ALL GOOD THINGS MUST COME TO AN END

Family Photo @ Camps Bay, Cape Town

It is hard to believe that there are less than three weeks left until we return to Canada. As the countdown reaches 15 days, we are experiencing quite a range of emotions. We are definitely excited to see family and friends, and to settle into our Canadian routines, however our lifestyle and pace of life (while in an incredible climate) will be pretty hard to give up (Wesley calls it his ‘trust fund’ lifestyle).
We have made many WONDERFUL friends during our time in South Africa and it is really sad to say good-bye. The good-byes are quite different from when we departed for South Africa, because when we came to SA there was a definite period of time until our return. Now when we are asked “when will we see you again?” the answer is much more ambiguous. Fortunately, SA is our adopted nation, and we will be eternally linked to it and its people, so we will return soon enough. We just don’t quite know when. We are very thankful that the same technologies that have allowed us to remain connected to home, will allow us to remain connected with our South African friends.

Since the last update, we have had a number of adventures and have been visited by some wonderful friends. Click below for Moore. 
(Moore...pictures and stories)

 MEMORABLE MOMENTS

Playful Whale

A MID-SEMESTER'S NIGHT:

In September, during the second semester reading break, our family went away for a 2-day 1-night adventure on the ‘Garden Route’ (a GORGEOUS stretch of the coast on the Indian Ocean). We spent one night in Stillbaai, which is a picturesque town situated on a beautiful beach. The first day, we played at the beach and had a wonderful time playing, running and relaxing. The second day, Karyne insisted that we drive an hour to Mossel Bay (an hour further on the highway). She surprised Wesley with an early birthday present...SHARK DIVING!!! It was INCREDIBLE! Wesley was literally inches from the mouth of Great White Sharks (up to 3.5m long). They are tenacious and relentless - frighteningly awesome! (especially when they SLAM into the cage). Yes, we got the video.

Buckingham's South African Palace?!?

A TOUCH OF HOME (Buckingham Edition)

In August, we hosted our friends, the Buckinghams -- our first guests since April. It was VERY special to connect with them and to experience a touch of home. The Buckinghams are very familiar with South Africa and previously lived in Stellenbosch while Janet was pursuing her LL.D. Since their family had lived in the Western Cape, it was quite special to be a part of their experience reconnecting and reminiscing. They taught us many new things about the region that we had not yet experienced and got to share with them some of the special things we had discovered. We also went on a number of adventures with them around the Cape Town region. One of the highlights was a fabulous lunch overlooking the Atlantic Ocean - and some whales - followed by a breathtaking hike between the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Point. They also gave us a crash course in advanced wine tasting (including a course on the "John Platter" Wine Guide which rates every wine in SA).

Lunch @ Hartenburg Wine Estate

MR. JERRY

In October, we got to host our friend "Mr. Jerry." All of us have many wonderful memories from his visit. From doing two days of bus tours of Cape Town, museums, penguins and the Cape Peninsula, to happening upon a pod of whales playing just off the side of the road along False Bay -- we certainly had fun. Definitely one of the highlights for Karyne and Wesley was going to the COLDPLAY concert at the Cape Town Stadium with "Mr. Jerry" (the best concert either of us have EVER been to). We also thoroughly enjoyed having many profound conversations over wonderful meals and excellent wine.

RUGBY WORLD CUP:

Even the Produce Cheer on Springbok!

This past weekend marked the final of the 14-week long Rugby World Cup. To be in a rugby-crazed nation while their team defends their championship was truly a cultural experience. (The closest experience would have been the passion exhibited by Canadians during the 2010 Olympics hockey final). It seemed that EVERYONE in the country was cheering on the Springboks. Gabriel's rugby program even gave out t-shirts with "Go Bokke" on the back. South Africa won their group stage, but lost in the quarter finals. Canada had a team in the tournament and played remarkably well, with true Canadian grittiness and determination. We would wake up early in the morning to cheer on Team Canada. Gabriel also loved seeing New Zealand’s “Hakka”.

PERSONAL MEMORIES

Karyne: This past week, Karyne completed and submitted her thesis. An incredible milestone achieved through a lot of sacrifice and perseverance. Unfortunately, the celebration was short lived. Over the following days she completed her last paper (which is nearly as long as her thesis), contributed to a group paper and is now in the thick of studying for two finals (both which will be VERY tough). One of her non-educational highlights has been discovering two separate restaurants with über-great views where she likes to enjoy special breakfasts. One of the restaurants overlooks vineyard-covered mountains just outside the city and the other has gorgeous gardens which overlook the mountains of Stellenbosch. The Coldplay concert was also incredible! (Did we mention that?)

Wesley: In addition to swimming with Great Whites and watching Coldplay, Wesley has thoroughly enjoyed the last couple of months. He has continued to improve his culinary skills and has also refined his wine tasting pallet. He has put together quite a list of excellent South Africa wines (and a list of Canadian distributors). A highlight from his school in the township was a letter written to him by one of his students that described her dream of going with “Mr. Wesley” to London to watch the boats on a canal – VERY cute and touching (something he will cherish).

Gabriel: Gabriel’s highlights would be playing with his friends. Whether it is at school, rugby, or in the neighborhood, his days are FILLED with friends and play. Through Gabriel and his many activities, our family has met some wonderful friends. Gabriel continues to do well at school. In his most recent “assessment report” he received “excellent” and “very good” in every area that was assessed. He has also started to read and spell words (en français) and is doing basic addition and subtraction. We have also been VERY proud of how polite he is becoming, especially when addressing adults. He has a really great maturity about him.

Adrien: Our baby is quickly becoming a little boy! He has started entering into a phase where he is trying to communicate his opinions, likes and dislikes (even with the help of the odd tantrum). We have also really enjoyed seeing his personality develop. He really LOVES his big brother, he laughs a lot and actively crawls and plays around the house. He has also mastered the art of going up and down stairs properly. In the past two weeks he has begun walking while just holding one of our hands; however, he still does not want to walk by himself. We recently purchased a few educational toys to help him develop his motor skills, and he seems to really enjoy them. He even just recently got his first molar tooth.


We have THOROUGHLY enjoyed our South African adventure. SA has stolen a piece of each of our hearts. We will certainly miss it and its people. It will not be long until we return again!!!