Hello all!
I hope this blog post finds you well.
Things here in South Africa are still quite spectacular. It kind of hit me the other day that I’ve developed a life here- and for some reason that seems so odd. But apart from a change in location, my life in South Africa is very similar to my life at school in Washington, DC. I have a core group of friends, who I walk to class with, meet for lunch, chat with in the evening. I also have a schedule: I go to my 10 am class with Diane everyday except for Tuesdays (when she has an earlier tutorial) and Wednesdays when we do laundry together. On Thursdays I volunteer at PASSOP in the afternoon. At least once a week we go to the Pig and Swizzle bar in town- lately we’ve been going to watch the soccer games that are happening right now. And on weekends we have several places that we spend time at (Old Biscuit Mill, of course). All of this is incredibly similar to my real life. I think the part that strikes me about these similarities is how comfortable I am here.
Despite all the similarities to home and my level of happiness, I dealt with a few days of homesickness last week. For no apparent reason I was just… down. I think that the semester began and we were all living the fast and furious life. Then mid-semester vacation came and we went Mozambique, which was incredible! When we got back to Cape Town there were things going on at my real home that I, obviously, wasn’t able to deal with because I’m so far away. I think that is what made me homesick. Thankfully, I wasn’t the only one. But I certainly know that I wasn’t too much fun to be around for a few days.
It’s amazing what clarity you can get when you change your entire way of life. I went from living in a city that is, arguably, one of the most powerful in the world. My iPhone was very nearly permanently attached to my hand and I was in constant contact with my two best friends and family in Nebraska. Now, I’m living in a city that is attempting to be first world while being geographically in the middle of the third world. I heard my best friend Jenna’s voice for the first time in months the other day, but only for a few seconds. And I haven’t talked to Taylor in ages. One of the most frustrating parts of being in Africa is having locals know what’s appropriate to say to you and what is not. I understand that American women are sensitive- I will be the first to admit to that. But sometimes African men can be completely ridiculous. I got into with one last week.
My friend Elsha and I were talking yesterday. We discussed that we’re actually really happy here (despite my slip up last week), but when the time comes we think we will be ready to go home. Elsha and I are similar in that we are both incredibly close with our families (she’s from Ohio- maybe it’s a Midwest thing). Both of us have appreciated the clarity we’re getting from our study abroad experience. I know that there are certain things that I thought I might do after college, but now I’m quite sure I won’t. Simply because I don’t want to be away from what, to me, matters most for too long. I don’t want to miss two years worth of birthdays. If I’m still living in the United States (not necessarily Nebraska) I have the option of flying back home whenever I’d like. That’s something that I didn’t really realize I appreciated as much as I do.
Coming up soon: shark cage diving, a possible trip to wine estates over Easter (Jesus loved wine, right?), more beach time before it gets too cold, essays, tests, and class readings.
Well, I’m off to class and then volunteering.
Love you all.
Be safe,
B.
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