Cape to Cape

Last Day Reflecting on the Firsts

This was the first time I:

Crossed the Equator.

Stepped foot on African soil.

Swam in the Indian Ocean.

Swam with penguins.

Fed an elephant.

Petted a cheetah.

Went on a game drive.

Used an out-house.

Lived in the city.

Lived in a “flat”.

Lived in a village.

Shared bunkbeds.

Went a week without showering.

Had a pool.

Went camping.

Went hiking.

Participated in traditional dances.

Conducted a research project.

Interviewed.

Kept a blog.

Beaded.

Wrote postcards.

Bought high tops.

Wore high tops.

Drove on the left side of the road.

Drove in minibuses.

Listened to house music.

Ate ostrich.

Chewed lamb intestines.

Ate pop.

Ate springbok.

Ate weet-bix.

Drank Rooibos tea.

Ordered and drank coffee.

Watched the sun rise from a train.

Watched the sun set from a sand dune three stories high.

Saw a herd of dolphins.

Was proposed to… several times a day.

Was pick-pocketed.

Was labeled a feminist.

Got twists.

Went rafting.

Rented a car.

Went on a road trip.

Bungy-jumped.

Zip-lined.

Used the word hectic regularly.

Traveled alone.

Used my credit card.

Saw an island of seals.

I’ve sobbed a record amount in the last couple of days.  That might not be a first considering I’m sure I did my fare share of that as an infant… but I’ll include it. 

I’m leaving today five days earlier than planned…  Leaving the best time of my life for what will probably be the most difficult. 

I decided this morning that I’m not sad about leaving anymore; I just had the greatest few months of my life.  If I learned anything, I know now that not everyone gets to experience the pure bliss that I just did.  How can I cry about that?  One point of comfort is that I know I’ll be back, but the other is that I know I had an absolute blast while I was here.  I got to share it with my best friend and I made a new best friend here as well. 

And I use the phrase “as well” a lot, which is kinda cool. 

I can’t wait to go home and give out hugs like it’s National Hug A Ginger Day… but to everyone, regardless of their hair color.  Just remember:  Gingers are people too.

maninabox asked: Who's Drake? Sir Francis Drake? The kid sitting next to you in biology?

Geesh, Dad,  Google him.  He’s a rapper.  Obviously I get all my wisdom from pop culture.

It’s Been Hectic!

Hectic: an adjective used in exclamation used to express a time or experience that was busy, exciting, and/or stressful.

These last few weeks have been hectic!  As ISP came to a close I had to scuttle around Cape Town collecting interviews, reading, and writing.  The final product was a forty-five pager about the effect that the language of instruction in schools has on students’ language identity.  Basically, I was really surprised and impressed by each family that I lived with speaking one language at home (either isiXhosa or Afrikaans) and the children being taught entirely in English at school.  I could write another forty-five pages on this topic, but I think I’ll just be vague because this is not the place for academia – it’s the place for fun!

Yum!  So the last twelve days or so of ISP consisted of finishing up my ISP, which was supplemented with the occasional wine tasting or dinner at the waterfront.  Upon its completion we had two days of presentations and then it was off to Felix River Adventure for some much needed R&R.  Felix is three hours from Cape Town (it took our old bus and cranky driver five).  It lies in the middle of nowhere on the Breede River, needless to say, it is absolutely stunning.  We lived in twos in “chalets” that were scattered on the hillside which had an uncanny resemblance to The Shire.  The hobbit lifestyle was complete with a campfire that burned all day for our warming pleasure.  We spent three days reflecting on our trip, preparing to go home, and doing a little river rafting.  Tyra and I were two of three people in the group who had never rafted before… the two of us sharing a boat was a sight to see.

Wednesday morning we hopped back in the old bus and began the trek home to Cape Town.  A lovely farewell dinner, and one more night at Mountain Manor, and the program was officially over.  Most people were en route home yesterday morning, but Tyra and I were busy renting a car.  We managed to get an automatic because I can’t drive stick and Tyra can’t drive.  (Period.  The girl can’t drive.  New Yorkers… geez.)  Well we pulled out of the rental place and the dashboard lit up immediately.  A red exclamation point was blinking and beeping at me in a most unappealing manner.  After driving about a kilometer [;)] I just couldn’t take it anymore so we returned our flop of a vehicle only to find that I hadn’t put down the emergency brake. 

Road trip: here we come.

So we proceeded to drive along the most beautiful highway in the world: past the ocean, through the mountains, into the evergreen forest, past the lake, out of the evergreen forest, through acres of farmland, over the river, past the sheep, past the cows, past the sheep, past the Africa trees on the horizon, past the mountains in the distance, over the river, past the sheep, past the ostriches, past the cows, past the sheep, past the sheep, over the river, through the town, through the cloud, past the sheep, through the mountains, past the lagoon, and to this lovely ocean-side town called Plattenberg.  It was epic. 

Six hours later, we met up with Maddy and Katharine who had taken a bus that morning.  Our goal in Plattenburg: to jump off the world’s highest bungee.  If I survive, I’ll be able to conquer anything that comes my way.  BAM.