Home at last

As of tomorrow I will have been home for a week now. I didn't post as soon as I got home because things were too weird, too much was going on, I was jet lagged and being home was as confusing and strange as it was exciting. I have not yet returned to a normal sleep schedule, but I am sure it is only a matter of time before I will be fully immersed in this summer and experience instead of recovering from the last one.

Here is what I wrote on June 16:

On Wednesday evening I left my beloved Cape Town.  As all 21 of us piled into the van and drove away from the K-house, all 18 of us girls were sobbing our eyes out (the three guys don’t cry).  The only moment sadder than that was when we all got to Amsterdam and had to say goodbye. Picture 21 young American students hugging and crying and crying and hugging.  Clearly we made a scene, but we didn’t care.  This experience, and the relationships we made with one another on the way were far more incredible that we had ever imagined.  But the other side of it is that leaving Cape Town, the place that has become our home, and separating from the 20 people who have become our best friends and have forever changed our lives, knowing we will never all be together in that context again, is really hard. And coming home and moving on from this experience, without those 20 people and trying to live the same life is really hard, too.

A few months ago I would have told you that I was ready to come home, and that I would be ready on June 13^th when it came time to leave.  At some point, without me knowing, that changed. Cape Town became my home, my roommates became my family, and as much as I missed everyone at home, I didn’t want or need to leave, but it was time. Over the past few months I have discovered more than ever before what incredible family and friends I have been blessed with.  They have supported me, even though it scared them to death for me to go to South Africa on my own, or even though it hurt them to be away from me for five months, or even though they didn’t completely understand. I am so blessed and lucky to have that. 

Today:

This study abroad thing does something really strange to you.  Here I am, in my beautiful house with my wonderful family, the day after my 21^st birthday and I can’t think of anything in the world that I need and don’t already have. Yet, I’m grieving the loss of my life in Cape Town and the loss of my friends surrounding me all the time. But I am forever grateful, to them for changing my life, to Cape Town for changing my perspective, and to my parents and family and friends for still loving me right now, through this weird and uncomfortable time of transition in my own home. I am grateful beyond words to have had this experience and I know soon enough I will be happy as ever, though I won’t say my old self, because I only hope that five months in SA have changed me at least the slightest. Until my next African adventure, salani kakuhle.

Enkosi

Here is my visual diary end of the semester project! It's short, but it basically sums up my time in Cape Town. Enjoy!!

One week left!!! AHHHHH

So currently I am “practice packing”…which means I neatly fold all my clothes and belongings and place them into my two giant suitcases, only to realize they will never fit. FUN! No but seriously, it is going to be such a challenge to get all this stuff home…and I have already donated nearly half of the clothes that I brought here, but I’ve just accumulated so much and I want to take so much home as souvenirs and memories! But obviously I’ll have to part with a few more things.

So I know I’ve failed to be a great blogger the last few months of my stay, but let me catch you up on the last few weeks.

Thursday (May 31) was my last day of service, so I made cookies for my students, gave them each a copy of a picture of me with them, and wrote a personal note to each on the back.  I can’t believe I won’t be going back there again…I feel like it was only a week or two ago that I first blogged and explained that I would be teaching there…and now its been nearly a week since my last day! Thursday was definitely sad, and as I tried to give my students some final words of advice, I couldn’t help but cry. I wish I knew what would happen to them when I go. I wish I could check up on them, make sure they stay on track, don’t get into any trouble. I can only hope that a volunteer will be put in my place next semester and can follow up, but who knows if it will be the same students who get the chance to work with them, who knows what will happen. I guess I just have to have some faith, but I’m really going to miss those kids.

On Friday (June 1) I had my last final exam for my Ethics class and handed in my final Theology paper, and then I hopped on a plane to Johannesburg. I had such a great weekend with the Wainwrights. Friday we went out to a lovely Italian dinner, my favorite. Saturday Ashely and I met with her friends and went to an Oyster and Wine Festival-SO much fun! Then we had even more fun back at the house that evening. On Sunday we went to the Cradle of HumanKind…which was amazing. For those who are not anthropologists, the cradle is a World Heritage Site just outside of Johannesburg where a 2.3 million year old fossilized skull of Australopithecus was found in the 1940s. Australopithecus is an ancestor of humans, and this discovery is more evidence towards the theory of evolution and to the theory that human life originated in Africa and then spread to the rest of the world. Anyway, it is a really amazing place to visit and the Maropeng museum was absolutely fascinating. It takes you through the history of humanity and our planet and how everything came to be the way we see it now, as well as what is going to happen to the planet and the life on it in the future. It definitely makes you think about your impact on the planet. One of my favorite quotes from the museum:

“If we don’t act now, the terrible irony is that our great grandchildren will only know of ancient forests through pictures in books printed on paper that contributed to their extinction.”-Graham Lester George

That was just one of many that made me stop and think. The exhibits were so interesting, and covered so many different aspects of the world and of human beings…including the nine different characteristics that all humans share, literacy rates in every country, and a “live” estimate of the world population, just under 7 billion, but changing every second.  It was pretty daunting.

After the museum we ate lunch and headed to the Sterkfontein Caves, where the fossil of Australopithecus (named “Mrs. Ples”) was found. I had never been in a cave, but it was so beautiful. It was cold since we were underground, and we were actually down there for a pretty long time. I actually felt like I was either in Disney World or starring in Indiana Jones…I had to keep reminding myself that they were not manmade and that this was a real cave! Really cool and interesting though…so glad I got to visit the cradle-that was definitely on my to do list in South Africa!

On Monday I flew back to Cape Town and stayed with the other Wainwrights, the grandparents, Maureen and Ray. Maureen and I did some shopping (during which time I bought shoes that will likely not fit in my suitcase) and I had a great relaxing night at their house. Yesterday I came back to the K-house and to roommates, both which I missed very much, and I’ve been hanging out around here and in Obsz since then!

Today I am finishing up my visual diary, which is my only work left to do. It is a final project in which we must visually represent our semester and our experience. Most people are doing videos, scrapbooks or collages, though some people have gotten very creative! I have been working on a digital scrapbook, which I will make into a slideshow hopefully and upload to this page so everyone can see it! I will also upload as many pictures as possible to the Internet when I return home and include a link so they can be shared with everyone! I know I have been holding out on everyone with my pictures…sorry!

So…one week from today, at 11:35 pm, I will be leaving my beautiful Cape Town and headed to Amsterdam, then to JFK where I will finally during the afternoon the following day (hopefully!) I am excited and anxious to be home and devastated and heartbroken that I have to leave. I’ve never been so completely torn between two places. In the beginning I think I missed home more than I do now…not that I don’t miss my family and all my loved ones, but now this place feels like my home, too. These people have become my best friends and my family, and this life feels like the norm. Now I love it more than before because I don’t feel like a tourist. I’ve lived here for five months, I have gotten used to it, and I even fit in a little! Someone started speaking Afrikaans to be in the airport last Friday…proving to me that I no longer stand out like a sore thumb as an American! Pretty cool to think that I came to another country and got the hang of it, that I made it my home. It makes me feel like there are endless possibilities for me throughout the rest of my life..and I can’t wait to discover them. But for now, I will say goodbye to Cape Town and to the amazing people that I hope will be life long friends, and get back to my wonderful family and life in the states! It’s been an amazing and wild and wonderful ride, and I wouldn’t trade a moment of this for the world!

I’ll try to write once or twice more before I get back!

Peace & love!