Things I will miss about South Africa...
I will miss the hospitality; the people here smile as if smiling was equivalent to breathing, effortless.
I will miss MaAfrica, oh how I love those kids, and their hearts. Though I have learned a lot from them, leaving or saying good bye has never been something that I've been good at. This is hard, my feelings are wrapped up in the future, but my mind is still trying to conceptualize today. They will forever be in my hearts, and I pray that their spirits hold hands with mines and walk with me for as long as I walk this earth.
I will miss community. Not a particular community, but just seeing community in the most pure form everywhere I go. From the townships, to the pizza place, it was obvious that community was in the hearts of those people, by the way they interacted with each other as well as with 25 American students.
I will miss the ability to be vulnerable. In a place where people are happy with God, family and self, being vulnerable was a given. You wouldn't be judged, and your past didn't walk in the door with you, therefore people were really just getting to know the real you. That felt good. Though there were bumps and bruises along the way within our group, the ability to be vulnerable presented itself in those moments. That's something that wouldn't happen at home. Most are too afraid of being judged, or afraid of their past speaking for them, and it never comes out as genuine as it could. South Africa has shown that being vulnerable, being genuine, being true even when it hurts, is the best way to grow. Therefore it's the best way to live.
I will also miss the hardships that I personally had to go through. Being here as taught me a lot about myself, and how I could be perceived, and going through those hardships has shown me how I can get past some of those imperfections. Though I am ready to share my knowledge with those at home, I feel as though I have so much more to learn. If I learned this much about myself and the world in 3 weeks, I can't help but think about where I would be in 3 months or 3 years.
Leaving is bitter sweet, I will miss a lot of things about South Africa, from the people to the plants, but I will also take a lot with me. I will go home with a piece of South Africa in my heart, and I look forward to spreading that across my many communities.
