Sfiso.  December 2010.

Andrew and his patriotic pants.  Durban, June 2010.

Elephant mud-bath!  Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Game Reserve, April 2010.

The walk home.  Drakensberg Mountains, March 2010.

"Robot" straight ahead!  Simon's Town, August 2010.

"Look Miss Sinead!  We're Adidas!"  Siyabonga, Qiniso, and Sabelo.  St. Leo, October 2010.

All smiles in the shade.  Pomeroy, November 2010.

Zebra: stripy and hungry.  Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Game Reserve, April 2010.

Lindani.  Heritage Day, September 2010.

Sari'd!  Essenwood Market, August 2010.

One would hope that means "smooth"...?

Mean Girl Becca, ready for the Drakensberg.  March 2010.

Heritage Day at St. Leo.  September 2010.

Zebra-eye view?  Madikwe Game Reserve, September 2010.

Penguins.  Robben Island, March 2010

Field trip to Durban, March 2010.  Ayanda, Sizwe, Wandile, Lusanda, Lihle, Lindo, & others.

Because everyone loves stickers.  Especially Lungelo, Luke, Baby Sfiso, and "Shorty" (Mthokozisi).

a good year.

When I think about 2010, I feel quite short on words.  I've been asked, "So how was your year?" or "How does it feel to be home?" and of course, my year was life-changing and it feels really good to be back at home, surrounded by familiar faces and simple wonders that I will never again take for granted.

But I still feel that I haven't done any justice to the year I spent in South Africa.  I don't know how to go about telling my story, so I've decided to share some photos, maybe an accompanying story, and piece together my year this way.

The next community leaves for South Africa's sunny shores in just a few days.  I'll spend a few hours with the four of them on Saturday evening, and I feel so excited for the adventures they're about to experience, yet a part of me yearns to be stowing away and tagging along for the ride.  Now that the holidays are over and I've been reunited with the people and the country I left behind one year ago, I feel as though I should be going back-- back to school, back to St. Theresa's homework time, back to karaoke on Wednesday nights at The Highlander and Durban's beachfront and rugby matches on the weekends and Robson's delicious microbrewed beer.  Thinking about it all makes my heart hurt a bit.

As for the here and now, I'm frantically applying for jobs whenever I can in education, housing, and academic non-profits in New York and Philadelphia, and recently applied to a few graduate programs as alternatives, in case the whole employment thing remains out of reach.  I'll find something, I know-- and for now, I'm content to enjoy the snow while reminiscing about the Durban summer.

Enjoy the photos, but I'm pretty sure that there's as much for me as they are for you.  And thank you, ngiyabonga kakhulu, for keeping up with me.




P.S. I'm also back on my old blog.  Though life is not as "different" as it was this time last year, I still like to think there are things worth noting.


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