Departing!

I'm leaving for Cape Town tomorrow!

it's sort of like reaching your hand into one of those mystery boxes at the science museum: you're not really sure what's in there and it's dark and moist and probably contagious but you take a big breath and feel around for the rhinocerous horn or sheep's tongue or whatever the thing might be. packing for this trip is the same thing: a big inhale before i jump into the puddle of substance X that is Cape Town, South Africa.

some interesting things I've packed:

1. Jungle Juice bug repellent: Mo:1 Dengue fever: 0

2. Cipro: prescription meds from the travel doc. Take as needed for extreme diarrhea. How do you know when it's extreme diarrhea? 'Oh, you'll know...'

3. Set - the card game. I'm starting a Set revolution in Cape Town. Pearl, take note

4. Sunscreen - someone told me there's a hole in the ozone layer over SA. go figure

5. Water soluble face paints - I have to be able to represent the appropriate football team at the appropriate time and stadium. this way, it washes off easily between matches

6. Chocolate - for mild diarrhea and homesickness

7. Tehya, the tiny bear finger puppet that is a miniature plush version of Peter's dog in Madison. It's a big journey for her but she's pretty excited

8. Various books on SA - including a book of South African folklore and Nelson Mandela's A Long Walk to Freedom. of course

9. Better Off Dead on DVD. just because.

Some things I'm looking forward to:

1. camping in game reserves next to elephants, oryxes, ostriches, European tourists and other exotic wildlife

2. writing for my fiction workshop

3. frolicking about the grasslands

4. frolicking with penguins on the cape of Good Hope

5. Jazz!

6. views of Table Mountain every morning as I go to class

7. testing my nerves on the world's tallest bungee jump

8. sojourning into Kruger National Park for more wildlife

9. Mozambique

10. labs with my science classes out where it all really happens

11. the World Cup. because duh.

12. cooking classes in Cape Town

13. singing the beautiful South African national anthem

14. learning some Xhosa

15. winery tours

16. visits from loved ones

17. biking along the Garden Route: contingent on those visits from loved ones

some things I'll miss:

1. Peter Allen; he's amazing

2. Houses without tight security gates and video surveillance

3. drinking fountains

4. cross country skiing with my mom and dad

5. my brother and sister's graduation from high school

6. playing frisbee with Freya

7. being in the same time zone as everyone else

8. ALPs!

9. speaking Spanish on a regular basis

10. reading Trav with Peter

11. free internet

12. Babcock dairy ice cream on the Union terrace

13. Beer on the Union terrace

14. unlimited text messages on my phone

15. cooking and enjoying tasty meals with my loved one

16. quick and easy access to hugs from loved ones

17. the birth of my cousin Lisa's first baby

18. Peter Allen; gosh, he's amazing