Oxford, Mississippi
A
Universal Theme
By Bracey Harris
I
BINDS US
am becoming more aware that commonality is a universal theme that has the power to bind us. Ironically, it took traveling to South Africa to understand Miley Cyrus’ “Party in the USA.” Her song deals with a small-town girl traveling to Hollywood and the nervousness she feels. There is a line in which Cyrus references her taxi driver playing a Jay-Z song. Its immediate effect is to overcome her homesickness. In a way, that is how I felt when I hear Adele crooning from the speakers in our cab. Rain greets us as we head down the street to eat and buy essentials. Although I am not hungry, I am cold. It is winter in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, and we have no heat where we are staying. The windy mist does not help, but I keep my complaints to myself. Many in this municipality and nation have less. There are a number of things I could blame for my lack of appetite. At the head of the list is the 15-hour plane ride across the Atlantic. Flying never has bothered me, and I had felt this flight was going well. There is no discomfort in my ears as we adjust altitudes, and I relax. After watching “The Hangover II” and “The Fighter,” I decide to go to sleep, but turbulence wakes me several times. When the flight attendant comes around with breakfast, I gratefully take the water she offers. My lips are parched, and my mouth is dry. She hands me a cup, and I return her smile. The cup has no ice, and I reluctantly drink the lukewarm water and begin to drift off to sleep. A few minutes later, I wake up. My stomach does, too. I am in row 55, seat B, the middle seat, in economy class, what some regular travelers call, “the village.” There is no nausea or warning. The bile already is in my throat, and the seat pocket has no paper bags. If I get up, I will vomit on the man lucky enough to have the aisle seat. I stay in my seat and heave at least three times.
Similarities I find between Oxford and Port Elizabeth have universal implications
