We just had the last day of "midterm break," aptly named because it is a week-long break mid-way through the first trimester. Wow. Mid-way through the first term. It simultaneously feels like I have been at Waterford for a year and for two weeks. I think that is just the way time is.
For midterm, I was invited by my friend (coincidentally also named Georgia and over 6' tall) to go to Plettenberg Bay (Plett) in South Africa with her family. Two other Waterford students also came: Anouk from Norway (and also kind of Germany but it's complicated) and Hadit from Colombia.
We left for South Africa on Thursday afternoon. Driving to Georgia's house in Johannesburg, I saw mountains that reminded me of home, forests that were obviously just for timber, townships that sprawled for miles, beautiful houses, walls hiding those beautiful houses, and a gorgeous sunset behind the city's skyline.
The next day, we left for Plett and arrived in paradise. No, literally this place looked like a commercial for a beach vacation. We spent the next three days eating incredible food (Georgia's dad is an excellent cook), swimming in the ocean and lying on the beach, sleeping and resting and napping, hiking, and laughing ... we laughed constantly.
Now, I am back at Waterford feeling refreshed. I am super grateful to the Baileys for hosting me and it was great to spend time with a family (Georgia's three siblings and dad were with us). It made me miss my family!
I have to take a step back though. This was my first time in South Africa and I saw only the tiniest sliver of the country. I spent the majority of my time in an extremely wealthy, white area and stayed in the nicest part of Johannesburg. I had an incredible time, and I have to keep everything in perspective and remember the complexities of this world.
For midterm, I was invited by my friend (coincidentally also named Georgia and over 6' tall) to go to Plettenberg Bay (Plett) in South Africa with her family. Two other Waterford students also came: Anouk from Norway (and also kind of Germany but it's complicated) and Hadit from Colombia.
We left for South Africa on Thursday afternoon. Driving to Georgia's house in Johannesburg, I saw mountains that reminded me of home, forests that were obviously just for timber, townships that sprawled for miles, beautiful houses, walls hiding those beautiful houses, and a gorgeous sunset behind the city's skyline.
The next day, we left for Plett and arrived in paradise. No, literally this place looked like a commercial for a beach vacation. We spent the next three days eating incredible food (Georgia's dad is an excellent cook), swimming in the ocean and lying on the beach, sleeping and resting and napping, hiking, and laughing ... we laughed constantly.
Now, I am back at Waterford feeling refreshed. I am super grateful to the Baileys for hosting me and it was great to spend time with a family (Georgia's three siblings and dad were with us). It made me miss my family!
I have to take a step back though. This was my first time in South Africa and I saw only the tiniest sliver of the country. I spent the majority of my time in an extremely wealthy, white area and stayed in the nicest part of Johannesburg. I had an incredible time, and I have to keep everything in perspective and remember the complexities of this world.
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