It has been almost a year and a half that my sister and I have lived together in Stellenbosch. We often talk about how much we wished to one day live close to the beach, to learn how to surf and to live a life full of adventure. Well, those days are finally here! We realized this on the way to the airport one day fetching our Mom. How surreal it is to realize that (as overstated as it may be) what you dream, can really happen. We both face challenges, sometimes on a day to day basis; she with her degree at university and me with my current job-- and both of us with trying to figure out how to be independent, balanced and to lead the lives we've always aimed for. Thank goodness we have each other from time to time, to compare findings... and to ask our parents for help--when pride steps out of the way ;-) We've had amazing times together. We've also fought over dishes and laundry, and argued about who's turn it is to buy more prepaid electricity. But this is what it's all about! Some days Jess gets up at the crack of dawn to go to the gym, or to finish an assignment, and sometimes we lounge around the house in pajamas with bed hair and un-matching socks until 14h00. It's what we do! We've had some of the most unforgettable experiences here. We've crossed things off of our bucket list, had spur of the moment trips, watched marathons of series together, played guitar in the middle of the road...in the middle of the night. It has been somewhat of dream. The good, the bad, and the wine stained lips. I think a recurring promise that we've tried to keep in our ways of doing things is to always remember what we wanted when we were young. To never lose your child-like innocence or sense of wonder about the world. Yes, we all need to grow up, and our experiences, good and bad, help us to become wise and handle situations with empathy and sensitivity. Our upbringing shapes the people that we become... and if we extract all the goodness, we can share so much love and joy with the other people that are in our lives. And...we can achieve the things we want for ourselves! Jess and I have had the privilege of getting to know some of the coolest and most interesting people here in the Cape-- Some of them even coming from our home town, but this obviously being in a new and neutral setting. We've learned about ourselves, one another, and what it really is like to live away from home. Even though we partly represent home to one another. We are becoming unique individuals, with the golden thread of our mom and dad running through who we are--sometimes there's a double-up or tangles...but we meet them there..!most of the time ;-).. I am excited to see what lay ahead for the future. Neither of us are quite certain, well maybe I just speak for myself. We don't know where our plans might take us, so we figure it out along the way.
What is certain though is... I have more than a sister; she is so many things to me. We do fight, but it would be crazy if we didn't! She learns from me, I learn from her. I'm getting to know her as a person outside of home, and watching her grow into her own young woman! (Scary but exciting...because I was, and still am there too!). I have a best friend, a house mate, a travel companion, a confidant...a mother sometimes, an accomplice...and the list keeps going. Jess... Here's to the past year that we've spent together...and to a crazy, journey-filled road ahead. We're going places HOOOOOS!
1 Comment
Brandon van Noort
5/14/2016 01:01:22 pm
J!
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AuthorHi there, my name is Judete Fourie. I am a twenty-something-year-old writer living in Stellenbosch in SA's Western Cape. Follow my day to day adventures that involve wine, wit and braaibroodjies. Archives
June 2017
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