Turbulence

The road of life can only reveal itself as it is traveled, each turn in the road reveals a surprise. (Unknown)

In case you haven’t picked up on it from my disgruntled emails, texts, WhatsApp messages, and social media posts, my journey to Cape Town has been nothing short of turbulent (literally and metaphorically, indeed). Figuring out how to turn a foreign city into your home is full of challenges, and that’s even if your suitcases arrived.

Yep, that’s right. All three of my strategically packed, oversized suitcases have yet to find their way to me. I’m still not sure of their whereabouts, but I can guarantee you that if they make it to my possession, it’ll be one of the best reunions I’ve ever experienced. Until then, I’ve survived on what I’d packed in my carry-on backpack and my roommate Lindsey’s closet.

And if you think that’s the biggest happening of our transition into Cape Town, you’re severely underestimating this adventure. Last night, Lindsey woke up to an armed man banging ferociously on her window. In a city with a reputation for crime, one can imagine this to be a rather alarming wake up call. As it turned out, the man was simply an ADT security guard responding to a false alert from our alarm system. Good to know it works, you could say.

Think we’re done? Not quite. Another roommate’s efforts to make this place her home came around to hurt her – quite literally. While she was putting together a drying rack for clothes, a simple slip turned into a severed tendon and surgery in a nearby South African hospital. The event didn’t lack a loud shriek, an abundance of blood, a frantic request for her to be taken to the hospital, nor a handful (no pun intended) of worry.

We’re all doing our best to cope with our bumps in the road with laughs and good storytelling… along with therapeutic visits to a café just down the street that serves iced coffee with a side of free Internet. Rest assured, this year won’t be one short of memories to recall for years to come.

One side of a pillow I found at a home store here in Cape Town.

The other side of the same pillow, which I found quite charming.