Forbidden City meets Big Apple

I finally caught up with myself after spending two months in two completely contrasting cultures. As predicted, Google was blocked in China and there was no Google god to intercede on my behalf (see my blog post). That post was sent via secret email out of the country so that someone could post it for me. But after a week of juggling coursework, sightseeing and being part of a group of 30 20-somethings, I gave up on the blogosphere. Typhoons, time zones and techno-glitches also kept me from blogging, but now I’m back in full force…   

Not being able to blog was incredibly frustrating, because it had become a therapeutic habit after two months in Prague. Writing not only helped me to process new experiences, it was also a great way to update everyone at home.  Anyway, here I am back in Cape Town, finding my mojo.

There it is!

When I arrived in New York, I desperately needed something to bridge the gap between China and the US, because I was starting to wonder whether I had entered a parallel universe. A 12-hour time difference, a typhoon and over 20 hours of travelling can do that to a person! I found exactly what I was searching for at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

 China: Through the Looking Glass tells the story of how the East has influenced the West, since the 16^th century, and provided inspiration for fashion designers such as Alexander McQueen and Yves Saint Laurent. At the exhibition, “high fashion is juxtaposed with Chinese costumes, paintings, porcelains, and other art, as well as films to reveal enchanting reflections of Chinese imagery.” 

Formal Robe for the Tongzhi Emperor (1862)
inspired dress (1998) by House of Dior (right)

Yves Saint Laurent & Tom Ford (2004-5)

My jet-lagged body had no problem wandering through the three floors of The Costume Institute exhibition, and for a few hours I was transported to another dimension by smells, sounds and sights. I was amazed by how much the East has actually influenced the West, from tip to toe (literally!).

When I emerged from the Met I felt a little less confused and jet-lagged and was ready to take on the Big Apple. Visiting the exhibition was a good way for me to close my China chapter and focus on New York, New York! 

The exhibition has been extended to 7 September 2015. I highly recommend it! 

Dress by Guo Pei (2007)

More about China and the US coming up! 

So, why am I here?

Not why am I on this earth (that’s an existential question and post for another day), but why am I in the beautiful city of Prague? 

Beautiful, right?

New Beginnings and a New Me

Equipped with a confident new voice and bright red lipstick, I've set off to see the world. Well, 5 of the world’s countries that I've never been to before.

I really like this map. It's like the one I look up and see every time I'm in my dentist's chair. 

In December I graduated from the University of Cape Town (UCT) with a Bachelor of Social Science degree. My time there certainly wasn't all smooth sailing, but it was exciting to be a university student.

This year, I felt like I needed a break from studying to “get my life in order” before I took on another degree. So, with one degree under my belt, I thought, “here’s my chance!” To be completely honest, I didn't know what I wanted to do or study this year (if I did decide to carry on studying).  

In South Africa, it is more common for people to take their gap years straight after high school, but when I left high school, I didn't feel that I was ready to go off into the big wide world on my own. I wanted to go to UCT, and I was determined to get in. It was the only university I applied to. My parents went there and I wanted to go there.

So, there I was, my 22^nd birthday was around the corner and it was pretty much a now or never kind of situation. However, it wasn't as easy as it sounds to decide on a gap year. All of my closest friends decided to carry on studying, including my boyfriend. So, questions like “Am I making the right decision?”, “What is the right decision?”, “Shouldn't I just carry on studying and get it done all in one go?”, “Won’t I be lonely?”, and “Can I leave behind my family, my boyfriend and my friends?” all filled my mind. But also, “When will you ever get this opportunity to travel the world again?” In the cycle of life, it’s school, degree, work, marriage, family… maybe go on a few holidays in between, but no travelling the world for a whole year, by yourself, to find yourself.

Anyway, back to the present. This is no ordinary gap year! You won’t find me waitressing in some pub in England or travelling aimlessly around South America or sitting on the couch at home getting fat. In total, I will visit 5 countries that I've never been to before (and I've travelled a lot!) and in each, I will be doing something totally unique. First stop = Prague.