Boys of Summer

Good evening from South Africa!

As I’m sure you all know I recently returned to Cape Town from Mozambique. My week there was incredible. It was exactly what I wanted out of my Spring Break (well, technically it was the mid-semester break, but I’m an American- so it’s Spring Break).

I spent my days sprawled out on a towel on the sandy beaches. By night, I spent time with my trip-mates and fellow hostel dwellers.

To begin the trip, we flew from Cape Town to Johannesburg. The next day we took a Greyhound bus to Maputo (the capital city of Mozambique). We had planned to stay in Maputo for a few days, but ended up being there for just two nights. Maputo is kind of a typical African city- it reminded me a little bit of Nairobi. Like in most African cities, there is trash everywhere. One would think the remedy to this problem would be simple- just have more trashcans on the sidewalks! While in Nairobi, I took a picture of the one trashcan I found on the streets. But as you can probably imagine, when your country is still reeling from a devastating civil war (as Mozambique is) a little trash seems like no problem at all. We went to a mall in the city and got our money exchanged and then went across the street for lunch. It was at this “seafood restaurant” that the five of us ate the biggest cheese pizza I have ever seen in my lifetime. None of us thought that we would have a problem finishing this pizza. Boy, were we wrong. There was so much cheese on it that we hardly eat two pieces let alone finish the entire pie! We discovered fairly quickly that there wasn’t a lot to see or do in Maputo, so we headed to Tofo!

Try to understand this- to leave Maputo we had to leave our hostel at 5 am during a torrential downpour. We (the five of us), along with 20 other people boarded what can only be described as a glorified VW Bus. Do you have this pictured in your mind? Maybe add a foot or two in length to the bus. Not everyone had a seat. So there we were, the 25 of us, with all of our luggage, piled, squished, and squeezed into a van. Needless to say, it was a very long 8-hour drive.

But our arrival at Tofo made the horrific bus ride worth the trouble. We stayed at a hostel that was literally on the beach. I would walk out the front door of my hut, go down a set of stairs, and voila! I was at the beach! It was so beautiful… and exactly what I wanted out of Spring Break! I got a fairly nice tan and I was relaxed for one whole week.

Because the hostels that we stayed at in Maputo and Tofo are owned by the safe company many people stayed at both of the Fatima’s locations. Which was great! We got to hang out with the same people for six days.

It was so interesting to be in Mozambique; their currency (meticals) looks like Monopoly money, everyone speaks Portuguese (which we don’t), and the things that are frustrating about South Africa (like efficiency) are multiplied there!

Though I had a really great time on vacation, I was ready to get back to Cape Town. But as soon as I got back here, I got really homesick! I just feel like there is so much going on at home that I’m missing. Studying abroad has really helped me to determine where my priorities lie… and I’m kind of surprised by the result.

Before I go I should tell you one more thing- it rained twice while we were in Maputo. It was so beautiful. Most people who know me can probably remember that I love the rain. Some of the most clarifying and cathartic moments of my life have taken place outside during a rainstorm. There is something about heavy rain that washes away your pain and cleanses your soul as it hits your skin drop by drop. It also never hurts to dance in it…

As always, stay safe.

Love from South Africa,

B.

PS- Check out the post below this one for pictures!