As I sit in the airport in Cape Town, I am reminded of that film with George Clooney where he is basically most at home when he is travelling. Other than reminding me a lot of my brother I have also realised that for me too I find something very comforting about airports. I have had some conversations here about being grounded or rooted or feeling some sense of belonging. I know that for many nomads such as myself, especially those who have grown up with moving about a lot, that feeling of belonging is lacking and it can cause difficulties in so many different ways in adult life. Perhaps all the moving around makes airports very comforting because they are all essentially the same and things work in the same way. However for me I think that I find my belonging in my faith in an unchanging loving God, the relationships I have and the families that I am welcomed into. I love the sense that I don’t need that much “stuff” or even a home to go back to after travelling because I feel home and settled wherever I am welcomed into a home and family.
So as I sit and reflect on my time in Cape Town (and mentally write a list of things to do the next time I come (hopefully it will be possible)), I want to first thank as deeply as I am able my lovely family and friends in Cape Town (you know who you are!) who have made my stay here so wonderful. Your generosity has bowled me over and I will treasure the memories.
And what of those memories?!
Teaching the children lots of ways to be irritating and learning new youth slang (I will practice, E!); being conquered by death by chocolate cake from Charly’s Bakery;
flying a kite together with hundreds of others at the kite festival in Muizenburg;
seeing whales swim and jump (and not just the ones on the glass!); finally taking the scary plunge of renting a surf board and wetsuit to go surfing all on my lonesome in Muizenburg when the wind could no longer be my excuse to stay away;
baking the richest brownies, chocolate chip cookies, muffins and banana bread and seeing it all devoured within seconds; drinking beautiful wine (why not?);
the deep and honest conversations; walking up to the lighthouse and to the tip of Cape Point and watching I catch lizards;
playing squash with C and not getting too embarrassingly smashed!; braais with perfectly cooked meat; the most divine breakfast at Starling and Cafeen (although I would still like to work my way through the menus at both!); lunch at Rhodes Memorial with D, C and J;
playing speed scrabble, wii sports, and speed with the children; debating the possibility of time travel, mass, mind, body and soul with I...
Thank you all so much! Will miss you! Remember that you are all stars!
And now the next adventure awaits...will it be thai cooking, yoga, massage, and adventure activities or will it be a time to help people recover from the awful flooding that is going on? Only God knows and whatever happens it will be a great adventure...better learn some Thai!
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