Country Roads, Take Me Home

Wish I could say the idea was original, but I thought the best way to sum this up would be in a list, or rather, a series of lists:

Things I will miss about Cape Town:

1.) Looking up at any time of the day and seeing the most unbelievable mountains

2.) Living on not one, but two oceans

3.) My apartment, for all of its shortcomings and wonderful things

4.) Friends that became family

5.) The Upper Liesbeek community

6.) The walk up to campus, believe it or not

7.) The adventure of minibuses 

8.) Dialect- "hectic, bru"

9.) Vast array of wonderful food- cheese croissants, liquifruit juice, coke light, samoosas, kudu, springbok, ostrich, rotis, kingklip, hake, biltong

10.) Wine. Enough said.

11.) The reward of always finding something cool and new when you get lost

12.) Ever-changing weather

13.) Being surrounded by multiple languages at any given moment

14.) Power outages that we all came to look forward to 

15.) All of the tiny little places that have knotted themselves into my memory with such significance that I know I could never forget them  

Things I won't necessarily miss about Cape Town:

1.) Constantly thinking about safety

2.) Lack of bagels

3.) Rain at a moment's notice

4.) Poverty in stark contrast with exorbitant wealth

5.) Exams that are worth 50% of a class grade

6.) Racism

7.) Cockroaches, though I grew to tolerate them

8.) Pay-as-you-go internet and phones (though I really will miss my little Nokia)

Things that I am excited for, being back in the States:

1.) Family

2.) Friends

3.) BAGELS

4.) Coffee

5.) Free internet 

6.) Seeing how things have changed since I left 5 months ago

7.) My car

8.) The freedom to have independence

9.) My bed

10.) Picking up where I left off and all of my travels ahead

Things I will bring back from Cape Town:

1.) Various trinkets and curios from shops, vendors, etc.

2.) The knowledge that I have the ability to do anything and go anywhere 

3.) Some phrases I've picked up unconsciously along the way

4.) Countless stories

5.) A newfound sense of adventure

6.) New, fantastic music

7.) Lots of change, soon to be exchanged into pounds, which will be a rude awakening 

8.) A tolerance and appreciation for the new and different

9.) TIA- flexibility and and unhurried approach to life 

10.) A deep desire to go back 

Now I'm home, and terribly excited to see all of my family and friends that I have missed so much while I was away. It's a weird feeling, though; as if i had hit a pause button when i left and just now am hitting play to resume the life I had left. I am comforted to see that really not much has changed, and that much is as I left it. Now I will have to reconcile my changed self with these same surroundings, and figure out what the time I spent in Cape Town will come to mean as it all resumes, and I take on yet another adventure with my senior year in college and a fabulous summer ahead of me. The picture above is the sunrise over the city from Rhodes Memorial, nestled into the side of Devil's Peak. The morning I left, we climbed Rhodes just before the day broke to see one last all-encompassing view of Cape Town before we had to leave for good. It's with a heavy heart that I say that leaving Cape Town was terribly difficult, as those months that I spent there came to be some of the best times of my life, and some of the people that I had the privilege of spending time with came to define a large part of that experience, and who I have become.      

Back to where we started

        I'm packing up my room, and it's completely surreal. A pile of books on my desk that seems like it goes on forever, a suitcase that I'm not exactly sure how to close, and a fridge that I frankly don't even want to look at. This is the end of my Cape Town experience, knotted with errands like closing my bank account and dropping off my laundry to have it done for one last time before I go. God knows how they fold those close so damn neatly; it's going to make packing a breeze. I had all of these grand plans for my last momentous days on the African continent, and I'm content to say that I've just been content. Nothing too crazy, just trying to spend time with some friends that have become more like family. I did manage to squeeze in the obligatory trip to Robben Island, which proved to be a really great experience. It was momentous to finally see the place that had become such an iconic part of South Africa's recent history. Nelson Mandela's prison cell and Robert Sobukwe's isolated house were two highlights, as they were two really influential leaders of the ANC and PAC, respectively. Also cool- Robben island is one of South Africa's largest penguin colonies! Who knew?! 

On Tuesday, I did probably the most American thing I have done since being here and went to a Counting Crows concert. I relived my childhood and sang along to classics like Mr. Jones and A Long December. It was in this really cool venue- a palatial casino about half an hour from city center. I've also been eating at some cool restaurants and trying to eat all of the delicious meals that I loved so much the first time. Unfortunately, I have a cold, so it's been slowing me down only a little. An arsenal of Advil and vitamin C has worked wonders, and now it's been reduced to a nagging cough. I can't wait to see how my final days in Cape Town will end up. I have to say that I'm thrilled to come home to my family and friends, but also really uneasy about how my life is heading for this pretty sudden change. Thankfully, I have so much to look forward to.  

Yesterday

When I haven't been studying, I've devoted this week to other pursuits, scholarly or less. More often less. This past Saturday, I went to perhaps the most fantastic place on this earth- the Woodstock farmers' market. It's this really quaint little market where all of these Capetonian venders and trendy yuppies come to spend their afternoons sampling pesto and bloody marys.  Naturally, I had a fantastic time. This past Monday (yesterday) was a really cool day. I took a final for my class Liberation in South Africa, which wasn't so cool, but once that was over, I had a really great day. A couple friends and I headed into the city to spend some time at this really great bookstore called the Book Lounge and then get lunch at one of our favorite restaurants that serves Ethiopian food.  While we were at the Book Lounge, we saw this really big protest that was expressing the refugees' discontent with the latest events in South Africa. They would walk by in huge groups, wearing shirts that said "foreigner" and carrying signs that said things like "South Africa is not safe for us." I had never witnessed a protest on that big a scale, and it was a really interesting thing to see. We walked to the Ethiopian restaurant and had a really fantastic lunch, then walked around for a little while and took a minibus home. We went out for a little bar around the corner that night and I proceeded to get stuck in the bathroom, and was saved by a very energetic woman. Naturally, all of my friends found this hilarious. Now I'm sitting in my bed prepping for my next two finals, which are tomorrow and the day after. I can't wait until they're all over and I can enjoy the time I have left here in Cape Town. Here are some photo highlights of my week:

The farmer's market:

Most punctuation-challenged sign I have ever seen, outside my local grocery store:

The view on the walk up to campus this past Sunday afternoon:

You Know, You Need To Slow Down...

Today's May 30th. I have exactly 15 days until I leave. WHERE did the time go? In all honesty, I'm pretty terrified about leaving- in many ways, it feels as if I have lived here forever, known these people and these places all my life. I can't imagine the shock I'm going to feel when it turns out that this was truly just a break from real life- a quick five month adventure, and now it's time to go home. Don't get me wrong, I'm so excited to see all of my family and friends, but I have a sinking feeling that reverse culture shock will be hitting me where it hurts.

Knowing that I'm leaving in just a few weeks makes me want to savor every moment. Unfortunately, that's tough to do when schoolwork kicks in with the force of a Mack truck. I had three 15 page papers due within 24 hours, and I don't know how I managed to turn them all in, but I did, and now I will begin to study for my 4 exams- each of which will count for 50% of my final class grade. This isn't the best news for an English major who is used to writing papers in lieu of taking tests. Hopefully they will go okay and I will return to the States having passed all of my classes. 

There has been a recent outbreak of violence here, due in large part to the influx of refugees from bordering countries like Mozambique and Zimbabwe. There have been many xenophobic riots and acts of violence towards these people mostly in and around Johannesburg, but there have been a few attacks on the outskirts of Cape Town. I am perfectly fine, as the violence is only targeted towards these refugees, who many South Africans fear will come and take away jobs and sustenance in a country that is already feeling the sting of poverty. I haven't really seen any physical manifestations of the outbreaks for myself, but UCT and its organizations have sponsored many anti-xenophobia rallies and protests to try to bring a stop to the violence. 

Many of my friends with a significantly lighter work load took this week to travel. They went all along the Drakensbergs, the Wild Coast, and Namibia. It was quiet and a little lonely without them here, but I'm glad that they all had a wonderful time on their adventures. Now, I'm in my bed about to start reading a new book and watching the rain fall outside. It seems like the calm after the storm, during the storm. 

In Other News

Here are some pictures from last week. It was very eventful, as you'll see:

Here I am with some of the kids I tutor in Khayelitscha as a part of SHAWCO.

Aren't they cute? 

Caroline and I on Wednesday night, just before I turned 21. 

My amazing birthday cake, thanks to Liv.

Jeremy, Paul, and I at my birthday dinner. Looks at what they made me wear!

In other news, I lost my bet. Ian's clean shaven, and today was the most violently rainy day we've seen in Cape Town yet. Thanks, Flyers. 

Yay!

It's my 21st birthday! And I am so lucky to have such great family, friends, and roommates! Thank you, I love you all! 

Mozambique, Autumn Sweaters, and Unfortunate Bets

Cape Town’s getting colder, and rainy. I’ve been enjoying it immensely. Scarves and jackets everywhere. For some stupid reason, my roommate Ian and I have made a bet that might have me at the mercy of the elements this next month and a half. The Flyers, somehow or another, are in the playoffs, and are playing his team, the Pittsburgh Penguins. Our wager is that if the flyers win, Ian can’t shave for the rest of the time we’re here. He’s already got a pretty sophisticated beard now, but in a month he might be verging on Abe Lincoln. If the Penguins win, I have to walk up to campus every day instead of using the ultra-convenient Jammie shuttle. This is going to add about a half hour each way to my daily commute… up the mountain. Oh dear. Flyers lost game one pretty significantly, like they have in the other two post-season series. I hope they know how much I’ve got riding on this. Or not riding, as it were. 

Some really cool stuff has happened in my life the past couple of weeks. During my week of holidays, I went to Mozambique and spent a lovely week living in a tiki hut on the beach. It was wonderful. I left on Saturday on an early morning flight to Jo-burg. Turns out I had booked the wrong flight, and spent a harrowing 9 hours in O.R. Tambo airport in Jo-burg, the notorious city, running on less than an hour of sleep. The night before, we had a braai at my apartment and people had finally left by 3am. I had to be out of the house at 4:30, so sleep was out of the question. It was honestly a pretty awful day, but I cheered up when my friends got to Jo-burg. We went to pick up our tickets for the flight into Maputo, Mozambique’s capital, and were more or less surprised to find that the Mozambique national airline, LAM, had totally screwed up our booking.  I think we saw it coming from a mile away, when the e-mails they sent us were dated 1980. Omen? You bet. So the next couple of hours were spent running around the airport, looking at rental cars, hotel prices, and standby flights. Fortunately, we all got on that evening’s flight, and I was pleased to finally know which country I would be spending my night in. 

The hour flight to Maputo was crowded and tight. A rather tough landing on the tarmac was our first introduction to Mozambique. As we disembarked, we were greeted by the warm tropical air of a vibrant Saturday night. Right away, we felt as if we had landed in another world. The airport was tiny- maybe the smallest I have ever been to- covered in dark, sultry wood and oddly painted windows. We handed our passports to the customs office, and felt uneasy as we waited for a half an hour to get them back. It was okay, though. We have some very cool new visas to show for it. We quickly jumped in a cab and were soon speeding through the streets of Maputo. There was a really apparent kind of electricity about the place- everyone was out in the darkness, talking in the streets. The drive to the hostel was petrifying; I would say we dodged incoming traffic at least five times. But we got there intact, got a quick dinner at a restaurant around the corner, and turned in for bed. 

We had to be up at 5am the next morning for our bus ride up to Tofo. No one had slept all too well; blankets are kind of a rare commodity in Mozambique, so we bundled up in copious layers each night to make up for the lack of covers. The bus was jam packed- about 30 people, all of their luggage, and some surf boards thrown in for good measure.  We tried to sleep as much as we could on the nine hour trip up the coast, leaning on one another’s shoulders and subsisting on nothing but thin, bland cookies.  And lots of Lionel Richie too. Guess the bus driver was a fan. 

When we got to Tofo, it was as if we had stepped into paradise. 

The sun was shining, it was warm, there were coconut trees and beaches with turquoise water! It was a really amazing place. The backpackers, or tiki hut, more appropriately, that we stayed in was called Fatima’s Nest, and it was literally ten steps away from the beach. We would wake up, have butter and jam sandwiches for breakfast, and hang out on the beach all day. There were lots of fun dogs to play with, and the water was so warm. It was a nice change from the arctic waters surrounding Cape Town. 

There was a scuba diving place right down the way from our hostel, as Tofo is a scuba diver’s paradise. A bunch of the girls on our trip were scuba certified, so they got to do a bunch of really cool dives and and see lots of pretty fish. I am not scuba certified, but I did get to go on a whale shark dive. Whale sharks are the biggest fish in the ocean, and Tofo is one of a remarkably few places in the world where they continue to live- they were poached and severely overfished for some time. These things are HUGE- usually around 25 feet in length. And I got to swim right alongside them! It was almost scary to have something that big only a foot away from you, but really thrilling. 

We spent five days in Tofo, laying in the sun and having the time of our lives. We took the very same minibus back to Maputo. Thankfully, there wasn’t as much Lionel Richie this time and I managed to sleep pretty much the whole way back. We arrived early, and  had the rest of the afternoon to spend exploring Maputo. Mozambique, and Maputo in particular, looked like nothing I have ever seen before. Things were in a state of general dilapidation, and there was a lot of garbage everywhere. It was clear that Mozambique experiences its share of poverty; it was a Portuguese colony up until independence came in the 1970’s, spearheaded by Frelimo. Soviet dictators sent money and weapons to the fledgling government, hence street names like Lenin Avenue. The drive up to Tofo was lined by thatched huts that people had built to live it- these very neatly arranged square buildings. It was cool to see that people actually lived in these places. All of the people that we met were really friendly, and always curious to learn about where we were from. We spent our night in Maputo by going to this really cool fish market. I admittedly was freaked out by seeing the rows and rows of dead fish and crabs, etc. lined up to be sold to you by eager vendors. You pick a fish, tell them how much you want, and then bring it to a restaurant that cooks it for you. It turned out to be one of the most delicious meals I have ever had, and though I'm not sure what I got (soldierfish, maybe?) it was amazing. 

 It was hard to leave the carefree mindset of vacation and return to Cape Town, and lots of work for class. It was nice to see all of the friends that I had missed while I was away, though. And for the first time, as my plane flew over Table Mountain before landing, I felt as though Cape Town had really become my home.