Standing Upright on the Ground

I'm home.

It was indeed rough and rocky traveling, but each time I landed at an airport this summer, there was breaking news footage of a plane that had gone missing or crashed. So while the annoyances felt epic (luggage breaking on the way to Heathrow! 10 hours in an emergency room!), I'm grateful to be safely back in Pittsburgh. It's so nice to come home to my friends, my apartment, and the many familiarities that have shaped my life here.

Tomorrow morning we start our second year of medical school, which feels like a race to the boards in April and clinical rotations in May. But first: a week-long pharmacology class that culminates in a Saturday morning exam.

I will not complain.

I will not complain.

I will not complain.

Why I Love the Internet

My plane from Cape Town arrived at 5:40 a.m. Dubai time, which is 3:40 Cape Town time. After a summer of catching up on rest, this was a rude awakening--literally. But I knew that Dubai Int'l had a free lounge for travelers with long layovers, so I anticipated a decent rest.

The only catch is that the Emirates staff will wake you up should you "accidentally" doze off in the lounge. Particularly if you do so curled up on a couch, using your jacket as a blanket.

And so it was that I googled "sleeping Dubai airport," which led me here, and onto the lounge chairs near the departure gates. Essential information for poor students! I am now semi-rested, and with a free Emirates lunch to boot. There were even fresh fruits and vegetables involved.

Now, if only "Cape Town haircut" had been a little more fruitful . . .

Ubuntu*

"I am who I am because of who you are." This is the phrase we repeated at the festival celebrating Mandela Day, and it seems fitting to share it on my last day in South Africa -- at least for now. I have learned so much from the people I have met here, from the health care professionals I interviewed, and from the patients whose stories they told; from small moments at markets and on the street; and from the friends I have made. It has been a privilege to talk to South Africans about their life in this very new country, still beset by poverty and social ills, but filled with people working to improve the lives of their fellow citizens. I'm honored to call some of them friends.

Yesterday was my last day at the office, where I had a series of warm good-byes and thank-yous. My friends there bestowed upon me enough UCT gear to last a lifetime, and a vuvuzela, the horn blown by SA soccer fans. There was lunch, there was dinner, and today there will be some last-minute hanging out and a much-appreciated ride to the airport.

And then I'm off, to London via Dubai. It's been as long as six years since I've seen some of my UK friends, so there is a lot of catching up to do! When I get back to the States, my brother will pick me and we'll spend some time with our mother. It will be the first time the three of us have been together since last December! And so while I'm sad to leave Cape Town and the friends I've made here, I am so looking forward to the next few weeks of reunions.

***

The other day, I was driving on the M3, a highway that circles Table Mountain and affords postcard views. It was a typical Cape Town day, raining on one side of the mountain with warm sun a few kilometers away -- dramatically gorgeous. I was struck by the lyrics to "Till I Gain Control Again," a song I've heard again and again, but it sounded new to me at that moment.

No matter what sea I've been sailing on, I'll always roll this way again.

So whether I come back here (yes please!), or my South African friends come to the States (yes please!), or we meet again elsewhere in this small world, I trust that the relationships I've built here will continue to grow in the years to come.




The nicest place I've ever had lunch -- atop Table Mountain after a three-hour hike.








*The wikipedia page on ubuntu is pretty interesting, with great quotes from Mandela and Archbishop Tutu. It sounds like parts of the Obama administration have actively embraced ubuntu, as have the Boston Celtics.