Paul Derengowski, Ph.D.
We we arrived in Johannesburg, it was late Sunday afternoon, July 29. Being that it is winter in South Africa that time of the year, the sun was just setting as we pulled up to our gate. I know I was glad the long flight was over, but now an immediate adventure began, which was to locate our luggage.
Before we went hunting for our luggage, though, we had to pass through customs. It took about 45 minutes of winding our way through a long line of not only those who deboarded our plane, but passengers from other parts of the world, as well. When we finally made it to the front of the line, we were required to stand for a moment in front of a machine, about six or seven feet away, that scanned our eyes for “the fever” (i.e. yellow fever).
Without a hitch, though, we had our passports stamped and it was off to the carousel that had our luggage—or at least, so we thought. But, when we arrived, it was clear something was amiss. Since it took so long to get through customs, we should have been able to pick up out our bags and go. The problem was that there was no luggage. The Delta Airlines baggage handlers back in Atlanta decided not to put our luggage on our flight.
After asking for directions, we spoke with a Delta Baggage Claims official and filed a claim to have our luggage expedited. We were told they would not show up until Monday evening, which would be cutting it real close, since graduation was Tuesday morning. Nevertheless, it was the best they could do. So, the claim was filed, but given all the time taken to get through customs and the baggage claim ordeal caused me concern that Dr. Stoker, who was our ride to NWU, had left. My phone did not work in South Africa, so I could not call him either.
Thankfully, one of the Delta employees at the baggage claims counter allowed us to use her phone to call Dr. Stoker, and he was still waiting for us outside the baggage claims exit. Whew! So, my wife and I hurried upstairs, where Dr. Stoker and his wife were waiting for us. They were both so kind and so gracious. Almost immediately we began to develop a bond with them that is indescribable.
We explained our dilemma of having no luggage and why. Without even asking, Mrs. Stoker was on the phone calling her daughter to get some temporary clothing and toiletries together to at least get us through the night. Since their daughter lives in Pretoria, we headed over to her house and picked up whatever she could put together. Again, her kindness and graciousness were so much appreciated. It was almost like they all had been through a similar ordeal with other visitors. As a friend of mine wrote, when he found out about Delta’s mishandling of our luggage, “I’m not surprised.” A lesson was learned by us, to be sure.
Since it was getting late by the time we arrived at Dr. and Mrs. Stoker’s daughter’s house, they had arranged for us to stay at a place in Pretoria called, “Rest-A-While Guest House.” It was a quaint dwelling with high security walls and lots of electric wire adorning the tops of them. In fact, pretty much all dwellings in South Africa, whether individual houses or apartments were like prison compounds, with the prisoners being the owners or rightful occupants. We were informed on more than one occasion of just how high the crime rate was in South Africa. All the electric wire and fences were clear evidence of it.
After getting settled in, Dr. Stoker informed us that he was picking us up the next morning at 6:00 a.m. to make a three-hour trip to a game reserve to do some sight-seeing. Let’s see, that would be 11:00 p.m. US Central time; we just got off an 18 1/2 hour flight and our body clocks were messed-up from jet lag. Not a problem! We will be ready—and we were. This was a trip of a lifetime. Who needs sleep?
To be continued.
