Back in the USA - DC, W'Burg, NYC

Our departure from the Johannesburg airport was filled with tears, but 18 hours later we were excited to land in Washington, DC to see my Mom and very surprised to find my brother, Adam, in town from LA. After big hugs, we drove from Washington Dulles to Cleveland Park in the District. We were all a bit jet lagged, so after a big breakfast, we spent the afternoon resting and catching up. Once everyone was well rested, we set out on foot toward the Metro station with our picnic in backpacks for an evening spent amongst the monuments listening to live Jazz. Accompanied by wines from South Africa, we enjoyed our meal under a canopy of trees close to the musicians. The skies began to darken and we knew Tropical Storm Hanna was making her way into the area. We were protected from the light rain for some time under the trees, but the musicians called it a night and the people were heading for protection from the storm before long. Jacques and I hadn’t seen rain in months so when he asked me dance in the rain with him, I accepted with pleasure. Once the storm began to overtake the night, we walked back to the Metro, then home again.







Saturday, September 6th was spent inside due to the heavy rains from the Tropical Storm in the area. Jacques and Adam watched UGA football while Mom and I went for manicures and pedicures in Cleveland Park. We all pitched in for the best home cooked pizza ever. On Sunday morning, Adam left bright and early for the airport while Jacques and I packed it up again this time headed south towards Williamsburg, VA to see my Dad and Grandmother. We loaded Mom’s little Miata packed to the brim (literally things were pouring out of the convertible) and hit the highway. We arrived around lunchtime in Williamsburg and spent the afternoon amongst the trees and Dad’s gorgeous garden catching up.






My Grandfather was retired military, so Grandma has access to all of the military bases in the area. On Monday, my 94 year old Grandmother drove us into several military bases for an up close and personal tour, something most civilians do not have access to. Our first stop was the Norfolk Naval Base and we were able to walk on the docks for a closer view of the aircraft carriers and other naval ships. In Hampton, we drove through an old and historic Army base, Fort Monroe where Robert E. Lee was stationed and Jefferson Davis was held prisoner after the Civil War. Our final stop was through the famous Langley Air Force base where fighter jets took off directly over our heads. After another night spent in Williamsburg, we left after a Chick-Fil-A lunch and more sad good-byes. We stopped in Fredericksburg, VA to visit my other Grandparents before continuing our 2 ½ hour drive back to DC. We went for a big Mexican dinner including margaritas with Mom back in Cleveland Park.



On Wednesday, September 10th we walked from Mom’s house to the Metro station at 6am with only our daypacks for our trip to New York City. We caught a bus for $21 each to NY from DC’s Chinatown. We arrived at Penn Station 4 ½ hours later and Eric, Jacques’ friend, met us at the bus drop. We grabbed a quick bite to eat before he headed back uptown for work and we spent the afternoon walking the streets and sights of NYC. We started in Time’s Square before walking in the direction of what I thought was Rockefeller Center and Central Park. I lived in the city 7 years ago and used to know my way around like the back of my hand, but things changed and time passed and before we realized, we walked about 20 blocks in the opposite direction. At least this detour found us one of the best slices of pizza in NYC. With a new map in hand, we walked back in the direction in which we came from and towards our next landmark. Finally at Rockefeller Center, we decided to do the “Top of the Rock” tour and take the elevator up to the roof for the spectacular views of the city on the perfect autumn day. Back on the ground, we walked by the Plaza hotel and into Central Park on the East side, strolling along the paths headed to the Upper West side. We visited Eric at work then met him for happy hour on Amsterdam Avenue before continuing our long walk to the top of the park where he lives, close to Harlem. All in all, we walked probably 9 miles our first day in New York and our feet were throbbing but we were in need of the exercise. We met Eric’s girlfriend, Andrea, at their apartment on the 4th floor. After a much needed shower and a couple of cold beers, we walked to a soul food restaurant for dinner.











We rose early again on September 11th and caught the express train downtown toward the World Trade Center site for the memorial service. The barricaded streets were hectic and crowded and the sounds of non-stop sirens; and one couldn’t help but think of the chaos this same morning seven years earlier. We managed to find a spot across the street from the ceremony and could see the main stage and family reading the names of lost loved ones. The bells tolled and moments of silence were observed at the exact time each tower was hit and fell. Sky divers carrying huge American flags at their feet fell from the sky at the time when the first tower fell – a chilling sight. We spent 2 hours mourning with the crowds and listening to the 3,000 names of those who died and stories from their loved ones before leaving the area and meeting Eric for a coffee and good-bye. From the Financial District, we walked down to the Staten Island Ferry terminal and caught the free ferry across the rivers for a closer look at the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. We stayed on Staten Island for close to a minute, before turning around again on the ferry back to the city. Our bus departed New York from Time’s Square at 2:30pm, so we caught the subway uptown and before we knew it we were back in the Lincoln Tunnel out of NYC and back to DC.















We spent our last night with Mom in DC and woke extra early on Friday morning to join her for rowing on the Potomac River with her row team. Jacques and I rode in separate boats and went in separate directions. Unfortunately, Jacques had the camera and went down the river toward Georgetown without any real views. I had the best views up the river, by the Kennedy Center, Washington, Lincoln and Jefferson Monuments with planes landing at DCA over my head. We were on the river for the sunrise and after the team’s practice, Mom drove us to the airport for our 9:30am flight to LA. We landed in LA and Nic, Jacques’ cuzi, picked us up at the airport. We went to her hair salon and she gave me exactly what I have been craving – a new hairstyle. After 4 months of ponytails and braids, we cut about 9 inches off.  We went for a sushi dinner with Nic and Brian then played Nintendo Wii back at their place. On Saturday morning, Adam and Cara picked us up for UGA game-day. The game was nail-biting and we cut our departure time to the airport down to the wire and had to run for our flight to Hawaii. It all worked out in the end, with a UGA win and we settled into our seats for the next 5 hour trip and the last leg of our 4 month journey. Our first week back in the States was truly all-American in everything we did. It is good to be “home” but now the hard part comes – where will home be???