I am a little more than a week away from boarding my plane at the Cape Town Airport and heading back home to North Carolina. My heart is both heavy and excited for my return, and these feelings only grow as the day of my departure nears. I’ve spent the last five months living on a totally different continent, and making a home for myself here. While I am sad to leave the life I lived here, I am also thrilled to see my parents and friends again, to have the familiar scent of home.
These last two weeks are filled with studying, exams, last minute adventures I need to fulfill and spending as much time as I can with the friends I’ve made here. Some I know I will see soon, and others I don’t know when we’ll ever be in the same city, let alone continent again. It’s a bittersweet feeling, the heartache of leaving a place you have grown to love and find your routine in, and heading home to the familiar. As I reflect on my time in Cape Town, I can tell you what I’m looking forward to and what I will miss.
Friends – I am going to miss every single person I met abroad. In some way, shape, or form, they had a part in this experience. I’ll always be thankful for everyone I’ve met, whether I was best friends with them or just passing, they made some sort of impact on my trip. On the other hand I am more than excited to reconnect with my friends at home, I can’t wait to hear the stories from my other friends abroad, and catch up on everything with my friends who stayed home.
Food – I’m not going to lie, I did miss some American food way more than I expected. Mostly I missed Chipotle, Cookout, and Chick-fil-a. It was tough on the days I was craving them that I couldn’t call up a friend and head that way, but it was probably for the better. That being said I found food I love and enjoyed here, such as biltong, and I know I won’t be able to get it back home. I’ll miss my favorite restaurants here and favorite meals, but I am excited to get back to my old favorites.
The City – I missed Raleigh and Greensboro, mostly because I missed my car and being able to drive somewhere familiar. But being in a different city, I have made more time to actually explore the city. I’ve visited museums, explored the city, and figured out how to navigate without my own car. It gave me a sense of accomplishment and independence, knowing I could figure out and live in a brand new city all on my own. Cape Town and Raleigh are very different, and there’s no way I can live in one without missing the other, they are both special to me now.
School – I have missed UNCG dearly; I’ve missed my friends, the buildings, my professors, but that isn’t to say I didn’t enjoy my time at UCT. It was a bit different with the protests and a University shut down, but I learned so much just by being on campus and with the students. I learned to call my dorm home and feel comfortable walking on campus. Though UCT could never replace my love for UNCG, I have found that there is enough room for both.
My experiences abroad have changed and shaped me the past few months, and I can’t wait to go home and share these experiences and changes with those I care about most. I’ll leave Cape Town with a smile and a tear in my eye, knowing I have spent my time here well, and that I have so much waiting for me when I go back. That being said, I know I’ll be back, this city has become an important part in shaping who I am, and that’s clear for most study abroad students. You find out things you didn’t know about yourself being in a new place, and school will be different when you go back. But I don’t regret a single moment from my time abroad, and I can’t wait to come back again. So until then Cape Town, cheers!