1. The First Small Step.
It’s Interesting how one small step can completely turn a person’s life around. The butterfly effect as it may be known, with a seemingly small choice at the time, seemed like just another speck in my life. But led me to the most rewarding year of my life.
For years I worked and studied, at high school, College, and waiting. But I was never truly happy or fulfilled, I had my friends but never truly felt like I was accepted or understood in their company. I studied when I had to, just to keep going, I let life pass me by never truly taking part. My work, relationships, and happiness suffered more every day. Then one day, after struggling to get through my first year of campus life, a friend mentioned a program. It was Just Africa Scuba’s life skills program and I was intrigued. One week of research later, I had gone from studying IT to being enrolled as a future scuba dive instructor. Quite a drastic turn, I know, but sometimes doing something drastic is the way out of a poor path.
2. The Start Of a New Life.
Puffadder shy shark on a photography course.
The first day of the program was terrifying. With strange new people, work, and environment. But as the first day turned into the first week and then the first month, I achieved something I hadn’t in years; hope for my future. I had made new friends who understood me, got the Mentors that I didn’t know I needed until now and found myself happier in every aspect of life. Now I see that I can’t just let life pass by. Life is mine to seize with both hands, I have to make sure it never slips away again. It hasn’t always been easy, every day is there to challenge me. From cold dives in our Cape Town waters to long days and late nights of hard work as well as Just Africa Life Skills special way of bringing out the parts of me that I never wanted to face but needed to to grow. Suffice it to say that more than a couple of tears have been shed during this learning process.
Building a snowman on a Just Africa trip.
3. A New Family.
This year has taken me out of my comfort zone and led me on more adventures than I could count. Diving in our beautiful Cape waters, photographing adventures, and creatures during our underwater digital photography course, the surreal experience of feeling weightless on our deep dive course. Here it's just you, the deep blue, and nature. Diving in the Two Oceans Aquarium and seeing the wonder in onlookers' eyes as you swim by the glass. The adventures don’t end when we leave the water. Building my very first snowman, witnessing pods of dolphins, doing our first aid course, and trying not to laugh as you have to do first aid to the beat of the song “Staying Alive”.
I wish I could put the whole experience into words but then I would never stop typing. So why not join me and experience the adventures for yourself with the Just Africa Scuba family? Because that is what my mentors and friends have become.
A family.
by Lihan Swart
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