I have been home for just over a month and it has been a roller coaster of emotions. Overall, readjustment has been a lot easier than I anticipated. Everyone around me has been so supportive and patient with me and I truly feel that I was missed. I have been fighting the tendency to simply fall back into my old lifestyle and routines, but it has been hard. As I expected, the materialism of this society seems to bother me the most and I am annoyed by the ‘excess’ that surrounds me. It is so hard to not get caught up in it all. Some days I find myself contemplating whether or not I should get an iphone, a gym membership or update my wardrobe. And then I get angry at myself and feel guilty.
To be honest, I have procrastinated on writing a final post because it officially means the journey is over. I know the experience is never really over, as those kids pop into my thoughts on a daily basis, but the task has been accomplished and the box is ticked. So…what now? I am struggling with finding ways to incorporate what I learned and observed into my life here – both in my career and in my personal life. No doubt, Namibia and those children will be with me the rest of my life and I am so thankful for that!
I am also SOOO thankful to everyone who has supported me through this journey and read my blog. Sharing the experience this way was very helpful for me and something I really enjoyed doing. I am definitely open to discuss or meet with anyone who wants to hear more about the experience or see more of my photos.
Once again, a special thank you to my Mom, Dad, Jan, Alisa, Kayla and Jamie for their weekly emails, calls, packages and endless encouragement. Also, thank you to everyone who donated money to help make this journey happen – I couldn’t have fulfilled this dream without you.
I would like to end off by encouraging everyone to get out there and explore this amazing continent! Africa has a lot to offer, explore and teach us…
“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.” – Marcel Proust