Our Final Week in South Africa – A Bittersweet Symphony of Bucket Lists

PRE-NOTE: Apparently settling back into life requires a considerable amount of effort/time, with the previously-allocated “blog time” now dedicated to unpacking boxes, catching up on work emails and of course, partaking in our new nightly routine of searching for (insert random missing object here). Or in lesser words, no time for blog time. Nonetheless, sorry for the delay! The blog demands completion!

After returning from our off-the-beaten-path adventure in the Wild Coast, the reality of our long-awaited-yet-not-so anticipated departure from the country we have called home over the past year was abruptly upon us. With just over 332 days having passed since our initial arrival into Cape Town, only 10 more remained until our inevitable departure. Just over a week and half to pack up our lives, say our farewells, and of course, fulfill the daunting laundry list of activities that required our attention:

• Complete the Bucket List – Despite faring considerably well in our attempt to “do all the things,” a few straggler activities did remain before we could officially bid adieu to our ever-expansive South African bucket list:
  • City Sightseeing Bus Ride – An unavoidable presence that towers above nearby motorists along the roads of Cape Town, the blistering red, double decker City Sightseeing bus is as common of a sight as are the hundreds of suicidally-driven "taxi vans" ripping around town. After almost 11 months of watching camera-wielding tourists pass us by, we felt it was finally time to bite the bullet and partake in some good old fashioned seeing of sights. Which, at the end of the day, was a surprisingly informative experience, with many tidbits learned along the way (including of course, winter weather + outdoor bus riding + non-winter clothes = a good reminder of why we live in Texas).
  • Boat Tour of V&A Waterfront – Quite similar to the bus ride, yet with more of a water-focused approach. And seals, lots and lots of seals. 
  • Tokai Forest Hike – The last hike for the “Summiting Skones” took us to the relatively flat/hill-free Tokai Forest – A small patch of land that plays host to what appears to be the entire equestrian community of Cape Town (i.e. super poor neighborhood). And while a devastating fire wiped out over half of the forest several years prior, it was nice to immerse ourselves in the lives of those Julie only dreams of while watching Downton Abbey.
  • Thali – With our rise to "Master Foodie" status almost complete, as our year abroad had slowly morphed into an attempt to "eat all the things," one last restaurant remained amongst an original list of dozens: Thali - An “Indian fusion” restaurant which not only wins rave reviews, but also provides diners the unique experience of unbearably spicy food, combined with non-existent servers to refill your water/beer/wine. Heavy breathing for the win!

 

• South Africa Rugby Game – As to celebrate the “defeat” of COVID, South Africa relinquished all previously-established protocol (i.e. social distancing, masks, shame coughing), and officially declared a “return of normalcy.” With the first order of business being that of hosting a rugby “friendly” series with the nation-but-is-it-really-a-nation of Wales. Over the period of two weeks, these two Rugby powerhouses competed in four matches, captivating the nation, with the final penultimate game coming to Cape Town. With over 60,000 spectators releasing what has been over two years’ worth of pent-up energy, the vibe was amazing, the game was action-packed, and according to Lincoln, the ice cream was by far the best part.

 

• Final Friend Hangs – Despite a fair number of “acquaintances” made during our year abroad, those we would consider “close friends” was somewhere in the range of 6-7 (depending of course on whether or not Julie’s often-referred-to Pilates instructor made the final cut). With no definitive plans on returning to South Africa in the near future, the farewells were bittersweet, encompassing plenty of hugs, shared laughs, deep sighs, and the appropriate South African farewell of “see you just now.” To those of you who fall into this category AND read the blog (FiveThirtyEight gives this scenario a 0.7% likelihood), thanks for everything, you were lekker.

 

• Sell All the Things – With only 4 suitcases worth of space to transport all our worldly possessions back to Austin, some difficult sacrifices had to be made. A years’ worth of “procured goods” now sat vacant in a near-empty house, with their only chance of finding a new home in the hands of our local pawn shop: Cash Crusaders. Thus, each and every morning I would venture over, in hopes of negotiating some terribly-brokered deals for all our acquired items:
  • Nutribullet – One of our very first purchases upon arrival to Cape Town, the now-dusty-was-only-used-5-times Nutribullet was the first item to find itself outside of the “suitcase inclusion list”
    • Original Cost = $73
    • Cash Crusaders “Negotiated Value” = $53 (a real-life Jordan Belfort over here)
  • Nebulizer/Humidifier – Preemie Baby + COVID + New Colds/Flu Strains = A plethora of “Manufactured Means of Assist”
    • Original Cost = $72
    • Cash Crusaders “Negotiated Value” = $23 (make that Jordan Belfort after arraignment)
  • Fans – With no air conditioning to speak of, the only reprieve from the summer heat of Cape Town was to surround oneself with countless sources of “moving air.” Commonly known as a fan, what is uncommonly known is that they are all-but-impossible to sell during the winter time.
    • Original Cost = $85
    • Cash Crusaders “Negotiated Value” = $0 (i.e. “donated” to the next tenants of our house)
  • Hair Clippers – With my “American” hair clippers succumbing to an untimely death halfway through a haircut session, the South African replacements, which for what it’s worth, maimed me during every hair-cutting session, unfortunately missed the cut (absolute pun intended) for returning back home with us to the States:
    • Original Cost = $30
    • Cash Crusaders “Negotiated Value” = $0 (i.e. “donated” to our local “neighborhood cleaner-upper dude”)
  • Car – While not as memorable as the “Green Monster” which carried me to-and-fro during my prior stint in Cape Town, the more “family friendly” (i.e. no choke required, functioning airbags) 2019 Volkswagen Polo was the perfect vehicle to transport us around on our many Western Cape adventures
    • Original Cost = $14,459
    • Selling Price = $13,500 (And he’s back!!)

 

• Genealogy Hunt – With possessions sold, friends farewelled, and bucket lists officially kicked, the last pre-departure task was to finally scratch that “genealogy itch” which had been nagging me after almost 12 months of having to explain why exactly we decided upon South Africa to spend our year abroad. After a semi-intriguing/mostly-frustrating rabbit hole of Ancestry.com trial memberships, a few fun facts were discovered about our familial history:
  • Mom’s Side (Arrived in SA in 1882)
    • My great-great-great grandfather was one of the first rabbis at the original South African synagogue (aptly named, “the old synagogue”). From 1882-1895, he earned the well-known reputation as being “difficult to work with,” something I can now share with colleagues as less a personality trait, and more an unfortunate repercussion of my genetic makeup.
    • While very difficult to explain in words, there was a “incest scare” several generations back. Thankfully, it did not involve the crossing of “blood,” and thus, I can continue to blame my short stature on my mom’s desire for a nightly glass of wine back in 1981.
  • Dad’s Side (Arrived in SA in 1898)
    • The Soskolne named was once spelled Soskalne. As if the world needed more reasons to misspell our name.
    • Descending from Latvia, Lithuania & Russia, our familial descendants on this side of the tree undoubtedly have mixed feelings in regard to #freeukraine.

And that, as they say, is that. I do hope to throw together a “summary post” at some point in the near future. Although at my current “blogging pace,” I wouldn’t hold my breath for anything before 2023. Hopefully?
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Onto the pics: