So, here I sit once again in an airport with nothing to do but think. I cannot believe that I have left Stellenbosch, my home for the last 5 months. I don't believe that I will never return there to the place as I knew it, and even if I do one day decide to vacation there… the people I love will no longer be there to play with. I am going to miss it soo much, but I am terribly excited to see mom and Bryce in the airport at the end of the day. Where is the median when I can have both my South African loves and the ones from home. I guess you can't have everything though.

My last night in Stellenbosch I sat out common room like usual, with the people who had not already left for some trip around the continent (Elaine, Kate, Timmy, Hans-gerog, and Leigh). We ate our usual dinner together and talked for the last time about whatever random thing we could come up with. Then Timmy and Hans decided that we could not do this on my last night… so we packed up and went out to Brazen Head (My favorite bar in Stellies). We got there at around 9pm and proceeded to not leave until 1:30am. In that time Nico, Amre, Timmy, Hans, Mike, Chris Smith, and a few other random American girls all enjoyed the evening. A bit of it is a blur but long story short we chatted, drank, I drew on people (allowing everyone to wake up with random writing all over their bodies, flirted a bit at the bar to get more free drinks, had some heart to heart conversations, stole some pizza (*cough*Mike), and walked home as the bar closed barefoot (it was my last night in S.Africa so I refused to wear shoes out). It was the best last night that I could have asked for.

The last day was a long line of cleaning, errand running, and goodbyes. Out of all of them, though, I would have to say Amre and Nico's parting was the worst. I had left the flat with Elaine to get coffee in town and up walk my two favorite compadres. It turned out that they had gone to my place looking for me, and after some asking around found out where we would be. They had a test that evening and knowing that they needed to lock themselves in the library (since I had kept them busy the rest of the week, allowing for no studying to happen), and needed to say goodbye. So we drank our drinks for as long as we could, until it got to the point where denial was no longer an option. So, I walked them to the old Ford car and we hugged twice each. We all started tearing up (I chose to hide it till they drove away), and said that this could not be goodbye. I know that I will see them again because I refuse to believe that our adventures together are over. They are amazing individuals who cannot leave my life forever.

I will miss my friends the most, as I feel that there is nothing left for me to do in S. Africa. I have had an amazing time and would be happy to live there forever with them in out little bubble. But things change and with that I must enter into another chapter of my lie where the old one must end with tears and goodbyes. I hate that it seems to always happen this way, but there is much to do back home and many people I miss too much to not return to. South Africa will forever be the life changing experience of my college life, and I am so happy that I had to opportunity to have it. Cheers!

Later that day….

So I read through all of the testimonials which my lovely flat mates/ people who don't live there but frequent the common room enough to be considered 3rd floor residents wrote. I don't know exactly how it happened but I has described independent (something I have always tried to be, but believe to have failed at), hippie (thanks mom), a leader ( I blame fellows for that one), and a bit of a homemaker (if you patch some jeans and make a few yummy foods then it's Martha Stewart time). Anyways, I am so happy to know that in my time there I have made such a good impression on my friends and that we part with nothing but amazing things to say about each other. They are a truly amazing bunch of girls and I will miss them terribly. I have never clicked with girls so fast and with that I am extremely lucky to have happened into their flat last January. I know that I will see them again, and while I will not be getting the daily rundown of their lives… technology will keep us as close as possible.

A Person is a person through other people - motho ke motho ka batho ba bang

- as quoted from Mike Leslie