Home.

The concept of what “home” means has been in the forefront of my mind recently, as more and more, I am thinking of Cape Town as just that. As the plane flew in from Joburg to the Cape after my week of travelling, I let out an audible sigh of relief and whispered to myself, “It’s good to be home.” To be back in my bed at 2 Kimberely Road, a place I had embraced hesitantly at first, I now pined for. How I love the unique houses I pass on my way to Qwik Spar, the grocery store down the street. How beautiful and cozy are the coffee shops and cafes I pass on my daily run through the neighborhood. Until just yesterday, I had always run with headphones in, drowning out the sound of minibus taxis honking all the way down the main road, the laughter and yelling of school age children waiting to go home. But yesterday, I ran unplugged, unrestrained by the upbeat music I kept pace to. And I had the best run of my time here so far. I’m not sure if it was the route I ran, dodging traffic, zigzagging my way through the neighborhood streets. But something about it felt comfortable. I have become ‘comfortable’ in a foreign country, so comfortable that I fear for the day I must leave the place I lovingly refer to as home. I am constantly finding more things to love about this city, from the number of markets to the colorful houses that scream “Rainbow Country” just 10 minutes away. I am continually reminded by God’s presence here through the beauty of both the landscape and people.

After weeks of indecision, I recently moved service sites to an NGO called FCW. It stands for Western Cape Foundation for community work. I have done more in the past 2 weeks than I have in the previous 2 months. The organization works with early child development, empowering members of townships to teach friends and neighbors to prepare young children for primary school. From day one, I have felt at home at FCW, and have been taken under the wing of the women in the organization. The ‘aunties’ I call them, teach me Afrikaans, treat me like a daughter, and push me to succeed and think in way I have yet to do here in Cape Town. I have the amazing opportunity to be a part of the research team responsible for creating assessment tools to track a child’s progress, and have been fortunate enough to visit the communities in which the organization works. I come from service everyday with a smile on my face, excited to come back.

I believe it’s been a combination of things that have made Cape Town feel like home, from the people I’ve met, to my housemates themselves. But I consider myself incredibly blessed to grow and learn from every conversation, interaction, and experience abroad. Though I only have 2 months left, I am confident my experience will only continue to render me speechless.