the journey

After a frustrating flight, during which our plane was delayed, we missed our connection and our luggage was misplaced, Sophia and I arrived at the Cape Town airport on Thursday afternoon to meet the rest of our delegation. Though it was a flight full of misadventures, it was an amazing one because it was Sophia's first time in an airplane. Her first time to peer down at the world below as if at a child's playthings, her first time to soar amongst the clouds. She was apprehensive about it (arriving at the airport two hours before our agreed meeting time!), but I think she enjoyed it. There were a few obstacles, language being the primary one, though we did muddle through with the few phrases between us, and a lot of gestures and laughter. Dress was another. As Sophia is always in traditional dress, of course she arrived on the day of the flight fully decked out in gorgeous beaded necklaces -- many of which had dangling metallic pieces. The poor woman was patted down every time she went through security. The other thing I hadn't realized when I was rushing about the airport in Johannesburg trying to make our hopeless connection was that Sophia had never used an escalator before. I try to be sensitive to these kinds of things, but this was one thing that, in my hurry, I never even considered. Can you imagine encountering an escalator for the first time as an adult, without anyone explaining it to you? They can be tricky enough at the best of times. It was only when I saw her stumble on the escalator at the convention centre and asked her about it then that I realized!

It was all very exciting, really, to be going through all of these things with someone experiencing them for the first time, and seeing all the amazing complex technologies and frustrating procedures that we live with and take for granted through fresh eyes. It was an adventure, and we made it to Cape Town safe and sound (though tired and chilly). Next stop.. the women's forum.