The Commencement of My Travel Journey
My love for travel started when I was still young, seeing my maternal grandfather traveling to and from Johannesburg every month. As some put it, “children don’t listen to what you say, they do what you do”.
I watched my tall, handsome grandfather live a la vida loca life, having a chauffeur driving him. Living his best life ever. My mother and her siblings never lacked anything. My grandmother was treated like a queen.
During the school holidays, I would visit my grandmother and would tell her that I was going to buy my own car one day, marry a tall, handsome guy like my grandfather and travel the world. She would laugh her lungs out and say, “child of my child, the way you like sleeping, you better get educated first so that if you don’t get married, your education will be your husband, otherwise your children will starve of hunger”.
So, as I became older, I started missing my grandmother a lot and reminisced about our talks and realized that I was not traveling as much as I wanted to. The only “travel” that I had done was to Cape Town for the first time when I pampered myself for my 40th birthday in 2014. Two weeks before my birthday, I went for a 40th birthday photo shoot. I wanted the best and was not going to wait for anyone to spoil me rotten. I looked forward to my 40th birthday so much, that I told myself that I don’t owe anyone an explanation. Those who have celebrated their 40th birthday probably have an idea of what I am talking about.
Let me put a disclaimer that traveling for business purposes and traveling to attend weddings and funerals does not cut it as “traveling”. I had traveled the whole country (South Africa) and to Botswana for business purposes as well as to Lesotho to attend a friend’s wedding. I can honestly say, I did not have a much of a life. I spent most of my weekends either sleeping, attending weddings or attending funerals. When I look back, I honestly want to kick myself. Hard!
So in 2017, I had told one of my friends that come 2018, I will travel overseas. Come rain or sunshine. I told her that I was not sure how that would happen, but I knew it was going to happen.
One afternoon in 2018, I happened to be having coffee with this friend and she said, “My friend, today I will not see you for long as I have an appointment”. I asked her where that appointment was and I insisted I go with her.
That’s when I said, “Ha! My friend, I told you last year that come 2018, I am going to travel overseas”, she said, “Honestly, I had no idea that those who invited me were going to talk about travel”. That was around 16 February 2018. I now knew how I was going to travel overseas. I contacted my learned friend. I call her (SoulJa, my partner) on how to apply for a US visa as I wanted to go to New York.
She took me through the process, from how I should take photos, photo size requirements, what documentation I should have ready, the whole shebang. Talk about the power of association. If you want to get somewhere in life, associate yourself with those who know things you don’t know. The visa interview was on 30 April 2018. My partner was the first person I called after the interview. My US visa was approved!!! Yayyy!!!
I was so super excited and pumped up. That very day, I booked my New York vacation and the following day, I booked the flights. I went to the bank to exchange rands into dollars, and it was like a movie unfolding. I was the happiest person on planet earth.
The 21st May 2018 was the day I was leaving for New York, and I was absolutely over the moon! In a quiet voice, I said, “Grandmother, I told you I was going to travel the world and make you proud. Here I am… Be with me as I charter new terrains…”
When I arrived in New York, at customs, there are these immigration forms that you fill, and there is a section where they ask how much money you have. I wrote “10,000.00”. Oh boy, they called me into a little office and they kept my luggage. I didn’t know what the heck they were checking.
And then, after a short while, they called their “senior” and he asked me where I was from. I told him I was from South Africa, and he asked how much money I had. I told him that, “I have 10,000.00 rands”. They all looked at each other and giggled and said, “Damn! We thought it was DOLLARS!”.
Oh my goodness!!! It was my first time traveling overseas ever and it did not even register in my mind that the language in currency would also change. I felt so embarrassed!!! They gave be my luggage and said I was free to go. Off I went to the airport shuttle services. I had already forgotten about what happened in that immigration office. I was not going to let anything dampen my spirit.
There is a first time for everything. I had arranged airport pick up but firstly, because of the delay at the immigration office, they could not wait for me. Secondly, because they would contact me telephonically or by email, they could not reach me as I had not bought a SIM card at the airport. Hey… You don’t know what you don’t know…. Until you know.
I ended up missing my airport shuttle and was standing there for almost an hour. I had to ask the police (“the Popo” as Madea would call them) to assist me. That was the day I learned some harsh lessons. Download “Uber” or know or arrange an airport pickup and have full details on where and what time you will be picked up when you land before, I repeat, BEFORE you leave your country. Go ahead… Laugh your lungs out and laugh some more.
The Police directed me where to get a cab – a long distance at the outskirts of the airport. Finally, I was in a cab and felt at peace and eventually arrived at the hotel, the Renaisance New York Times Square Hotel. As I entered my hotel room, I kept on saying, “Wow!!! Wow!!!!” the whole time. It was so unbelievable. A child from humble beginnings in New York. WOW!!!
I immediately freshened up and went to Times Square to buy a SIM card. And guess what! The T-mobile network put my picture on the billboard to welcome me to New York!!! How wonderful this felt!!!! I spent most of the evening there and even met fellow South Africans. It was a blast!!!! I was in awe and kept on saying, “Wow… Wow… WOW!!!!”
I went back to the hotel to sleep and woke up bright and early at 5h00 ready to paint “the Big Apple” red.