The End.

Johannesburg was not quite the city adventure that I expected. The city itself is quite dangerous, rather large, and very cumbersome to travel around. Instead of attending all of the events we had planned, Uejin, Ben, and I spent most of our time moseying around and just observing. Somehow we made it in and out of Joburg everyday without any issues. Our biggest excursion was to the Apartheid Museum. This museum depicted what Apartheid was like for people of all races. Due to time constraints we only had two hours to spend in the museum, but I easily could have spent five hours reading all of the material provided. The rest of my stay in Johannesburg was spent reflecting on my grand adventure. My two other travel buddies and myself relived many of the great moments we shared over the past four months. Our favorite memories included safaris, our homestay families, visiting clinics, and goat slaughterings.
After five days in Joburg I had to hop on a plane to head back home to good ole Eugene, Oregon. I was excited to come home to the comforts of home, but very, very sad to leave South Africa—a country that I now love. Ben and I traveled together for 40 hours to get back to Portland where our excited families met us. We were very exhausted from the traveling and the time change, but it was still great to see our families and share a classic American meal at Red Robin.
So now I am sitting in my warm, cozy bed in America writing this blog post. I have been home for nearly three days and I am still not accustomed to home. I left 90 degree weather and an 8 pm sunset in South Africa for freezing temperatures and darkness at 5 pm in the Northern Hemisphere. Not only has the weather been a big change, but the time difference has knocked me off my feet. Today was the first day that I stayed awake the entire day with no naps—a big event for someone who is extremely jet-lagged! Despite some adjustment issues, it has been great to be home for the holidays and catch up with family and friends. I return back to school soon where I will continue with classes, lacrosse, and a Resident Assistant position. I don’t know if I’m ready to return to my duties and obligations, but time will not wait for me.
And so that is the end of my South African adventure physically. However, I am still mentally and emotionally on an adventure as I reflect upon all the lessons learned. I have enjoyed writing up my stories and sharing them with you. I hope you have found some sort of enjoyment, laughter, or even sadness in reading my stories. I would love to share more with you in real life at some point.
I love you all and thank you for your support in my endeavors.

Salani Kahle (Stay well).