Almost 260 km northeast of Port Elizabeth is a small town Called Cradock. Part of the Inxuba yethemba municipality in the Chris Hani district. I could go on about how its iconic for being the home of legends such as Mathew Goniwe and Chris Hani among others, but to me it’s a place I call home. They say home is where the heart is. For me, the heart hasn’t felt like home in a very long time. I reached a point where I couldn’t find my purpose in life. One day I decided to leave everything behind, pack my bags and escape. Being born and bred in Cape Town all my life this was no easy decision. Yet it is one I chose to make.

Like any other small town in the Eastern Cape, everything was limited. The jobs, exposure and simple things I had taken for granted like a full house steak Gatsby was not that easy to find. I had my life planned out perfectly. I knew where I was going to start and whatever was next was going to show itself. Yet it never played out like that. I knocked on so many doors until I realised that what I thought I wanted wasn’t exactly what I needed. I took some time and reflected on everything I had been through and learnt to deal with all the demons I was running from. The only way I was going to find my purpose was unpacking the baggage I carry with me.

All my life I’ve seen things very lightly. It wasn’t I until I got here that I realised I hadn’t seen anything. People going through things that you would never imagine and still being able to wake up every day and try ten times more than yesterday. It took some getting used, to but I’m grateful for that chance. It took me losing everything to realise I had, had it easy all my life.

I’ve called Muizenberg my home all my life but when my mother passed on I had to find where my heart was. Any place can be called home, but it takes a special place to make your heart at peace. I still haven’t found my way, but slowly I’m finding my purpose. Growing up my mother always made my birthday special. After her death I couldn’t celebrate it at all, as it felt like something was always missing. Yet on one particular day in front of this 150 year old Dutch reformed church, on my birthday, I was able to smile. For the first time in ages I felt like I belong. There’s something about this place that gives me hope, this is my special place. A place I call home.