ALREADY
JUNE
…which means, one month left in South Africa!
You may
be asking, “Is she ready to come home?”
Seeing
things day to day, sometimes it feels as if the time is moving so slowly.
As I
look back on my year as a whole in South Africa, I’m not sure where the time
went.
(…As I
sit here and type about my current thoughts, I find it extremely hard to get my
feelings and emotions into words, so please bear with me…)
I think
it’s safe to say that the emotional roller coaster that I am currently riding on
is unlike any other. Some days I wake up and cannot wait to get to the school to
see my students, and other days I wake up and am counting down the days until I
can be back at home with my family. It’s a feeling that I have never
experienced before. The excitement of going back to familiarity & the
people I love the most mixed with the realization of the upcoming goodbyes that
will be made creates an overwhelming “bittersweet” sensation.
The
past few months in South Africa may have been the most challenging out of the
whole year. I found myself constantly trying to be present here at my
assignment, yet there is so much to look forward to when arriving back home.
Often times, I had to completely stop myself in the moment and remind myself
that THIS is where I am right now, and that I have been placed here for a
reason.
Having
only 11 days left of school with my students, I have come to realize how
limited my time truly is. Each day I have had with these children this past
year has been a true blessing in my life. Before coming to South Africa, I had
all these “big visions” of changing my student’s lives, and leaving an
everlasting impact on them. Instead, the roles were reversed. And although I do
believe I was able to positively influence each of their lives & education,
it doesn’t even come close to the impact they made on my own life. As I say
goodbye to each of my 16 students on June 24th and send them on their way home,
I know part of my heart will never be the same. Although I have come to realize
I may never get the chance to see all of them again, I do know that I will
forever carry a piece of each of them with me wherever I go.
On June
24th, I will also be parting ways with the wonderful teachers & staff
here at Hope Valley Farm School along with the farming community that I have
called my home since arriving here last August. Over the duration of this past
year, I have been able to build such strong friendships with all the teachers
and individuals on the farm. They have all taught me different & important
life lessons that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.
Although
I am beyond excited to return back home to my family and friends, I also am
feeling very unsettled & unsure about how the “reverse process” will go. I
would also like to take a second to simply say thank you to everyone that has
supported me throughout this journey. Your kind words, thoughts and prayers
mean more to me than I can explain.
THE HORIZON
We will
have our last day of school at Hope Valley Farm School on June 24th,
2016 (AKA a day filled with many goodbyes and tears.)
After
school on the 24th, I will pack my bags and leave the farm that I
have called “my home” for the past year in Africa. From there, I will travel
into Pietermaritzburg where I will be spending the following few days with my
reps and team members.
On
Saturday July 2nd, 2016 Team South Africa will depart for Lesotho.
While in Lesotho, we will be meeting with several different partner
organizations and seeing the kind of work they perform.
July 7th,
2016 the team will begin our road trip to Johannesburg. I will be in Johannesburg
until I fly out on Sunday July 10th, 2016. I will be arriving back
State Side on Monday July 11th, 2016.
I will
be participating in reentry orientation in Akron, Pennsylvania from the 11th-15th
of July. During this time, all the SALTers will come back together from their
year overseas to share different experiences and stories.
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