A Little Piece of Paradise

Everything about my life right now is paradise. The place I’m in is beautiful. The people who live here, are for the most part, amazing. The group I get to share this experience with teaches me new things every day. And for the past two weeks, I’ve had nothing to do other than love this life, which I can say I truly do. Life is a little piece of paradise.

Iconic Jameson Hall.

Classes start tomorrow and the idea of going back to real life, one with a routine and one in which my only goal isn’t pleasure is making me nervous, yet very gracious for the experiences I’ve had thus far. I am able to look back on everything I’ve gotten to do, all of the carefree opportunities I’ve been a part of for the past 2 weeks, and I can think nothing more to myself than how lucky I am. Wow.

One example of just how lucky I have been was that I went surfing today! The first time I’ve ever been surfing was in the (freezing cold) Indian Ocean, with good friends and a great instructor. We started out on the beach learning how to hop up on the board, and then immediately got into the water. After getting over the initial shock of how cold the water was, I was able to get far enough into the water to catch my first wave. I didn’t stand on the first one, but rode the whole way into the beach on my second try! It was incredible. As of today I’m sure that one of the clubs I want to join at UCT will be surf club, partially because of how great my surfing experience was, and not to mention the plethora of 6-packed men that should come along with the club.

Natalie, Grace, and I getting ready for our surf lesson! We are all laughing because Grace had struggled a ton getting her suit on, only to realize she had been trying to fit her leg into the arm part. Then Paul (not pictured here) put his suit on backwards! This picture was finally taken about 10 minutes into the struggle.

Another one of these awesome adventures was the climb to Devil’s Peak yesterday. We started off doing some pretty strenuous uphill hiking, but about an hour into the hike is when it got aggressive. We started having to literally climb up rocks, where our bodies were completely vertical in order to keep up with the group. There were parts where the only thing that separated us from an almost completely vertical drop to the bottom of the mountain was our hands gripping onto the face of the rock. It was such an adrenalin rush, but one I suggested to my mom that we not do again when they come to Cape Town.

Me, Lill, and Chelsea only about 1/4 of the way to the top of Devil's Peak.

The view of one of the smaller parts of Devil's Peak before we even got close.

The view of some of Cape Town from the top of Devil's Peak!

The view of Table Mountain from Devil's Peak.

Throughout our time here, we have also been exploring some of the towns that are close to Cape Town. One of these that Natalie and I went to was called Kalk Bay. We went there not expecting a whole lot, but fell madly in love with this little town. There were all sorts of eclectic little shops and boutiques, some cute places to eat, and beautiful homes and fancy hotels. We stopped and had fish and chips yet again- this seems to be our favorite way to eat- with the locals and of course some hungry seagulls. The walk around the harbor was beautiful as well. The locals were selling all sorts of fresh fish like hake, red romans, and others. Then, when they would take out the insides, the local kids would throw them into the water to attract the seals! It was honestly just like SeaWorld, but in the wild.

Boats in Kalk Bay.

A scene straight out of SeaWorld. Charlie (that's what I named him) waiting for more fish guts.

So tomorrow is back to school as usual, the actual reason I came to this amazing place. Playtime may be over but I am more sure than I have ever been that the adventure is truly just beginning.

African Word of the Day: "Bru" which is the surfer's version of "Bro" or "Dude"

The Two Faces of Africa

Every day that I am here, I am more and more stunned by the two distinct faces I am presented with every day. The fact that it just came out of a history as appalling as the slavery days in the United States starts to make one come to realize why this country is in such a state of disarray. The theme that seems to be recurring to me most recently, though, is that of a two-sided coin. Just like a quarter, or Two Face from Batman, there is always one side that is wonderful and magnificent, but then just as easily as you may flip a quarter to the other side, South Africa shows her scarred, ugly face.

Recently, we have been taking tours of the peninsula and getting to know the country more generally as well. On this tour, we drove past the V&A Waterfront, with houses just as magnificent as those on the shores of Malibu beach. After a quick fifteen-minute drive down the road, though, we are in a township called Ocean View. Here the houses barely have roofs that keep the weather out, the people are in clothes that have clearly been around for generations, and if they are lucky, they may be driving a broken-down bike to get around. Once we get inside the community center, though, none of this matters. The people are amazingly welcoming and joyous, as though inside this community center are all the riches in the world. These are the two faces of Africa.

Another example of this gave me my first true glance at the fact that I am living in a poverty-stricken area. As we were all hanging out in my apartment the other night, a girl on the trip from DU named Chelsea runs in asking for help. A lady that had been walking back to her apartment from the bus stop had just been robbed. Within three minutes the cops are there taking reports and making sure that no one else may come back to that area that night. Here is the two faces I saw in this case. Obviously the ugly side came when two men ran up behind this woman with a knife in her face telling her to give them money, and then when they stole her wallet and phone. The beautiful part comes in now. A man who had been meeting a friend came over offering all the help that he could. He had had the same bank card as the lady and told her exactly how to cancel it and make it so that no one could use it. After driving us all to the ATM where she could cancel her card, he drove us back and made sure we all made it safely home.

Today we took a trip to the beach, and used the train to get there. Even the train has these two sides. The “first-class” train, where we were told to buy our tickets seemed really safe and I didn’t feel threatened at all. We were told, though, that the other train is often very unsafe and that we should not travel on it.

The beach in Muizenburg was absolutely stunning, with perfect waves and a gorgeous beach, and of course the background of the mountains and Devil’s Peak. As we were all sitting on the beach watching the waves crash ashore, a seal playfully surfed the water directly in front of us, reminding all of us how beautiful this place is. After this, Natalie, Grace, and I walked around the town and found a cute little coffee/ bread shop. We stepped inside and ordered and then were ushered out back, where we sat with a few locals talking about life. They told us how great the surfing is and told us that while staying in Cape Town, surfing will have to become a normal activity. Can’t wait… Another gorgeous day down and only 4 more months to go!

African word of the day: “The Burg” meaning the town of Muizenburg

Here are some pictures just to update you on what I've been doing!

At a beach on the penninsula with Geoff, Lill, and Nats, and penguins playing at Boulder Beach.

Cape of Good Hope and the lighthouse at the top! Also a pole pointing to all the different cities of the world.

Friends at the bottom of Cape Point.

Thembe and Charles (my mentor) at a bar on Long's Street singing karaoke.

T.I.A.

This Is Africa. This is what all of the locals go by when needing a phrase to help us fast-paced Americans understand the new country we are in. Life down here is much calmer and laid-back than I have ever been used to... Here's some of what it's been like.

So I finally arrived in South Africa on Tuesday evening, to a couple disgruntled program-mates who had been waiting on me at the airport. The drive from the airport is one I will not soon forget, and one that I am absolutely humbled by. After leaving the comfort of the international airport, we cross a bridge, and immediately there are shantytowns on either side of us. 

            After about a 10-minute drive to campus, we pull onto Main Road, the heart of where I will be living for the next 5 months. The street is beautiful. I look up and am staring at the backside of Table Mountain, or Devil’s Peak.

The view of Devil's Peak from Rondebosh and the view of Devil's Peak from Upper Campus.

        
  Our apartment is very homely, a small living room with TV and DVD player (all the comforts of home), 3 bedrooms, and a small kitchen and bathroom to share. We unpacked a bit and then went to the boys’ flat next to us (Chainhood) to have a brie (bar-b-que) and get to know everyone. After this Becca finally made it home from the airport and we all went to bed.

            Wednesday was a day reserved for getting to know the area we live in, set up bank accounts, and do all sorts of the things necessary to a new place. At night, Interstudy had planned for us to go to a local play in District 6 and have a traditional South African dinner. The play was amazing, and I was glad to find that the food was as well. The meat was a sort of meatloaf, but with less spices and extras than we are used to in the States. This was served with a salad and rice, and for desert was a custard type of dish. After this, our group decided to have a night out at a bar so that we could celebrate being together with one another.

            Today we toured the beautiful (and huge) campus that will house all of our classes over the next 5 months. The walk from my flat is almost all straight uphill, although there are campus buses called Jammies that we can catch if we need to. The plan for tonight is for Helena 5 to make some tacos, another brie at Chainhood, and then probably going out with the group once again. Oh man.

My roommates Becca, Natalie and I on a lion statue at Rhode's Memorial.

A view of Upper Campus and Devil's Peak from the rugby fields.

Fish 'n Chips and things like that...

Sitting in London Heathrow airport on the tail end of a 12 hour layover. I met up with my friend Natalie from DU, so her and I decided that on this abnormally long layover we should utilize our time to venture into the city. We did just that. We took the tube all the way to Earl's Court in London. From there we took some leisurely walks along the streets and came to a pub that looked enticing. Upon entering, we saw the Tour of the World in 20 Beers wall and knew we'd enjoy ourselves. After eating some fish and chips and having a glass of cider, we took another small jaunt around the area and finally got ourselves back to the airport. So for now there's just a small amount of waiting and a LONG flight ahead... can't wait!

Natalie sitting in front of the wall o' beer.

Delicious meal of fish and chips.

The beautiful city of London-- or some of it.

Sitting, Waiting, Wishing....

My first post! And I write it from a location I know well- my bedroom. Right now I sit comfortably in my parent's house, in the room I've had since kindergarten. I'm trying to savor every moment I have in a familiar location, knowing that soon I will not have this comfort. I am slowly but surely getting prepared for my trip to South Africa. I have gotten all the shots I need, I've been shopping close to a million times to put together what I hope will be the perfect wardrobe, and I'm trying to get all sorts of phone calls and other important items checked off my list. I've been playing this waiting game for almost a whole month now. When school ended, it felt like I had an eternity before I would be leaving the country for an entire semester; but it's obvious that this trip is creepily around the corner. So what do I do next? Hope... better yet, pray, that I have all of the items, the correct mindset, and everything I will need for this new adventure. So for now I take comfort in home that I grew up in, with the people I love the most, simply wishing that the adventure that awaits me takes me on the journey of a lifetime.