"Do I Really Look THAT American?"

That was honestly the question of the day during my first international flight experience. My friend/roommate Torie kept making little side comments about me talking and looking very “touristy” and I honestly don’t know what it is about me that screams American. So much for blending in with the locals in South Africa…

The flights weren’t as bad as I thought they would be. We went from San Francisco to New York, which wasn’t too bad since it was an overnight flight & the movie options were great. But then, the 16 hour flight from JFK to Johannesburg was torturous. There were not enough movie options or leg space to make that bearable. But, Torie and I sat together so it wasn’t too bad. Plus, I hadn’t gotten much sleep last week (we all know I did last minute packing) so I was able to catch up a little bit.

We got to Johanessburg and went straight to the “Bureau de Change” to exchange our American dollars for Rands. My little $26.00 I had in my wallet turned into R184 and some change. The conversions were definitely in our favor :) While going through customs, the younger guy at the desk questioned us about our reasons for visiting and what we were studying and he said I looked like I was about 16 years old running away from home, he was half right. Lol

At the airport in Joburg, Torie and I met up with 4 other students in the program (Hannah, Aliza, Nayeli, & Rachel) and we all hung out/napped until our 2 hour flight to Cape Town. Jet lagged is an understatement.

Fast forward to the ride from the airport to the Stanford house in Cape Town. Not only was the weather beautiful, but the ride along the N2 freeway gave us a great view of Cape Town and Table Mountain. I just kept whispering to Torie, “Can you believe we’re in Africa right now?” That moment put everything in perspective and I realized how blessed and fortunate I am to be here and have this experience. Who cares if I look and sound American? By the end of this quarter I’ll have learned and absorbed so much it’ll be hard to tell where I come from…Lol, Maybe…