January 3/4th, 2011

After an extended delay in New York, I am finally on the plane and headed to Africa. I am surrounded by interesting people and conversations. I overheard a conversation between two girls flying from Johannesburg to Mozambique to do a Peace Corps service. The man sitting next to me is from Cape Town, and studied at UC Berkely. He tells me he taught history courses there as well, and originally had dreams of becoming a professor. Now he tells me he works in the entertainment industry. He expressed his frustration with South Africa, claiming that though the apartheid is no longer in existence, there is still a great deal of separation between whites and blacks, in geographical, political, and economic senses. I met another girl who is working on her PhD at Columbia, studying political science. She is going to South Africa to do some research on its political system. The plane seems to be filled with fascinating people. I have about eight hours left of my flight, and am feeling physically exhausted, but I am too excited to sleep.