CAPE TOWN TOUCH DOWN - day one

ok so flew into nyc...nope wait.
new jersey. didn't even figure that one out until i got on the plane. booooo.
took a train to nyc. then a cab to the hotel.
mini-sleep. then cab to jfk. then flight to johannesburg. then flight to cape town.
planes. trains and automobiles.
yes. i am delirious. time traveling will do that to ya.

when we arrived at the airport there were hundreds and hundreds of people cheering at the gate.
they may have thought they were welcoming their athletes home after the world championships!
...but i knew they were there for me. so i waved and smiled. and they waved back. quite a welcome!

i am traveling with an angel aissatou. she works with the stephen lewis foundation as their program director. she really is an angel. so committed. a wife, a mom and beautiful woman. she is traveling with only a carry on. my hero!

tomorrow we go and spend time with the grandmothers. like many of us i was raised by my grandmother. we used to go on senior church trips together. she's 92 and still going strong. so i have a very, very soft spot for grandma's.
aissatou told me some of their stories...these are grandmother's who have stepped in to raise their grandchildren after watching their own children die from HIV/Aids.
i am really humbled more and more every step i take on this journey.

i am tired but...no not really. i'm juiced. i feel propelled by a force much greater than myself.

a friend read my blog and asked me. "how do i stay so strong?"
ok so a couple of things
1. i don't usually feel very strong at all. but i do believe - that which is in me is greater than that which is in the world. faith. push yourself to the edge of your abilities and support will be there to take you to the other side.
2. pick up this month's oprah. i love the quote on the front. 'you're stronger than you know'.

thanks for reading.
i will figure out pictures and video...soon. i'm sure. very soon.
lovingly. ngozi