We’ve been back a week now and I thought I would have all these stories to tell, but when people ask about my trip they want a one or two sentence description of what I spent five weeks doing. I can’t give them that. I can say it was eye opening. I can say it was fun. But no one can really grasp the experience without hearing more than a second or two about what I did.
It’s strange; I expected to feel differently coming back. I expected to have interesting realizations about where I live and how I live, but I haven’t. What I’ve realized is that every country is different. I’ve noticed that no matter what country I go to I adjust to the way their country lives and as soon as I return home I readjust. I got off the plane and even though I noticed that we weren’t in South Africa any more, it didn’t feel strange to be back. I think the reason I adjusted so quickly when we returned is that we spent such a long time traveling home. It’s like going through an ante-chamber before entering a new room. You acclimate and adjust before you get all the way into the new situation.
I realized by the time we got back to Chicago that I was actually going to miss being in South Africa. I was so excited to get home and see my friends and family again that I wasn’t thinking about all the things in South Africa that I would miss when I got home. As soon as I got back every little thing reminded me of different days and experiences we had in Cape Town. Whether it was eating Malva pudding, shopping at Greenmarket Square or working at Christel House I felt like everywhere I turned when I got home reminded me of something from Cape Town. I love being home, but I think Steve was right when he said that no matter how we try to explain it, no one will quite understand how Cape Town really is until they go.
