Isabel contemplates what it may be like to return to the states

I find it very challenging to think about leaving this place I have become so fond of.  I remember parting ways with my family at the airport in New York and thinking I was in for a huge adventure, but also a huge culture shock and adjustment.  I was scared that I would become homesick at times and yearn for the comfort of what I knew.  After close to three and a half months in South Africa, I can honestly say none of my fears transpired.  Cape Town has become my home and the people I surround myself with have become a second family.  Today marks two weeks left in this magical place and I really cannot believe how much we have done and achieved all together.  It will be more brutal, in my opinion, adjusting to the culture back home.

           

There are subtleties here that I have picked up on that are so different than the states.  People honk their car horns in the states because they are frustrated they are not getting somewhere fast enough.  Here, drivers honk their own to say, “thank you for letting me pass”, or “hey, what’s up?” to a passing friend.  Capetonians also rarely walk around on their cell phones or have ear buds in, whereas on the campus of UConn, every student is running into each other because they are on their phones virtually connecting.  Additionally, when we first arrived in ZA, we were advised to remain cautious and vigilant for criminals and theft opportunities.  That is not at all what I have encountered.  Cape Town people genuinely look out for your well-being.  People are always willing to help you or stir up a conversation with you.  Of course you have to watch out for your safety at times, but the people here are kind and selfless.  I am pretty nervous about the way I will feel once we adjust back to the states.  I wonder if any of the behaviors I have picked up on will stick as I get back to my old life.  Will I remain more disconnected?  Will I find time to reflect and write things down the way I do here?  Will I miss the slow pace of Cape Town or be happy to be back to the efficient ways of America?  I guess we’ll see.

           

Isabel, Kayla, & Meg

This week has been pretty low-key.  We are all trying to squeeze in time after our internships and classes to go to different restaurants or find different places to go out at night just so we don’t leave anything out.  Yesterday was spent swerving through the streets in town to find gifts for everyone back home and stopping by Honest for the best brownies in all of Cape Town.  We got food in Observatory last night from this place called Panchos.  It was the first time in months that many of us had had Mexican food and we could all barely walk once we finished.  That is one thing I am excited for when we travel back home – American food.  Tomorrow, a few of us are all running the 5k road-race along the shoreline in the morning.  Later in the afternoon, we have the pleasure of hosting our directors for a braai at our house.  It will be a good cap to the weekend before we start back at internships on Monday.    

Isabel & Eric