My route take me from New Orleans to Memphis in the morning, where I join a couple of truck drivers on the bus, one on her way for her first job, one a veteran on his way home. The bus driver that day was the most unpleasant person I met in a long time, and I avoid any conversation in fear of being thrown from the bus. On the few stops the veteran, sitting next to me, takes his big cowboy hat from the luggage rack, and go for a smoke break.

Transferring in Kansas City the bus is more than an hour late, the first and only time this happens during the whole trip. After they give up repairing the bus we are waiting for, we get a new bus. But I know I will miss my transfer in Omaha 11:00 that night. The driver promise he will let them know they should try and wait.

In Omaha I find that the bus to Lincoln has waited, and I feel absolutely ecstatic. 12:30 AM the Sunday morning I arrive in Lincoln in a light rain, still not knowing where Christiaan lives. Just before I go to the Holiday Inn, I phone Rouviere in San Jose, and find that Christiaan e-mailed her his address. At 1 AM the taxi drops me off, and I finally get to a place where I will be able to stay for more than a night.

Christiaan is a good friend of mine for more years than I can remember, and was busy finishing his master degree at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. He was flying back to South Africa on the last day of May, and had to complete his thesis before then. We talked till 2:30; we did not see each other for two and a half years.

Lincoln is a small town in the middle of the vast plains, covered with cornfields in all directions. It is the capital of a state known, apart from corn, for nuclear missile silos dotting the countryside. The whole town is filled with signs of support for the huskers, the local football team. All the sport bars, (i.e. most bars in town) are filled with posters, jerseys and the like.

The Sunday he and his girlfriend made us a wonderful chicken curry for dinner, after I went to the office with him for my first decent internet access since San Jose. We bought all the ingredients at a local oriental shop, where I was asked to pick the greens, but due to my total unfamiliarity with the available choices I passed on the honour.

The Monday I tried not to interfere with Christiaan’s work, I recently finished my own master’s degree and was apprehensive about being in the way. But I must say he was very relaxed for someone busy writing up. That night his group at the chemical engineering department went out for drinks, there where people from Iran, Mexico, Colombia, Malaysia, Russia and us from South Africa. As the night went on the group became smaller and smaller, until I walked home alone.

I walked through the streets of Lincoln a few times during the week, the busses only ran till about six at night. Finding your way home is very easy from any point in Lincoln. Alphabetical streets run East West, numbered ones North South. So you simply walk home, you always know the direction. I love the rabbits hopping about as you walk around at night, they seem quite tame.

Tuesday I did not that much, same as the rest of the time. Mostly I walked around town, looking at the shops. I found one very nice second hand CD store, Recycled Sounds, with a very good array of used and rare CD's, vinyl and other musical collectables. I buy at least one CD I know a person back home will go crazy for. One day I took the bus to an outlaying mall, where all the normal mall things could be found. I tried to go see a movie, but somehow every time some of us tried to make plans it would mysteriously not work out.

There seems to be at least one good coffee shop, the Coffee House. Here Julia and I had coffee twice, good cappuccino, in a good atmosphere. Also, a great second hand bookstore. It is here, in A Novel Idea bookstore, that I buy myself two books for $3, have a wonderful conversation about the books with the people working in the store, and admire the two cats sleeping between the books. They recommend me 'Coyote Blue', by Christopher Moore, a book I am currently enjoying. If I ever live in this town, you will find me in the bookstore, or having coffee most of the time.

The rest of the week went past like time does when there is not much to do: you do even less. I end up with two CD’s, three books and some good exercise. The last night we have dinner for some of Christiaan’s friends also leaving the next day, and the Saturday morning 10:45 I am once again on the bus, this time on my way to New York.