SUCH a late post—my
apologies! December flew by and January did too as I rushed to start
the new year off with some projects and work!
My moms visit was
absolutely AMAZING! I can't believe it has already been two months
since she boarded that plane to South Africa.
I met her at the
airport with two of my PCV friends, and we went to a nearby hotel and
relaxed by the pool for a couple days so she could recover from the
long flight. It was so crazy to see her with South Africa in the
backdrop, I guess mentally I had just separated home and Peace Corps
life so much that it was startling to me at first.
After the first
couple days which were filled with lots of beer, catching up, and
laughing, we drove to my training village, Mosesetjane, about 3 hours
away from Johannesburg, to see one of my best PCV friends, MJ, and my
old host family from training almost a year ago. We had a wonderful
time catching up with them, giving them gifts for the holidays (lots
of Lakers and LA apparel) and they were so excited to meet my mom.
It was also great to see how quickly my mom clicked with MJ, as she
is super important to me. I felt like we all became family within
hours haha. The following day, we were off to another village, except
this time it was my site! We arrived at my site in the early
afternoon, and relaxed with the family and had a braii (South African
commonly used term for bbq) with my family and some of my close
friends in the community. A lot of PCVs that live near me also came,
so I was so glad my mom got to meet all of them! We brought lots of
coloring books, clothes, makeup, candy, and treats for my family and
they absolutely loved spending time with us. I was so happy my mom
got to see where I lived, bond with some of my best friends in Peace
Corps, and get at least a small taste for village life. It meant a
lot to me that she was able to have that experience!
Sadly, I have no
photos from that day because near the end of our trip my mom lost our
camera. STILL upset about it but at least we have the memories and
some photos of the other experiences!
After briefly
traveling throughout Limpopo and Mpumalanga, we were off to Victoria
Falls, Zimbabwe 2 different parts of Botswana for safaris, and ended
in Capetown.
All I can say about
this part of the trip is I am such a lucky girl. I was absolutely
spoiled the entire time! It was so much fun to be in the middle of
nowhere relaxing with my mom for almost 2 weeks and I know the trip
is something we will never forget. I think the pictures speak for
themselves but all I can say is, the animals were great but nothing
really beat the company and knowing my mom was always just a few
footsteps away!
Saying goodbye was
one of the hardest parts of my service thus far. Yes, the beginning
was super emotional, but everything was so new. This time, when she
arrived, I subconsciously felt like I had finished my service, I
think because I associated her with home, and home with being done. I
was a wreck when we said goodbye at the airport (still makes me
choked up even typing about it), but I wouldn't take back her visit
for anything and I am so thankful she decided to come all the way out
here.
The pictures from
this trip speak volumes, and are way more exciting than my
description so enjoy! You will see photos from the falls, our safari,
wine tasting in Capetown, hiking Table Mountain, limited pictures of
the visits with our host family, etc. I hope you enjoy!!
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