What Now?

I have now been back in Kansas for almost a week. I have visited with family, readjusted my sleeping schedule, eaten my favorite American foods, and am slowly transitioning back to life in the U.S. And a transition it is.

After any life changing experience, transitions and periods of adjustment are a necessary and vital part of the growth process. The time I spent in Africa was undoubtedly a life changing experience that has and will continue to impact my life.

Already, I have been asked, “What now?” Hmm – good question. What happens now after living for 10 weeks in a foreign country that became home to me? What happens now after loving those beautiful children and my students, forming relationships with them, and then having to leave? What happens now that I am back in the U.S., where the every day “problems” don’t really seem like problems to me anymore? All of these are valid questions that I am left to ponder and to explore and this questioning is part of the growing process. It’s all part of taking what I experienced this summer and applying it to how I choose to live my life back here in the U.S.

Will I go back to Africa? I don’t know. If you had asked me a year ago, I would never have guessed that I would have spent my summer serving in Africa. But I did. And I loved it immensely! I didn’t expect to have been led to Africa and I don’t know where I will be led to in the future, but I like to think that I will openly accept wherever it is---whether it is a remote village in Africa or a remote town in Kansas.

In Cape Town, during my last few days in Africa, I sat in a coffee shop, reading the newspaper. In the paper, there was a quote that stuck with me, as it seems to answer the “What now” question that I don’t have the exact answer to yet. Archbishop Desmond Tutu, a 1984 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, said:

“Do your little bit of good where you are – it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.”

Fun in Cape Town

Our 10-week program entitled us to 2 weeks of traveling and after taking two weekend trips, we still had a week left to experience Africa as a traveler! Cape Town had a lot to offer in our short week there, so here’s a forewarning that this blog is a bit lengthy! We left Monday morning at 6am to catch a 7-hour bus to Johannesburg, South Africa. From there, we boarded another bus for Cape Town. Estimated travel time – 20 hours. Quite the amount of time on a bus, but it was overnight and the seats reclined to a comfortable position, so much of that time was spent dreaming! The rest of the time we had a beautiful landscape to keep us entertained. Gorgeous mountains, some even snow-capped, blue skies, and plenty of vineyards to see during the ride.

We arrived in Cape Town on Tuesday afternoon. We spent the rest of the afternoon settling into the backpackers, walking around the downtown area, and just relaxing after the long bus ride. Wednesday was a rainy day and we spent much of it inside an aquarium checking out the marine wildlife.

Thursday we rented a car, which was the most economical way to travel, and Jack drove us out to the nearby vineyards in the country. In Africa, drivers sit on the right side of the car and drive on the left-hand side of the road, which is opposite of that in America. It was a bit awkward, but Jack got us everywhere we needed to be safely! We spent the day traveling around to vineyards, tasting wines unique to each vineyard. I never knew that just the type of grapes used, the type of wood used for the barrel, and the amount of time allowed for fermentation could produce so many different tastes of wine! We also toured a brandy distillery and learned about the distillation and fermentation process associated with producing brandy. Driving through the countryside with vineyards all around us, I had to remind myself that we were still in Africa! It had a very European feel to it!

Friday we rented another car for the day to explore Simon’s Town and Cape Point. Simon’s Town is home to the legendary Jackass Penguins. These penguins received their name because the sounds they make sound like donkeys! There were so many penguins everywhere and we were even able to chase a few around on the beach!

We traveled further south until we made it to Cape Point. We hiked out to the furthest point accessible to tourists and yet again were given a beautiful sight of the ocean surrounding us. We also went to Cape of Good Hope and ate lunch on the beach there. We drove back home along the coast, stopping to watch some surfers catch some waves and even rolled up our jeans to play in the quite frigid ocean!

What a breathtaking view!

Saturday morning we shopped around the local craft market and spent the afternoon soaking up some history at Robben Island. Robben Island is an island right off the coast where political prisoners were kept in seclusion and forced to do hard labor during the apartheid. Nelson Mandela was probably the most well known prisoner and lived there for 18 years of his life. In 1991, all political prisoners were freed and the island became a historical site in 1995. Our tour guide was a former political prisoner who gave us firsthand experiences! It was so interesting to tour such a big part of South Africa's history that affected the entire continent.

Sunday we packed up 10-weeks worth of living and boarded our last bus for the summer! We arrived back in Johannesburg on Monday afternoon and boarded the plane at 11:30 that night for Amsterdam. The 10-hour flight went by fast since we slept for the majority of it! We arrived in Amsterdam at 10am and were supposed to immediately board our next plane for the 11:45am flight to Detroit. However, we were informed that our flight was delayed until 3pm. 3pm came and our plane was not at the terminal yet, so we waited some more. Finally, at about 4ish we boarded the plane. We were taxiing to the runway, when a flight attendant asked over the intercom if a doctor was on board! A passenger was having a medical emergency! Thankfully, there was a doctor on board and the woman’s health stabilized. She decided, though, not to take the 8-hour flight across the ocean so we headed back to the terminal to let her get off the plane. After filling out paperwork and re-supplying the medical equipment used, the flight crew’s time had expired by FAA standards for an international flight! The new departure time was 9 o’clock the next morning! We then had to get off the plane that we had all been anxiously waiting for since that morning! But, the airline did put us in a 4-star hotel with great food, a hot shower, and a comfortable bed. While it did delay our arrival home, it was nice to get a shower and a bed for the night!

The plane left the next morning without a hitch, thank goodness, and we arrived in Detroit around noon on Wednesday. Though I had been on a 20-hour bus ride to Johannesburg, a 10-hour flight to Amsterdam, and an 8-hour flight to Detroit, the 2-hour flight to Kansas City felt like the longest! I was so eager to be home! Just ask Leslie, who sat by me on the ride home – I was antsy!

There is always something comforting and enticing about being home. And after traveling for over 3 days to get there, it made being home that much more comforting!