Best Hello & Hardest Goodbye

Like most airports, it is both exciting and sad to see my family come and go. Since my grandmother moved to the United States in 2006 and makes annual trips, it has been a place filled with excitement to see what she brought back.

After moving to the United States, my cousins and uncles slowly made their way to us in the United States. Ma is 93 but will make it her mission to go to every airport event, whether it is seeing family off or welcoming them in.

Cape Town International Airport is situated near the poverty-stricken Bishop Lavis, a previously forced-segregated colored community. My great-grandmother raised her four children near this airport on her own Bishop Lavis is constantly beaten down by the corrupt government, lack of resources, and profuse drugs and crimes. It is a hard truth that reveals the struggles of the people of Cape Town. Yet the resilience of the children, filled with laughter playing marbles on the street as their parents sell miscellaneous items.

Cape Town's airport has become my "see you later" whether I am saying goodbye to Ma and my family or calling my granny and friends in the United States to let them know I have made it home safely. A gateway into a home where I assume my role of making tea for all the aunties and find my childhood curiosity and joy in exploring any challenges near or far.