The So What's Next? of Sarah

When I got back to the states I told myself I would relax for the month of July and wait until August to begin figuring out what in the world I was going to do next with my life.  I didn’t want to stress about it, as I had already done so while in Cape Town with a month left to go on my trip; I began to panic, thinking I had to have something lined up before I went home.  After all, my trip WAS supposed to be about “finding myself” and hoping something would just fall into my lap, wasn’t it??  Yes, I got some clarity on a lot of things, I changed quite a bit, I decided there were a few things I didn’t want in life, but I realized there was no point ruining the last month of my holiday stressing about what was to come.  I would just let it go and hope that things would fall into place.   And that they did…

Leaving Cape Town, I was pretty convinced I would be back.  I wanted to come home and take some time, get over the travel “buzz”, and see how it felt to be in Chicago again.  But I wasn’t home even a few weeks before I was yearning to return.  The energy, the people, the culture, the mountains, the water, the beaches, the 25 children I left behind, and of course, Babalwa’s precious little face I promised I would see again. 

I assumed I couldn’t go longer than a few months without having an income, so I would plan to go back in October or November.  A little ambitious, I know…  I quickly began making connections, researching organizations, sending out emails to friends and anyone who could provide me with information on immigrating to South Africa and how I could get an extension to a 3 months traveler’s visa.  The amazing American couple I met in Cape Town, Dash & Pam, were extremely encouraging.  A few years ago, they too had the urge to move to South Africa, so they quit their steady/good paying jobs, picked up their 3 kids, and moved from New Jersey to Cape Town.  They took a leap of faith and they have been a great inspiration to me to follow my heart and my dreams.  And so I planned to do just that. 

But what would I do there and how would I afford to live?  I knew I wanted to help out at my children’s home, Masigcine.  After volunteering there for 8 weeks I had a lot of ideas, passion to grow the home and expand the organization, so I reached out to the manager and of course they are more than willing to allow me to help, but don’t have a paying position at the moment.   I was just happy to be in touch and even got to speak to the kids on the phone, which completely had me over the moon and reinforced how much I miss all of them and can’t wait to see their smiling little faces again. <3   So I decided I would help part time, with hopes of a position opening up, but I would also have to begin looking elsewhere within other organizations. 

While all of this was going on, I was getting back into my yoga practice, trekking downtown 3-4 days a week.  My friend, Maria, introduced me to Corepower yoga, and specifically the Corepower Sculpt class.  Not only is it Vinyasa yoga in a hot room, it includes arm weights, and the added bonus of music!!  I was in heaven.  And my idea of being a personal trainer on the side (something that came to me when I was on my meditation retreat) turned into an idea to teach yoga.  Yoga has really changed my body and my mind since my friend Marisa introduced me to Bikram yoga a few years ago. I can’t explain how much more calm and grounded I feel when I practice a few times a week.  It would be perfect!  Of course, they aren’t offering a teacher training course until end of October, which would bring me to at least end of November and to top it off, it wouldn’t give me a full yoga teaching certification.  So there I was, deciding if I could wait until December to go back, and at that point, I figured I might as well wait until after the holidays.  This was throwing a little wrench in my plan, but I had this feeling I should pursue the class.  The Yoga Sculpt class is not offered in many other places, especially South Africa, so I thought a few of the yoga studios I visited in Cape Town would be a perfect place to market this class.  But I still had the issue of not being fully certified.  Then the light bulb went off.  Why not finish my yoga training in Cape Town?  After some quick research, I found a teacher who will train me in whatever amount of time I need.   So with a 3 months traveler’s visa guaranteed, I can go to Cape Town, get certified, all while helping out at Masigcine and look for a full-time job.  If I can’t find something and/or get my visa extended after 3 months, I come home and at least I will be able to say I gave it a shot, I will come home with a yoga teaching certification, I will get to be in Cape Town during the summer (when it’s freezing in Chicago) and I will get to see the kids and all my friends again.  Sounds like a perfect plan to me. 

Oh and in the meantime, while shopping at my favorite yoga store, Lululemon, I was put in touch with a girl who studied for a year at the University of Cape Town , teaches yoga, and is moving back to Cape Town in January as well to start up an extension of The Africa Yoga project which was started in Kenya.  Britt and I quickly had a connection and have so many plans when we are back there together. 

And the icing on the cake is that a great friend of mine, Melissa, has generously extended an invite for me to stay with her in the city and I have a job until I plan to leave.  A former co-worker of mine recently went on maternity leave and needed coverage while she’s gone.  She had heard I was looking to make a little bit of money before I moved, and just like that, I am working back in my old role, but on the Gatorade brand.  I never in a million years thought I would step foot back into that building as an employee, but it’s actually quite a sweet gig and learning a whole new brand is a great new challenge for me.  And it just so happens she needs me until January, right when I plan to leave for Cape Town.  I don’t really know what I did to deserve all of this, as I often have to stop and question why am I so lucky and when will it all come crashing down.  But this all just reinforces my strong belief in Karma. What goes around comes around.  Yes, I’m still a gypsy and I don’t know what is to come after my visa runs out in April next year, but I’m enjoying living for today and continuing to believe that good things come to those who wait.