How did I end up here?

 

I first came to Cape Town in 2006 to for a work conference. I had been warned by numerous people that it’s one of the most ‘dangerous cities in the world’ and I had to be ‘really careful’. My mum was freaking out about me travelling alone long haul for the first time, and I was also a bit freaked myself because I was planning an event in a city that I had never been to before for a bunch of executives I had never met!

On touch down I was immediately captivated by the warm vibrant city. I remember being in the taxi from the airport zooming past all the shacks, high rise flats and cows in the road (Cape Town is a thing of beauty, but the drive from the airport to Town is really not that pretty).  When I arrived safely at my beautiful hotel in the V&A waterfront, it felt like a different world. So sunny and glamorous!  Work started and my week flew by, I barely left the hotel and didn’t get to see any of the sights. On the last evening we had a gala celebration and chatting to my boss and colleagues over dinner I realized that I was NOT ready to leave without really experiencing this city..so I changed my flight, extended my hotel stay and my boss granted a week annual leave.

I spent the next week going on all the sight seeing trips, a mini safari, wine tasting, Cape Point, District 6, boat trips etc etc and had the BEST TIME!  I got to know some of my South African colleagues that were based here and really fell in love with the people of the Mother City.  When it was time to leave I just knew I would be back. I needed to know more about all the different cultures, colors and languages.

Coincidentally I had recently met a guy who was from Cape Town who I’d been chatting to and I promised him a date as soon as I got back from my trip to share my experiences of his home town. Our first date turned in to one of many and we soon moved in together in London. After a few years of dating we realized things were getting serious and ‘that’ conversation about the future had to happen. He made it quite clear that he loved me but could not see his life in the UK long term. Home was calling.

Far from putting me off, the prospect of moving abroad excited me. Like most British people I had always been a sun worshipper and loved being in the heat by the sea, but I also had an itch of wanting to travel and have some adventures.  

We went back to Cape Town on holiday a couple of times before he proposed a few years later, by which time Cape Town had really grown to be my second home.  So fast forward a few more years and we were happily married and packing up our lifes belongings into a Container to ship south.

I have been here 8 years now, and whilst some times I miss my family so much its hard to bear, I still don’t see myself moving back to the UK. Don’t get me wrong I love England, it will always be home. But where I’m from is very grey and a bit boring.

Cape Town has stolen my heart. The sky is so big. The sea is so blue. The sun is so bright.  And whilst South Africa has an endless list of problems and most of its residents cant wait to leave, I still believe that it is one of the most magical places in the world.

There is so much variety in things to see and do, new things to try and experience. The work life balance is more.. balanced. There is so much space to breathe and be free, less rules and more living!

My stars aligned and I was drawn here. This place speaks to my heart and the life we have here is fun, happy and exciting. We live our life mostly outdoors, we host braai’s in our beautiful home (3x the size of what we could afford in London), we go camping in the mountains, walk the dog on the beach, get drunk in the winelands, raise our children with barefeet and dirty faces. We don’t live for weekends, we live for every single day, and for that reason, I’m staying.