Emily's awesome week

This past week has been especially awesome because my wonderful boyfriend arrived for his two week stay in Cape Town! I’ve been anticipating his arrival for weeks, so finally being able to be here with him has been awesome so far. It’s weird how just two months ago this city was so new and foreign to me, and now I’m the one showing someone else around it. It was fun seeing his reactions to new situations, mostly the mini buses! We went into town yesterday and walked around the beautiful Company Gardens and St. George’s Mall. I’ve been looking forward to spending time in those two locations especially because they’re so vibrant and full of life, just like the city as a whole is! This morning we woke up at the crack of dawn to go cage diving with Great White sharks. It was truly a once in a lifetime experience and I’m so happy I did it! The sharks were massive, but also very gentle and majestic. This experience definitely altered the “man eater” mentality I used to have on sharks. My birthday is this Saturday which I’m psyched to celebrate. I never knew before coming here that the 21st birthday is such a big deal in South Africa. I learned back on the home stay weekend that it’s a big moment in one’s life to receive the key from their parents, which symbolizes the key to life and new beginnings! My host family even invited me back to their home so that they can present me with my 21st birthday key, how awesome is that? I’m greatly looking forward to what the rest of the week holds for Ricky and I!