A 21-year-old’s dream.

It was late afternoon when my life changed forever. With a broken leg, I staggered to the lounge to break the news to my aunt that a new adventure awaits. It was late at night, scrambling through piles of dirt and a messy house, packing our bags while the air filled with the shouting of a worried parent, losing her daughter to another city. The excitement brewing in me, the gush of wonder the of the unknown. It was only 4 am when we slept and with only 2 hours of sleep, I felt the need to start a new and changed life. It was my first time flying, my eyes never left the beauty of the sky and the distant nothingness. The fresh smell of the ocean hit my nose in waves, the smell of fish and seaweed filtered the air and I knew I was home. It was the second time seeing the ocean, the first time my innocent eyes couldn’t fathom the beauty and passion that the ocean represents. This time I felt it, I felt the passion, I internalised the beauty and the soil caressed my feet and I felt grounded. Anxiety hit me in waves, similar to the waves of the ocean, but this time I felt a gush in my stomach. It was my first day at UCT, and I knew no one. But I was happy and excited to be at one the best institutions in South Africa. We formed a group of social support and went for shots of tequila and long Islands’ after every statistics test. It felt good to be surrounded, by not only people that were hungry like I was, but it felt like they got me. I’ve never danced, I’ve never laughed, I’ve never cried, and I’ve never been happy like I was in 2019.

~ Shantey Moabelo