Leaving on a jet plane

I'm sitting in my room in Cape Town right now and I can't help but feel caught in the middle of excited to go home and share my experiences with anyone who is willing to listen and never wanting to leave. My bags are mostly packed....having packed baggage seems to be a final indicator of departing a place that I don't want to leave. After our farewell brai (bbq), it became apparent how much I'm leaving here. In a lot of ways, Cape Town has provided a new kind of security; though it's half way around the world I still oddly feel right at home. 

As I reflect on my experiences and what I am taking away, I can honestly say that I didn't do this place justice. 3 weeks of trying to understand the ins and outs of an incredibly complicated issue isn't enough. My time here was basically a time for me to get my feet wet, but I'm leaving this country wanting to dive in head first. 

All in all, despite how short my stay has been, I know that I've gained some incredibly valuable insight on the issues of leadership in a cross cultural context. I've learned that I can't expect to go to a place and simply "fix" things. As Kevin Winge said in his book, you have to enter a country right, not wanting to correct the seeming mistakes that a culture may make; it's more important to gain an understanding of the way in which people do things and serve others as a result. 

There are a great deal of things that I will miss about this entire experience. The bonds and sense of security I have acquired among my fellow classmates will be missed. It's not that we won't see each other or talk once we get back to Minneapolis, I'm sure the friendships that I have formed here will last a very long time, however, I will miss the conversations, the laughter, and mostly the mutual understanding of the elements of change and progress. 

This truly has been the time of my life, but I think it's time that I start packing. Thanks for reading.