Kleinies // August 1st - 3rd

It's all happening. And a little too quickly at that. We've all known that it was going to be, but not a single one of us could have guessed just how quickly it would come around. 

Our little journey here at Rhodes is coming to an end. We knew this, though. This entire year we've all been achingly aware that for many of our friend group, this was to be our final year. It's no secret that I've been looking forward to closing this chapter of my life - I've been craving a change of scenery, new adventures and another fresh start. 

But now I find myself in this weird, weird place. We're beginning to wrap up the year. I know it may seem a little premature, but from here on out it's go, go, go. Deadlines have been stated, assignments are pilling up and it just seems that we're running out of days. I'm battling to comprehend how this term is almost coming to an end when it feels as though I haven't even unpacked my bags properly.

If I think about it for too long, my heart aches. Yes, I want to leave. I cannot, cannot, cannot wait for next year. As lovely as Grahamstown has been to me, I'm ready to be done with her. What I'm absolutely, completely and utterly not ready for is to say goodbye to my friends. The fact that we've got limited weekends left for our many adventures, movie nights, braais and roadtrips is a reality that we're all trying to ignore.

So what do you do when you realize you have less time together than you'd imagined? What do you do when it feels like this year will last forever and then all of a sudden, like a slap in the face, you realize that August is quickly wrapping her arms around you? What do you do when you're quickly realizing that time is fleeting and that you're not ready to say goodbye? 

You load up 15 of your closest friends, do a quick grocery shop - don't forget the s'mores ingredients - and head to the enchanting little island of Kleinemonde where you spend a weekend at Cat's beach house. You go for sunset walks along the beach, you all help prep the burgers for dinner, you play countless games of pool, you talk about silly ex boyfriends and you chow down on a whole box of rusks before going to bed, excitedly awaiting tomorrow when the rest of the crew will arrive. The next morning you wake slowly, breathe in the sea air and just appreciate today. Eventually everyone else arrives and you're so excited to be with them all, away from freezing Grahamstown. You spend the rest of the afternoon sharing packets of chips and drinks on the beach and as the sun begins to set, you all walk back to the house, laughing and not worrying about anything other than this moment. Back home, you get your girls together and begin prepping onions and potatoes while the boys start the braai. It's chaos, but the most beautiful kind. You wake up on Sunday morning with a massive case of the Sunday Blues, but you try your best to ignore them by getting started on breakfast, followed by another walk along the beach. You then come home, are snapped back into reality and write a blog post - of which you're not even sure make sense - accompanied by a handful of crappy quality iPhone pics.

If this is how I'm feeling in August, Lord help me come the end of November.