Collette fitting in last minute activities while contemplating what it will be like to go home

Lately it seems as though my conversations with people are turning more from “what do you want to do before you leave” to “what do you think it’s going to be like when we get home?” I think something that hasn’t really crossed my mind until now is how this experience has changed me, and how I will have to work to preserve that upon arriving at home. Of course, thinking about this always is cause for reflection on how exactly it is that Cape Town has changed me.  

This past weekend I finally went shark cage diving, which was the one thing that I have been dying to do my whole time here (as well as before arriving). Unfortunately, the company was located in Hermanas, and so we had to leave at 4:30 am in order to get there. We were able to catch the sunrise over the water, though, so maybe it was worth it. Once getting into the cage it was not nearly as cold as I expected the water to be, and we saw probably 10 sharks in the 15 minutes we were in there. It was so unbelievably cool to be able to be so close to such gigantic creatures. If only I wasn’t a victim of seasickness for more than half of the boat ride, I would have said it was my favorite experience thus far.

Despite the change in conversation topics, I am still thinking about what things I need to get done before I leave here. So far, I have a massage, skydiving and a boat ride around Table Bay planned. I think that for the most part, all that I really desire to do here is eat at good restaurants and hike up more mountains. Luckily for me, those two things can go together quite well as long as the timing is right. I also have to get some more shopping done, so that definitely means another trip into town for Green Market Square, as much as I dread going there. I have to admit, I will be happy to go home and not have to deal with hagglers anymore. I will accept my overpriced items with a simple smile and a nod.

Though it is hard to think about leaving Cape Town in just 11 days, there are many more things that I look forward to in regards to arriving back in the states. I even made a fairly extensive list of things that I miss from back home in my journal, so as to help with my anxiety about leaving. It definitely got me thinking about things like dryers and bagels more than I usually would, whether that’s a good or a bad thing is to be determined.