Two Years

March 22, 2015

On a beach in Mozambique, sometime in early 2015.

Today marks exactly two years since we arrived in South Africa. I remember when we first started toying with the idea of moving here, how long two years seemed. And then, when we first arrived and people would ask me how long we've been here, I remember thinking that I looked forward to the day when I could say we've been living in Africa for two years. I wanted to know what it would feel like, and to have that experience as part of our story. 

Now that it's actually here, and we've called South Africa home for no less than two years, I'm struggling to figure out how to explain what it feels like. These types of posts are not easy for me to write, because it seems that no matter what I write, it comes out all wrong. I either over dramatize the experience or don't do it justice. Or both. Eish...

Year one was all about baby steps to set up our lives in South Africa and formulate our new reality. Year two, on the other hand, was all about big leaps and settling into life here. We ticked a lot of items off of our bucket-list in year two, we welcomed a lot of visitors, we made some big life decisions, and we truly lived in South Africa.

Being able to tackle bucket-list experiences was a huge reason we wanted to live here in the first place, as it provided the chance for us to have these idyllic destinations a stone's throw from us. In addition to loads of local travel, we also visited eight different countries during our second year here: Mauritius, Réunion, Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya, Botswana, Madagascar and Mozambique. M calls it a whirlwind, I call it efficient :)

Not only were there big trips for us in the last twelve months, but also for some of those closest to us. We welcomed three different sets of visitors, who spent a combined total of over 16 weeks in South Africa during our second year here. From watching elephants at a waterhole from a sundeck in Zimbabwe with my parents, to sipping wine and eating delicious food in the Western Cape with M's parents, to kayaking with breaching whales with close Calgary friends, we truly enjoyed sharing our life in this stunning part of the world with them.

Through the process of settling into life in South Africa, we realized that two years was not going to be enough time for us, and taking a trip back to Canada was an opportunity to put this realization to the test. We had our first trip back to Canada after having been away for nearly a year and a half. This was a chance to not only reconnect with family and friends, but also a chance to see how it felt to be visitors in our home country. We loved being home and having our fill of Starbucks, talking hockey and driving on right-hand side of the road with our windows down. But, it reiterated that in all aspects of our lives, it felt like we'd be leaving unfinished business if we were to pack up after the two-year mark. And so, we made the decision to extend our stay in South Africa for another year.

The thought that we have another year to soak in this experience (and be away from snow...), feels freeing and reassuring at the same time. The part I am most looking forward to is just being here and seeing where that takes us.

I saw this artwork in Maboneng at Arts on Main a while ago (and yes, they gave me permission to take a photo of it); I love the message, the colours, and the randomness of it all together. I suppose, that's what I love about Africa, too. You know, if you want to get all philosophical about it...

Hold on, year three is underway.

What I'm really trying to say is, I ♥ Africa.