Changes

The past week has been a bit of whirlwind for me and I’ve only just started getting my head together. I left Cape Town on Sunday morning and reached Namibia being told that I wasn’t allowed to return to South Africa for a while. I only had a bag with a weeks worth of clothes and was feeling pretty unprepared. I cried a lot and tried to make sense of the situation and decide what to do next; although I had no desire to leave South Africa I decided that this obviously happened for a reason and someone, somewhere wants me to go to new places. I considered travelling around southern Africa for a few months before going home but I knew I’d feel so close to Cape Town and it would hurt too much to not be able to go. I’d also love to see more of Africa with Callum or a friend because not having someone to reminisce on your adventures with is really hard. So, Africa was out of the picture but so was flying anywhere that passes through South Africa. Which is 99.9% of flights leaving from anywhere in southern Africa. Oh. Multiple trips to different embassies and high commissions resulted in me being none the wiser of my situation so I used my common sense and thought flying directly to Europe (there is only one flight, Windhoek to Frankfurt) was the safest option. I always feel really grown up when I book a plane or train ticket without any assistance from mum and dad, this time was no exception and being alone in Africa and going to a different continent was a new experience. I’m 19, in Namibia for the third time with no clue what was going to happen next.

Luckily I was joined by Ottilie and Chelcie on Tuesday. They both were volunteers (GAPs) at Otjikondo in 2011/2012, the year before Fran and I arrived. I’d met Ottilie last summer when she’d visited Otjikondo again but I’d never met Chelcie, despite many facebook conversations and a few stalks. They both cheered me up massively and helped me see the positive of the situation. That evening we went to Joe’s Beerhouse for meat and some free drinks. Yesterday I booked my flight to Frankfurt for Monday evening. A few more days in Namibia then a the long journey to Germany, ahh! I have no plans for when I arrive so if you have any suggestions please let me know!

Wish me luck guys

Mary x