Cape Point, South Africa, January 2010
It has now been about six months since I have been back from South Africa. I am in a general routine of what I do every day, from classes, to the library, to the dining hall, and the dorm, sometimes the gym, or running outside. It is nice to run, outside, in my new sneakers, against the blacktop, on campus or on the roads around. The days are getting colder now, the air a bit sharper, I feel it in my heels and in my lungs. I study in the library, and play guitar in my dorm room mostly. It is Life as I have known it. There is a full moon tonight, I think that is exciting, once a month there is a full moon, as much a reason to celebrate as anything, more reliable than grades. South Africa is 7000 miles away. I don’t say this with sadness, or ‘homesickness’, the separation of land is 7000 miles. The separation of time is 6 months. I am back on the life track now, on the track of school and studies, and I am plugging away, at this necessary evil, or if not evil, inconvenience. So many boxes, that we live in, from our bedrooms to our classrooms to our kitchens, and it is hard to think outside them mostly, or dangerous, if I want to stay on track. This is not the best of all possible worlds, it certainly isn’t the worst, but one would think that privilege would guarantee a certain amount ease, or happiness. Power yes, for diplomas are powerful, and easy in comparison to the lives of others, but not easy none the less. As the plane pulled into JFK airport I felt a sense of familiarity engulf me as the plane taxied along the runway. It was drizzling that day, and we pulled in under the clouds. I no longer feel the heat of the African sun on my skin when I wake up in the morning; the climate is mellow here. Back in the suburbs, the realities of life and death are mellow, and with it, the unspoken bond of humanity.
