I moved to Cape Town two years ago. TWO WHOLE YEARS.
I can’t even believe that time has passed by so quickly. I minced up to the Mother City with no real plan beyond knowing I couldn’t go back to the Eastern Cape.
The things I’ve learnt in the last two years? Oh, I’ve listed them before here.
Cape Town never tries too hard (like, at all)
You have an event at 7pm – expect your guests to like maybe rock up at like 8:30pm. Work ends at 4pm on a Friday and you’ll constantly wonder how people are forever in coffee shops (while you’re stuck in the office)
2
A hefty side of racism
I’ve never been more aware of my race since moving here. I live/work around the city centre and wow, it’s on another kind of level. I won’t talk further about it because my blood pressure doesn’t need to be sky high tbh.
I can’t actually drink Frisco/Ricoffy anymore
And you don’t drink flat whites? Wow step it up, peasant.
Nevermind that I wasn’t a coffee drinker before I moved anyway. We’ll forget that part.
You’ll learn to cross the roads like a pro
By that I mean, you’ll just walk wherever tf you like. Cars? What cars? That Green Man on the robots means NOTHING to you now. Capetonians literal have not once cared about your roads. Move bitch, get out my way.
You know half the city (without trying)
Coming from Grahamstown/Rhodes, I thought I knew what small town life is like. But circles here in the Mother City are miniscule. TINY. You’ll have heard stuff about someone before even meeting them once.
Most importantly, home is wherever tf you want it to be. I’m more aware of how my experiences in PE shaped me and that the Eastern Cape will be my childhood home for a long time.
Cape Town has been a trip, some decidedly unpleasant and other stuff was rad.
I’ve sailed upon on a boat, taken a ride on the Cape Wheel and been on a helicopter ride. I’ve gone up Table Mountain and been in awe of the view from Signal Hill. Oh, and I ziplined like a champ. My bucket list has things I never even thought I would do. And I guess that’s what starting afresh is all about, no?
alyx carolus 