Jade Bennett

Aghhhh!! I’m so ecstatic!! What a time! In case you were wondering, guys, I’ve finally arrived at Cambridge Prep Experience in Cambridge, England. Agh! It’s so amazing finally being here. It’s beautiful weather here in Cambridge and I’m currently sitting in my dorm room after my first exhilarating 24 hours here on campus.

I arrived yesterday and was picked up by Cambridge staff along with some other camp-mates. We drove an hour and some change outside of London to Cambridge, where we arrived at Peterhouse College, one of the campuses of Cambridge University used by Cambridge Prep. We were all checked in and transported to our dorms. There, I met my roommate, who was also flying in from South Africa. Although she was actually South African, and from Johannesburg.

After that we had the rest of the day to chill and unpack. I was a little nervous (still am) to go out onto campus and try making friends. But, around late afternoon I went out and read in a large open space designated to the Cambridge Prep students before heading off to dinner.

Although I’ve heard some bad reviews—mostly from Stella and Cleo—about the food at Oxbridge, I was happily surprised by how my expectations were happily met. Of course, it isn’t the same quality as my family’s cooking *chef’s kiss* but it was definitely better than my other experiences with camp food. They have a much wider range here, as well as not providing lunch, which forces kids to explore the restaurants around town for that meal.

Because Oxbridge is an academic camp, all students are required to pick a major that they study for the duration of the camp. The majors range from anything like robotics to creative writing to espionage. I am taking psychology with a small group of about ten kids. We started classes today and did a bit of icebreakers and get-to-know-each-other games. We also had a scavenger hunt around town, which helped everyone to get their bearings of where all the shops and colleges were.

Sorry for such a short post without many photos of my time here, but I’ll write a lengthy post in two weeks at the end of the session with lots of details and photos. Gotta go, bye!

Howdy, y’all! Long time no see, definitely. Aside from my recent book review posts, the last blog I uploaded was almost three months ago. Sorry about that—been finishing up the school year and haven’t had a ton to post about anyway. But, lately, since I’m off school and my regular activities—dance and tennis—are starting to go on break as well, I’ve found myself with lots of free time. This means that I can finally get back on track with you guys and get where I want to be by posting regularly and frequently, as opposed to my sporadic drop-ins (oopsies). As you’ve probably noticed, I’ve changed the design of my website as well as added a super exciting new section of book reviews and recommendations. I’ve been meaning to add that section for a while, and I’m stoked it’s finally up! This revamping and expansion of my website was a definite goal of mine since I started blogging, and it’s great to finally put it into action.

But, the main goal of this post is to update everyone on the many plans and the change of plans that have occurred during the past few months. Now, don’t be alarmed, nothing drastic has taken place and, compared to other plan changes that I’ve blogged about, these minor adjustments are definitely not crucial to the future of Dafne or the Fam.

However, a few news reports on the whereabouts and plans of my sisters are due. As I mentioned in my last post, Cleo has been accepted to Pomona College in California. However, she has decided to take a gap year before entering university. Starting in May, she flew to the US to get a summer job while figuring out her plans for her year off. Meanwhile, Stella has also finished her school year and accepted an internship based in Chicago, where she will be staying for the duration of the summer. She’s also moved into an apartment with a few of her roommates that she will keep over the summer and into the school year.

As for us remaining in South Africa, we number just three now *insert sad face*. While I’ve been closing out eighth grade and graduating (Whoohoo!), dad’s been working his but off on his many projects and companies he participates in. The most exciting of these is Cicero, which he founded with my mom as their second start-up back in the fall. Based on a one-on-one method of teaching similar to what Cleo, Stella, and I did when we all first moved onto Dafne, Cicero finally started to gain traction in the past few months. As its first official middle-school graduate, I’m ecstatic to continue learning with such an amazing method.

Perhaps the most important news of the last few months is how far our house in Kommetjie has come. Since last summer, mom has been driving down multiple times a week to move things along and renovate the entirety of the property. She’s made many new additions to the house such as a pool, hot tub, and braai, as well as completely flipping the layout of the inside so that the main communal rooms are on the second floor. I went down just a week ago and was so awed at how much has changed. It was truly an entirely different place and I’m so proud of how much effort mom has put into it. Good job, mom!

Well, so many reports on the many things going on in the Dafne crews’ lives, but I’m afraid the same cannot be said for our beautiful mother-ship. Dafne’s been mostly docked at the marina for the past year-and-a-half that we’ve been in South Africa, especially as the months feed into winter here in Cape Town. Because of the Fam’s annual trip to the US during the Nothern Hemisphere summer, Dafne will remain vacant until our return in September. But, come January/February 2023, she’ll be up and moving towards Namibia and St. Helena! Can’t wait!!

I will definitely post about those places, but I also want to make a habit of updating you guys continually throughout the coming summer and start of the school year. Please remind me to keep posting!! Bye!

Hi all!! Welcome back to pt. 2 of my time in Cape Town. Gosh, it feels like forever since I last posted, right? Sorry ’bout that, I have definitely been overloaded this semester in the area of my academics. Ugh, we’ll get into that trauma later. For now, let me tell you about what’s been happening for the past six months or so. Get ready, set, and action!

As you have probably guessed, I have some news regarding the plans of the Fam to share with all of you. The first is that, as of a couple of months ago, Dafne and her crew have decided to stay in Cape Town, South Africa, until 2023!! Yay! That is so exciting for all of us, as we have loved staying here and can’t wait to spend until February/March 2023 here in CT. Another announcement is that last year, Cleo has been applying to colleges in the US. She recently got accepted to ED (early decision) at Pomona College in Los Angeles! So exciting, and I finally get her roo- oh um…I mean um…just so exciting, Cleo! Anyway, I also have some news of my own. I’ve been accepted to the summer camp psychology program at Oxbridge!!! AHHHHH! OMG, I’m still reeling, and I found out more than two months ago. The program takes place in July in London at one of the Oxbridge colleges. I applied to the two-week program, so I’ll be staying until early August. Also, I applied for a scholarship and received a 50% discount on tuition. Thanks so much, Oxbridge!! I’m ecstatic to attend your program! Ahhhh!!

Well, now that I’ve addressed some of my most exciting and cool news, let’s have just a basic rundown of what the past six months have looked like.

During the last six months since I returned to South Africa from my summer back in the US, I’ve taken up a couple of extracurricular activities and hobbies. I’ve started contemporary dance at a local program in Cape Town, as well as playing tennis with a private teacher. I have also, recently, begun a recreational theatre and dance program at a theatre school near the boat. All of these things have been super fun and challenging, and have allowed me to meet some friends here in CT. The crew and I also have other connections that have led us to a town I’ve mentioned before in another post about two hours outside of Cape Town called Hermanus. We’ve visited Hermanus a couple of times in the past half-year, and I’ve grown to be quite good friends with a girl there. All these things, I realize, I have been missing out on while sailing around Southeast Asia during those couple of years. Now that Dafne and her crew are anchored (well, not literally) at a marina, we’ve been able to enjoy “land life,” as we call, it with all its perks and enjoyments.

Hey? Remember in pt. 1 when I *casually* mentioned that Dafne’s crew would be buying a house in Cape Town as a rental property and summer house? Well, that came true!! We have bought a lovely house about forty-five minutes outside of the center city in a town called Kommetjie, and we’ve been giving it a complete renovation these past few months. The house badly needed to be redone, and we also have been adding things like a pool, hot tub, and a large deck. However, though the past few months have been exciting getting to see the transformation of the house, it’s been a nightmare for my mother. Seriously. She’s had to deal with so many architects, plumbers, and more, who don’t listen to her plans for the layout and inevitably get the design wrong. Ugh! What a shitake show! Anyhow, it’s still progressing, and my mom thinks that it will be finished by this summer. So exciting!

Finally, this school year has definitely been eventful. The last time I posted, I was talking about all of the fun and partying I’d been getting up to in the summer of 2021. Well, this school year is a far cry from that Candyland. I feel like I’ve been swamped with a massive amount of assignments and papers, and it’s just getting deeper. The only good that has come of this swamp is that I finally have a valid excuse for the absentia of my blog. I’m sorry guys, I wish it was anything but, but I have succumbed to academia and its demands. Please pray for my salvation and rescue. Amen.

Anyways, all in all, the past six months of the year have been eventful and exciting. From trying out new activities that I continue to fail wondrously at, to lots of new friends, I assure you, I’ve become really accustomed to life on board Dafne II at the V&A Waterfront Marina in Cape Town, South Africa. Thanks, tons, you guys, and I hope you’re having as many adventures as possible! Mwah!