It is hard to believe that my exchange in South Africa ended only a mere 2 and a half weeks ago. On August 13 at 5:45 in the morning, I landed at New York's Kennedy airport. That is when my exchange ended.
Now, I am sitting in my dorm room at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. My life here could not be any more different than what I had in South Africa. In many ways, it feels as if my life there was simply just a dream, and every now and then I relive it. In short, I miss South Africa dearly.
The journey home was a long, but pleasant one. Neshama, the other American, and I had a departure camp in Johannesburg. We were both sad about our imminent departure, yet excited to finally reunite with our natural families. We both enjoyed reflecting on our experiences and looking at them from a different perspective.
At the end of my six month exchange, I missed my family more than I ever had in my life. In a lot of ways, those six months were an endurance challenge for me. I learned that I am capable of living independently and making conscious decisions for myself on a daily basis. This will only prepare me well for life in college.
I do miss the beauty of Cape Town, the friendly people that have become some of my closest friends and of course, my host family. Meilech family, you were amazing. It wasn't always easy living together, but I cannot thank you enough for all that you have done for me.
Life in Canada is very different than life in South Africa. I have more relative safety, public transport and social infrastructure. However, it is insanely expensive to live here. I miss how relatively cheap South Africa is. Canada is a bit less exotic. While it is a "foreign" country, it is very similar to the US. The people sound the same, the food is similar and the culture isn't distant at all. Canada has many subtle differences, while South Africa has few.
I feel that I have grown tremendously since February. If it weren't for South Africa, I wouldn't be the more open-minded individual who I am today. I have a more global view of the world and think beyond the borders of my country. I have become more tolerant of people who may not be like me, and learn to appreciate their differences. The list of ways that I have changed is endless. I would not trade those six months for anything, ever.
This is the end of my blog, but only the beginning of the rest of my life. I know many of you have emailed me with questions, but you'll have to bare with me. I take a long time to reply as I've been very busy in the last two weeks. Only now I have been able to sit down and write about the end of my experience and catch up on old experiences. It feels odd to say goodbye, but this is the end. This is it. The blog no longer has a relevant purpose, so I will end it now.
Thank you for reading this blog, as well as following my journey through South Africa. Dit was 'n groot plesier!
Totsiens, Tsamaya hantle, Sala kukuhle and Goodbye!
-Danny
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