Mama Lovin'

So my mom is currently en route to see me. In Cape Town. Her journey will have taken 26 hours, 2 flights, and a trip halfway around the world, but she’s doing it just to see me for 6 days. She’s been to Cape Town before and I coincidentally have a long weekend this coming weekend, so on Saturday morning we’re driving up the west coast of South Africa to see the Garden Route. It is a beautiful drive along the water and is one of the biggest tourist destinations in South Africa. Some of its major attractions the highest bungee jump in the world (I wish I could do it, but I doubt my mom will be okay with watching her baby jump off a bridge into a river), several game reserves, beach towns, and other outdoors activities. We’ll get back midday on Tuesday. I’m currently scrambling to get all my homework done for next week so I can enjoy it all, but I’m too excited to concentrate.

I just realized today that as of next Friday, I will have been here for a month. I have NO idea where that month went. It feels as if I’ve been here for a week and a half. If time here is going to fly by this fast, I’m going to need to do another semester here to do everything I want to do. But I won’t do one, I miss you all at home too much! Which is why its going to be so nice seeing my Mom. She’s staying with my home stay family while we’re in Cape Town, and I’m really excited about them getting to know each other. I’ll be sure to post pictures of this weekend, I know its going to be incredibly beautiful, just like every other experience I’ve had here. For now, here’s a picture of the sun rising over the city I took during my first week here. I love the colors of the skyline. 

Its crazy looking at a city this big while everyone in it is asleep. I wake up so early here, and get to campus just as the sun is rising. There’s something so refreshing about the morning, and I’ve gotten into the habit of it so now its not even hard to wake up early anymore, especially when I have a delicious home cooked breakfast waiting for me (prepared specially by my homestay Dad, Alan) and a campus that is so beautiful that from pictures it looks like it was painted onto the mountain. 

On another note, I’d like to thank all of you for all your facebook comments/emails/messages about this blog. I feel so much closer to you all because of them. I’m so glad that this is actually READ by people, and that you all care about what I’m doing here. People I haven’t spoken with in ages have read this blog and recontacted me. My friends and relatives can see what it is that I came halfway across the world to do. Its so cool that you all are so far away from me, but know exactly what I’m doing here. Blogs are the best. I hope that as I learn about the culture here, you all get to learn a little bit too. If there’s anything specific anyone wants me to write about, please let me know. Coming up I think I’m going to do a post about race here and a post about the University itself and my daily routine… Anyways, I need to get back to researching South African youth unemployment. Keep up the contact, it never gets old.