🇿🇦 Missing South Africa, Always 🇿🇦 We left South Africa in…
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🇿🇦 Missing South Africa, Always 🇿🇦
We left South Africa in 2018. Not because of the crime, as many might assume—but because of the slow erosion of opportunity, the weight of corruption, and policies that made it harder to build a future based on merit. It was a painful decision, one that still echoes through our hearts.
I miss the smell of the bush after rain. I miss the warmth of people who greet you like family. I miss the wild beauty that no photo can truly capture. South Africa is stitched into my soul, and not a day goes by that I don’t feel its pull.
Leaving wasn’t about turning our backs—it was about survival, about trying to give our children a chance in a system that felt increasingly closed to us. But longing doesn’t care about logic. It just lingers.
We carry South Africa with us every day. In our stories, in our memories, in the way we raise our children to be resilient and kind. We didn’t leave because we stopped loving it—we left because we had to.
This isn’t a political statement. It’s a love letter to the place that shaped me.
To those still there: we see your strength. To those who’ve left: we share your ache. And to South Africa: you are missed. Fiercely. Deeply. Always.
And maybe—just maybe—if destiny allows, going back home one day for retirement will be a blessing. To sit under familiar skies, hear the birds we grew up with, and feel the soil that raised us… that would be a full-circle kind of peace.
“ As die lewe dit toelaat, sal ons weer onder die Afrika-son oud word. ”
(If life allows it, we will grow old under the African sun)
🖼 Photo of me and hubby in one of our many Bike Runs, Feb 2016.
📍 Hartebeespoort Dam wall, Pretoria - South Africa
#SouthAfricaInMyHeart #ExpatLife #HomesickButHopeful #RealStories #LeavingHome
We left South Africa in 2018. Not because of the crime, as many might assume—but because of the slow erosion of opportunity, the weight of corruption, and policies that made it harder to build a future based on merit. It was a painful decision, one that still echoes through our hearts.
I miss the smell of the bush after rain. I miss the warmth of people who greet you like family. I miss the wild beauty that no photo can truly capture. South Africa is stitched into my soul, and not a day goes by that I don’t feel its pull.
Leaving wasn’t about turning our backs—it was about survival, about trying to give our children a chance in a system that felt increasingly closed to us. But longing doesn’t care about logic. It just lingers.
We carry South Africa with us every day. In our stories, in our memories, in the way we raise our children to be resilient and kind. We didn’t leave because we stopped loving it—we left because we had to.
This isn’t a political statement. It’s a love letter to the place that shaped me.
To those still there: we see your strength. To those who’ve left: we share your ache. And to South Africa: you are missed. Fiercely. Deeply. Always.
And maybe—just maybe—if destiny allows, going back home one day for retirement will be a blessing. To sit under familiar skies, hear the birds we grew up with, and feel the soil that raised us… that would be a full-circle kind of peace.
“ As die lewe dit toelaat, sal ons weer onder die Afrika-son oud word. ”
(If life allows it, we will grow old under the African sun)
🖼 Photo of me and hubby in one of our many Bike Runs, Feb 2016.
📍 Hartebeespoort Dam wall, Pretoria - South Africa
#SouthAfricaInMyHeart #ExpatLife #HomesickButHopeful #RealStories #LeavingHome
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Dit het my hart geraak. Jou woorde se presies wat baie van ons voel oor Suid -Afrika. Dit is nie net n plek nie, dit is deel van wie ons is. waar ons ook al gaan, dit bly deel van ons - dit leef in ons. Ek hoop jy kry eendag weer kans om onder daai bekende hemel te sit🙏. En ja as jy Rugby gekyk het Saterdag moes daai verlange seker baie groot gewees het. Sterkte daar waar jy is.Groete van die suide van Afrika af ❤️🇿🇦
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Baie dankie vir jou vriendelike en opregte woorde. It truly means a lot to know the message resonated so deeply. Suid-Afrika sal altyd in ons leef, maak nie saak waar ons is nie. Sadly I wasn’t able to watch the game itself since I’m in Portugal, where rugby isn’t really a thing yet. But I kept up with the action through Google game notifications and later caught the visuals on the Springboks IG account. On the other hand the Lobos are making waves! Their performance at the Rugby World Cup and recent Sevens tournaments has really put Portuguese rugby on the map. It’s exciting to see the sport grow here—who knows, maybe one day rugby fever will catch on in full force!
Baie dankie vir jou mooi woorde en groete. Suid-Afrika bly altyd deel van ons hart. ❤️🇿🇦
Baie dankie vir jou mooi woorde en groete. Suid-Afrika bly altyd deel van ons hart. ❤️🇿🇦
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You're most welcome. If it is meant to be, it will unfold in God's perfect time 🙏❤️
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Home—wherever that is—seems to always have our hearts.
I can tell from your letter that South Africa calls to you often. I wish for you to make it back home on your own terms, and that it greets you with open arms.
Many people, like you, have a place that calls to them—a place they call home, where memories were made that remain etched in the mind forever.
I loved this entry—maybe because I’m drawn in by the emotion your words express, and the memories of what home means to me.
What a wonderful read.
Thank you! 🙏
Michaelson
I can tell from your letter that South Africa calls to you often. I wish for you to make it back home on your own terms, and that it greets you with open arms.
Many people, like you, have a place that calls to them—a place they call home, where memories were made that remain etched in the mind forever.
I loved this entry—maybe because I’m drawn in by the emotion your words express, and the memories of what home means to me.
What a wonderful read.
Thank you! 🙏
Michaelson
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Thank you, Michaelson🙏🏻 Your words mean a great deal. I'm grateful you felt the emotion behind my story—it’s comforting to know that the idea of home resonates so deeply with others too.
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Your words really capture the deep love and connection you have with South Africa. It’s powerful to read how leaving wasn’t about giving up, but about survival, opportunity, and hope for the next generation. Your hope of one day returning, to grow old under familiar skies, hear the birds, and feel the soil that raised you, paints such a poignant, full-circle vision.
Your letter is both a tribute and a testament, to South Africa, to the strength of those who remain, to the resilience of those who’ve left, and to the enduring bond between people and the land that shapes them. Truly moving. ❤️
Your letter is both a tribute and a testament, to South Africa, to the strength of those who remain, to the resilience of those who’ve left, and to the enduring bond between people and the land that shapes them. Truly moving. ❤️
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Thank you so much. Your words truly moved me. You understood exactly what I hoped to express—leaving wasn’t surrender, it was survival. And yes, the dream of returning never fades 🌅
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