The moment I stepped off the plane I began to remember the smells, the associations, the joy of being here in Africa. Now, while I can still recognize the distinct smell of smoke, I smile. It brings me back 10 years or more to a time when youth and innocence collided with adventure and sorrow. I started a new life at 14 years old, stepping off the plane in Johannesburg, smelling those smells. And now, at 26, I start a new life again.

What will this trip, and the future, hold? I don’t know… but I eagerly turn the page and read on.