We should be home. You all should be in our arms by now, with tears shed when we saw your faces at the airport arrivals. We should hear laundry spinning, feel our carpet between our toes, enjoy couches holding our tired bodies, and smell the distinct scent of home. 

We should be celebrating and handing out souvenirs, sharing African candy and snacks we loved. You would be looking over our shoulders at photos of lions and elephants, taking in the glorious scenery that pictures can’t do justice. You’d be getting a glimpse into experiences we can’t put into words. 

Instead we are here. And you are there. We’re in another flight cancellation or delay or whatever at this point. Our hearts are so full from this trip and we are excited for the adventure of the day. But we are also filled with anxiety about the next flight arrangement, worried about going back to work, as school has already started without some of us. Money is running out. Clean clothes ran out days ago. And we miss you. If someone could let our 4-legged friends that can’t read blogs know we miss them, too, that would be great! 

We celebrated burnt toast theory just days ago. Today, we want to be home. As a group of teachers, it’s been hard for many of us to relinquish control. But, Emma and Christy have been fearless leaders and have led us through so many fires, many I doubt we are even aware of. So, we are sitting in the waiting. And for many of us, that is not a comfortable place. Some of us are content and some of us are rescheduling appointments and remaking plans. 

We visited the Two Oceans Aquarium in Cape Town today and it was fantastic! The heavy focus on conservation was refreshing to see. We got to see coral, seahorses, beautiful fish, and sting rays up close. We saw a turtle with a prosthetic on his shell that is teaching him how to balance as he swims, so he can soon swim in the ocean again. We heard the story of a rescued Loggerhead Sea Turtle who will be released in a few days once his rehabilitation is complete. 

After the aquarium we took a very wet walk in the rain. By the end we were cold, soaked, and a little more ready to go home. Some of us handled this really well and some of us needed a minute. After we (mostly) dried off we toured the Iziko South African Museum. We were able to take time and read detailed information and see exhibits about all the animals, plants, rocks, and cultures we’ve experienced while in South Africa. 

Then we got our updated travel plans. And we struggled to process. We wouldn’t be home for three more days. 

But, there was something I’d seen in an exhibit that came back to me. It was on Hominids and how our ancestors are tied to us. A caption said:

“How many struggles, celebrations, hurt, love stories, meals shared, hopes and dreams, and journeys did your ancestors experience for you to be here?” 

And it helped me reframe. We are here and so many pieces had to fall into place to get us all here right now. As hard as some of this has been, how awesome is it that we are still together in this amazing place? That we have been given time to potentially make up the things we lost, like whale watching? Lindsay’s husband said she is always so good at finding the silver lining. So, we are going to search for the silver lining and make the most of the time we are being given here. If we can’t be with our family, we are glad to be with each other. We have been sharing meals and hopes and dreams for two weeks. We will stay on this journey together. 

“It takes both sun and rain for a flower to grow.” We’ve had so much sun on this trip. A little rain isn’t going to hurt.