After we returned from a delicious farewell lunch, the group began packing their bags and taking in the last moments of South Africa. Some people decided to relax and listen to music while others went to the grocery store for one last opportunity to purchase snacks and souvenirs.
“We are moving” Jon announced as we gathered our luggage and stepped outside. After playing real life Jenga with our suitcases (trying to fit our suitcases into the bus) everyone finally settled in for our last ride together.

We arrived at the airport and bid a heartfelt goodbye to Kenneth, our talented bus driver, and Jon, our amazing tour guide. Both had been important in ensuring our travel was smooth and entertaining.

It felt strange to part ways, but we were grateful for the time we spent with them and the guidance they provided. On one hand, we were excited to return home to our families; on the other, we realized how much we had learned about South African culture, history, and wildlife. From hiking mountains to dancing at Ivy’s Kitchen and experiencing a breathtaking safari at Aquila’s Game Reserve, our favorite moments were still fresh in our minds.
While we waited to board our flight some people decided to enter an airport lounge, others tried a restaurant and the rest of us combed through the images on photocircle to recount the past two weeks.

“Welcome to United Airlines,” came the announcement as we finally stepped onto the plane. We located our seats, tucked our bags away, and buckled up for the 16 hour and 20 minute ride to Washington, D.C. Luckily this flight departed on time, unlike our previous flight to Cape Town, which was delayed.
The first meal on the flight was a chicken stew with white rice, a chick pea salad, a piece of bread, and a small dessert. The second meal was a “curry chicken mayo sandwich”. It came with three snacks, one of them being similar to Cheetos. The last meal was eggs or oatmeal and it came with fresh fruit. The majority of students agreed the food on the flight to Johannesburg was significantly better.
Many students passed time by sleeping, watching movies, or spending time on their phones; we all did anything we could to make the flight back feel as quick as possible. The majority of us recounted that the flight back to the states felt much longer than the flight to Johannesburg.
We arrived in Washington D.C at 5:48 am on Saturday January 18 on time! But then the cabin crew informed us that we could not deboard because of a customs delay.

After we deboarded, went through customs, and gathered our bags at the baggage claim; the chaos began. As some of us went to the bathroom, the fire alarm went off. Then some people had issues because their checked bags no longer had tags, others lost their boarding passes, and some people got stopped at security for bottle openers or lotions in their carry-ons. As time was running out, we took a train to gate C. Finally we got to gate C14 and had less than 15 minutes before boarding began for our final flight to O’Hare. To say we were stressed is an understatement. This flight was an hour and 32 minutes and it took off without any delays. We reached O’Hare International Airport and with that our travels across the Atlantic Ocean concluded.
Blog by Katrina Padilla