Summary

Ariel decides to go to South Africa. She is anxious but her mother encourages her to "get on the plane" (206). Ariel does not know what will happen next, but that is ok. She has accepted that life is "uncooperative, impartial, incontestable" (206). Ariel only cries once on the flight, remembering the person who was with her on her last journey and did not come back. For a while, her grief was as acute as it was in the Mongolian hospital, but now it has begun to subside. Ariel has learned that Mother Nature is the only one who really has any control over her life.

Analysis

Levy describes Africa as "golden and pulsating in my mind" symbolizing, hope, change, and a new chapter in her life. She finally unpacks her suitcase, still filled with her maternity clothes from Mongolia and packs it for her trip...