Ann the PT matriarch
Trip Start
Jan 13, 2003
1
2
32
Trip End
Sep 01, 2003
Johannesburg, South Africa
Tuesday, January 14, 2003
Yesterday, I met up with Katie, Steve, Cameron, and Tom at Heathrow. We couldn't get seats all together, but I was next to Katie. This enabled me to watch her enviously as she slept most of the way. The flight was fine; it didn't get to the unbearable point despite the best efforts of the in-flight movie, 'Sweet Home Alabama'.
Johannesburg welcomed us by producing blue skies that lasted all day. 32oC ahhhh! Rather different to freezing January temperatures back home.
We landed, and everyone simultaneously lost a layer, revealing to me that it had been a general consensus not to wear the Project Trust T-shirt. As we stepped through to the arrival area, everyone realised it may have been wise for someone to wear it
South African flag
. As it was, Ann was wearing one so we identified her first. Having said that, she later told us she had spotted us immediately. What exactly it was that drew her attention, I never found out. Maybe it was Cameron's ridiculous 'bush-hat'? Or maybe his backpack security feature - a nice wrapping of chicken wire that could have got us stopped at customs? Who knows? It could have been the lost, mildly desperate expressions on our pale faces. Ann is our in-country representative. With her was her son John, and Graham, Tom's project partner.Ann took us all to St. Peter's Lodge, a hostel on the outskirts of Jo'burg where we have rooms for the night. The rooms are basic and there doesn't seem to be any hot water. Not that we need any. After a briefing with Ann (and some milk tart things) she took Katie and me to her daughter, Teresa's house. There we met Luke, Ann's adopted son. He's 5 and very cute. Then we went to Ann's house where she left us to swim and have showers. She later returned with the rest of the gang plus Vix and Aileen - two other volunteers who have been in their Jo'burg project since September.
It's Luke's first day at school tomorrow so we went out for a Chinese. Aileen and all the boys went to a bar afterward, but Katie, Vix and I retreated to our beds. Gawd, it's hot!
Off to our project tomorrow!
