Kaitlyn finds the word "weird"the only way to describe being back home

Weird is the only word I have to describe being home, at least right in the beginning. Everything felt so natural of course, since I have lived here all my life, but it was all so unreal at the same time. The last four months in Cape Town became my new reality so it’s odd being back in my typical reality that surrounds me in Westbrook, CT. A few days after being home, I drove up with two of my friends to the Bronx for a Yankees Game. We were stuck in some traffic close to/right over the NY border and there was an older man selling water bottles on the highway; he was walking through the traffic, yelling that there was water for sale, and going up to car windows to sell it. My two friends were in complete shock at this man, but it was something that seemed so natural to me, given the fact that that is the norm in Cape Town. This wasn’t necessarily good or bad, but it made me come to the realization that situations like this will continue to happen often and remind me of Cape Town. I know I’ll have the urge to talk all about it, but depending on who I am with and what the topic is, I know I need to hold back some of my thoughts and feelings. It is one thing I am really trying to focus on; however, I also have noticed how easy it is to keep my trip as a whole to myself because it was four months that no one else can understand and I’ve accepted that… I just thought it would be way more difficult to do so.

My friends have changed, but so have I. It was so so wonderful seeing some people, but also so tiring. I’ve accepted the fact that most people won’t want to hear about my trip, and I honestly prefer that; it’s something I want to keep inside me, something special and unique that I’m lucky to share with my co-educators. It was refreshing explaining more details to a few people who genuinely cared, but that was plenty for me. Even my dad on the way home from the airport was acknowledging the fact that it’s just an experience that no one else can ever understand (even with him visiting and seeing so much, he still knows he cannot understand it all); it is truly indescribable and that’s just what I say when someone asks me how my semester was. I find myself constantly looking through my pictures (definitely on a daily basis), just reminding myself of my life there and how I can bring a part of it back to my life at home. I miss living with all my co-educators and owe them a HUGE thank you. I learned so much from all 16 (& Ethan) about life itself through our daily conversations, internships, class, random stories, and using them as support since being home. I love that we’re all at UConn (we’ll miss ya Kat) and I’m so thankful this program was faculty-led and set up the way it was because it allowed me to meet these amazing people that have become some of my absolute best friends whom I never would’ve known otherwise.

Since being home, numerous people have told me how I radiate happiness and look as if I’m truly loving life (both now after returning home and in all my pictures while in Cape Town). It’s been reassuring to hear that because that shows me how much my outlook on life really has changed and been noticed. My time in Cape Town taught me to truly cherish every single moment and make a serious effort to take less things for granted. Even though being home is not something I was looking forward to, it’s comforting to know that even other people can recognize my contentment with life in general, something that wasn’t fully there before this semester. I’m just a happier person and it feels great. This summer has already been crazy busy for me between my CNA class, work, and seeing family and friends, so it’s helped to distract me a little. I second what Maddy said and would easily jump on a plane to go back if I had the option, but I know I’ll make it back some day (although that might not be for a while). Being home, I can feel how I’ve changed and all the knowledge I’ve gained. I learned more about myself than I thought I could and that’s already been helpful while being back at home. I control some situations better and have a more matured, aware view of them. I learned what the true definition of love feels like. I miss the kids at Maitland Cottage every single day, but I learned so much about my future career while interning there. Being home has allowed me to fully comprehend just how much I’ve personally grown and how amazing the last four months of my life have been. Knowing that so many people out there would never even be able to fathom doing some of the things that I have done, has pushed me farther than I thought I could go; I know it will continue to motivate me to be more active in my community. I’ve seen first-hand how one person can truly affect the behaviors of another person; I want to continue to see and do that… just as Kieth Rose says, I hope to “be all things for all people to reach some.” Thank you, Cape Town, for reviving my passion for life and for the most humbling, genuine, fun-filled adventure.

The entire crew of co-educators during their first week in Cape Town

 

Kaitlyn with one of her friends from Maitland Cottage

One of the little one's who stole Kaitlyn's heart

 

                  

Sunset over Table Mountain & Devil's Peak as seen from Loch Rd

Watching one final sunset over the Mother City

Kaitlyn's decision to extend her stay was the right one for her

A new home for the final days in Cape Town

I still feel like I haven't processed what's happening. It's weird to think I'll see my dad in the airport in the morning and that I'll be sleeping in my own bed tonight. When Laura G recorded everyone saying one word in the pre-departure course, I said overwhelmed and that's still the word I would use to describe how I feel. But it's a different overwhelmed. Initially I was sad to leave friends and family, scared to be in a new place with new people, unsure of how my every day life would be in my new home, yet also so so happy and excited for the 4 months ahead of me as the timing couldn't have been more perfect. Now, this overwhelmed feeling comes from being nervous about adjusting back to life at home, not knowing how to explain my time here to the people closest to me, missing the lifestyle I had/being bored at home, and missing all of the incredible people I've met and come to love these past 4 months. 

Former RA, Ethan, becomes
flatmate for the final week

Sitting on the plane headed to JFK right now, I'm realizing how much Cape Town will always mean to me. Normally when I travel home, regardless of whether or not I'm ready to leave, I get to a point where I'm just sick of traveling and so excited to be home in my house, back with my friends and family. This time is different though because all I want is to be back in Cape Town. Laura T mentioned something in her blog that sums it all up pretty perfectly: I'm going to miss Cape Town when I return home more than I ever missed home while being in Cape Town. There were always people to miss here and there, but for me the feeling of missing others wasn't substantial enough to alter my experience or make me want to come home. 

Sara, Bongi, & Kaitlyn

This last week has been full of so many failures (for Maddy and I), but so many amazing memories too. A lot of the things we tried to fit in this week just didn't work out but that didn't stop us from changing the plans and working around each other. The view from our apartment was incredible, looking out over the city with Lions Head and Signal Hill the background. It was nice to have a change of scenery and be more in the city for the week. Maddy, Sara, Ethan, and I had a chill week and so much fun living together. We went to Stellenbosch markets, High Tea at Mount Nelson Hotel, hiked Devil's Peak, Clifton 4th Beach, enjoyed many sunsets either out in the city or from our apartment balcony, ran errands and finished up our commitments, went quad biking, and went out on First Thursday! Ethan was our personal chef for the week which was fabulous. His friend Alex, from London, also hung with us a lot of the week which was super fun. We had Marita, Vincent, Vernon, and Esme over for dinner which was so nice to enjoy one of our final nights in Cape Town with some of the most important people who made our time there what it was. 

Kaitlyn, Sara, & Maddy

I still wasn't ready to leave when the time came, but I appreciated every second of the last week I had and it made it a little easier. Saying goodbyes for a second time to some of the same people and some new people was not easy. I know I'll be back again some day, it's just hard to know when. I'm not ready to leave my life in Cape Town behind just yet, but I know the reality of life at home is going to hit hard. I do have so much to look forward to this summer and I need to remind myself of that. Life is still so amazing, no matter where I am. I'm happy I have my ubuntu tattoo as a daily reminder of these past 4 months, how I want to continue living my life, and of the person I want to be. 

Kaitlyn's final week of the program

Looking down on he Co-educators

This past week or so has been the most unreal week of my entire life and not necessarily in a good or bad way. I don’t even have words to describe most of it. After moving out of Loch Road and into the Park Inn Hotel in Newlands, the rest of my time with my co-educators FLEW BY. 

Our last week of the program was filled with many lasts, goodbyes, a few tears (happy & sad), and even more lasting memories with some of my favorite people. Last Friday was one of the best days I have had here. The upstairs crew minus Ethan (me, Maddy, Claire, Sara, Rachele, & Laura T) went to Silvermine Trails to hike Elephant’s Eye. We hiked to the Elephant Eye Cave which was beautiful and just enjoyed everything. We didn't have to rush and on our way down we spontaneously jumped into the reservoir. We met two South African guys there who we have hung out with a lot since meeting!! There's no data or cell service where we were so we were slightly stranded with no way to get a taxi or an uber.. Ethan came to the rescue, but before he came we ended up getting an uber. It sounds like any other day here, but amidst all that had been happening it was much needed. 

Kirstenbosch is one of my favorite places here, and although I didn't spend nearly enough time there, walking around it last week with Ethan and Claire was perfect. So serene and beautiful, leaving me at such peace. I went out to lunch and to Bo-Kaap with Alex to take pictures one day which was relaxing and nice to get away from the chaos of the week. Alex and I have become so close, which is one of the many things I am so grateful for from my time here. I absolutely loved sharing an internship with her and wouldn't have changed that for anything. We were able to bond and relate over it, become great friends, and now we even have a lab class together when we get back to UConn! Thanks for talking to me and listening to me vent on our two hour daily walks and rubbing your sarcastic sassiness off on me. Tuesday night was the annual thank you internship dinner at Strand Tower Hotel in the city. This was such a wonderful night, filled with so many emotions. Everyone gave such inspiring speeches that night, I wish I recorded them. It reminded me how lucky I've been to have had this experience and to have met all these incredible people along the way, some of who make this program what it is and those who have crossed my path while here. There was a feeling of thankfulness that spread throughout the room all night, a feeling I never want to forget. At one point when Maddy and I needed some fresh air, we stepped outside onto the pool deck area and leaned against the railing looking out over the city below. We couldn’t help but think about how unready we were to leave and that our one extra week ahead would give us the perfect amount of time to relax, take it all in, and accept that we actually had to go home. Wednesday was not Alex and I’s last day of internship, since we arranged to come in for the Club Foot Clinic Friday morning. The Lumineers concert was that night, and almost all of us ended up going! It was a chill concert that ended at a reasonable time; it was the perfect outing where by the end of it we all had such an incredible time bonding, singing, and dancing together. Such love was present among us and it made me so happy and grateful to be spending my night and time here with my co-educators. Thursday Maddy, Claire, and I went to the Waterfront to get lunch and finish up some last minute shopping. We waited there for Taylor and Laura T and we all went on a sunset champagne sailboat ride. Friday was everyone’s last full day together. We didn't all spend it together unfortunately, but I think everyone enjoyed it. I overslept, but still started my morning at Maitland Cottage. The Club Foot Clinic is on Fridays so Alex and I wanted to experience it before we left. I only caught the end of it, but it was so cool. We were able to help put casts on and hold the children down that were being treated. I learned a lot and in just that one morning became even closer with the other physios and interns there. When I got back, Claire, Maddy, Sara, and I went to a hotel's rooftop pool in the city which had an incredible view; it was a nice way to end our time together since Claire was leaving the next day. Shona came with us to see sunset at Signal Hill that night. The best part was that Sara showed us a rooftop to watch it on a little down the hill because the rest of Signal Hill was super packed. It was emotional, but the best way to wrap everything up. We were so close to not going, but I couldn't be happier that we did. 

Saying goodbye to everyone at the airport on Saturday continued the unreal trend of the week and was so sad. It felt weird saying goodbye, since Cape Town is something we've all experienced together this whole time. Especially given the chaos of the week, I wasn't even close to being ready to leave which is why I'm still so glad I'm still in Cape Town. This last week has helped me to accept the fact that I'm actually leaving soon and to enjoy this wonderful city with no other obligations or responsibilities in my way. 

Parks, Kaitlyn & Vernon at final dinner

Sara, Maddy, Claire & Kaitlyn

Kaitlyn's busy and rewarding weekend

I can’t believe it’s been an entire week since we came home from Joburg/Kruger! I had a great, but busy week with internship, class, homework, and lots of fun activities we are all trying to cram in before leaving. After internship on Monday, a few of us went to Langa Cultural Center to get lunch and buy pottery from the local artists. We went into the city to explore Green Market Square; Maddy and I walked around Loop Street for a little and found a few cute cafe’s that we want to go back to. Tuesday afternoon Maddy, Karen, Sara, Laura G, Laura T, Taylor, and I hiked up part of Lion's Head for the sunset and full moon. We wanted to find Wally’s Cave, but instead we found a dead end around the corner where we were able to enjoy the sunset with no other people around. When it’s full moon, there are an overwhelming amount of people on the mountain so that’s why it was so great to find a quiet spot for us to eat dinner and enjoy each other’s company. Once it started getting dark, we began to make our way back down. As soon as we turned the corner, the full moon was right above us so we stopped to take a bunch of pictures…I finally figured out how to take moon pictures on manual!! On Thursday, we accidentally found an outlet/mall in Kenilworth when we were trying to find uniforms for the Fire Fighters.

Ethan, Rav, Sara, Maddy, Kaitlyn, Bongi & Claire

This weekend, the Fire Fighters held their first annual soccer tournament! We dedicated our whole weekend to help out and do all that we could to ensure the weekend ran smoothly. We didn’t really know much about what was happening until we showed up Friday morning. Oscar, a guy we hadn’t met before, was pretty much organizing and running the entire tournament by himself. He lives in Khayelitsha does all the behind the scenes work for anything soccer related there. He is absolutely amazing and knew exactly what he was doing. Karen and Laura T came with us on Friday, which was a HUGE help! Karen was our photographer for the day and Laura T helped us out at the gate. Claire, Laura, and I stayed at the gate most of the day, charging entrance fees for people and cars, while Sara and Maddy dealt with the chaos of twenty three teams registering the morning of the start of the tournament. Saturday we brought peanut butter and jelly so that we could make sandwiches for the Fire Fighters. We walked around with Bongi, taking pictures of all the teams and supporters watching on the sidelines. We made about 60 pb&j sandwiches for the team and tournament staff and then went to go watch the Fire Fighters play in their 1 o’clock game. Bongi sat with us and a bunch of local children, many of whom are on the Junior Fire Fighters team. Bongi told us all about South African words and phrases such as “shame”, “now now”, “sharp sharp”, “eish”, and many more that I don’t know how to accurately spell. We played music, watched the game, and enjoyed the beautiful weather. Today we took a city bus to Khayelitsha for the first time, with Bongi, and it took a full hour to get there. Ethan and Nikita also came with us today! Today, I walked around a lot to take some more pictures and put my zoom lens on so that I could get action shots of the players during their games. We also got the chance to watch the Junior Fire Fighters play, since there was an empty field and Power wanted to give them some game time. Even just sitting watching the senior teams is so fun for me; it makes me miss soccer so so much. I’m so glad I chose to make this my activist project and spend a lot of my free time in this environment. We made another big batch of pb&j sandwiches for the players again today, but then left to catch the mini bus home so we could get to the grocery store before it closed. Oscar was so SO appreciative of our help; he mentioned it multiple times each day and kept reiterating how the tournament would have been a mess if we weren’t there to help. Since he did most of the general tournament organization, it was nice knowing we were able to help him be a little less stressed. We loved being there and I’m just so glad we could actually help make a difference and ensure that the weekend ran smoothly. 

I cannot wrap my head around the fact that we have less than two weeks left with everyone! Time has flown by way too fast.