"The Friendly City"--Port Elizabeth, South Africa

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Tara Goodrum Stowaway Magazine Word Count: 1,547 Feature Article: “The Friendly City”—Port Elizabeth, South Africa I remember vividly the moment I stepped off of the plane onto African soil—the humid warmth was all around me and the air seemed a little hazy. My brother, three sisters, and I stiffly stumbled after our parents. We hadn’t seen our grandparents in over a year and the anticipation of seeing them again after so long was palpable. Additionally, being in such a foreign country made us jittery with excitement. Getting to Africa was no small feat. The journey had been a long one and we were all exhausted. We had been traveling for nearly thirty hours: a four hour drive to the nearest airport, a four hour flight and overnight layover in New York City (of course we had to visit Ground Zero and catch a show on Broadway), and an eight hour flight to Madrid and a tour of Spain’s Royal Palace. Nearing the end of our air time, we caught a flight to Johannesburg, South Africa, and tried to get some sleep during the ten hours it afforded us. The two hours of our final flight into Port Elizabeth seemed like an eternity. I hoped our ten day vacation would be sufficient time to get over the jetlag. Luckily, there was so much to do that we didn’t have a minute to waste thinking about how tired we were. After lots of hugging, talking, and happy crying, we loaded up the boot with our luggage and were on our way. Everything I had imagined about Africa was about to be changed or confirmed. The Friendly City Still in the city, we passed skyscrapers, gas stations selling petrol, and gated homes with carefully manicured lawns. I don’t know what I thought I would see, but that wasn’t it. However, it wouldn’t be long until I saw the reality of where we were and got a taste of what I had expected. South


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