Here are finally some photos of Jeffreys Bay! I left on Tuesday to head back to Cape Town, and was so sad to say goodbye. The 5 weeks I spent working in the laid-back little surf town are definitely some of the best of my trip so far. Never mind the aching feet, hectic workdays, or 1-day weekends, I will never forget the amazing people that I got to know! The family that I stayed with were so generous to me, and I felt very at home there. I was even starting to understand more and more Afrikaans, given another 3 months I probably would've become a proper Afrikaans meisie. And the little white diesel truck and I had actually become good, although rattly, friends, despite everyone at work's disbelief that I drove such a "huge" car around (if they only knew what tanks people drove in America, this one would've been tiny.) I'm glad that I'll probably be back for a few days before I leave South Africa, final goodbyes are definitely one of my least favorite things.
Some of the crew at InFood, standing in front of the deli counter.
From left to right: Victoria, me, Julia, Jayne (holding Eskimo), Adolf, and Amy.
Me and the coffee guys, Percy and Charles. It says a lot about them that I actually put this photo on the blog, seeing as in this photo my apron makes me look like I'm misshapenly pregnant. But, however unflattering the kangaroo look is, I couldn't leave them out! I was the only waitress who was required to wear that nuisance apron, allegedly to "model" the merchandise. Bitterness aside, I'm going to miss those guys!
Me and Leo, my J Bay boyfriend. He and I went on long walks on the beach, played catch, and canoodled on the rug. We had a few fights, mostly over him leaving white hairs ALL over my black work clothes, and ended up breaking up because long-distance relationships just don't work. But he'll always have a spot in my heart.
The view from the balcony, on the morning I woke up at 5 am to drive to Cape Town. The first (and last) sunrise I saw in J Bay, wish I had seen more!
One of our stops on the drive through the Langkloof from Jeffreys to Cape Town. Before you get too scandalized/excited/disapproving, this wasn't actually a sex shop. Just a normal restaurant-bar along the road in the middle of nowhere. Apparently Ronnie always had a semi-successful shop, named "Ronnie's Shop" but one time when he went on holiday, his friend painted the extra word as a joke. Which turned out to be a huge favor, given that word spread and business has thrived ever since!
Ok, now I'm feeling thoroughly nostalgic! But anyway, I'll pull myself together. I suppose if you are sad to leave somewhere, it's an indicator of what a good experience it was. Of which I'm sure I will have many more in the upcoming months. Also, if I want to make myself feel better about leaving, all I need to think about is waitressing while wearing that apron, with black clothes, in 90-degree humidity, without air conditioning. For an indecisive table of 8, outside in the garden. There we go, slightly better already.
More news to come!
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