We had 3 days of travel
Spent Monday morning cleaning up campus and packing up out bags to set out. Then waited all morning til 2 to leave for the Airport, which was a hour and a half long drive. Because of the flight was international we were required to get to the airport 4 hours early.
When through security, and sat around till we flew to London (7hrs 15min) which took off about 10:30 PM. The flight was filled with very little sleep. (My watched clocked an hour and twenty minutes.)
Once we arived in London, we went through British Aiport Security; that was a interesting expierence. From a number of my collueges’ perspectives, the proper word for them would be incredibly cold, and perhaps rude. No polite words, no smiles, just go about your buisness and stay out of the way. Personally, I don’t think it was all that bad, it’s just different, than what we are used to. Less disengenuine politness. Less toleratent of people getting in the way. Their is more of a sense of just get along with your own life so that everyone else can do the same. Mabye I am wrong, but I don’t think you can gauge a entire culture baised off the Airport Security.
We had a 12 hour layover at the airport. You think that would be a 12 hours fillled with absoulute and collassal bordom, but you’d be wrong. We found a quiet spot in the airport to set up camp, and spent most of the day hanging out all together, eating some british food at the resteruants, playing games, and talking about life, theology, and everything in between. At 9:45PM we boarded the plane for Johannasburg.
The trip to Johannasburg was not as bad, (11 hours) watched a couple movies, and slept a 2 or 3 hours. Landed, went through security, grabbed our bags and waited for the van to pick us up, (That was our first introduction to African Time.) Eventually the driver arrived, and we through our bags into the trailor, and all 18 of us piled in. The Trip from Johannasburg to Manzini was about 5 hours.
the driver as far as driving goes, is either a absoulte olympian, or a absoulte madman… mabye both. Speeding down the rough roads sometimes dirt, sometimes gravel, he was like a robber with cops on his tail. He passed just about every single driver in front of us, playing chicken with the cars in the other lane, regardless whether it was a motercycle, van or semi truck.
Whether by miricle or skill the driver got us to the Homestead where we would be staying, by Wednesday night.
