Telling people from home that I wanted to go abroad was very interesting. While some people thought it was really cool that I was going, others were a bit judgmental. It was shocking, honestly. Some people would ask, “Why AFRICA?”. Some would be shocked that I was leaving for so long. Some people thought it was strange that I was going when I had a long term boyfriend. Some people wanted me to change my mind. Honestly, the more drama there was involved with me going abroad, the more I wanted to go. Then there were those that were nothing but excited for me, and supported me 100%.
The worst part was getting everything together. Getting the VISA was incredibly stressful. After much struggle of giving the South African embassy what they needed, I was told that I would have to come back to pick it up on the 27th of June, one day before my departure. I was stressing out because when I would email them and call them to double check that it was ready (I live in a different state than the embassy, and it took quite some time, effort, and money to get there), no one would answer. However, when at the embassy, it went much smoother than it did the first time there. After many months of preparing and anticipation, The day of my departure (June 28th) had come. I am not sure what I was feeling at the time. I was extremely excited to be leaving. I was a little sad that I would be missing the summer with my friends. I had no expectations about South Africa or what it would be like, and I had no idea what the future months would hold. I was excited about many many things. I was excited about being in a new country, learning about a country and a continent I knew little about, being truly 100% on my own without knowing a single person, and meeting new people from all over the world. Everything felt a bit unreal when leaving. Since I am a fan of traveling, I was accustomed to being on planes for a long time. This felt like any other time traveling alone. It was not really sinking in that I would be gone until November.
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AuthorFact: I love plane rides. They're exciting to me, and I love the adventure that goes along with it. |