So tired I slept through a fire alarm

I don't know where to begin! A 4 hour nap was enough to make me feel like a person again, but I feel as though my brain is mashed potatoes. I'm sitting in the UCT computer lab which is right across from the room I'm staying in. I guess I should start from the beginning...

Upon arriving to New York I made a few new friends in the airport-- a couple of guys going to Jo-berg to film a documentary about crime and a couple of women taking a guided tour of countries in Southern Africa. They helped the time pass in the airport terminal and were luckily as overtired and silly as I was so naturally the conversation led to hysterical laughter. At 11 we boarded the jumbo jet slated to carry us to the other side of the world and I was seated next to a statuesque woman who looked to be in her mid-30's. I determined a couple things very quickly. 1. this woman was a lawyer from New York and 2. she was not happy about being in coach. We cut the bullshit and mutually agreed to do whatever necessary to secure ourselves vacant rows. It wasn't easy but some cunning angling on this nearly full flight successfully seperated us.

In retrospect, nothing was going to make this flight more enjoyable. Together or alone in a row, no one on this flight was going to sleep between the frequent turbulence, weird smelling asian man, and seats as hard as benches.

But it was a means to an end. With 2 hours to go on the flight, God granted me a reprive and I met one of the founders of Kreuger National Park. He talked to me and another new friend of mine for a couple of hours in the back of the plane about his conservation work in Africa. What an interesting character, he was! Then watching the sunrise over Namibia from the window seat was stunning and arriving in Johannesberg after 2 nights without sleep was enough to bring me to tears.

And the 2 hour layover was a fight to stay alert. I slept through my business class flight to Cape Town... I have never been so exhausted.

Comp. Lab's closing. I will update this tomorrow.

All my love from Cape Town,

A