A collection of the most special moments from my Cape Town experience thus far (in semi-chronological order):
- Stepping on the balcony of my hotel room for the first time and seeing the view—an ocean to my left and the mountains to my right. I texted my family saying I had never seen anything like it.
- Dancing at Cafe Caprice with Nardeen, Lidya, and Emaan on our first Sunday here. We even made friends with the worker at the front.
- Sitting on huge boulders at the beach and watching the sunset with Emaan.
- Experiencing the Zeitz MOCAA museum. I’ve never been a big museum person, but this one was different. I’m unsure if that’s because there was so much for me to learn about South African history or because it was so thoughtfully curated. Regardless, it was unforgettable.
- The lunch we had at Bootlegger during our city tour. As our official food review Instagram (@capetown.eats) will tell you, the food wasn’t what made it special. It was the fact that I laughed until I started crying. Really, anything can be that funny with Nardeen sitting next to you and Liana in front of you.
- The District Six museum. Specifically, hearing directly from a woman who had lived in District Six. She spoke about her experiences with such courage, and I can only hope to be that courageous one day.
- Rushing to Hugo Social Club with Nardeen, Lidya, and Emaan just in time to catch the sunset. Did we make an excellent transition to Tik Tok? Yes. Did Nardeen spill her drink in the process? Maybe.
- The two truths and a lie game during our second family dinner. All you need to know is that I was an evil kid, Liana plays with her life, and Quantavious wronged Allam.
- Camps Bay Beach. Easily the most beautiful place I’ve ever been to in my entire life (seriously). And just as beautiful were the people I shared the beach trip with. I plunged into the freezing Atlantic with Emaan, Sekai, Allam, Naomi, and Kehinde (which was really just me running into the ocean and being too scared to submerge my entire body in the water), was given a mermaid tail made of sand by Sekai, Naomi, and Sam, and heard the life story of a mother from the Nyanga township selling bracelets. It was perfect!
- Getting Emaan to download Spotify. Three nights ago, I was choosing what song to add to an Instagram story of Emaan and I. We liked the song I chose so much that we listened to it like 3 times, and it inspired Emaan to download Spotify.
- Mine and Emaan’s first time in Kanela Cafe. Had the best matcha of my life and locked in for hours, what more could I ask for? I also had an insanely good carrot cake there today and would strongly recommend it.
- Sitting in the back of the Uber with Safah on the way back from Pipe Trail. There, we had a conversation about language and about how our specific upbringings have influenced what languages we speak and at what capacity. That was super special for me, to be able to connect with someone in that aspect.
- The night of Father’s Day when Emaan and I had a super deep and long conversation in our room about our families, what home means to us, and how we reconcile with the passing of time.
- Hearing a street performer singing by the water in Simon’s Town. Her voice captivated me and is still stuck in my head. She sounded like my mom.
- My dinner last night at Atlantic Express Train Restaurant. Emaan and I had been looking for a place to eat that would make us say “wow,” and this was the first restaurant that accomplished that. It felt like I was eating a home cooked meal. Look out for our raving review on @capetown.eats and a picture of us showing just how satisfied we were.
- At least six people have asked Emaan and I if we are related. One person even went as far as asking if we were twins. And while I don’t see the resemblance, I can certainly feel it—in the way we end each day talking through everything we’ve seen and making sense of what we’ve experienced. I’ve never had a doppelgänger before, but I’m so lucky that my doppelgänger is my roommate.
I think my most-said phrase of the trip has been “I’ve never seen anything like this before.” That’s because, time and time again, I’m seeing and experiencing things I’ve never seen or experienced before. I’m having so much fun!