We're hours away from Capetown, South Africa

We've talked about it here but it is easy to understand why a person could be lonely. I emailed my best friend once saying this and upon his reaction it suddenly became difficult to explain. People who aren't in your shoes cannot really fathom, since reading what I do on a regular basis seems to be enough. We (SAS'ers) are in close quarters but are essentially strangers.  After a challenging class, after a long day or whatever may strike us, we check our emails hoping to get that familiar assurance. Think about it. We went from a world of constant technology for easy communication with those we hold dear to us to...uh this email account. It's easy to get caught up in the doing. There are club meetings and port activities...That is physically engaging and stimulating... but we are still getting to know each other. Every last one of us.Remember how you felt in high school? After a few weeks or so a good amount of cliques and romantic pairing breaks off. Everyone is looking for that emotional connection that they've shared with closed friends and loved ones... Plus, we are trying to process and decipher some of the atrocities and disparities we view during our explorations of life in these countries. Add the SAS guilt and etc. Building a deeper connection to meet our needs is obviously going to take time and is a byproduct of trust but we are constantly thrust into things. We are constantly in each others faces haha. Whether its in classes, meetings, workshops and seminars. You wander the halls and everyone smiles but they don't know you. This voyage, this isolation, this change stirs up so much that we don't always realize how much we may alter our personalities. People are still searching for the right time to "be themselves." It's a great place to be but at the same time there is the price that comes with it.

 

It is 1:55 am or 13:55 our time. It must be 5 or 6 pm back home. Tonight is a pretty quiet one. Malachi went to bed early and we tiptoe out when Kyle started making calls back at home. He ran out on his family and went up to Tymitz square to buy another one and catch up with some friends. It is $20 for 13 minutes and it actually cuts off on the 12 minutes. You can call back for the last minute haha. I am sitting in one of the classrooms with Courtney, Obai and Kari. The medical team told us we can eat the food and drink the water in South Africa which is also wonderful... Unless we are going in rural areas we would take some precautions, but just to get those instructions creates the feeling of normacy we all desire. We started talking about relationships to food... got into details!! Chipotle, Roscoes Waffle House, Ihop, Popeye's biscuits, Boston Market, Bacon Cheeseburgers, greasy crappy American food just sounds so comforting and delicious right now... We all definitely swooned over the idea of getting Chinese food again hahaha... Now they are discussing politics... how Palin would have faired as president... how life with Hilary as president woulda been, ya know that kinda stuff.

 

During the pre-port, the ship was rocking so hard. The speakers couldn't stand straight hahaha. Actually it was so much fun just watching people fall all over the place. We also found that our disembarkation process will be different. The ship runs smoothly when it goes faster if that makes any sense. When we creep or go slower than normal, that's when there is a lot of rattling.For one, the immigrations process will not just be a closed meeting between SAS officials and the Embassy of the country. Instead, we will all have to physically go through the Glazer lounge, pick up our passports and smile at the South African customs dudes. They will call us by seas and those who have the earliest pre-sale trips...this will delay our process a bit. Tomorrow I have the Robben Island Overnight. We don't meet at the Piano Bar until 10 am, and then we come back Friday at 10:45. We are getting off at the Waterfront pier. There is a huge mall upon arrival with wifi and that is gonna be awesomeeeeeeee!!  In the past there was a Planet Hollywood and IMAX theater right in the area. The fact that it got blown up some years is alarming but no worries haha. This is apparently one of the biggest ports in South Africa. Everyone keeps telling us how beautiful it is that the anticipation factor is skyrocketing around here. Dean Dan's whole preport speech was about making sure we don't get caught up in all the familiar comforting stores and activities here and make sure we dig deeper and remember SAS mission. He doesn't have tell me twice. I don't do too many touristy things in ports.