Yesterday I went to a fashion exhibit with one of my old friends here in Cape Town. Upon arrival, my friend quickly said hello to anyone and everyone at the exhibit. (Note: She’s the kind of person who can make friends with a rock so the fact that she knew the vast majority of people here didn’t surprise me) As I was following her around this meet and greet session, I soon realized that not one, not two, but THREE of the people I met that day were past participants of the same program that I was on in 2008. All of their stories were the same….”Well, I just loved Cape Town so much and everything it had to offer so as soon as I graduated, I moved back.” Guess I’m not the only American college student to fall in love with this place J They were all here for different reasons---one was working for a magazine, one just travelling around SA for a year, and the other a micro-finance company.
It got me thinking though….actually, I’ve been thinking about this idea every since I arrived: Why Cape Town?
Why not St. Louis? Or New York? Or India? Or Brazil? Or Idaho? Or some other random place on this beautiful globe? Why am I drawn to Cape Town? Why is it this city, in this country, on this continent? I still have yet to really determine why this place, but I’ll give you a few of the things on my list that I’ve been compiling since my arrival in August.
Maybe it’s because of….
-the dynamic and diversity
-the plethora of cultures (diversity to the extreme)
-1st world/3rd world
-mountains/oceans
-city/rural
-black/white/coloured
-shopping malls/markets/stalls
-street cleaner machines/cows and goats
-the needs of the culture are so stark and real
-the excitement of a rebuilding nation—there is so much potential here and I want to be a part of it, the turbulent history marked with unprecedented forgiveness and reconciliation just blows my mind!
-the simply awe of the landscape—Table Mountain with the Atlantic Ocean on one side andthe Indian Ocean on the other side
-the outdoor-ness of the culture (hiking, biking, swimming, surfing, running, etc)
-I can hop on a train and be at the beach in 30 minutes!
-the vibrancy of the township community—their volume (LOUD!) allows me to fit in J
-time isn’t an issue---TIA (This is Africa), things happen on their own time, it’s very laid back here
Or maybe because this place is associated with a high growth period in my life and therefore holds a high significance. Maybe because I am challenged daily to understand a new world and in that new world, I must determine who I am, what I will stand for and how I will spend my time. The possibilities are endless. Not only am I learning about the business world, nonprofit organizations, office culture, but I am learning about the culture of poverty, community development, and fundraising, the challenges and joys of education, mentoring, and so much more. Living with people from all over the world gives me the opportunity to not only learn about South African culture, but that of Denmark, Mexico, Ukraine, and Germany.
Maybe I’m just addicted to learning about new cultures or being challenged beyond my comfort zone, I don’t know. I really don’t know why God drew me to this place, but I do know that he has put a special place in my heart for Cape Town and I would be wrong to ignore it. The only thing I can do now is to live every moment and every day to the fullest. When it comes down to it, it really doesn’t matter where you are in the world or in life, the important thing is to embrace where you are and love those around you with everything you have.
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