A New Place to Call Home

I have now been in South Africa 98 days and it is now hitting me, at 2 in the morning on a Wednesday that I am going to have to leave this place and go back home. For the first time being here and thinking about going home, I am really scared and nervous. I have experienced so much and have learned an incredible amount about myself that going back home cant help but make me feel as though I am moving backwards. I now understand what all the “adjusting to being back home” seminars were for.

 I am leaving Thursday for AFRIKABURN and I cant even begin to explain the excitement I feel. It has been a lifelong dream of mine to attend Burning Man in Arizona, and the fact that I get to go to it in Africa is wild. I will be celebrating my 21^st birthday there and I couldn’t ask for a more beautiful way to celebrate me coming into myself and finally finding out who I am, then go to a festival that is all about self expression and accepting everyone for who they are. I can honestly say that before I came to Africa, I was completely lost. I had no idea who I really was or where I was going. Being here and facing so many challenges has finally made me realize not only who I am but also who I want to be. This last month and a half I have here I plan to take full advantage of. I am soaking everything up and taking in all that I can. Stellenbosch has really become a home to me. I see familiar faces followed by friendly smiles everywhere I go. Even going away on the garden route I found myself homesick; not for Spokane, but for Stellenbosch (sorry mom and dad).  5 months is a odd amount of time to be away because once you overcome the initial fear of being somewhere different, everything becomes normal and you grow used to it, and it becomes your home just as quickly as you have to leave. I cant imagine never seeing all the incredible people I have met, not only those from the states but also from South Africa, Germany, Austria and France ever again. I have never been good at goodbyes and this goodbye is going to be especially hard.  As lame and as over used it probably is, I have never felt so at ease and more like I fit in anywhere in my life. Stellenbosch will always have a huge part of my heart and I know this will not be the last time I see it. We will meet again.