Departure Day

6:00 Last cup of tea in bed from Audrey.

7:00 Start of our last school day with lots of goodbyes flag signing adn even meeting new people I had never spoken to before!

14:30 The end of our school day and on our way to Cavendish to get our last Frio. I ofcourse have to order a Chai Frio. There was only a small group there, all of our special friends that we'd made during our stay.

15:30 Goodbyes to all of my school friends whom I may or may not see again in the future. (I hope I will though!)

16:00 A quick trip to Woolworths to buy flowers for my host family and lots and lots of biltong!

17:00 Back home again. Last bit of packing, weighing the suitcase and copying eachothers pictures.

19:00 Dinner time with the whole (extended) family. Which means everybody around the dinner table including the boyfriend and girlfriend. The last exchange of stories and plans for the future!

     "Audrey! We've been able to act normal for the past two months, try and keep it up for one more hour!"
                                                                    - Don (host dad).
21:00 The time we met up at the airport.... It was such a sad moment, I was bawling my eyes out before we had even checked in.

22:00 Time to really say goodbye! Last hugs for everybody and all the goodbye letters had been handed out.  
After we had boarded I just felt numb. I couldn't sleep, read, watch a movie... I could barely even eat! (And that's a real achievement for me!)

23:00 - 10:00 One of the worst flights I have ever been on. Not only was everyone depressed, but it was comparable to a 11 hour long Ryanair flight!
               "Good evening ladies and gentlemen, this is the cabin crew speaking. We have had to cut back on our spending recently, so if you can't feel any bloodflow in your legs, we really don't care. Enjoy the rest of the flight and the plastic eggs we're about to serve you for breakfeast!"
                                                                     - What the crew really should be saying.

10:00 Reunited with my famliy! I know my parents missed me lots and I think my little brother missed me too, because he gave me his first hug. (Brother: aged 14).

It has been a very hectic and emotional day, I am now ready to crawl into my bed and dream about going back someday.
That at least, I am sure about.

PEOPLE OF THE WORLD, TESSA IS GOING BACK TO SOUTH AFRICA!....someday.

I am going to miss everybody loads. This will be my last goodbye to you all.

Goodbye. X

The Last Week

The last week. THE LAST WEEK!

The last week was a very sad week for me. I don't want to go!

It was weird because everybody was leaving gradually:
Sunday Bella and Ana leave to go back to Colombia.
Monday, at Pieter's birthday in Spur, we had to say goodbye to Michelle (also Colombia).
Emma had organized a goodbye party for us on Thursday. That was basically the time for us to say goodbye to our closest friends and (new) families.

The Dutchies actually had a very busy day on Wednesday. To start off Di picked us all up and brought us to Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden. I had been there before, but now we had time to actually "look around". Now what I mean by "look around" is the exchange definition of spending most of our time hanging around on a bench, eating a second breakfeast and looking around the souvenir shop! Nevertheless, we had a blast!
Next stop was Stellenbosch. You can compare Stellenbosch to Leiden back home, in the sense that it is a university town. And it's tiny. There were only about two streets for us to explore, but they were a very cute two streets.
Last on our agenda was Rhodes Memorial. It's a lovely place to take pictures of Cape Town from up top.
The day ended with a visit back to Bishops to watch their musical 'Oklahoma'. I saw a couple of guys on stage and just thought; wow. I never would've expected them to be that good, not in a million years.

The goodbye party on Thursday was sad and a blast at the same time. It was sad because it was our goodbye party and we had to book our tickets there. But it was great at the same time, because your surrounded by friends, family and people who love you. The night was filled with suffing our face with delish South African goodies and some spontaneous swimming in the pool.

Life here is too good. I have such mixed feelings on going back home. On the one hand I want to see my family again, but on the other hand I've made so many new memories here, and I am going to miss my Cape Town family so much!

It's Coming to an End

This past week has been HECTIC!

I think I'll give you an update the same way I did for my last post.

Sunday:
Spent the morning at Camps Bay beach and had my first ever pizza, with a hole in the middle! They say it's to help you cut down the calories, yeah right!
Spent the afternoon at a Goldfish concert for a friends birthday concert. The concert was held in Kirstenbosch botanical garden. If there is one tip I can give to all concert-goers; know the chorus to most of their songs BEFORE you go. You will end  up having great time bobbing up and down, losing your voice.

Monday:
Exchangees school trip to a township. During our visit we; Played with little kids in the Rainbow nursery. Got a tour of the main ground. Spoke to uncle Frank who had some very big dreams for the furure. He was actuallly very inspirational and told us to never give up on our dreams and you can't really love if you're attatched to material things the whole time.
Tried a 'vetkoek', which is basically just an oliebol. Everyone loved them!

Tuesday:
Spent the day at the boy's school, Bishops. I got paired with Jamian, who was kindly was tourguide of the day and answered all questions I could possibly think of.
It was very weird having all of these eyes staring at you the whole time, but what else were we supposed to expect, right?
Dinner in a Jamaican restaurant called Banana Jam! I had the Reggae rice, a vegetarian dish. At this point my body can't process the amount of meat I'm eating lately, so I needed a break from that.

Wednesday:
Annick's host mom, Di took Annick and I to see Cape Point for the first time. We had a hilarious "game drive". We saw not one, not two, but four tortoises! Then we walked all the way to the point and saw a dassie. It's like a huge mountain guinea pig.
That night I went to ballroom dancing again at Bishops. And if the guy's toes weren't crushed the last time, they definitely were this time! We attemted to dance the waltz, the rumba and rock 'n roll style.

Thursday:
Another school outing to False bay, where we went surfing! Now, I say surfing lightly. What I actually mean is; we looked like a bunch of penguins trying to waddle on top of moving surfboards. Actually, now that I mention it, remember the movie Surfs Up? Yes?Well, I wasn't anything like that unfortunately.
After school, off to Access Park with Annick. I don't know how else to describe it other than an outlet centre. But the only items that really that really appealed to us were the food items, so we ended up having a picknick on the edge of a walking path.

Friday:
The boys spend a day at Herschel, but we weren't allowed to go anywhere near them, barely even allowed to look at them. But eventually all the exchangees ended up in the library signing flags. How sad is that? That means it's almost the end of our exchange!
After school we all went to Cavendish shopping to get the Columbians their last Frio :( (Lindt chocolate milkshake type thingy)
That night all the girls had to waitress for the Matric Dance (Last year dance). Our job mainly consisted of us  scoffing down what the matric wouldn't eat, so we had about four mango meringues each that night, yum!

Saturday:
Went to see my first Rugby match with my host dad. Actually my first match ever! It was the South African Stormers against the New Zeeland Chiefs. And we won 36-34
That night was Bella and Ana's, the Columbians farewell party :'(  We signed some more flags and it was a very depressing night for us all,  they can't be gone already!!

Sunday:

We spent breakfeast on a picknick blanket. Watch the Argus cycle tour. It's the biggest timed cycle race in the universe (my host dad made me say that). There were lots of peopl there. And people dressed up as fairies. And rhino's. And cows.

I'm pretty sure you're tired of reading this very, very long blog. As I am writing it.

That was my week.

We're about to have a braai now.

Buenos Nachos!

Ps. Please ignore all spelling and grammar mistakes. My brain is going into typing overdrive and can't handle looking at the screen anymore. Nevertheless, enjoy!

Week 2

I feel like I am lacking a bit. I still have to update you guys on what happened two weeks ago!
What did happen anyway?.... *gets out journal* ....

Garden Route!!!

Day 1, Tuesday:
Bella's birthday :) accompanied by lots of balloons, but there was one slight problem; she is terrified by the sound of popping balloons!
Cango Wildlife Ranch, full of lots of animals and a wacko tourguide who kept on scaring people into thinking that the crocodiles had escaped.
Cango Caves, we almost had to be hospitalized for our selfie overdosis and I just have to say that our tourguide was aboslutely fabulous darling!

Day 2:
Mozied along down to the Ostrich Farm, weren't allowed to ride any though. We weren't even allowed to even see any, how sad is that?
While in Knysa - Took the Featherbed Nature Reserve tour.
Tried an alfajor (pronounced the spanish way, *alfagor*), É chocolate recheados com doce de leite da Argentina. It's chocolate filled with Dulce de Leche form Argentina. It's amazing how much google translate has helped me during this exchange.

Day 3:
Knysna Elephant Park, where elephant dreams are filled with vegetables.
Then.....*Loud dramatic music*..... Bungy jumping from the worlds highest bungy bridge! 216 m!! The feeling you get when you jump off that edge, it's indescribable.
(Secret: I was actually more scared for my Public Speaking competition than this)
Birds of Eden, there were, uhmmmmm, lots of birds there.

Day 4:
We got the option to go skydiving! So ofcourse, I immediately call up my parents asking for permission (and a generous donation) but to no avail! I was allowed to go do it, but had to pay for it by myself. The price of 15 minutes of exhilaration costs just as much as five months of pocket money, so that was an immediate no :(

         "My wallet is like an onion. When I open it, i cry."
                                                    - Some person I do not know.
So we went to the beach instead.
Went on a game drive and saw not one, but two lions! I was actually expecting a few more, why? It's Africa!

Day 5, the last day:
Aloe Vera "factory". As most girls know, it is extremely good for you, but it is unfortunately the most vulgar thing to drink.
Cape Agulhas, the southern most tip of Africa.
Cheetah encounter, no accidents had happened for fifteen years... until we got there. Just joking, the care takers would get all anxious if the cheetah turned onto its other side. So we had a very exciting visit, the cheetah turned around for times! They are actually very cute, calm and gentle creatures, when they're not chasing after you.

Ended the day with dinner in a restaurant called Moyo, which ofcourse included facepaint.

I. Need. Sleep.

It has been a very, VERY hectic two weeks!
As not to bore you, I'll just give you the highlighs:

Week 1, Off to the Cederberg for a week of camping and hiking!
We attempted to rock-jump, but I, according to no-one's surprise, was not able to jump off the highest ledge into the lake.
That night I realised I had forgotten my sleeping and a proper pillow, so I had the worst nights sleep IN MY LIFE!
Played hide and seek with little school kids we were visiting. Guess what? I was always it, and I always lost. Who thought six year olds could come up with so many schemes...
Saw a few thousand year old Bushmen paintings. Their art skills were way more developed than mine will ever be!
Encountered with a few wild leopards, and one even scratched my leg! Nah, just kidding. We spent the rest of the day examing droppings, the leopards were probably hiding from us.
Wine tasting. 'Cederberg wine, with altitude!' Is their motto.
Jumped off a cliff backwards. This time I am not joking. We had the oppurtunity to go absailing! Fortunately enough, we were attached to the moutain with a rope around our waist, so there were no accidents. Yes mom, it was COMPLETELY safe.
Probably one of the most interesting parts of our trips was the Solo Night. We were dropped off one by one in random spots in the mountains where we had to, yes, sleep alone. So after I had set up my sleepingbag (borrowed, since I didn't have my own), had taken an adventurous  walk between the bushes, I was ready for dinner. Surprise, surprise, I had forgotten my gascooker. That meant surviving till the next morning on a snickers bar and some crisps.
Went on a ten hour hike through tiny cracks and gaps, over long open rock fields and over an arch.
Smores... nomnom... need I say more?

When we got back to Cape Town, I tried Wakaberry frozen yoghurt, warning, do not go for cheesecake.

Johannesburg, Joburg or Jozi...

Weekend away? Why not!
Lets just take a two hour flight to Johannesburg, spend a day in Gold Reef City Themepark, then finish the day going to a tap dance show where the guys dance on the ceiling and on moving floorboards!
Lets just spend Sunday driving past beautiful views on our way to the Cradle of Mankind Caves, drive by some lions, giraffes and white tigers, then afterwards, go for a quick shopping spree in the huge Sandton Shopping Mall and then casually fly back to Cape Town as if it was the most normal thing in the world to do!

This is what my weekend could've been like... and guess what? This is what my weekend WAS like.

It was absolutely fabulous, darling!

I have realised that I om living on adrenaline right now, because I am always on the go! I wake up at six every morning and fall back into bed exhausted everyday at ten. The time inbetween is spent travelling, eating  (nomnom!) and spending money. $$$

In the sprirt of the Oscars that were on last night, I would like to thank the following people for giving me the chance to have this incredible experience:
Herschel, for letting me be here and putting up with us.
All the Exchanges, for their hilarious Spanish phrases.
Mrs. de Wolf for having the very good sense to pick me.
Cape Town for existing.
My mom and dad for making me exist.
All the trees here for the shade they have given me from the burning sun.
(I am not going to thank the sun, because all it's done is try to turn me into the colour of a lobster!)
And ofcourse I want to thank Him for creating this world for me to live in.
Amen.

Fun Fact: Did you know? That Joburg is the biggest artificial forest in the world?

At Long Last!

Guys I have come to the conclusion that it is impossible to write a blog on everything we've done!
Even the main points are too much, because we make sure we do something exciting EVERY SINGLE DAY.

What did I do yesterday? I pierced my ears again. I now have two holes in each ear. Don't worry guys, this wasn't a spurr of the moment thing, I was actually thinking about it for a long time. You'd be surprised how many people have asked me if my parents (my real ones back home) had gotten really mad at me. I hadn't told them I was getting them done, I didn't even subtely bring it up, but the only reaction I got from them was:

"Don't forget to take out your old ones, the school might catch you." There was no guilt trip, no angriness, no excited shriek, not even a "meh"... Just when I thought I was being rebellious.

Lazy sunday morning? No way. Up at eight, dressed and ready at Annick's house by nine. We drove to a little harbour called Hout Bay, filled with little market stalls and smelly fish. We decided we wanted to take the boat to 'Seal Island'. And let me just tell you, it was FREEZING, and smelly. We arrived in little shorts and tanktops , but the wind was blowing, the moutains and sea were covered in dew and practically everyone had a thick jacket on... It wasn't really a successfull trip, but the million and one seals were cute. We had a bite to eat along the shore in a place called 'the Dunes', and on our way out we got stopped by the waiter. No, not because we had forgotten something, but because we hadn't paid the guy enough tip. He started shouting and complaining and accusing, it was like being back in class with a selfish teacher. The problem was easily resolved by us, firstly, keeping our mouths shut, then saying; "Sorry, we uhh, we no speak English. *A bit off Dutch chatter* Bye!" The waiter was not expecting that, but I guess it's just all part of the South African experience for us.

On Saturday it was my Sweet Sixteen! Everybody who I vaguely knew the name off and I liked was invited. The day was spent chatting, eating, some people played tennis and some even swam! People here are very original with their presents... I got three Africa neclaces! But they are all unique and special in their own way. #cheesy, but very true.

One of the girl schools in our area is called Springfield was hosting a fashion show on Friday night. So what else would a girl (and a few boys) do but go to it and enjoy the view of pretty clothes and shirtless boys.

Need I say more? What about... If I could move my family here and live here, I would. It's that amazing!
Although I do prefer our own school system, somehow I always feel.. doormekaar (Afrikaans for unorganised) here.