Time Flies When You're Having Fun

I can't believe another 4 months have passed and I have to say "see you later" to another place I have grown to love and cherish. I admit...I am not very good at letting go and saying good-byes. I suck at it very bad, actually. I almost get unemotional so I can avoid bawling like a baby. And then it hits me minutes, hours, or days later when I am alone and then it is too late to do anything about it. This time around, I want to tell people how I feel upfront and in the moment rather than waiting until later.

I can point out who I will miss most.
And that, to me, is a success. It means that I have grown close to people who were completely new strangers months ago, but now have become some of my closest friends. I am relieved that those who belong in that pile also live where I have homes: the south and the northeast.

------ (warning: sap level will be on high) -------

It's unbelievable.
It hurts.
Really, REALLY hurts.
I've been repressing it pretty well.
But....
It's starting to hit me all of a sudden that in a matter of a few days, I will be taken away from here.
And there is absolutely nothing I can do about it.
I even tried to check if I could extend my flight for a few days.
But I know my parents would flip out and it would also probably cost me more than my entire ticket.
As much as a few days in Cape Town are golden and irreplaceable, it won't be worth it. I'll just be teasing myself and allowing myself to get even more attached.
It's sad to be parting from friends and my co-workers. But it is even sadder that I don't know the next time I will be back.
I was completely certain I would return for the 2010 World Cup, but now I have changed my mind. I fast forwarded in my mind to how it will be, and I pictured a changed Cape Town. One with ginormous waves of tourists, commercialized everything, a facade. And I know how I will react. It will taint my image of the Cape Town I love. So instead of having two years to wait, I will wait a few more than that. And it will be okay because I would rather have the Cape Town without all the tourists, although I technically fall into that category.

Crazy.
Crazy crazy crazy.
I am not going to sleep for the next 72 hours. I planned ahead and saw everything I wanted to see from Cape Town and around, but I still need as much time as possible these last few days.

I'm not ready to go back to the real world. Not just yet....

hey cape town.
hey friends.
a piece of my heart belongs to you.