I know I'll be back. I already miss it.

Well, I accomplished my goal. Fifty posts in fifteen weeks. This project has been so awesome! I have loved sharing what I learned and I am so happy for all the positive support I got along the way. This encouragement reminded me how important it is to share our stories. The more views and comments I received I felt empowered.  I knew these were messages that had to be received! I have loved writing about my insights and the challenges I've encountered and it was a pleasure to recount the great beauty I witnessed. If Cape Town was not so life changing, so unbelievable, so unique there would be nothing to write. That's not the case. Cape Town is wonderful and will leave you thinking and missing it forever.

The past few days have been bittersweet. I could not wait to come home and see my brother graduate high school but similarly, as I sit  here on the plane, I'm already missing Cape Town. I am thinking about how my learners will be at school on Monday with a different teacher. I am remembering the first lesson I taught and how exhilarating it was. I was blessed with the perfect partner, Nonty, and together we changed those kids lives. Not only did we teach them but we showed them the appropriate ways to act and how to respect other people and yourself. When I saw my kids cry, when they couldn't look at me because they knew this was the real goodbye I knew I touched their lives. I hope they know they touched mine even more. I know it is going to be a challenge balancing home life with everything I've learned and gained and it is not going to be easy. As I watch the first signs of spring and the flowers bloom I'm going to miss Kirstenbosch gardens and the beauty that nature holds. Four days ago, I watched the moon rise over Cape Town with a good friend and were in awe at the beauty of this spectacular city. She told me that she never remembers to appreciate the magnificent views and color until she leaves Cape Town and comes back. For this breathtaking beauty, I know I'll be back; I already miss it.

Saying goodbye is never easy so each time I'd think it would get easier it just got harder and harder. Our Farewell Dinner was amazing but so hard to see my friends and family go back home and knowing that in just a day I'd be home too but we wouldn't be Cape Town home. When you have relationships that feel like family and partnerships that can withstand anything leaving them just seems unfair. Our school was well represented at the dinner and we had so much fun! As we were enjoying the music and each other's company Nonty just looked at me and started to cry. She told me how much she would miss me and I just hugged her and cried too. I love her. I will always love her. It was a beautiful moment but I was so sad. Just to make things harder, Nathan (our supervisor) and Geraldine came to the airport to say goodbye.  It was so touching that they made that extra effort to come. I feel so blessed to have met the most amazing, caring people who needed to say goodbye over and over again because this didn't feel real. They said we touched their lives. Called me a shining star. Each action in our lives translates into our legacy, what we leave behind, I can only hope they know they left a hand print on my heart too. Leaving is never  easy and especially after three months that felt like a dream just came to and end it's crazy to try to convince myself this was all real life because right now I believe that this opportunity was too good to be true.  I've felt what it feels like to be on cloud nine. I've been to the top of the world and back again. Most of all, I've learned more than I even know. I imagine I'll be discovering and learning the impact of this semester for many years.

The opportunity to learn has been a great gift. I think that the two most important things that I learned this semester were that the media is extremely powerful and that language can influence us even when we do not realize it. Even more so that what I learned in the classroom, I learned about myself. I have learned that I love to plan. This is something that I already knew but that I really began to understand more when I was in Cape Town. I recognized that there is value in being an individual and I learned that I need to trust my instincts more and defend my position. Most of all, I learned that, for me, this will not be the last time I am in South Africa. As excited I am to be home I have learned to love Cape Town place and call it home too. I cannot believe how quickly fifteen weeks went by and it is incredible how much I have been able to do. I know that this will not be the last time I travel and definitely I will be coming back to South Africa again! My love for traveling has to do with my passion for understanding how other places work. Before this program I knew I wanted to see the world but now I know that this is because I love to compare and explore new places. In particular I learned that I am more inquisitive than I once might have expected.

As the plane took off on Saturday night. There were tears in my eyes. The lights shining from Cape Town  made me sad that I was leaving .  When we arrived on the ground at JFK those tears returned. It has been overwhelming to leave and just as overwhelming to come home too. It's been scary and exciting. It seems like everything is a contradiction. It's not a bad thing, it just means that this experience is not over just because I've left Cape Town. I've always adhered to the quote, "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened" and that is so true. I'm so appreciative for this experience and in one regard I miss it so much but I also know there is a world of good to be done with the knowledge I have acquired. I know that I will always have a place in my heart for Cape Town and everyone I met. I also know that this semester has given me a chance to grow and achieve and I'm so inspired to get out to my community and my family and friends and share everything I can! I will never be able to see the world without a critical eye and I know that I need to acknowledge everything because there is value in even the toughest days of our lives. I am lucky to have spent time in Cape Town and although at many points I wished it would never end, I know that I have an obligation to be the best I can be and never stop working for a better world!

Dear Cape Town,

You will always be my second home. Your beauty will always leave me breathless and your vibrant community will keep me thriving forever! This has been the most unbelievable time and you have no idea how much I've been challenged and how much I've learned. You make Ubuntu look easy and history real.

 Forever Yours,

Melissa