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| Lindsay welcomed her family to Cape Town |
I had the most amazing week. My family came to Cape Town on Friday afternoon! I have been looking forward to seeing them practically since I left especially once I really started feeling at home here, I wanted to share my same sense of pride and love for the city and area! I think they were very happy to also put a backdrop to all of these stories I have been telling them so they could start making sense of everything. And of course I loved showing off the views and true beauty of the city! They were only here for 7 days and I feel like we were barely able to make a dent in seeing all of the city. We did a tour of the city on a large double-decker bus that you see touring around any major city. They got to see and hear (as there was an audio tour accompanying the scenic ride) most of what we did during orientation which was very exciting because I was raving about that experience after my first two weeks.
The whole time they were here I was anxious about having to say goodbye again. When I was in the airport leaving for the semester we were running a little late so it was a rushed goodbye which I hated but also liked because it didn’t give us enough time to really realize what was happening. A week before they were supposed to arrive I started missing them even more I think because I knew I was going to see them soon. In class one day we went around talking about parents and family and how we’re coping with missing them and I just kind of cried to myself a little bit and when I thought I was ready to share I raised my hand to talk. My sense of preparedness was totally unprecedented. As soon as I got to the word ‘parent’ I lost it. Started hysterically crying and couldn’t catch my breath. I knew this would be an extremely hard part of the trip for me. I am very close to my family and extended family and not being home has been getting to me a little bit. All I keep thinking is thank goodness for technology. I can’t imagine doing this adventure without e-mails, facebook, or iPhones all of which allow me to communicate with my family daily.
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| Lindsay and her dad |
I didn’t realize how much I missed them until my episode in class and when I saw them for the first time again. Friday afternoon I beat them to the hotel they were staying in and waited with Erin (our RA) for them to arrive. She told me that she was coming along because she loves reunions and I think she got just as much out of the experience as I did! When I saw my mom walk into the lobby I gasped out of excitement a little bit and Erin was asking, ‘Is that her?! Is that your mom?!’ which I kind of answered with a nod, and then I ran up and gave my mama a big hug! We then went outside where my dad and sister were unloading their stuff and similar hellos ensued. Seeing them again was absolutely amazing and made me appreciate the strong sense of family that I’ve grown up with and love!
(Muizenberg beach)! It was a comforting experience for everyone. They were comforted seeing the environment in which I live and my homesickness was mollified. Goodbyes were hard to do again, especially because after 6 short days I had already fallen into a schedule of seeing them everyday and I knew getting back out of that would be hard to do and I’m still adjusting 6 days later. All in all I had an amazing time sharing my newly acquired home and life with my family and I think they were equally appreciative to learn about the history and cultures of Cape Town and the environment their little girl is living in!
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| Lindsay looks out at her newly acquired home. |
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