Interesting facts and some progress

Excitement for my first night in the new place is mounting.  

A few interesting facts I’ve discovered about Bo-Kaap:

- some people think it is dangerous. Others (mostly foreign photographers) think it is quaint. I'm just glad it's close to work. 

- According to someone at work, there are several anties in Bo-Kaap who are known for their amazing cookies and koeksisters (a traditionally Afrikaans treat resembling a doughnut. These are different from white Afrikaans people's koeksisters, though, because they aren't crispy and in the shape of plaits. These ones are unique to the Cape because they are fat, spungy things. Has the consistensy of a doughnut, the syrup and shape of a koeksister, but coated in sugar and coconut). It's apparently a tradition in the Muslim (and surrounding) communities there to go and fetch hot koeksisters for breakfast from the antie every Sunday morning. I can't freakin wait. Yum!  

- According to one of my cousins, we have very distant family that is buried in one of the mosques in Bo-Kaap. I have yet to find the mosque and because of our country’s not-so-race-friendly history, we’ve long ago lost contact with that side of the family, but I do think it would be incredibly cool if I could find the grave/mosque. 

- Apparently Kaapse Klopse (a Cape cultural dancing event) does not just happen around New Year's. In Bo-Kaap, they are practicing all the time and soon after I move in, I should start hearing the bands at all hours of the day.

- I might not sleep well the first few nights. Besides the Klopse, I will have to get used to the chanting/praying from the mosques. 

Progress made with other goals:

- entered for my first half marathon. It is to be on Sunday, 25 October. Called the Constantia Valley Grape half marathon. That leaves me with four weeks to train.

- Managed to buy the beautiful little desk that’s currently in the room I’m moving into. Very chuffed about it, because the artist who I’m taking over the room from used it as his drawing desk. Am hoping his creative juices will be transferred to me when I sit down to write. Will post pic when I’ve moved in..

- fiance and I met with the illustrator doing our wedding invites on Friday. We love it! But will save the invites as a surprise... Check out her site here - Whimsy

Less than a week to go before I move in. Better start packing...  

Finding a room

One week and one day to go! You're probably wondering how and why I chose this room I'm moving into...

The ad said something in the line of 'I'm a filmmaker with two rooms available in my house, one is big, one is small, email me if you're interested.'
Fiancé went with to see the place. 
'Hello?' I called at the dilapidated stoep as my ever supportive fiancé parked the car in the cobbled street, against the extremely steep hill on which the house is perched. The house is squashed  between two other identical homes. In spots the plaster peels from the walls. On the balcony upstairs a bright hammock swung easily in the wind.
'Hello!'a young, friendly voice called from somewhere upstairs. I peered through the trellidoor of the open front door. Wooden floors. Bicycles. Surfboards. The faint smell of cat litter. A sunburnt nose and blonde head appeared around the corner of the stairs.
'Come to look at the room?' she asked with a friendly smile. Turns out the filmmaker is a young woman, not much older than me. I smiled back.
'That's me.'

Maybe it was the wooden floor, the African prints that hung in front of the windows and the way the place reminds me of my seaside home town, Mtunzini. Maybe it was the fact that I would be taking over the room from an artist, who'd created a little corner full of his drawings - a corner I knew would be just perfect for writing - and that the other, third housemate is a photographer. Or maybe it was the fact that the filmmaker had pictures of Rwandan dancers up in her room and told us that her mentor had advised her to stop making all her films for charity and actually start charging. Maybe it was just the fact that these people recycle. But everything just felt right.

Bo-Kaap, here I come. I can't wait :)

The plan

A few minutes after we got engaged

About six months after I got engaged, my fellow journalist and flatmate announced she was moving. She'd found an amazing job in Joburg, where her boyfriend is. I could take over the lease and continue to stay with our other flatmate, or I could move. 

Fiancé and I considered moving in together earlier than planned, but we didn't want to. I am still relatively new in this city of artists, drug addicts and dreamers and I want to make sure that I also have my own roots here before I settle down with him.

So in a few days’ time, on October 1, 2010, I will be moving to a new place. It is a room in a carefully selected house, for reasons that are yet to unfold.

Exactly five months and five days after that, on the 5th of March 2011, I will be getting married to my favourite person in the whole world. 

This is my last single adventure and I plan to track it. I have five goals: 

1. Make at least three new friends. That is exactly one person more than the amount of people I am going to be sharing a house with. 

2. Get back into long distance running. By the time I walk down the isle, I want to be able to run a full marathon - exactly 42.2km. 

3. Learn something. Whether it be about myself, our relationship, or planning a wedding, none of this will be in vain. 

4. Write this blog. From now on until I get married, I must write at least one blog entry per week.

5. Plan a wedding. So far I have seven bridesmaids, five bridesmaids dresses, a wedding venue and one awesome wedding photographer. There is still a s***load of work to do.

To whomever will be reading this, I promise to:

•           Never write more than 500 words per entry (I hate wordy blogs)
•           Always be truthful
•           Post as many pictures of my journey as possible. 

Enjoy! ;)