A Year in Cape Town

Exactly one year ago I arrived in South Africa ... what has followed has been the most amazing year of my life. Thank you to my family for enduring the distance, to my husband for giving us this opportunity, to South Africa for charming and educating me and mostly, to the people we have met here. It is true what they say that friends are the family you choose. I feel like we now have a bunch of SA cousins, big sisters, aunties and uncles.

We are so thankful to them for opening their homes & hearts to two slightly oddball Americans! With them we have eaten new foods, learned new words and created new, life-long bonds.  They  have made what could have been a very lonely experience a rich, beautiful and fun adventure!  

And speaking of adventure -- oh my word!  There's been excavating on an archeological dig, horseback riding, hiking, ziplining and 2 safaris (with 2 more to come!)  We've traveled to the Southernmost point in Africa, driven across the country, seen whales, lions, rhinos, cheetahs, elephants and so much more.

I feel like South Africa has added to the already very diverse influences that make me, me.  I now automatically say "lekka" when something is good; "shame" and "ag" and "kak" have also been added to my everyday vocabulary ... and I can't imagine life without a good source of rusks and biltong.   I feel so grateful to have lived in a place so complex, so beautiful and that has given me so much.

In short, I feel so incredibly, INCREDIBLY lucky.  I know now that no matter where I go, no matter where Aaron and I end up, South Africa will always be a second home to us.  I know that we'll always be coming back to SA -- for Aaron's work yes, but I really hope that when we have kids they can come back and know this incredible place and get to know all their SA aunties and uncles!

I ♥ South Africa!