When I came back to Newfoundland for the summer, I was reminded of coming back from South Africa. The cultural gap is smaller between Halifax and St. John's, but it's still present. When I was a circus coach in SA, I was galaxies apart from being here. Now, although I still live in Atlantic Canada, and although I'm just coaching at a recreational circus school while I finish up my degree, I still feel like this place moved on without me, and I without it.
Now we're together again, and I'm learning more than ever about my roots. Where I came from, where the world came from, and where my mother culture came from. Although I'm moving forward, I'm learning about the past.
Like always, though, I haven't forgotten about Ekhaya - about "home," about family, and about all of the things that built me out of nothing. I'm also becoming bigger from being in this place, and sometimes it's awful, and sometimes it's great.
But just like Ekhaya is always lurking at the back of my mind, I hope it's in the back of your minds, too. Manuscripts are going out, and the stories never die.
If you want to sample Ekhaya, you still can. Click this link, and read a sample chapter of Ekhaya, and do something great for the world. Meanwhile, this is Melissa, signing out.
Photo: Sarah DeVenne
MUA/Hair: Thyra Sanft
Studio: Aperture Studios
March 2009
