A Word Vomit of Sorts

I feel so out of place right now... Let me explain.

I have been on holiday since November 31st. I am still on holiday. 

Its crazy and incredible that I've been blessed to have such a long break before I begin my second year at Rhodes, but everyone is carrying on with their lives and routines and I'm still in December mode. All my friends have started work again or have been back at varsity for a few weeks (I'm not sure why Rhodes' term dates are SO DIFFERENT to the rest of the world, but anyway) and my siblings have been back at school for a month now. 

I'm all keen to get together for a few drinks with my friends on a week night and they're not because they have work in the morning. They're up and starting their day at 5:30am and it's an accomplishment if I'm out of my pajamas by 9am. It's a strange space to be in you guys. Its wonderful though, make no mistake about it!

I think this blog is an absolute testament to me still being in holiday mode. I haven't posted nearly as much as I would have liked to and as much as I used to simply because I'm enjoying every moment of being with my family and friends while I can. I know that as soon as I get back to Rhodes and I have some sort of routine back in my life, this blog will too establish the routine that it once used to have. I'm so excited for this unintentional blogging break that I've taken over the last 3 months to come to an end soon - I've missed this space.

Speaking of heading back to Rhodes... I leave on Thursday. Dad, myself and Dillyn (he's just coming along for the fun of it and to see what my 'other life' is like) will leave home (sad face!) in the early hours of Thursday morning and spend the weekend registering and getting me all unpacked and settled in, and lets not forget the obvious visits to the Rat.

I'm both nervous and excited to be heading back. I'm looking forward to not being new anymore. I think Second Year will see a lot more settled Shannon. A Shannon who knows her way around, a Shannon who knows what to expect. I can't wait for new courses, new friends, new memories and being one step closer to my degree. 

One of the things I'm most excited about for this year at Rhodes is to be reunited with one of my close friends, Bee. Bee and I went to High School together and grew quite close over the five years spent together doing Drama and being room-mates for a term or two. Bee is originally from Malawi and did a gap year in New Zealand last year, but this year she returns to South Africa as a First Year at Rhodes. I'm so excited to have her back!

Yesterday I got home from spending an amazing week at the coast with my parents, Liam and some of our closest family friends. It was a really good final adventure of my holiday and I'm going to miss these people and simply relaxing when I head back. The next few days will see me getting everything ready to head back, soaking up the last precious moments with family and friends for the next few months and of course, taking complete advantage of having someone to wash my clothes for me. I'll miss that.

As ever, thank you for listening to my ramblings.

x