Maddy has not wasted one second of her time here

It is really hitting me hard this week that time here in Cape Town is running out and yet we still have so much more to do on our trip. The number of things we have done in the short period of time we have been here is insane. I really have not let one second go to waste and I wouldn’t want it any other way. I am also so glad that I have extended my trip an extra week to be able to enjoy my last week at internship without worrying about rushing to fit in last minute plans we didn’t get the chance to do or want to do again before leaving. Instead, I will be able to live in the moment more, and enjoy my last week at my internship knowing I will have a full week the following week to finish up seeing things we have not yet seen and going back and doing things we loved the first time. It still amazes me how much there is to do in one city. I feel as though every day I discover something new that I didn’t even know existed and every single time I go somewhere or do something I always say, “We have to make sure to come back here again before leaving”.

Add caption

It does kind of bother me that through social media, all of my friends and family see all the fun touristy things I get to do all the time but I still want them to be able to understand that we do so many more meaningful things here than what they see on Facebook. I love how all of us have become so close in such a small period of time. We have become a little family and I could not imagine life without them anymore. I feel like we are so lucky to be able to go home and still have each other at UConn. I’m glad that I get to go back to UConn with 16 other people that have shared this experience with me because it will be so nice to have someone who can connect with me and know what we have done here. Even though I have told people about my internship, activist projects, classes, and other parts of my daily life that is not part of life in the US, I don’t know how they will fully understand the experiences we are having because I know I wouldn’t be able to fully understand someone else’s encounters on a different abroad program. I do want people at home to know, though I share pictures doing the most amazing and fun things, the things that have impacted me the most, and also the things I enjoy doing the most here is being emerged into their society, working among the people at my internship and activist projects. I just don’t have as many pictures of these things because it is my daily, routine life when here. Right now, I can’t imagine leaving my internship and never seeing any of those people again. The whole thought is too weird for me to comprehend right now so I don’t want to think about it until leaving Cape Town actually becomes closer.