On this solstice day, I am flying from the shortest day of the year, to the longest: from San Francisco to South Africa, with stopovers in Atlanta, and Amsterdam. It is way too many airplane hours, but allows me time to write on this blog, while sitting in Schiphol Airport.

This trip to Africa is to study deforestation and disease transmission in Cameroon. The project is funded by the USAID, and is a tremendous opportunity to work with collaborators at Buea University in Cameroon, and monitor how land use changes affect mosquitoes and malaria in real time. We will be studying avian malaria dynamics, and working in the pristine rainforest. I have been working to get this project off the ground for several years. So now, since I am traveling to Africa, it made sense to spend the holidays with my family in South Africa.

But remind me to not travel during the holiday rush season. The Delta airlines counter in San Francisco had ridiculously long lines. Even though I don’t travel First Class, I have learned to go to the First Class agents, and they usually help, even though they remind me that the line is reserved for priority passengers. At this point, when I am about to miss the flight, I believe that I am a priority passenger. They tell me to take out 2 lbs from my luggage, and I take out a little bit, just to keep them satisfied, but the weight remains the same. However, I failed majorly in the seat selection process. I will have to fly 11 hours to JNB in a middle seat in economy class. I guess I can’t write the ultimate book on “Getting what you want with Air Travel” quite yet.

I enjoy watching the mix of cultures in these big international airports. Where are all these people going? I listen for languages that are completely foreign to me. I recognize the major European languages, but today I heard some people speaking something strange, maybe it was Basque. The world seems very small, and it is getting more homogeneous every day, so I love the little surprises that remind me of the tremendous diversity that makes us human. Wishing everyone a super solstice!