A Brief Glimpse of Myself

Cape Town for me was a little less of a touristy vacation (been there, done that) and more of a chance to get back to myself. As someone who spends most of her time engaged in some form of exercise and eats blueberries everyday, Cape Town gave me an opportunity to get back out there and start taking care of myself again…at least for 5 days. I hadn’t even seen a blueberry since I got here almost 4 months ago, but they had them in Cape Town. Oh, and tofu, raspberries, and hummus, and a number of vegan and vegetarian restaurants. Yoga studios, food markets, beautiful hikes, and of course, the beach. Just looking at those words makes me feel better. I think these are the things that define me. I am learning how to live comfortably without the latest in fashion and uncomfortably without a well-decorated home space, but living without all things that make me healthy proves to be a challenge everyday. I live in the red meat capital of the world, most people wouldn’t eat a vegetable to save their lives (it would save their lives), and most have never even heard of celery.

I went down to Cape Town for Thanksgiving and to have a little break from the dry desert that is Kimberley. As soon as I arrived I felt a little more like myself again. The first day we went to a middle eastern/Asian bazaar for lunch (hello hummus and tahini) followed by a lovely hike to the top of Lion’s Head, ocean views from every side. On Thanksgiving I went for a wonderful run and then we hit up Camps Bay beach (could have been Southern California, Miami, or Hawaii) and as cold as the water was I wanted to stay in it forever…I can’t believe how much I miss and love the salty ocean water. Friday, Lizzy (Port Elizabeth intern) and I did a lot of exploratory walking around Cape Town’s city center and the V & A waterfront and then spent the afternoon relaxing on a quieter beach with Emma and Jeremy (Maseru, Lesotho interns). Saturday was the last string for Emma and I; it was at the Old Biscuit Mill food market that we decided that we would not be returning to our sites (unfortunately as I am writing this, I have to admit that I am back safely in Kimberley). We finished off my last day in Cape Town with a picnic on the beach.