I can't believe that it was 6 years ago that I was preparing myself for a multitude of sad goodbyes to so many incredible friends that became my family in only 11 short months. At that time, I had declared that South Africa became my second home and I still feel the same today. I have never forgotten over the past several years the impact that South Africa made on my life. It hasn't been exactly easy keeping connected to all my friends but with today's technology and Facebook I've been able to keep in touch with many friends and stay current with their lives and them with mine.
There has been a lot of changes that have happened in those past 6 years for myself and for my South African friends; marriages, babies, school graduations, new jobs, relocating and a few other changes. I myself, finally learned to drive and purchased my first set of new wheels, returned to college, and successfully graduated with an Educational Assistant-Special Needs Support diploma, and found employment with a local school board as a casual educational assistant and employment with supporting adults with special needs.
This new career was inspired from my MCC SALT placement at Gateway Christian School (GCS). I remember during my time at GCS, the time I spent in the Grade R (Kindergarten class), realizing that a few of the young students needed some extra help with their sheet work, and the feeling that I wish I could give them more support and techniques to make learning easier. I had realized that GCS, and other poorer South African primary schools lacked in certain educational resources and 1:1 ratio of teacher:student support. Class sizes at GCS, were typically 30 students to one teacher, which really makes it challenging for a teacher to spend much time to those students that really needed the extra help and support.
These past 6 years weren't always easy and I was met with various challenges and struggles. When I had left South Africa, I hadn't fully realized the full impact my South African friends had on me, and when saying my goodbyes back then I was only fixed on the anticipation of reconnecting with my family and the family trip that awaited for me after debriefing at the MCC headquarters.
Transitioning back home to regular first world living after living in South Africa for 11 months, I endured some very low moments in my life that many friends nor family may not have realized. I returned home to adjusting to not getting to share any of my South African stories and photos with my Grandmother. My Grandmother, was a huge spiritual influence in my Christian life and I still miss her today. But , I had to also adjust to returning back to my home church congregational pastor having moved to another town to pastor at another Mennonite church. A church pastor, who had been apart of my spiritual journey for 17 years!
Not only with adjusting with losing my long time home pastor and my grandmother's passing I struggled with returning back to my job at our local coffee and donut shop, a well known Canadian coffee chain called Tim Hortons. Before leaving for my 11 month MCC SALT placement in South Africa, I had told myself that I didn't want to come back to working at Tim Hortons, but I realized after coming back that it was much easier to return than to job search a new job and my old position was waiting for me. However, the first several months back at my old Tim's job was the biggest challenge of all of transitions. I deeply missed my Project Gateway and Gateway Christian School family. The personal relationships that I had developed overseas were clearly different than the relationships of those I worked with at Tim's. I clearly remember fighting back tears so that my co-workers couldn't see how much I was struggling, tried to put a smile on my face and find some form of joy and contentment to make my shift go easier.
Over time and several months I gradually adjusted back to my old self. I realized that I needed to work on my goals I had written down before leaving South Africa: 1. get my drivers licence, 2. apply to college, 3. graduate and find employment in the field. And I started to realized as I was working towards my goals that the long dark tunnel that I had felt I was traveling through after coming home was getting shorter and I could start to see some light at the other end. I had gone through what some people would define as reverse cultural shock, something I had never anticipated with coming home after living and serving overseas.
Today I can say I'm happy, I'm working in a job I enjoy. I job that brings me joy, and where I feel I'm meant to be, well most days with exceptions of random crazy days. A job where I'm constantly learning and using the skill's I've obtained from schooling and experience.
So why do I keep saying 6 years? It will be 6 years for me to finally get a chance to travel back to my beloved South Africa for a month visit. A place to reconnect with old friends, share those long ago memories and create new ones. A chance to possibly give back to those that gave me so much those 6 years ago. The trip back will not be easy since there is a very close friend who is no longer living on this precious earth of ours. But a very rewarding, and much needed trip to reconnect and meet so many of the new babies and especially my 5 year old God Daughter!
