Heading home

I can't believe it's been since the 18th since my last post! Well, I was very busy, then my last weekend I got sick, so I just never caught back up with posting.

At the moment I have little energy and want to close my eyes again, I just thought it would be fitting to close out my trip posting from the shuttle, just as I started the trip back on the 26th of July. I am about 45 minutes from home, in the airport shuttle. Amazingly, I have better internet on this shuttle than I have had the entire time I've been away!

This past weekend was not great - I got a stomach virus, my host got an upper respiratory infection, and my good friend ended up in the hospital visiting a family member.

On top of none of us being in good shape to do anything, the weather was horrible. There was some sort of winter storm that seemed to me to be at least tropical storm level. The wind was horrible and the rain came in huge bursts. It started on Thursday but the violent wind didn't get bad until Saturday. It was downright scary that day. Sunday wasn't much better...

I was bunkered down in my bedroom in that big old drafty house - I had the portable heater going nonstop, and had my biggest sweater on under all the blankets. It was perhaps good I was sick on top of it because I didn't even feel like getting out of bed, and there was no where to go anyway!!

The flight home would have been horrible as I'm still getting over the virus, except I saw a dr. before the flight and he gave me lovely sleeping pills... I solidly slept 19 of the 24 hours of my in-flight time. It is 2am and I'm on the shuttle (SO CLOSE NOW...) and I can't sleep now, but I'm sure it's just the anticipation of being almost home...

I miss Cape Town, but this trip I was ready to head home. I am sure I'll go back again and I look forward to ongoing work with my host, and keeping up my friendships..

I am much more comfortable back in Oregon than I was in NYC. I have to amend - I spent my 13 hour layover with a much appreciated rest and visit at my good friend's house (see blog links on my page) - but in the airport and such I felt culture shok. Oregon is calmer, nicer, quieter... Cape town is too big a city for me sometimes, but it is a friendly place - maners are different there. You don't over hear people talking too loud and about unseamly things :)

Cape Town is a beautiful place with beauiful people, so there is at least one thing - I no longer feel underdresesd now that I'm back in Oregon :) Being on campus, especially in the physics dept was of course not a place to play dress up - but you should see the glam at the fancy shopping places and out on the town!! I would have to try hard to keep up!

No stressing about it now :) Now I can go home, rest, cuddle my animals, rest some more, take a hike in the woods, and relax!!