musings from heathrow

i sit here in heathrow airport, dumbfounded.

did that all really just happen? did i really just spend the past 18 weeks, 2 days, 12 hours, and 30 minutes living in south africa?

i'm not quite sure what i feel right now. i guess it hasn't hit me in its entirety quite yet. i mean, i cried as we took off from cape town airport, and i've cried thinking about all the amazing souls to whom i had to say goodbye, but i can't help but feeling like i haven't left cape town for good quite yet. it hasn't hit me that i'll no longer be crammed into a 15-seater minibus taxi with 30 other passengers. it hasn't hit me that i'll no longer be served entrées consisting of no fewer than 2 varieties of meat. it hasn't hit me that i'll no longer look to the west and see table mountain towering over the city.

it's been quite an adventure, and as such, it's had no shortage of its ups and downs. i'll try and remember to post a 10 to 1 list for this past semester, but the point is that being in south africa proved itself to be quite an invaluable learning experience for me. and it's hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that this stage of my life has, already and so suddenly, come to a close.

ciee's goal for this semester is to transform us into "global citizens", and while i'm still not 100% sure of what that means, i think i'm well on my way to becoming one. i've had to become accustomed to a multitude of seemingly bizaare (and, dare i say, foreign) customs held by south africans, from overlooking personal space, to not saying "bless you" after a sneeze, to clipping one's nails in public (i still think this one is gross, though). i've learned how to successfully dial an international call, and that we're the only ones who pronounce the letter Z as "zee". even the metric system has begun to make sense to me.

but, i think that another integral part of becoming a global citizen involves learning how to take on unique challenges, ones seldom found in the first world. it's no secret that south africa is lacking in sufficient infrastructure (albeit better than those within most african countries), and as such, i've found myself repeatedly challenged by occurrences within everyday life. once i figured out to overcome those, however, i became able to appreciate south africa, its landscape, its culture, and its people for the wonderful things they truly are. :)

that all being said, it was certainly sad for me to leave south africa. even though i'm excited to see my friends and family, i found it tough for me to say goodbye to cape town, making it a very bittersweet circumstance for me. unlike when i visit home after a semester at gw, i can't pop over to south africa whenever i'd like to say hi to my new friends or to be reminded to all the nuances of south african life that i've grown to love. indeed, it'll be a long time before i can return to the mother city.

more on all of this later. my flight to los angeles is about to board.