Italy's romance

"To live in Venice or even to visit it, means that you fall in love with the city itself. There is nothing left over in your heart for anyone else." 

{Peggy Guggenheim}

A week ago my lovely best friend returned from an Italian adventure, visiting Rome, Florence and Venice. (What a fairytale!) I have loved pouring over the photographs of pretty girls eating exquisite flavours of gelato, wandering through ancient ruins, in the shadow of the Colosseum, the master carved marbled statues, Basilicas, glowing Trevi fountain, the tolling belltowers and balconies, wax dripping from thousands of lit candles, the cobbled alleyways, the water lapping against the stoned canals,  the famed gondolas, the markets they visited, the pasta and pizza... to experience the history, the culture, the people, the beauty, the food (groans)... all such a dream!! 

Yesterday, while studying, I devoured what my sister called "real" chocolate, that my best friend brought back from Italy for me (I even managed to share some!) and today wore the beautiful scarf she spoiled me with - so soft and richly coloured - keeping me warm against the blustering wind. 

I have been delighting in my own, distant Italian memories, like one remembers a treasured romance. One day, I would love to return with Ray, to uncover the city secrets, to explore another time, and together fall in love. 

Not alone.

You are not alone.

Making it through

There is a little hamlet called Riviersonderend that Ray and I stop at when we drive to and from George to visit our family. We have to stop at that small, but very special, bakery along the side of the road for coffee and the most amazing pies. This little bakery has worked up quite a reputation and almost everyone I know who takes that road makes a quick driveby to pick up their favourite pie! We love the pies so much that we asked friends who were travelling back to Cape Town to please bring some back to us - and they did! Our family enjoyed them Friday afternoon :)

Ray and I spent Friday evening with friends at a chocolate fondue - well I didn't know most of the people, but found myself laughing and chatting as if I had known then for ever (I keep thinking, "What a wonderful group of people!") What I loved the most was giggling with my sister, Ray stuffing me with chocolate covered strawberries messing it all over my face, holding me beside the fire and keeping me close while I almost fell asleep on the late night ride home...

I awoke on Saturday feeling rather ill, but I forced myself to go to dancing... it ended up being the most incredible African Contemporary dance class I have been to in years! I had the most fun - even if I felt utterly broken in the end (my legs are still shaking, my shoulders are bruised, I cannot lift up my arms and laughing is agony!) I think that I just needed that brief moment to fly, to express all the frustration of the last few stressful weeks, to be challenged and to push myself to the point of collapse.

And that is exactly what happened... since then I have spent almost two days in bed sleeping. The very last thing I feel like doing is attempting to study for my Biochemistry exam tomorrow (cries) and my Genetics exam on Wednesday (sobs), neither of which I have studied for (blames all the time stealing tests from last week). I do have hope though... when I stare into the week ahead I always feel overwhelmed, yet I forget to look back and see that I made it through the week that was! Somehow (well I know how - by the strength of my Saviour!) I always seem to make it... sometimes more gracefully than others, but I am sure that He will help me stumble along and finish strong. 

I am (always) eternally grateful to Ray for the endless cups of tea, pieces of toast and hugs he has gently given me... (it is always the little things that are truly the big things!) But I better stop blogging and start studying! 

An unexpected adventure

This morning began like any other day. I came rushing down the stairs a little bit late, found Ray in the kitchen making me breakfast and left soon afterwards to walk down to the train station, a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice in my hand because I hadn't had enough time to drink it.

Ray and I watched the sun rise into the clear Spring sky over the rippling ocean. All was cool and calm... but it wouldn't stay that way! 

The six-thirty train pulled up to the platform and I got on as per usual. Several stations later, less than halfway of where I needed to be going, the train came to a halt. Still nothing unusual here in South Africa. I realise that I really do spend a lot of time complaining about the hours I spend riding the train, but the constant delays, cancellations, waiting, running after and missing trains, can become wearying. 

It is after a ten minute standstill that people were beginning to become annoyed, muttering and swearing. Every now and again the train would jerk forward, roll backwards, hop another inch along. From my window I watched passengers walking by, shouting, but having no idea what was happening. I was sitting with a group of UCT students, the familiar faces that I recognised from catching the train each day. We were trying to decide what we should do, as it didn't seem that we were going anywhere any anytime quickly! Out came the phones, texting and calling friends, attempting to put together a plan to mission it to varsity.

The real excitement only began after almost an hour of sitting... The connecting door between the first carriage and ours was thrown open and people started streaming in, screaming, "Get out, OUT!! There is smoke!!" And it smelled terrible, acrid, like burning tires and some sort of metal... Immediate panic set in as passengers stood and rushed forward, crushing through the narrow aisle. I fought to stay calm, I couldn't see any flames, but being trapped in a possibly dangerous area with no escape, as all the doors were firmly locked (and there was NO WAY I could fit through the window!) was scary.

That was it, time to go. We moved from carriage to carriage looking for a way out. Our only exit was jumping off from between the carriages. With the help of complete, but kind strangers, I passed my bag down to an unknown man waiting below, and climbed over the barrier, heart pounding, hands holding me steady when the train suddenly shook and my legs even more, warning me, "Don't touch the cables! Put your foot there... hold onto that railing..." and, with no platform below, JUMPED!! (The drop is a LOT higher than it looks!) I turned around and grabbed the next girl's bag, helping her down, until the group of us, some whose names I do not know, were safe. (But hey, we're students, and students do crazy things right?!)

As the last boy leapt, a man shouted, "CLEAR THE TRACKS!!" as the train stuck behind ours was about to start pushing the stuck train along. Apparently our train wasn't able to move because there was a great risk of setting the first carriage alight...!! In the past hour our train had moved less than a hundred metres, we could still see the platform of the station we had "left". 

We walked along the train tracks with scores of others, to the next train station, where one of the girl's brother gave a lift through to varsity. We squashed in, retold, complained and laughed about our unexpected adventure :) 

We arrived safely at UCT at nine, with one of my new friends saying, "Our train caught on fire and we only missed one lecture!!"  

I am not the most patient person, but I realised that becoming angry or upset about this incident is just pointless, a waste of enegry and emotion, as my frustration would not have changed anything. Instead I just sat back, took a deep breath, and decided to enjoy all the drama. I also kept thinking, "This is such a great story! I can't wait to tweet about this, to Facebook about it, to blog about it!" (Laughs) I will say, though, that I am very glad that my train did not burst into flames on the ride home :)

White hot chocolate to go

This weekend has been one of wishing for sleep and exhausted studying (but never enough!) with 3am bedtimes. Of gentle rain falling and pyjama wearing. Of Ray waiting for me at the train station with a chocolate in hand and sharing a slice of red velvet cake. Of my little sister going away on church camp and my mom coming home from two weeks of visiting ihr Deutsch Familie in Namibia, laden with gifts and greetings of love. Of my sister surprising my mom with her return and bags and bags of the best sweets which I started to take eat right away ("Haribo macht kinder froh!") Of hearing my sister and her best friend giggling like girls in her room as though nothing has changed, as though they were never apart for over a year and a half. Of family barbecues with roasted butternut, soft grilled sweet potatoes, charred peppers and fire caramelized onions, the smoke smelling delicious. Of walking down to Olympia to buy fresh, bakery bread and takeaway cappuccinos and white hot chocolates from Tribeca, standing on the mountainside, overlooking the calm, muted grey of the ocean. Of wedding planning and singing Frank Sinatra at the top of my voice, accompanied with my Broadway dance moves. Of hugs and feeling content. Of dancing  for the first time in weeks and barely being able to walk (I am in agonizing pain!) Of happiness, perspective, surrendering my worries and much, much love. 

Home

"The fact that our heart yearns for something Earth can't supply is proof that Heaven, must be our home."

{CS Lewis} 

This was the view from my train window this morning, before the rain began to pour from the thick grey clouds that gathered over the blue-green ocean of the bay. It made me think of Heaven and going home one day...

It has been an exhausting week, with too little sleep and too much stress, feeling quite a bit worried about the tests and assignments packed into the next two weeks before lectures end and our exam session begins (time seems to be passing too swiftly, reluctantly dragging me along with it). But every night, before I wearily trod up the stairs, heading for my lovely warm blankets and soft feather pillows, I realise that I cannot do it on my own... for in my weakness, Christ's strength is made perfect. 

Well it has been wonderful having my beautiful, big sister home, and we all cannot wait until my mom finally returns from Namibia - my sister keeps deciding how best to surprise her and changes her mind constantly when a new, even more hilarious idea comes along. I will let you know how it all goes :) Needless to say, when she seemed to just magically appear before my completely unexpecting dad on Monday evening, he just sort of stood in shock. When the disbelief melted away, he was thrilled! (We all were!!) 

And now, after nights of pizza, Indian curry and wraps from the amazing Bhandaris, we are off, as a family, to Tribeca for burgers - yay!  

Keep warm. 

Coming home

Now that she's back in the atmosphere 

With drops of Jupiter in her hair...

She acts like summer and walks like rain 

Reminds me that there's time a to change...

Tell me, did you sail across the sun...

Tell me, did you fall from a shooting star...

Tell me did the wind sweep you off your feet...

Did you finally get the chance to dance along the light of day 

And head back to the milky way 

And tell me, did Venus blow your mind 

Was it everything you wanted to find 

And did you miss me while you were looking for yourself out there... 

It is past midnight and so I can say that today my beautiful, both inside and out, big sister is  returning after a year and a half in South Korea!! We are so excited, and what makes it even more special is that it is a surprise - my parent's don't know!! I cannot wait to have her back with us - we have missed her so very, very much. Thinking of her constantly and praying that the hours will pass swiftly until she is safely home.