Which continent, exactly?

This blog's title isn't in reference to actual continents (I've now been to four), but is rather drawn from "The Third and Final Continent," a stunning short story by Jhumpa Lahiri, from her collection, The Interpreter of Maladies. In particular, I'm inspired by the following quote that summarizes the attitude I try to carry with me through life and on my travels

I am not the only person to seek his fortune far from home, and certainly I am not the first. Still there are times I am bewildered by each mile I have traveled, each meal I have eaten, each person I have known, each room in which I have slept. As ordinary as it all appears, there are times when it is beyond my imagination.

I love this. It calls on us to consider the tiny details of our experiences, both one-by-one, and in the aggregate, and to maintain a sense of wonder even about the seemingly mundane things that are the building blocks of our lives, and often, the glue that binds us to our traveling companions.

This blog began as a chronicle of my study abroad experience in Cairo in Spring 2008, and continued last year while volunteering in Geneva, and South Sudan with a wonderful organization, VIDES.

Now in graduate school, I'm returning to the Continent this summer while interning in New Delhi, India.

Please enjoy, inquire, and learn.

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Leaving on a Jet Plane

Alright, traveling was long, exciting, exhausting and probably not too much fun to read about, so I’ll keep it to the highlights.
1. I was flagged by THE AIRLINE, i.e. American out of St. Louis for extra security screening once I told them I was going to Cairo. They didn’t even bother to say it was random.
2. Lufthansa is a fantastic airline. I expected decent care, but even in coach, the free stuff and excellent service was flowing like champagne on New Year’s. As was free alcohol in general.
3. Speaking of which, I consumed my first legal drink somewhere over Canada, a sparkling wine. God Love the Germans. My German neighbors on the plane were mocking we sparkling-wine orderers, saying “That’s not a drink, that’s a feeling.” They're probably right.
4. No members of Notre Dame Team Kairo were lost in the process, at least not permanently. The members are as follows: From the left: John Busch's hair, Glen (background, standing), Jules, Courtney and Megan. And Kairo is from German spelling. Better pictures later.
5. All my baggage arrived largely unscathed. My luggage is fantastically visible from a thousand miles away. And customs was easy, although hauling the luggage thereafter not so much.

No comments: