Right on Cue

On Wednesday night, I went out to dinner with a lovely woman named Catherine, who just so happens to be the sister of Philippa, the woman who founded TIE. And as I was sitting in the cozy, bustling restaurant in Brooklyn’s Design Square, eating a tasty rack of lamb, having an interesting conversation, I realized – I am actually really going to miss this place.

I knew, in the broad sense, that I would be sad to reach the end of this journey, but I had yet to really feel wistful or nostalgic as my last day approached. Until Wednesday night.

So, in an attempt to capture what I’ll miss most (and what I’m looking forward to coming home to), I’ve made - my favorite - a list:

What I’ll Miss About South Africa:

• Experiencing something new every day – it could be as impactful as visiting a clinic in a poor township, trying a new kind of food (I ate springbok carpaccio last night…poor little springboks), or South African English quirks (“I’ll do it just now” apparently means “I’ll do it in a little while…maybe.”)
• Meeting new people every day (and having them be interested in me) – everyone here seems to have a different story to tell, and represents a different part of South Africa’s colorful makeup. It was also, selfishly, kind of nice to have people actually get excited when I said I was from New York. Something tells me it won’t have the same effect at home.
• Actively pushing myself at work every day – every day at work was, and still is, an exercise in self-motivation and self-promotion, as I tried to get people to get invested in what I was working on and help me move things along. Things here definitely didn't come as naturally to me as they do in my work at home, but I think this renewed motivation will prove to be quite helpful back in that environment.
• Seeing things that still seem so classically “African” to me (and are seemingly leftover from village/tribal life) – I frequently see women here carrying their babies strapped to their backs with blankets, carrying huge things on their heads (like a sack of flour or a basket of oranges), and somehow there is always drumming and singing outside my window at work (in the Central Business District of Pretoria)
• The almost embarrassingly amazing exchange rate (but not the ridiculous service fees on everything from Bank of America) - bye bye fancy dinners with wine for $35
• The routine of pleasant greetings everywhere, from everyone – it is customary to smile and directly say “good morning, how are you?”/"have a nice evening” to everyone that you interact with (security guards, cashiers, people in an elevator, etc.)
• Traveling every weekend – there are incredibly diverse things to see and do within driving distance (or a very short flight) of Pretoria, and I feel like I’ve only just scratched the surface
• Lovely dry weather during the day – I know I’ve complained about the cold, but it usually hits 65 during the day, and is always brilliantly sunny with barely a breeze (and zero humidity)
• Being pen pals with everyone from home – I think I’ve kept in better touch with my friends and family while I was here, than when I’m in NYC! That is slightly depressing, actually. Must work on that.
• Updating this blog – I actually have really enjoyed blogging, even if it was a bit embarrassing at first. Maybe I’ll find something else worth blogging about once I’m home.

What I’m Looking Forward to at Home (disclaimer - some of these are silly and superficial [but true]. Hopefully I am not disappointing anyone by not joining the Peace Corps immediately upon returning home and still being my same self in a lot of ways):

• Being with my friends and boyfriend again, and being back in the same time zone as my family
• Productive yet informal meetings at work – these seem to be few and far between here. I was in a “steering committee” meeting yesterday that included a formal review of the last meeting’s minutes to ‘accept them as correct,’ people raising hands, and starting sentences with “excuse me Mrs. Chairwoman, could I ask…” Often someone will ask a question and someone else will respond with something completely unrelated, and sometimes there isn’t a real outcome from the meeting at all.
• Being surrounded by the creative people and work and resources at W+K - just having a trash can and access to a printer seems like a luxury now
• Iced coffee – there are very few real coffee shops here, and since it’s winter, iced coffee is not a thing. And I miss it.
• Summer in NYC – I know it’s been gross, and I’ve been lucky enough to miss the real heatwave, but I can’t wait to walk around the parks, get away for a few beach weekends, eat dinner outside, etc.
• Being able to be independent again – I miss being able to use public transit and especially being able to walk around on my own (at night too).
• Delivery food – call me lazy. I miss SeamlessWeb. It’s a good friend of mine.
• Finding a new apartment – this one is both scary and exciting, but I’m looking forward to it!
• Going back to yoga – the “sit at desk” followed by “sit at a dinner table” followed by “lie down in bed” routine is not the healthiest.
• Streaming video and internet that actually works – I haven’t really been able to watch anything on YouTube here (which makes me realize how often I come across video links that I want to watch) and Netflix/HBO Go doesn't work here at all. 
• The really superficial things – like having access to my full wardrobe again, getting a manicure and blowdrying & straightening my hair (although I’m sure my hair has appreciated the 5-week break from brutal heat and ceramic plates)

I’ll be back on the ground in NYC exactly one week from today.

Before that, I’m headed to Joburg this weekend to see a soccer match and explore what the city has to offer, and then hopefully making some final progress on my project in the few days that I have left next week. (A little bit) more to come!