Kate's farewell to Cape Town

Our final week in Cape Town passed faster than perhaps any other 7 days of my life. It seems like only yesterday we were getting off the pane in an unfamiliar place, excited to spend an entire semester in Africa. And now it’s over. Tuesday was the last day at my internship with Beautiful Gate, a place that I have grown to love and will miss dearly. We made sure to take plenty of pictures, and had the children help us with our poster for the banquet. As we were saying bye to baby Iya for the last time, his house mama took her phone out and asked the 3 of us (Kayla, Meaghan, and I) to pose for a picture. After she snapped it she said, “So when he starts talking, I can show him you guys.” I’m sure that comment will stick with me for the rest of my life, and even more sure that I will never forget the time we spent with the kids from Beautiful Gate.

Thursday was a day I had been looking forward to for some time, as it was the day my parents finally arrived in Cape Town. With the help of Ben I met them at he airport. It wasn’t as thrilling as I was anticipating as they were literally the last ones to come out of customs, as in the terminal was empty when they finally emerged. Never the less, it was great to see them, and they offered some quality entertainment as they learned to adjust both to the rules of the road and the lingo of the locals.

Friday was the banquet in which the purpose was to thank our internships and serve as a closing event for the program. Everything about the evening was excellent, the company, the food, the entertainment, the venue, I could go on and on. After a bus ride with Faiak for the final time, we arrived home fairly late. Saturday we all ventured to the Old Biscuit Mill, before we had to meet back at the house for our final house meeting and to say our goodbyes. Saying bye to all those we had met in Cape Town was very difficult, as was saying bye to those who would be boarding the plane back to New York. As for me, I’ve spent the last couple of day showing my parents around this place where I’ve spent the past 4 months. But it’s all coming to a close as I leave tomorrow morning. So here’s to you, Cape Town, for being a place of discoveries; about the world, this beautiful country and its people, and most importantly, myself!