Despite a late night last night (dinner, teleconference, talking to Tracy, and finishing two papers), I woke early to start packing. I finally admitted to myself that not everything would fit under the weight limit, even with a third bag, so I removed two piles of non-essential books. The first pile can be given away to other professors at the Stellenbosch Engineering faculty. I asked Wikus to ask Jos to post the stack of essential books to me in the U.S.
At 09h00, I went to Créme with Louis and Amanda for one last breakfast at Louis' favorite spot. During breakfast, Amanda scared me with stories of needing to pay R8000 ($1150) for overweight and extra bags. So, I went back to Wikus' house to repack my bags. In the event that I would need to pay $1000 for my third bag, I wanted to be able to junk it on the spot. So, the black suitcase contained useful, but non-essential stuff.
I took the opportunity at breakfast to thank them for their friendship and hospitality. And, I was able to say that I'll miss them immensely.
At the airport, I paid for the extra bag ($175, much less than the value of everything in there, I believe) and was on my way.
On the day before Tracy, Mark, and Catherine departed, we talked about highlights from the year and things we want to do next time we come. Here's our list:
* Highlights
Tracy: Stellenbosch United Church, Mark's school play, Addo Elephant National Park, and meeting Desmond Tutu at dinner.
Mark: Ratanga Junction, Table Mountain hikes, boogie boarding, Rhenish Primary School, views of the mountains and ocean, and beaches.
Matt: friends we made and relationships created, over seas visitors, and the Sustainable Development class.
* Next Time:
Tracy: more restaurants (Rust en Vrede, Reubens, Terrior), Bloubergstrand, and Hout Bay.
Mark: scuba diving and surfing.
Matt: Afrikaans and Xhosa classes at the University of Stellenbosch, Mango Groove or Freshlyground or Johnny Clegg concert, Kruger Park, photo day with David and the Helderberg Photographic Society.
Goodbye Stellenbosch. Goodbye South Africa. And, thank you for a fantastic year!
--Matt