Once in Cape Town

Rotterdam, Turkey and Joburg check pointed and I've made it to Capetown! Slightly eventful journey including my hostel getting the transfer dates wrong so I had to haggle my own cab, the one thing I was genuinely dreading to do. I decided to pretend to have been SA millions of times and that I was retuning from my travels as opposed to starting them. No lies just not the whole truth. Managed to get my fare for slightly less than what the hostel had recommend so I guess I did something right! Also found out my taxi driver owns his own personal parrot zoo and bodega and he taught me how to mix red wines to get the ultimate flavours... In case you're ever wondering how to do that I am now your woman.

Currently just arrived at Once and the staff have been fantastic so far! My roomie has also just joined me and he's a well established Brazilian traveller who's gonna show me the ropes (or, at least watch the football with me tonight).

Haven't explored much of Cape Town yet but what I've seen is pretty much like any other city, busy, dirty and loud!

Next stop: Jeffreys bay to meet up with Marike and Lola!

Okay doei, Tiger Laylay xo

No turning back.

I've made it to my first checkpoint: Rotterdam airport. I must admit I was a little concerned at the fact that my bag weighed a mere 10kg considering I've worn more kilos of clothing than that before to cut the costs on a Ryanair flight (following a mini break to the UK, not exactly 7 weeks in Africa either). However, there's no turning back now as I'm writing this from the otherside of the security checks. No turning back for last minute forgotten items or last minute panic. No turning back even when the large lady in front of you at the check-in desk has some sort of panic attack/seizure, starts screaming in Turkish and you overhear someone translate that she's cursing us all. Only caused a few tears from fellow passengers and a swarm of security, no biggie. Everything should be a doddle from here on!

Next stop: 4 hours in Turkey and then Cape Town, SA!

Toddle pip, Tiger Laylay xo

Let the games begin.

What a surprise, I'm starting a travel blog. 

Lets start with the basics for those of you who have no idea why I'm in need of said travel blog. Back in October I successfully applied for the fantastic Going Glocal project my university offers. As part of the course requirements I followed the "SSC 281: Youth Modernity & Development: Namibian Perspectives" course which you can read more about here. And now, coming Tuesday, with a cliché brand new perspective on the world, I'm jetting off to South Africa to start the second part of my Going Glocal adventure (conveniently named SSC 381).

Of course the adventure has already begun and all here in my very own Middelburg. Not only with the SSC 281 course but also in the town hall where I just picked up my first Dutch passport. It was as simple as entering the building, paying for, waiting for and subsequently picking up yet to me it felt like an incredible milestone. Those of you who know me well know I'd sworn never to return to the land of windmills and tulips yet here I was leaving the town hall of a region my mother grew up in, two years into my degree and clutching a passport of the very nationality I'd never associated myself with. 

I started off my motivation letter for the Going Glocal project with "There is an ongoing joke between my friends that I am a European mongrel". Jokes aside, for some reason or another I've placed a lot of importance on my nationality (or lack of thereof) over the years. Feels of lack of nationality can lead to feels of homelessness, disorientation and also temporarily not being able to vote. This being said it can actually be quite useful during the World Cup. As dramatic as this may sound (me, dramatic?), SSC 281 has caused me to critically assess how I define myself and what I choose to define myself by. And why do I let myself feel so dominated by this concept of nationality which I had just ordered, paid for and picked up within the space of five business days? There's some food for thought for us all.

Philosophical bullshit aside, today has been interesting if not almost productive. Following a whirlwind visit to the UK I'm now back in the Burg and have spent the day reading other blogs on what exactly to pack. I have learnt that I need a lot of things I don't have yet and clothes for temperatures ranging from -2c to 38c. Sounds easy enough!

48 hours to go.

Tiger Laylay over and out xo