Thrill Seeking and Other Musings

Finally, I have found a moment to sit down and update you all on my life since I returned from vac. As you might be able to guess from my lack of posting, life has been pretty hectic around here. For the first time in my career at UCT, I actually had work to do. It has been strange writing for classes other than English; Sociology papers require serious amounts of background research, which I am not accustomed to, so they took me some time to complete. Luckily, the pile-on has finally come to an end, and I am able to enjoy Cape Town again!

I have done so many new things over the past few weeks, that I cannot possibly describe them all here. For the most part, my activities have required that I push myself beyond my typically established boundaries. It almost feels as if my experience on Kilimanjaro has caused me to actively seek other transformative experiences. For example, last weekend some friends and I drove out to Kleinsbaai (about 2.5 hours from Cape Town) so that we could go shark cage diving. Having a shark within 5 feet of my face was truly a unique experience, one that I hope never to have again, but that I will surely never forget. I am not interested in putting myself in any real danger, but I am looking to test my own limits, if only for a brief moment. What makes Cape Town so special is that it allows for these milestone experiences in that it has so many diverse activities to offer at a reasonable price (well, for those of us with stronger currencies than the rand, of course).

Now that I am fully integrated into student life at UCT, I am meeting more people (mostly South Africans) who are shaping my experience here. As a result, though, it is becoming somewhat difficult for me to maintain the close relationships that I have established with the other Americans that are here with me. I try to diversify the experiences I have and the people I have them with as much as possible, but it feels so much more real and worthwhile to spend my time in South Africa with people that live here. Seeing that we are from such different places, we are able to share so much with each other. After all, I have the rest of my life to surround myself with Americans (unless, of course, I live abroad, which, after living here is not entirely out of the question!).

Another difficulty I have been encountering lately is the feeling that end of my time in Cape Town is approaching too quickly. While I have been trying very hard not to think too far ahead to next semester in Paris, I cannot help but consider about how hard it will be to make the transition away from Cape Town to Paris, a city that is so vastly different. While I am so amped to spend a semester in Paris where I can use my French skills, I cannot deny the fact that the idea of staying in Cape Town for the entire year has crossed my mind on a number of occasions. Every time that I have some amazing new experience (which is every day), I remember how quickly time is passing here and how much I never want to leave. This may sound cliche, but it is so hard to believe that I only have one month left of school. Luckily, I will have the opportunity to stay in southern Africa and travel a bit after the semester ends, which I hope will make my transition away from Cape Town easier for me. I must force myself to remember how nice it will be to come back to the States for a month or so, and how much I have to look forward to next semester in Paris.

Tomorrow is Heritage Day (a day devoted to celebrating the many histories of the South African people), so there is no varsity. In order to take advantage of the extra free time, as well as the nice weather that we are just beginning to experience, some friends and I are going on a road trip to the mountainous area northeast of Cape Town. Looking forward to another weekend filled with new adventures...

Please keep me updated on your lives back in the States (or wherever you may be). Thinking of you all!