Time to Leave
Now that I'm actually at the airport/ on the plane, I feel like I'm ready to go home. My last day in CT was beautiful. I woke up on a cloudy Saturday at Lion House, and Amariliz and I went, one last time, to the Old Biscuit Mill in Woodstock (an event only open on Saturdays for food-lovers and hipsters alike.) They have everything there, from crepes and waffles, gyros and ostrich burgers, to pizza and pesto. As we left, the sun came out and we took a minibus back to Observatory. We shopped around on Lower Main Road, and spent the last of our Rand at Instangu Boutique. We said our goodbyes to everyone we could, and packed our bags and ourselves into the cab. I couldn't stop feeling like I'd forgotten something. I kept thinking about all the things I didn't get to do, what I wished I had done, differently maybe or maybe not, and then a crazy, fast-forwarded reflection of the entire trip, or certain moments in time that stood out. I loved thinking back to all the valuable interpersonal experiences I went through during my time here. Once at the airport, I think about what's to come when I get home, and this summer. How much I missed my family all of a sudden. How I feel happy, even though I am leaving. As much as I don't want to leave, the trip has to end at some point, unfortunately! I know I will be back to ZA someday, hopefully soon. I feel blessed to have been able to experience everything I did, and so very grateful. No waterworks, no bawling my eyes out, just this feeling of peacefulness that is comforting me as I say goodbye to my Cape Town.
Life back in the States
Being home isn't as terrible as I had imagined it being. It's good to be home, and see my family and friends again. But I miss Cape Town whenever I find myself looking for something to do around here (central Connecticut).
It's weird when they ask me to talk about my trip... I ask them what aspect they'd like to hear about. Just the "good stuff." (All of it was the good stuff.) Or they say; anything. Too vague, I don't know where to start! I love talking about my trip and the things I did, what life is like there, and all that I learned. I could talk about it for days, but sometimes I find myself wishing I didn't talk about it at all. I can't fully explain experiences, people or places to them, because they've never been there, so they will never be able to fully comprehend... skewing the story. I feel like my pictures aren't good enough to illustrate what I'm trying to explain. (Wish I took more pictures!) It's weird when people don't realize how much a semester abroad can affect you, because they have never spent a semester studying/volunteering in a different country (My entire family, and the majority of my friends). It's worse realizing most people don't really want to hear what you experienced abroad, asking about the trip just to ask. I'm much more aware of my surroundings, the differences, the things I've taken for granted I can really appreciate, and I try my best to keep the Capetonian in me alive.
Being a Capetonian means
-Looking and being smart-casual.
-Slowing down to enjoy the simple and sometimes monotonous things/tasks of our day-to-day
-Acknowledging that we are all brothers and sisters, and helping one another
-Sincerely asking another person 'How are you?' or "Howzit?" as they say in CT
-Being unique
-Spreading love/warmth
-Hugs and Kisses!!
-No worries
-Faith, hope, determination, motivation, perseverance
-Forward struggle
-Ubuntu (I am what I am because of who we all are)
