I have left my village for the last time.
Leaving involved a lot of tears, and I think I am honestly still in denial. I have a feeling that in about 2 weeks when I finish up our Sani Pass and Sodwana Bay adventures (plans have changed yet again, haha) I will feel ready to return. Always after a few weeks of traveling I get that itch to return to my house and just relax, see my dog, and get into village mode again, and this time it won’t be an option. Getting on a plane and leaving this continent in 2 weeks might be even more difficult than leaving my village was.
It really has been an amazing two years, and as I sit in Pretoria and write this, I am reflecting on the hardships, the fun, the small successes and the great friendships that I have experienced over those 2 years and I am truly sad to be leaving.
What makes leaving South Africa so much more difficult than coming here is the sense of finality. I have every intention of coming back for a visit some day, but who knows what will happen in the near or even the far future? Knowing how quickly things change, here, how fast people themselves come and go, I know that some of my friends and family won’t be around by the time I can make it back. And that is terrifying. I hate goodbyes; saying goodbye to all of you for a mere 2 years was difficult enough, so saying goodbye for forever is even more trying.
