THE US SO FAR (28 NOV – 2 DEC)
My US trip has been an insane roller coaster ride so far. It’s been filled with periods of pure stress and others of comfortable bliss and I am just too excited to continue experiencing all that this great country has to offer.
The first notable event in this 6-week adventure actually happened in Joburg – and it almost destroyed my entire trip. Somewhere in the international departure area between gates 6 and 15, I lost my NB NB NB folder. In there was my entire gateway to America; a signed affidavit from my parents and copies of my travel insurance, my parents' passports and my unabridged birth certificate. Without these documents, I am not meant to be allowed to enter the US…so I panicked. The problem was eventually sorted out by yours truly, and a few parental emails with the help of BA London-Heathrow – US Customs didn’t even ask for any of them!
Needless to say, by the time I touched down in Dulles International I was on the brink of a mental breakdown (that is mostly hyperbole) and in complete need of a warm and loving home to rest in. Thankfully, that is exactly what I got.
For the next few days, I had the opportunity to recuperate in a cosy, carpeted house in Montgomery Village right outside Washington DC. There I found a family that will always hold a special place in my heart. The Nelson parents, completed by their five daughters, were incredibly generous to Jack and I and afforded us a second home in a time where we really don’t even have a first one (we are both in the process of moving cities – me to Cape Town and Jack to DC). We enjoyed copious amounts of banter, good laughs and storytelling with even more copious amounts of delicious food.
Together we adventured in beautifully orange forests, floored with glowing leaves and spiky bristles. We visited DC for the first (but definitely not the last) time where we learned about oceans and mammals and butterflies and basically everything that makes Earth such an incredible place to live in (Smithsonian Museum of Natural History). We also saw and experienced sculptures and paintings and basically everything that makes sharing this planet with other humans so rewarding in the Renwick Art Museum. We were left in awe at the Great Falls of the Potomac River and encountered snakes as well as bleached-white rockery on our trek through its surrounding forests. Arlington Cemetery sobered me and I was just met with the tension of life and death as creation longs for the sting of Death to waste away by the sword of Life.
But the experiences mean nothing without the emotions they elicit. I have felt at home in a place several thousand miles (I mean kilometres, what??) away from my own. I have felt lost in a crazy new country. I have felt community in the places I have been welcomed in. I have been met by Grace in moments where I needed it most. I have felt the intensity of semi-independent travel and the relief a warm fire brings to a bitter day. I have felt deeply humbled by my inability to play basketball and continue to be humbled by the lack of control I have in general. I am genuinely excited to keep being taught lessons by God and others, whether it is a warning against irresponsibility through the loss of documents or the power that hospitality has in changing lives and experiences through the people I encounter and I hope that I will always be willing to be wrong and ready to listen to Wisdom.
Overall, I have been amazed by the blending of nature and humanity and art and culture that is Maryland and DC and am so excited to push on through groggy tiredness or laziness that I am sure will come in order to see the fullness of what this country has to offer and what God is teaching me through it. I am basically sure that in spite all the sights and experiences of the cities or countryside, the kindness and generosity of the people that we encounter will have the largest and longest-lasting impact on me. And for that, I am truly grateful.
Now, please excuse me as I get ready to rip through the Frederick countryside on dirt bikes.
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