Rain, Denise, and that man she calls "Japie"

As I may have already mentioned, Cape Town might well be the most beautiful city in the world.
If so, the reality escaped us entirely for our first three days here.
From the moment we stepped foot onto a soaked runway Saturday, the skies of Cape Town did absolutely nothing but
Rain
Rain
Rain.
As a rule of thumb, winters in Cape Town are usually wet and windy. But the storms that rolled through the coast this last weekend were particularly brutal, accompanied by the worst cold front the city has seen in years.

So long, summer.

However, because APU-sanctioned itineraries yield to no one—not even the most bitter of Cape Town winters—our program pressed on every bit as frantically as it began.

Within twelve hours, I was packed up again and headed for my home stay with an older couple in the area—the van Der Heydes.

Though I entered the van Der Heyde residence a bit nervous and uncertain of what to expect, both Denise and Jacob soon made Jordan (the other student I am staying with) and I feel right at home. In fact, it became apparent to us both soon after our first Sunday afternoon teatime with Denise that the following twelve evenings at home were to be a refreshing departure from the ever-chaotic large-group dynamic back at the college.

The change of pace has made all the difference.
I’ve been getting to sleep early.
I’ve been afforded a handful of essential alone time every day.
And I’ve been downright spoiled by Denise:

Every morning I have woken up to breakfast.
Every evening I have come home to a hot dinner.
And every night I go to sleep in a warm, cozy bed.

In addition to being unbelievably hospitable, my home stay parents each have their share of endearing qualities: Denise is the owner of a mysterious, elusive ethnicity and rolls her “r”s like there’s no tomorrow, and Jacob—who his wife lovingly refers to as “Japie”—has a habit of repeating things and clicking the gold retainer of sorts that sits behind his front teeth.

In all seriousness though, dinnertime conversations with Denise and Jacob have often been the most encouraging moments in my hectic, event-filled days. I cannot say enough good things about the two of them, or the entire home stay experience.

Much more on Denise and Japie later.