Porridge Love

Good weekend. Friday night was absolutely amazing. I went on an outstanding beach run in the afternoon to clear my mind. I will definitely miss running in the sand along the beautiful Indian Ocean with the warm South African sun heating the air. I then came back to my apartment and baked a few chocolate cakes to give to all of the wonderful people that I work with at the Down Syndrome Association. I quickly spiffied up and was escorted by two friends to a hotel just down the street where I met Jörn and Christa Moeller from Germany! Over a delicious buffet dinner we shared four years worth of stories. Once midnight hit I decided I should finally leave their hotel because they had to get up early the next morning to catch a flight to Cape Town. Words cannot explain how awesome it was to see their familiar faces after three months of continually meeting new people.

Saturday was the last day I spent working with the Down Syndrome Association. I attended a support group for mothers of children with Down syndrome at a local church. I loved speaking to the mothers and playing with their adorable children—plus I gained some crucial data for my paper. Always a plus. Afterwards I met with my project advisor to discuss the direction of my paper. Saturday was definitely bittersweet because I finally finished collecting all of my data, but I also had to end my time with the Down Syndrome Association. All of the people with the association took me under their wings and really helped me in any way possible. It makes me feel warm inside to know that there are people who really want to make a difference in others lives and actually succeed in doing so.

Saturday night and Sunday consisted of a rotation of relaxation and work periods. I have been working fairly diligently on my paper, but taking numerous study breaks whenever needed—usually about every hour. My paper is actually coming along quite smoothly and I have about 30 pages written. I’m guessing another 20 to 30 pages and I will be set! My project advisor was really happy with all the progress was made, so hopefully that happiness carries over another week for when she grades my paper. As for the study breaks, I have done more street shopping (probably my favorite past time), sunbathed on the beach, swam in the ocean, went on beach runs, ate some ice cream, made phone calls to the states, and had deep discussions with my flat mates about our lives in South Africa. I also have a new obsession with porridge. I picked up a bag of vanilla flavored porridge in the grocery store last week and now it’s all I can think about. When I finish a section of my paper I reward myself with a bowl of porridge. When I’m hungry for dinner and I try to think of what I should make, porridge consumes my thoughts and that is all I can fathom of eating. Luckily I discovered this fetish in my last few weeks here, because if I had discovered it earlier I would probably return back to the states extremely malnourished. Anyways, overall I had a very fulfilling weekend in the good ole city of Durban.

Aaaand now it’s Tuesday morning. I have spent the last day and a half locked away in my penthouse dominating my paper. It has entirely consumed my life. I realized at 5 p.m. yesterday that I had not left the apartment so I took a brisk walk along the beachfront. Luckily I have actually been enthusiastic about writing my paper and it’s still coming along nicely. I also motivate myself to work on my paper by telling myself that this is nothing compared to University of Puget Sound finals.