The Circle of Life

From the day we arrive on this planet

And blinking, step into the sun

There is more to be seen than can ever be seen

More to do than can ever be done

There is far too much to take in here

More to find than can ever be found

But the sun rolling high through the sapphire sky

Keeps great and small on the endless ride

It’s the circle of life, and it moves us all

Through despair and hope, through faith and love

‘Till we find our place on the path unwinding

It’s the circle, the circle of life

Earlier this evening, I went running from my house here on Church Street up through Lower Campus at UCT, and up to the Rhodes Memorial. I’d done this run before, but something was different today. While I was running down the drive to the Memorial on my way back home, I looked out over the city, lights blazing. I could see the Newlands Brewery lit up, the Newlands Cricket Grounds in the distance, Cavendish Square bright as ever, and Claremont gearing up for a night full of UCT co-eds celebrating the fact that the term has come to a close.  That’s when it finally hit me; the term is over, the dream is ending. After 7PM tomorrow, I’ll have finished all my exams, wrapped up my junior year of college, and will have to start packing up my whole life. Except, it’s a new life.

I started thinking back to two years ago. I was lounging around at home, waiting for camp to begin so I could start working. My simple suburban life was the furthest thing from where I am now. Study abroad may have crossed my mind once or twice at that point, but I’d never really seriously considered it.

I don’t remember how I ended up coming to think seriously about study abroad, and remember even less how I ended up deciding on choosing Cape Town. I’m not one with a penchant for spontaneity, but I guess something just clicked when I thought about spending a semester in this city. I used to think that choosing GW for college was the best decision I had made. Perhaps it was up until that point, but now I can say with 100% authority that choosing Cape Town was the best decision I have ever made.

Just think, had I never come to Cape Town, first and foremost I still may not have left the United States (it still boggles my mind that the first 3 countries I can say I’ve been in besides the US are South Africa, Zambia, and Botswana). I wouldn’t have been on a safari, and wouldn’t have camped in the middle of a safari park. I wouldn’t have climbed Table Mountain or Lion’s Head. I wouldn’t have done the world’s highest commercial bungy jump. I wouldn’t have toured Paarl wine farms. I wouldn’t have dartied at Mzoli’s, and eaten meat out of a communal bucket. I wouldn’t have gone to a rugby game at the rugby capital of Africa, the Loftus Verfeld Stadium. I wouldn’t have gone cage diving with Great White Sharks, wouldn’t have seen Goldfish twice (and vowed to do everything I can to make sure they end up big in the US), wouldn’t have gone to a festival in the Karoo.

But it’s not even the big stuff, the trips. It’s the little things that have been the important things that have changed my life. I wouldn’t have been so comfortable going to places like Cybar and Pig & Swizzle, where I am an ethnic minority. I wouldn’t have spent a semester converting Rand into dollars to justify purchases. I wouldn’t have tasted a Coffee Crush from Cocoa Wah Wah. I wouldn’t have discovered the beauty of walking 10 minutes to the Jammie stop instead of walking 15 minutes up to Upper Campus, showing the world just how sweaty Americans can be.

I can even honestly say that I had a great time getting my ear cut on barbed wire. That’s a story you don’t get to have very often.

Most of all, I wouldn’t have met the incredible people I’ve met here. To think that over 150 American students independently chose to come to Cape Town, through CIEE, and to have so many of those people become my friends is astounding.  I can honestly say that I’ve gotten to know some interesting characters, but most of all some genuinely good people. We’ve talked about this a bunch, but it really does ring true: it takes a very special someone to choose to forego the typical European semester and come to a place like Cape Town, a place like South Africa.

But even more than that, I wouldn’t have met the 11 strangers I’ve spent my semester living with. At our farewell dinner, I decided to make a toast; the gist of it was that we are the Real World house. Devonshire House is made up of the 12 strongest personalities I’ve encountered in a while, but somehow we made it work. Naturally, as with every family, there were fights, but we worked those out. More importantly, there were laughs. There were a lot of laughs. I can honestly say that the hardest part of leaving Cape Town will be saying goodbye to this crazy group of people.  

However, above all else, I’m happy I can here for one specific reason. A week or two ago, I was talking with Lacey while we spent the afternoon at the Kirstenbosch Gardens, and the conversation turned to how much we’ve changed since we arrived. Lacey, one of the first people that I met on this program, told me that she’s seen me become a very different person, in the best way possible. I can’t point to the specific traits of mine that have changed, but I know that I am not who I once was. I am eternally grateful to this city for changing me.

It’s fitting that as a close this out, “Rafiki Mourns” from The Lion King soundtrack is playing. It reminds me that I spent months playing this soundtrack in an effort to get excited for my trip here. Now, I’m mourning the end of this chapter of my life. I leave here with only one regret: not holding up a baby lion cub on top of a rock formation that resembles Pride Rock. And hey, that’s not a bad note to leave on. Plus, there are still two days left, and a lot of rocks in this city.