Back on my feet again .. (literally)

The freak accident that was aforementioned in the last entry led to a series of battles for me - both physically and mentally. The situation started off being really funny to me, but then it just started to get uncomfortable not being able to walk normally, run outside, hike, dance, or do any other normal thing that I would do. And two days after, I got a throat infection and had to go into hermit/gimp status for a week. During that week, I battled with myself because I felt like I was finally going through my breaking point homesick period. It was necessary though. I thought a lot of my family and friends back at home, thought a lot about my time here and what I would still like to do and accomplish, and other thoughts about life. So now that I am pretty much all better, things have been starting to turn around. Maybe it's the fact that I moved upstairs into a single, or maybe it's the fact that we turned our manual car in and got an automatic, but all these little things have been starting to have a happy influence on me. And ultimately in the end, I just have to say that life is good. Always. Despite all the bumps in the road, there are signs that show how beautiful life can be.

So I know this post is long overdue since my last one, but like I said...I was in hermit mode and abandoned all my usual duties, including blogging. To recap, here a few of the things I've done since the Garden Route.

-Robben Island tour (very interesting & powerful to see Nelson Mandela's cell in person)
-Skydiving (one of the most incredible things I've ever done in my life)
-Taste of Cape Town (amazing venue with Cape Town's most highly acclaimed restaurants. loved it)
-Llandundo Beach (to chill - beautiful beach)
-Velvet Thursdays (dance dance dance the night away)
-Franschhoek (quaint, French vineyard city - did the Huguenot Chocolate Experience & bought lots of chocolate)
-Fattened up a bit more with sushi and such (mmm-mm good)
-Quality time with friends (sleepover, movies, guitar hero, cooking, eating, chatting, etc.)
-Caught up on some reading (re-read The Alchemist and part of A Long Walk to Freedom)

I am really happy with the way my friendships are developing here. Although there are apparent cliques and circles, I try not to fall into just one. All of the interns here are so interesting. They are all here for different reasons and for different time frames, and from all over the world. From Canada to the states to Sweden. It's amazing being able to connect with these people from all over. And especially being able to develop relationships with my work family. I call them family now because that's what they feel like. We share problems and advice, we concern and care for each other, we share food, we help each other. I am going to miss them most. They are teaching me something from South African culture that I have not obtained from anyone else. Their love for life is so strong that you can't help but get caught up in it. And not to mention that work is going well too. I missed my last deadline for the product catalog, but it was honestly an unreasonable amount of time admitted by both my supervisor and I. To take individual photos of 300+ products, editing them, pricing them, and putting them into a brand new catalog format... it was overwhelming for me. But after a meeting last week, we extended to two more weeks. I just want to get the website design and the catalog done before I leave. That is essentially my deadline. And in between, I still visit our program sites in the townships. Driving through the townships never gets old for me. It puts life into perspective for me.

Life in Cape Town.
It's still surreal sometimes.
Something surprises me everyday about this place.
Something beautiful. Something shocking. Something real.