Flight

Take off. Ears pop. Ding. Seatbelt off. Scrambling around to find a pen so I can write in my journal as soon as possible after takeoff… Crunch. Damn- just broke one of the seashells I’m smuggling to Africa in hopes of making my Blantyre apartment feel a little more like home. Good thing there are about a dozen more scattered in my luggage.

Now that I’m in the air, realization strikes. Blood starts rushing out of my chest and into my brain, gushing with excitement and screaming, “ I’M GOING TO MALAWI!” The South African guy across the aisle is staring at me. Apparently grinning and giggling to oneself is not appropriate in-flight behavior.

Ears are still popping. Hopefully they stop- a 15 hour headache is no way to usher in my new Sub-Saharan existence. Uh oh, realization again… I’M GOING TO MALAWI! I’m also about to pee in my pants with excitement- its probably time to calm down. Next stop: Johannesburg.