2013 THUS FAR

Hello world...

This may come as a shock, but yes... IM ALIVE! I guess I owe an apology for totally bailing on my blogging duties.

First Excuse:
My old laptop had died a slow and painful death.
It left me on the edge of the world, lonely and isolated. Ok maybe I'm being over-dramatic. I had to check my mail and all those other daily habits on my phone! Didn't know it could be so laborious. "This file is not supported by your mobile... please download..." and "This file is too large to send". Ive never been happier to have a laptop.
I'm Berna van Zyl reporting from my Dell Inspiron in the Cape!

Which brings me to my second excuse:
Remember all that talk of not knowing what I'm gonna do in 2013... "I'm just gonna be at home... blah blah blah". WELL PLANS CHANGE. In December I got an SMS from my lovely Aunt who stays down in the Paarl. She said that she has a job offer, or rather she knows of one. A cousin of my cousin (didn't know one could be so vague... hmm) studied fashion design and has a little 'boutique' shop in Stellenbosch and she is looking for a shop assistant. Only for two months, while they will go oversees to look for new things to sell. PERFECT isn't it? SO I told her to give me a few minutes to ponder on the thought of going down to Stellenbosch. I talked to my parents and consulted with my friendly adviser (Zesu). Then I rang my Aunt saying she can SIGN ME UP!
I've been here and there, finalizing, packing and saying goodbye to Wian (who is also starting a new chapter). Before I know it I was on the plane - O.R Tambo to Cape Town! It was terribly sad saying my goodbyes. There is no way to prepare yourself for leaving home. Even if it is just for a few weeks, it is still heartbreaking.

On the plane I say next to an odd, old man who smelt of booz and rambled on about his daughter and her second husband from Iraq. I mostly nodded (even though i did not always heard what he said) and filled the silences with "oh ok"s. Coming over the Karoo, the clouds became fewer and i could see a new world below me. Then over Sutherland, where the statistics were anounced to 'amuse' the passengers...? Apparantly we were flying at a tremendous speed (I tried not to think about how fast exactly we were going). The Pilot announced that we have reached our destination and that he hopes to see us again (I was humored as I though that he hadn't actually seen us... silly man). And by the way don't judge me on what makes me laugh. I keeps me sane. And it's either laughing or breaking down and crying.

My Aunt picked me up at the airport. It is comforting to know I'm in capable hands and that I have family close, who will always be at my side. We drove to the Paarl and I was taken back by the view. It's just something else. The mountains that climb high into the sky and the beautiful houses. Paradise.

I stayed at my Oom and Tannie's house for a few days and then set off to Stellenbosch. Here, I'll be staying with my Cousin. More about Stellenbosch will follow soon. Right now I'm still figuring it out for myself.

On a slightly less jolly note... I am still having occasional moments where everything becomes too much. Then I write down all that mopey-mopey stuff in my beloved journal. I pick myself up and smile... until the cycle repeats itself. With this I'd just like to send out a warning that some serious depressing posts might pop up every now and then. When you stubble upon such a post of mine, send me a message with Bob Marley's words "Dry your tear, have no fears"... or use you imagination and come up with something better.

That's it from me folks! Thank you for reading this post (or skimming through it like I know some of you do...)

xoxo