Reflecting On My Trip To South Africa...

So, I've been back for a few days now and, even though I've been really sick ever since (You do not even want to hear about my embarrassing encounter with a student doctor yesterday... Basically, I held his hand for a little while because it was cold and I was too hot. That sounds worse than it was and it's not even the only embarrassingly inappropriate thing I did but it's the only one I can bring myself to type. I hope he has a very successful career in whatever field he chooses to go into), I haven't stopped wishing I was back in South Africa. People were incredibly friendly and I felt welcomed and loved at the schools I visited. The food was incredible and I enjoyed singing and dancing with loads of people at Dloko on Valentine's Day and again the day after. I really hope I get to go back there someday (Hopefully, within the next couple of years).
I went to South Africa thinking that I probably wasn't going to like it very much but at least I would have the experience and left South Africa wishing I could stay. It's something I would recommend to anyone. I don't feel that the trip has changed me necessarily (at least, not in any major ways) but I do feel that I've come away from it a little braver and a little less scared of change and trying new things (I tried octopus, for example, while there. Didn't like it. Kinda chewy and a bit rubbery. Not that I've eaten rubber but you get what I mean. At least I tried it though. That's the point). Last week, I sang in front of groups of people, which is something I'd never done before and had always been afraid to do. On Friday, however, I willingly sang several different songs to a group of girls at Zwelibanzi High School. This may not seem like a big deal but, to me, it is. At the beginning of last week when I first went to Zwelibanzi High School, two girls asked me to sing for them and I wouldn't do it for ages because I found it too scary. When I finally did sing, it wasn't for long and I was very quiet. Five days later, I was singing in front of those same girls and a couple more people. I was proud and happy and I loved it. It's amazing how much one person can change in the space of a few days. Although, I stick to my statement that I haven't changed much in other ways. I'm still the person I always have been, I just think I'm a little more open-minded than I was before. I feel like I'm contradicting myself a little but, seeing as I'm the only person who will ever read this (probably. Don't see why anyone else would want to. I'm not a particularly interesting person), I feel like I'm allowed to as I understand what I'm trying to say. Here are a few pictures of my trip...

I really, truly hope that I get to return one day and do some more volunteering and meet up with some of the friends I made whilst over there. It was an unforgettable experience and it has a very large room in my heart (apparently, my heart is like a house). It was the best of times... it was the worst of times...