I love it - South Africa

Things I love about South Africa:

The sound the birds make in response to the rising sun. Rooibos tea before bed. Familiar faces everywhere you go. Salt of the earth people. The colours, of the people, of the sunsets, of the skies, of the land. The beaches that raised me. Hospitality. The smell of a summertime braai. The way it looks after it's rained. The sounds of the night. Star-clustered skies. Four seasons in a day. Freedom. The richness of the land. Thunderstorms. Winding mountain roads. Flavors. Our history and our journey as a nation. Wildlife. Curry, bunny chows and breyani. Occasionally having to chase a monkey out your house. The humor. A country that never takes itself too seriously. Jumping off the piers. World-class wine. Promenade skates. Humid air. The garden route. Surf spots for days, and days. Wide open spaces. A people shaping their future. The smell of burning sugar cane. The Drakensberg. Fresh fruit. Rugby braais and watching the men shout at the TV. The high spirits when the Springboks win the match. Biltong, biltong, biltong. Inside jokes, thanks Trevor Noah. Camaraderie. Christmas at the beach  in the summer. Open homes and open hearts. Spirituality. Wells of revival. A colourful country. The proudly South African spirit. 

From where the grass is always greener

In six short little days I will once again be hauling myself and my 46kgs worth of luggage from Durban to Dubai and then on to San Francisco where I will begin round 2 of my Californian adventures. 
Looking back over my shoulder at this exact time last year, I was overdosing my blog with posts about leaving home, traveling the world, flying the nest and whatnot. In that time of my life I was a rookie in all things pertaining to an overseas life. I was excited and my tone of writing couldn't hide it.
This time around, I am practically sweeping the fact that I'm leaving under the rug of denial in a hope that the day will never actually dawn. Am I looking forward to returning to the States? In many ways yes. Am I ready to leave home for another year? In most ways no. 
You see, I am ridiculously grateful to be a nineteen year old girl with the world as her oyster, an air ticket in hand and a year long American dream awaiting her. Don't get me wrong, I never stop reminding myself that I live an outrageously blessed life. What I have realized though, is that last time around I was ready to leave behind a string of things that I had taken very for granted. This time around, knowing what it's like to live without these things, I'm more reluctant about letting them go. Before I left last time, I was right there on the bandwagon with all the other negative South Africans wanting to flee to greener pastures and 'escape' this country's downfalls. This time around I know that the greener pasture is the one beneath my feet. The people, the culture, the land that is alive and pulsating with life, the sunsets, the sea, the sounds of the night, the smells, the food, the lifestyle second to none. These are just a few reasons why I'm sad to see South Africa disappear into the distance for another whole year. 
But, that being said and heartily felt, I don't doubt that California round #2 is going to be a whole lot sweeter than it's predecessor. I'm excited about returning to a foreign country that no longer feels very foreign but rather an extension of home. I can't wait to see familiar faces, and hear familiar voices although the accents remain foreign. I can't wait to move into the new apartment, catch the tail end of the summer and most of all, begin second year at ministry school which all along has been the method to my madness in wanting to live in America. 
Until then, if anyone needs me, I will be sucking the marrow out of what remains of my South African holiday, which involves a farewell party, family braais, restaurant dinners, all-you-can-eat sushi, and burning a couple holes in a couple dance floors. 
Moral of the story: Sometimes it takes arriving at a green pasture to realize that you've always been standing on one. It's all in your perspective. 

Enjoy another electro-styled Tunesday with M83's "Kim and Jessie"

Bunting and Duvet D.I.Y

So I did a little post the other day with pictures from my fabric shopping escapade at Waste Centre (click here to view said post), well you are currently looking at the follow-up post that contains the evidence of what became of those pieces of lovely fabric.
I've always wanted to make a fabric bunting, and although they are ridiculously easy to master, I never attempted to sew one until this week. My aunt Cheryl and I joined forces in her craft room and we pulled out the sewing machine, scissors, pins and material, and got our D.I.Y on.
I'll be moving into a new apartment when I return to California, so I wanted to pretty it up a bit, and so I made a mint and white striped duvet cover and a floral fabric bunting. They were both so easy and we were finished before you can say "Bob's your uncle." We were rather proud of what became of our endeavors and I wouldn't mind going into the sewing business, I find it such fun.

I stupidly forgot to take photos of us making the duvet cover, although here are the pics of the bunting-making process:

Thought for the day

A photo I took this week at the Thompson's Bay tidal pool coupled with a quote I just love.

This week's tune is yet another toe-tapper by the Sydney electropop band 'Van She,' and although it's a remix, it hardly detracts from the greatness of the original. While I was on Youtube trying to get the embed code for this music video, I read the following comment:
"I spent 5 nights in Sydney (mistakenly should have been more) this past November and was introduced to the club scene and the music that goes along with it. I used to think California was an interesting and loving place, however fortunately I was wrong. Australia's vibes are levels upon levels more loving, ecstatic, and hip. I found there's something interesting about the artists from Sydney. They don't feel the need to follow dance music trends from around the world. They create their own."
I loved this comment because it rings with truth. I spent some time in Sydney in 2010 and was blown away by the culture, music, fashion and every level of creative expression that those Aussies are exuding. This track is super vibey and I don't doubt that you'll love it. Check out some of Van She's 
other stuff, it's all pretty great.

Old dirt road. Knee deep snow.

We piled in the mommy wagon, headed for the countryside and got a whole lot more snow than we bargained for. Another successful family holiday under our belt before I head overseas for a second year.  We had some pant-wettingly funny moments, saw some jaw-droppingly beautiful sights and enjoyed the togetherness of family. Here is an 18-piece collage of our adventures. 

We're all going on a (winter) holiday

The weather in South Africa this week has been fa-reezing. I am definitely a winter lover, but seeing as though this is my third consecutive winter (the joys of international travel), I'm slightly done with the cold. Anyway, tomorrow my family and I are going to be going on our last family holiday before I head overseas for another year. We are going to one of my favorite places on the planet, the KwaZulu-Natal midlands, and the chances of us hitting snow are looking quite high. I love family holidays; the car trip, the bonding, the good food, the new sights, the photo-taking, the laughs, it all just reeks of a memorable time. I'm especially looking forward to fireplace-huddling, winter-woolies wearing, scrabble-playing, belly-laughing fun, and not to mention the shopping along the midlands meander. 

I'm really sad that my time at home is nearing it's end, but that's all the more reason to savor the remaining days, and I can't think of a better way to do it than on a countryside vacation.