Emily ready to share the blessing of Ubuntu in all aspects of her life

Sun shining on life chnaging experiences

It’s crazy to think I’m writing my final blog post for the semester in Cape Town. The past four months have been nothing short of beautiful, sending me through a whirlwind of emotions and enabling me to find a deeper meaning to this blessed life. What I think I worried most about before departing Cape Town was transitioning back to life in the United States of America. I didn’t know how I was going to react to outings at restaurants with my family or in a circle of friends whom were much more invested in their social media sites. To be quite frank, not one part of me wanted to come home. Don’t get me wrong, I was extremely excited to be reunited with my loved ones, but I feel as though the sense of independence I gained during my time in Cape Town lessened any feelings of possible homesickness.

           

During the first few weeks at “home,” I was in the strangest limbo of emotions. One day, I would wake up feeling like Cape Town was just a wonderful dream and it didn’t really happen. Other days, I’d wake up angry at everything I saw happening around me. The feelings of anger were most prominent in public settings when I would observe people just being wasteful, especially at restaurants. I can’t help but focus in on the countless plates being taken back from tables, half full of perfectly good food. It’s hard to witness mostly because I know exactly where all of those leftovers could and should be going. Since my boyfriend lives in the heart of Boston, I find myself walking around that city with a heavy heart. The disparity that I saw in Cape Town is still prevalent here, when I see wealthy businessmen stroll by homeless people on the street.

           

Towards the end of the third week being back, I started to fully come to terms with all of my life changing experiences in South Africa. I’ve finally been able to start talking about my experiences in depth with the people closest to me. For some reason, I didn’t want to talk much about my time at all initially. I’ve found that talking about it helps me to feel less homesick from Cape Town, and even closer to it. This semester was the greatest blessing I’ve been given so far, and I can’t wait to spread the beautiful idea of “Ubuntu” in all aspects of my life moving forward.