Day 2: Waiting at Heathrow a'port 1.9.10

Day 2: Waiting at Heathrow airport 1.9.2010



Well, here we are in Heathrow airport. SEVEN HOURS EARLY FOR OUR FLIGHT TO JOHANNESBURG!!!!! Right, I have to accept the fact that on this trip there will be a lot of hanging around and waiting. I need to learn to be patient. I imagine this “down time” is what travellers who are real tit-pains refer to as “their contemplative periods!”. I detest people who drone on about their travels,

“I had such an amaaaazzzziiiinnnnngggg tiiiiiimmmmmmmmm-eah! You know, to look around and really experience other cultures and see how other people live. It’s such a humbling experience. I feel I’ve learnt so much about myself, the person I know I can be and wish to be blah blah blah”.

I’m sure travelling to different countries and seeing different types of people is an amazing experience. I know I am looking forward to all those things. But I think the travel talk is a bit patronising actually. Sometimes I listen to people who claim they are part of “the global community”, those people who are “of no nationality”, and I think to myself, “what a clown!”.  It’s when they say they believe to really find oneself, one really needs to leave home, see how other people live. I feel like telling them to shut the fuck up! Are they saying that if you don’t leave your home, you don’t know who you are? Are you an inferior emotional and mental capacity because you haven’t eaten a scorpion in Hong Kong or bungee jumped in Bloukraans, South Africa?

I think maybe travellers are

a)      Just curious people who like to go on holidays

b)      Running away from something

c)      Looking for something (or someone)

d)      Lost

e)      All of the above

f)      Some of the above

Consonant Carol! I chose f! You can decide yourself which of the options apply to me, but that means you have to read on – haha!!!!!

We are sitting in Caffe Nero in terminal 5. Kobus is writing his best man’s speech for Caleb and Kara’s wedding. Caleb is Jewish and Kara is Catholic so their wedding will be a civil ceremony where they will mix the two traditions. It will be a blast, I’d say.

Anyway, Kobus is sweating like a woman in labour. I don’t know why. He’s really good at giving speeches. The speech he gave at our wedding was brilliant. Humorous, touching, not too long. He’s told me one of the ice-breakers for the best man speech and it’s a goodie. I’ve just glanced at him. He’s rubbing his brow and his fringe and staring out the window. He’s just sighed. His head is full of thoughts. I know this because he makes the same gesture every time he is thinking about something mildly stressful. I can read him like a book. He’s so obvious. I think it’s advantageous to have a husband whose moods are a give away because I reckon it means he’s a bad liar. Maybe I am being naive as we have only been married to each other for 2 years, but I think it would be really obvious if he “did something (or someone!) he wasn’t supposed to. For instance, he once told me that we couldn’t go ice-skating because when he lived in America, he went once and fell over. He couldn ‘t get back up so some guy who worked at the rink had to push him to the side using the ice machine smoother thingy. I thought this was hilarious so I told everybody. Then, it came up in conversation again some time later. He puckered his lips to hide a nervous giggle and said the story was a fib! Fecker! He just didn't want to go ice-skating with me!