Sam's reflections on being home

Being home again is weird. Mostly because it feels like nothing has really changed over the past 4 months. Everything looks the same, everyone has the same routines as they did when I left. Seeing my family and friends has been nice but I miss Cape Town more than anything. It is such an exciting place to be. Being able to look up every day and see Table Mountain was amazing. I miss living is a big house with sixteen other people because there was always someone around to hang out with or go into the city with or do any of the millions of things there are to do in Cape Town. I miss having that sense of community that you can feel everywhere in Cape Town. There are always people around to talk to and learn from. I even miss the taxis, driving by and yelling at everyone. I miss Christel House so much. My class was amazing and I love every single one of those kids and wish I could be back there with them. I think I really just miss always having something to do. My town is nice, but pretty boring.

I did go down to UConn for a few days after coming home which was fun. I loved seeing everyone. However this of course led to the question I know everyone has been asked about a million times so far, “how was it?” I usually just do the “It was amazing. I can’t even describe it,” and most of the time that will suffice. Or if they want more detail I have been asking them what they want to hear about. I have no idea how to even start to describe the trip or even just the city. Talking to some of the people I know who went last year has been very helpful because they understand. Even though we all had completely different experiences, they understand when I just don’t have words to describe what I am feeling or trying to say about Cape Town.

I know my time in Cape Town has changed me and made me look at the world with a whole new perspective. I feel like I can see some of the bigger issues going on and I have tried o stay more up to date with current events. I hope that someday I can return to Cape Town again because it has definitely had a huge impact on my life.