am here in South Africa, I want to remember to bring heaven here in any way that I am able.

Next I met an airport worker in Jo burg that Dr. Baxen had contacted. He was a lifesaver and helped me figure out the airport that was giving me headaches and making me nervous.

The next morning, I met the man behind the front desk of the hotel when I was checking out. I asked how to get to domestic departures from where I was. This is what he said (imagine his voice sounding close to a British accent but with an African twist in which some of the "R's" are rolled):

"Take the lift (elevator), there, to TWO, parking level two, then take a sharp left, a sharp left. Then walk straight, straight, straight until you see the shops, then STOP! So, take the lift to TWO. Turn left, then straight, straight, straight, straight, straight until shops. Then take a right and you will see escalators. Take a very far right turn, very far right and take the escalators up one. Then you are at domestic departures. Remember...straight, straight, straight until shops." 

I made it the first time using his good directions. I'm normally terrible at verbal directions, terrible, but I can still hear his voice and picture what he was saying. 

Finally, I met Nick from the UK. He is here for a 2 week holiday. We were both at the check-in incredibly early, so we started talking. It was good to finally have someone to talk with after 35 hours of travel.

Flying into Port Elizabeth

Indian Ocean!

One last comment: I think all US airlines need to get on board with feeding their passengers. I was given a meal on every flight even on my 1.5 hour flight from Jo burg to Port Elizabeth! I had 3 meals from Amsterdam to Jo burg and 2 from Chicago to Amsterdam...and then I sat on my rear for the next many hours...

Mini Stroopwafels given on the airplane!!