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I can see Paradise by the dashboard lights

I really do not know where to start... but here is the table of contents I am planning on discussing.

1. first and foremost- FREAKING out about leaving Africa after 4 months, 16 weeks to the day. and probably not returning for a while, if ever.

2. beach trip to Mombasa and Diani in Kenya. woah. what an undiscussed paradise. seriously most beautiful beach i have ever placed my feet on, and yet never heard of it.

3. about to go to italy, a.k.a home, a.k.a family, a.k.a Sophie don, a.k.a the last leg of my year of adventure and wild travels- why does this have to end? BUT HOW FREAKING EXCITED AM I TO SEE BRETT TOMORROW! AND AVETTS IN 11 DAYS! NOPE, BUT YESSSS!!!!! YES! YES!

Last night I fell into my last night time slumber on the continent of Africa. I have know been to 4 African counties, have many connections to South Africa and have developed a true love for the country and the variety that exists on this beautiful and unique continent. I am now on the plane back to Joberg where I will catch my flight to Paris to meet daddy and Brett (ahhhhh- we'll get to that). This is such a tease, cause I feel like I'm returning to South Africa- gonna go buy some airtime, use some rand and each something with butternut or avocado, but I only have 4 hours and then its goodbye. The memories the country holds, the people I spent it with....the people...oh you 23 little suckers who rocked my world signing up for SIT Cape Town Fall 2012. I could NOT have asked for a better group- we had our flaws, we had our moments of tension, we had our lows- BUT MAN DID WE HAVE OUR HIGHS! HOLY MANDELA! was it perfect? was it a dream? it certainly feels like it, because in no way, shape or form was I ready to say goodbye to those kids last Thursday hours 2-6 am. I miss you special ones a lot, you know who you are, you helped and watched me change and I cannot imagine my life without you- not being able to have you all wake me up at 12 or ask me what the plan is that night or rotate whose gonna screw doing work that day to play with me cause we all know libraries aren't my game. Ok enough reminiscing, yes I will miss South Africa. Cape Town is a city I know like a home city, whenever I hear it discussed from now on I will have this strange attachment to it and wanna talk about it with anyone and everyone who knows anything about it. I will monitor Mandela's health like a stalker cause man that guy is great and I refuse to see him go. I hope to return here again, I want to revisit the places I have left my heart in and loved and see all the things I didn't make it to. I want to travel this continent with no agenda and see what I find and learn. I know officially feel like I can say i have been to Africa and not feel like one of those idiotic people who refers to this continent as a country, because it is much to diverse to be referred to as one thing. Cape Town alone has 150.000 definitions, but Africa does have this special communication of love between its nations. South Africa is not really like Kenya, but they have a common bond of being a part of this infamous continent. 

2. So what did I see in Kenya? Well look ahead and I will stop blabbering and give you a tour through my famous photography. On Monday morning, after a weekend in the mansion owned by VIjay's uncle who works for the US embassy being catered to and living like kings and queens, we hopped a flight to Mombasa.
Mombasa is the second largest city in Kenya, although it feels about 100 times bigger. Nairobi is a very spread out city with not much bonding its different neighborhoods. i saw a very small portion of the city, full of mostly embassy workers and international families living in luxurious homes and eating at 5 star restaurants with not much local cuisine. It was a fabulous vacation and one I will never get to experience again, but was not how I usually travel or what I did in South Africa- except for maybe Stellenbosch week, yoh. We arrived in Mombasa at 10 am on Monday with no plans or accommodations- college style ya know? We attempted to use a travel agent at the airport but that shit failed hard and fast. We googled a backpackers in Diani beach, where everyone had told us to go and were set on our way. Although I was harassed and targeted in Nairobi, it was NOTHING compared to Mombasa. The prices people tried to charge me even for a ride into the city, I was told by the airport not to pay more than 150 shillings about $1.75, and people were asking over 2000. We found a shuttle for the appropriate amount and set on the drive of a lifetime. The poverty we drove by was the most I extreme I have ever seen. It was incomparable to the townships in South Africa, or to the rural village because the shacks, if you could even call them that, were adjacent to the main dirt road that everyone takes from the airport to the city center. Everytime we stopped kids and parents alike would swarm the window I was sitting next to either attempting to sell me sunglasses, usb drives, bracelets or just asking for money. It was crazy and then the city was even more insane. We immediately went to Fort Jesus, which is one of the main historic sites in Mombasa- I know how scholarly of me. We took a tour, learned some history and then back into the big city for more madness.
Another tuk tuk ride (3 wheel cabs i thought only existed in India) through the packed streets- and I mean PACKED, like so over crowded, no concept of lanes, lights, blinkers, stop signs, none of that. pure madness. We attempted to go to the markets and wandering the streets overflowing with stalls selling everything and anything, but was just too difficult with people following you for blocks and jumping up at the sight of my skin. It was pretty crazy and unfortunate because I really would have loved to shop! So we hopped into our tuk tuk to South Diani with Charlz (yes that is how he spells it), the rastaman and headed onto the ferry and through the towns along to South coast. Again, extreme poverty lined with streets, shacks, kids playing in the dirt, tons of homeless people, all along side the road that is used to transport tourists to this beautiful beach locations. Very "Welcome to Africa" if you will. We eventually made it to the backpackers, which was sweeeet! Actually the most relaxing place I have ever been. Neither of us brought phones or computers, we had Vijay's cousins cell phones to call cabs and stuff, but were completely disconnected from the world. No one even knew I was staying there- very remote. We immediately hit the pool considering I was covered in more sweat than I thought humanly possible and read, journalled and relaxed until dinner. They have a little restaurant there where you order whatever you want and they'll just bring it to which ever of the world's comfiest couches you happen to be relaxing on when its ready. Delicious fish and chapatti (a Kenyan naan/ tortilla if you will) and some light conversation with the others and it was off to bed in our sweat chamber by 9pm. Heaven. Next day we had what I think is what they call paradise, we cabbed to a beach pretty far down the coast, because the beach near the hostel is public and just filled with beach boys trying to cell you things, not very relaxing so we splurged and treated ourselves to the day of our dreams. When we arrived at this private beach we bargained for a cabana and two beds and Abdul, our new best friend, said he would prepare us a seaside lunch with fresh fish and salads and such. We went all in and sat back and enjoyed the life of luxury. First off the ocean- holy shit does the Indian ocean have it made, not too salty, warm but still refreshing and clearer than the blue sky hanging above us. I could have stayed in that water forever- in fact I did, until our lunch arrived. Another holy shit!
Abdul was not kidding, he brought us a legit feast. No utensils, no problem.
 Me and Vijay feasted on fresh grilled fish- heads attached as you can see I loved that- fresh chapatti, rice, the best oranges and bananas of my life and the most beautiful presentation I have seen in any 5 star restaurant. It was magical. and DELICIOUS! What happened next was not as magical, upon arriving home I discovered that I had been severely sunburn. Now I know you all think I exaggerate everything and am such a drama queen- take me as seriously as ever right now when I tell you, it has been 2 days and I am in the most agony I have ever been in. Sitting on this plane I purposefully spilled a glass of ice water all over my legs and stomach just for some relief. It is awful. My bathing suit is tattooed into my body and I honestly do not think it will ever go away. That whole theory about how Africa is missing an ozone layer is definitely, 100%, no doubt about it true. This shit is excruciating. Aloe is my new best friend and I am just praying the comments are minimal at this Christmas I am on my way to attend. My face does look like I just got a pretty bad chemical peel so thanks for that.
That night we continued on our luxurious vacation and dined at the famous Cave Restaurant, yes a restaurant in a cave with the most spectacular menu. It was delicious and super fancy- the transport was not used to taking people to the local hostel. Woops. The next day we hit up Forty Thieves beach bar- essentially the Beachcomber of Diani. It was yet again, ideal. We sat on couches, I was covered in towels and never exposing my skin to that sun again,  and the water was more beautiful than I had remembered. They had a dock in the middle to sit and lie on, oh and I forgot to tell you there are camels on the beach there! Yes actual camels that you can ride along the waters edge- due to their resemblance to horses I opted out.
We ate another delicious seaside fish lunch, this time with plates and silverware, but equally as phenomenal and drank our day away. Hopped another tuk tuk to the airport- due to their lack of shock absorbers I was in agony the entire ride with this new fragile skin I am wearing, and flew back to Nairobi for my last night in Kenya/ Africa. Wow! That was a lot, but you got the gist- Mombasa = crazy city, beach = paradise and picture esque, backpackers = awesome time and now = severe sunburn.

selfies on the beach

our lovely accomodation

its officially over and i couldnt be sadder

3. I drifted off to sleep intermittently throughout writing that and am about to land in Joberg, where I will buy my last South African flag stickers and say goodbye to the place I called home for 4 months. But then- trying to look on the bright side, of which it is shining- I get to go to Italy and see my family!!!! I AM SO EXCITED, honestly though- so pumped to see how much Brett has grown, and how excited both parents are gonna be to hold their little girl again. Really do miss them and Christmas in Italy is only the highlight of my entire year so things ain't too bad. Life is actually quite perfect lately and I feel extremely lucky to be getting to do this. i feel like I am consciously living through the potentially coolest part of my life that I will look back and talk about to my work colleagues, kids and grandkids and thats just crazy that I just experienced that peak. T- 12 til Paris reunion with Brett and dad, and then 2 more hours til Bessie throws those big arms around me. Can't wait. 

As for this blog- hmmmm. I guess I am no longer Cape Hoppin, but I will think of things to write about and maybe make a new plan for when I am back in the U.S of A, which is in less than 2 weeks and then i'm going to see the Avett Brothers in their home state, my dream come true true true asajklfndisvfidosbfidsadflns don't think I'll make it if I start getting excited and thinking about it now so I'll just shut up and ride the awesome wave that is my life right now. 

dont hate me cause im beautiful

Jambo! (it's like shalom or aloha- it means everything)

LaUGhiNg aNd gIrAfFinGGgGgG!!!

yesterday I hung with some giraffes. fed them , pet them, ya know the usual. casual Friday afternoon. 

here are the pics to prove it!

couple shot with Lynn the giraffe

 Commence: Photoshoot with Lynn, my new best giraffe friend

had to

fam shot with Lynn. Me, Maeve and Vijay- cousins fo lyfe

In the end the love you take is equal to the love you make

last night was one of the saddest and most incredible milestones in my life. to say goodbye to people who have such an impact on my life is nearly impossible.

the only way i can express my love and gratitude is through these gorgeous photos so enjoy.

thank you all.

Tori and Vijay: my artists and my soulmates. 

Patrick and Tristan: the boys who changed my view of boys

Gaby: my rock, the one who gets it and me and CTM

Meredith: my southern sorority girl that I am somehow similar to.

Ellen: my idol, my jew, my Swellendam love

Tori: my selfie buddy

Table Mountain: the backdrop to my last 4 months

bye Cape Town. til next time... <3

vat da fook are dees cloods

last nights thoughts: i'm freaking out because i think everyone just figured out that they actually that like each other

this is my last day in Cape Town, South Africa. I left home on August 18th. It has been almost 4 months. 

We just spent the past 3 nights at a river resort type situation where Ellen and i shared a chalet and made some incredible memories together. It was, in a word, wonderful. One of the most picture-esque places I have ever been, looked directly out of the cover of a children's book. Mountains in the distance, rocks all around, trees of all shapes and sizes and a casual river running through this sea of green. Our first night consisted of an artist/ hippie colony taking over Tori and Vijay's cabin, we listened to The Beatles and painted each others faces and bodies. It was quite a testament to how music and art can bring people together and make them happy. After we realized it was 2012 and came back to "reality"- whatever the fuck that is, it was off to our individual mosquito netted beds for a night of sweet slumbers. The purpose of this retreat was to wrap up these past few months and evaluate "re-entry", going home. We re-brought out the 12 year old campers in all of us and wrote lists of hopes, fears and expectations- as well as things we have learned. It was a lovely, slow and pretty free day filled with multiple naps and playing hand/foot ball plus soccer IN WHICH I SCORED A TOUCHDOWN!!! AGOOO ME!!!! THe night was fun filled with watching the Parent Trap- fuck yes! and playing more campy-like, fireside games.

the dream team....not at all

Now to yesterday. woah. So the main purpose of choosing this location to host all this sappy, sad, and oh so real talk was because of the river rafting option. So yesterday morning bright and early, cause god forbid we sleep past 8, we went to the river. I have been white water rafting before and was honestly pretty stoked about it. Gaby and I decided to partner up and carried our red, blow up raft complete with ores and foor holders. We started on as with everyone else and tried not to get too wet as we had been warned that the water may contain parasites. No big deal.....I am honestly not sure which of the following 400,000 events that occured to share with you that landed me here covered in scraps and a very high percent chance of having one of this dreadful parasites.
On the first set of mini-rapids Gaby and I got stuck in between two rock structures taller than Brett and had to be dragged out on a leash to meet ip with our friends who had been waiting for us upstream for the past 20 minutes. We were then seperated from one another on the account that we "not compatable" rowers together- so mortified, so mean, so just the beginning of failing at rafting. Now we were both in seperate rafts, me and Carlos paired up as the dream team. Next up was us getting stuck on a rock. When Carlos out to push us off the boat took off and i floated down the rapids screaming alone in the boat and Carlos walked down the river to hop back in and save me. Then there was a rest, a.k.a lets wait for Brenna take 14. I was extremely dissapointed that this was not the end of this much too challenging adventure.

rest stop with candy necklaces
what more should I say?

We carried onwards and were doing quite well keeping up with the rest of the successful 12 other rafts and floating on, just as Modest Mouse tells us to do. This is where things actually hit the fan, as we entered our next set of rapids we veered quite a bit to the left and my teeth nearly got knocked out by a tree as low as our boat, but then the rapids sped up and our boat crashed directly into a fallen tree flipping over and landing us both underneath the water. So now I am just in the parasite water fully and completely with my raft floating away as I hold Olivia's waterproof camera in one hand and my oar in the other. I proceed to scream Carlos at the top of my lungs for the next 30 seconds and then just shut up and relax to enjoy the ride I am on. They told us to lay flat with our legs in the air if we fall out and that is just what I did, floated with legs flailing in the air as rocks attempted to crack my spinal cord and machete my butt. The rapids ride continued for about another minute and at that point I was just so done with this entire activity. We got home washed the 150 leeches that were stuck to my entire body off and said a prayer that I didn't get a parasite....here i am 24 hours later still praying for that. 

After that it was an afternoon led by Becca our camp queen who gave us the most beautiful gift  in leading us in an excercise of sheets of paper covered in notes from one another that I will cherish forever cause people wrote some nice shit about me. Last night was almost identical to that of the last night of camp- we watched the video montage Gaby made and then finally the slideshow. A few week back I was asked to make the slideshow and have been working on it pretty obsessively for the past few days and holy mother of god is it perfect. I have no clue how iPhoto does it, but literally they arranged the photos in such a matter that I myself could not have beat if I even knew the littlest bit how to. I picked the songs and they were pretty perfect- starting with Some Nights into Semi-Charmed Life into our group song, Wagon Wheel and into the closing tear-jerker set of Float On into Awake my Soul into All these things I have done into Home- which just so ended to end just as the last photo came on. Man it was beautiful. I can already predict watching in bed alone next semester and crying myself to sleep.

We are on the bus back to Cape Town for my last less than 24 hours- HOLY SHIT I HAVE NO TIME LEFT HERE, ITS OVER AND I'M FREAKING OUT! This people I have met have really, truly changed me and although a few may suck sometimes and love them all for being a part of these experiences and whether I like it or not they are the only 23 other people on the earth who get what I just went through and that is truly awesome and kind of unbelievable. I don't really know how to deal with the truckloads of emotion that are about to drown me so I'm just gonna run away to Kenya with Vijay tomorrow. k cool? BYE! 

the worlds most casual rest stop...and the people I will miss the most

rafting ready

buh bye SIT cape town 2012...it has been so real

an ideal day

this is from Sunday

Yesterday was perfect. I know I say it all the time but yesterday really was in the top 5 Cape Town days.

It began in the hostel we have been staying at since we moved out of our house on Thursday.We planned to go to the top of Table Mountain first thing in the morning (aka 10), but after the struggle bus that was yesterday morning we were a bit behind schedule, but no problem because the cable car was closed due to weather problems- yes I took the cable car, who do you think I am. I'm not hiking that bitch. We arrived, after eating the best egg sandwiches of my life, and somehow I cut the entire line, oops, and were on the cable car in no time. It was the perfect, no clouds in the sky- except the classic "table cloth" of clouds that lies on top of Tabsies sometimes. We took the terrifying, 360 rotating cable car and arrived safely on top of the mountain I have looked at everyday for the past 4 months. It was cool and you can see the whole city, the water and the other mountain tops, but something just didn't seem right. There was a restaraunt in front of me and benches all around and somewhat of a park space. It just didn't feel like this was THE table mountain people have spoken of; so we wandered. We found a better spot that was more what I picutred and took the photoshoot you see here. It was better, but still not perfect; so we wandered some more........!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tristan, Thea and I expereinced something yesterday that is unlike anything I knew existed on this earth or I have seen first hand. I was inside of a cloud, on the edge of one of the seven wonders of the world, unable to see anything in front of me, yet could hear my echo, my hair was wet from the tangible air around me, I was sitting on a rock in a field of rocks that surrounded me for what we've destermined to be about 11 football fields behind me. I am pretty sure it was the end of the earth I was on. I was more scared than ever, being that if I stepped one more foot I would have fallen to death, I assume because I couldn't see anything but cloud, yet I was so comfortable that I could have satten there forever. I wish I knew this serentiy and incredibleness existed steps from me before because I could honestly say it was the most surreal thing I have ever experienced. I was so alive and so close to death at the same time. It was truly magical. We sat for about an hour until we were just too oddly damp and freezing to stay longer, but it was a moment I will never forget. I cannot look at Table Mountain the same way ever agin knowing that that exists on top. I wondered if anyone else has ever experienced it and why novels, movies and headline news aren't written about its magesticness. We went back down the stupid cable car and took a nice lunch to digest what just happened to us to try and bridge us back to reality. I am still trying to come back to reality, but honestly I'd rather be there. 

Next up on this phenomenal day for the ages was my visit/ goodbye to Langa, where my first homestay was. Now we all know Linathi and I were best friends, but the rest of the fam and I didn't bond like others. They were fine and great, but not so incredible that I felt I needed to visit. Honestly I was wrong. Returning to the place I had spent so much time and become so a part of at some point was the best decision I have made. They were so overjoyed to see me and I was to see them. My host mom had her baby and she is the cutest, littlest bundle of love I have ever seen. I went to a bush party across the street- in xhosa culture a boy goes to the bush around age 18/19 to become a man and be in nature alone- he had just returned and the celebration brought so much love to my heart it was great. My grandma and her friend who loved me were there and SO happy to see me, it was the loveliest. Gaby's host mom, who was so incredible to me my entire stay there and truly took me in as her own was the most incredible. She is so a part of Gbay;s life and mine and I hadn't given that the time and love it deserved. All of her kids were so happy to see me and the whole experience was s gratifying. Upon leaving the party I was with Patrick and Sam and their host brothers who they are very close with and hang with all the time, and got to check the last thing off my South African bucket list and ride in the back of a pick up truck with them. check, check, check! On our taxi ride home, we bought potatoes and onions on the side of the road for our latka party. 

This is when things became even better, the real kicker for making this best day ever status. In the small, hot plate kitchen of the hostel Gaby, Ellen and I attempted to make latkas for the first night of Hannukah. Like Thanksgiving, we had to work with what we had to pull it off and man did we. After shredding potatoes on a small, hand held grater for upwards of an hour, Sizwe stepped up and became the jew of the century and squeezed the daylight out of them to get all that water out and seperate that yummy starch- the secret to the crispiness if ya didn't know! We attempted to cook them on the hot plate, but it kept short circuiting and we were all staring at uncooked potato shreds floating in luke warm oil. To the rescue came the hostel kitchen which we were so lucky to get to use and the three of us took over this industrial kitchen and fried up 40 of the most delcious latkas I have ever made/ had. Mom I am not kidding, they were just as good as yours and it brought chills to my entire body eating something that tasted so much like it came from you and our kitchen so far across the world. After a bit of inter religious bonding and teaching, yes there were not one but two kids on the trip who did not know what a latka was- oy fucking vey! We lit a piece of paper with another to represtn candles and sung the prayer all together in the kitchen. It was the perfect end to a perfect day. The smells I went to sleep with were the perfect representation of my time here: I had the wind in my hair from the top of Table Mountain, the smells of Langa food and Latkas on my clothes and was surrounded by the 23 fools I have shared this journey with. It was extraordinary. No words- except for this novel i just wrote you. I had the perfect balance of taking advantage of this city by having the independence to see the great Table Mountain, the access that SIT has granted me by visiting people so far from me but filled with so much love for me in Langa, where I began this crazy ride, and showing my friends so much of me through the food and tradtions of my wonderful family at home. It was ideal, very very perfect. 

I am currently on the bus to Swellendam, a town on a river that we are spending our last three nights at- ahhhhH!!!! three nights!!!! this is insane. It is one of the most gorgeous drives I have ever been on and is solidifying the amount of appreciationa nd gratitude I am currently filled with for being in such a wonderful and unique place. This past 24 hours has just made me so incredibly grateful for SIT, Cape Town and my family and life and opportunities. I am one lucky duck that is for sure. 

Off to rafting and wrapping up this thang. 

SIZWE SQUEEZING POTATOES

latka master

T-7

holy fuck. last week. one week. 7 days. one of each type of day left in South Africa! 
Oh South Africa. how you are heating up in temperature and in love in my heart. 
This morning I moved out of my frat house and am back to being homeless and a backpacking wanderer in Cape Town. My suitcase…what a situation- not sure if I told you all that I have already broken 2 and am on number three, the beauty of my life. So spacious, such legit zippers- but SO heavy! Uncarryable. Not sure what to do…
Yesterday we turned in our ISP's, yes I actually did it. 41 pages of me, me and more me. No time for sources or quotes when I got things to say! I did my version of the assignment, and think its pretty good. Not exactly what they wanted, but what I wanted with their structure.
Today and tomorrow we are doing presentations of our projects, I am making a poster board! Yeah! People on my program have done really cool things and its kinda awesome to hear about- if I wasn’t so tired right now (last Wednesday at Stones last night, oy). Everything from the police system in South African to womens studies to analyzing the national anthem to comedy, art and poetry to local NGO’s. all of it is so cool because this whole ISP is all in your control and up to you. Everything everyone did was completely inspired by whatever they wanted and organized themselves.
Up next on this whirlwind of a program is our final weekend, of course filled with a  fabulous getaway. We are going rafting somewhere 3 hours from here on a river- classic SIT giving us little to no information. Then I return to Cape Town Wednesday for my last night before Kenya!!!!
This is all so weird. I have really become comfortable here and feel so much like I am just getting started on my independent life here. But at the same time I am sooooo satisfied with my time here and have checked off everything from my bucket list- except meeting Nelson Mandela and dining at Beluga, the fanciest sushi place in Cape Town. Oh well- ya win some ya loose some.
Catch ya kids later. Officially done with work also- not that I ever wasn’t really.