Touch down.

The first thing I did on African soil was chuck up my breakfast. 

The turbulence got me bad and it happened twice more as the plane ambled along looking for a nice place to park.  The guy sitting next to me clasped his hand over his mouth like you do when a monster jumps out from behind a cupboard and looked at me as if to say: "You managed to hold out for 15 hours, is this really necessary??".  Caught between my vomit and the window.  Welcome to South Africa.

After emptying out my bowels completely I melted into a bench at Jozi Airport and slept for 3 hours clutching at my luggage until I took a much more pleasant flight to Cape Town.  I'm pretty sure the higher grade tranquilizers that old lady gave me had something to do with it though.  Dad picked me up.  On the drive home I realised I was shaking.  After a car ride, a plane, another plane and a car ride I got to my final destination.  Said hi to my mom.  Fell into bed.

Sunday morning I woke up in a double bed in my own private room in the most beautiful place in the world: Jakkalsfontein, South Africa. 

Mom organised a victory lunch in my honour and so my boet, his wife and their two kids and my sister, her husband and their three kids all rocked up.  My sister's kids ran and flung themselves into my arms, holding on till we fell down on the ground and the four of us rolled around laughing.  It was the best welcome home present I could have hoped for.

Later I watched my brother and his wife hunt around the garden for a shongololo so that their 18 month old would eat her food.  (It's become a ritual.  She enjoys killing them on her plate and for some reason this makes her hungry.)  Before everyone left I doled out chocolates from America and instantly became the favorite aunt which made me feel like Father Christmas and the Queen of England all at the same time. 

I watched my entire family assembled in the kitchen drinking wine and thought: I am part of this.  This is where I fit in.  Here I have a name, a history.  Sometimes a blessing, sometimes a curse.  The same as traveling I guess.

And it felt good to be a part of it.