Never Never Land

‎"Forget them, Wendy. Forget them all. Come with me where you'll never, never have to worry about grown up things again."-Peter Pan


Growing up has never been at the top of my to-do-list. As one nameless character in a book once stated,"All I really want to do is take photos,make art and find some one who love me enough to kiss my nose."
As my Matric year came to an end I went into a silent panic;I was on the brink of falling face-down into the adult world. And I wasn't ready. I took a gap-year serving at a church in Pinetown,where 12 young adults came together and pretended to be mature for six days a week. We grew older,but not up.


At the start of 2012 I was determined to face the process head-on. Then I got a call from a camp in Zinkwazi. And my whole perspective changed. There was a place where you didn't have to grow up,didn't have to face the real world. In amongst the sugar cane farms in a small coastal village,there is a timeless bubble that exists apart from reality,a never never land filled with people who refuse to join the rest of the human race in being ordinary and growing up. There is a place where the sea is a short walk away,where everyone is family and you can stay just as you are.


In a somewhat commune like environment,our meals are cooked for us,everyone lives together and we are given new names. Add some tamborines and orange robes and you have a cult. Just kidding. While I have never been an extremely social person,I find myself longing for the constant noise and banter of the infamous counselors cabin,Cabin Nine. I miss tripping over surfboards on my way up the stairs and sleeping in a hammock because some one stole my bed. I miss going around barefoot and never quite being able to get rid of the sea sand in my pockets. I miss swimming in the sea before the sun comes up and hearing the ocean as I fall asleep.


I miss the place where people breathe fire and no one knows my name. I miss the world of magic and constant creativity. I miss the people who constantly annoy and challenge me. I miss my ridiculous boss and aggravating co-workers. I miss Never Never Land. I miss home.