Road Tripping Across South Africa

Last week, March 16 to the 24^th was our spring break. A good portion of the group went on a road trip tour across South Africa. We followed the Garden Route into the Eastern Cape to the coast and up into Johannesburg and Kruger National Park. Our first night was spent in Nysna. Our second night was in Chinsa at a backpackers on the beach. The third and fourth nights we spent in Coffee Bay. Then to Durban for one night, Johannesburg for two nights ending in Kruger for our last two nights. We traveled by what came to be affectionately called ‘the aquarium.’ It was a large truck with very large windows for us all to see out of and for everyone to see us. It felt a bit like a circus display at times; it was a unique experience.

One of my favorite parts of the trip was the natural beauty of the country. I find God most in nature so I really enjoy beauty because I feel closest to God. The rolling green hills of the Garden Route and the Eastern Cape reminded me of Belize. The landscape was very similar I felt the same peace looking out on South Africa as I did when I was in Belize. Coffee Bay was stunning. The first night we watched the sunset paint the sky its beautiful pink orange and purple. The next morning I was up early and watched the sun rise over the crashing waves of the bay. There was an incredible sunset in Jo-burg as well. The sky was just a stunning and vibrant orange.

Another part of the trip that I really enjoyed was putting a face to the Eastern Cape. Many of the friends I have made here in Cape Town are from the Eastern Cape. I was not totally sure what the Eastern Cape was, geographically or otherwise. All I knew was that the school system was backwards and failing. I imagined crowded townships like the ones in Cape Flats, but instead found huts spread across the country side. This was a different poverty than the urban poverty found in Cape Town. It was different because the sense of community seemed stronger and people seemed generally more contented with their life (not to say that the people in the townships are especially unhappy or have no sense of community, because that is not the case).

In Coffee Bay I met a woman named Dawn who used to manage the backpackers we were staying at, but got tired and opted instead to study Montessori education. She started a small preschool in the village where we were staying and I got to go and visit the children and see them in there learning environment. Memories of my Montessori education came flooding back and I really enjoyed sitting with the kids watching them take the learning initiative.

Kruger National Park was pretty darn cool. We saw all of the ‘Big Five’(lion, leopard, rhino, buffalo, elephant) in one day among many other animals like zebras, giraffes, warthogs, hippos and crocodiles. I was singing Haukunamatata in my head throughout the game drive. The last night we spent in Kruger was really wonderful. Our guide cooked a delicious Braai and we all sat around the fire and talked and gazed upon the stars. Our guide for the trip, Jimmy, was really cool. He has an incredible life story which we got to hear pieces of including working on the police force in Soweto during apartheid and fighting in Namibia during their war for independence. He has also been around the globe visiting other countries and experiencing other cultures. All in all it was a really wonderful trip. I would very much like to go back and visit Durban towards the end of my semester here when I have some free time. We were there for less than a day and saw only a very touristy part of the city.

This week was a bit hectic. I went to service on Monday and Tuesday. Simpiwe is learning to walk very well with help. While I was there a couple came to visit with their son whom they adopted from the home. He was about nine or ten and they told him which cot he used to sleep in. It was really heartwarming to see the success of the home in putting the children in good homes where they can thrive and be happy. It gave me hope that all my little babies will have a stable happy home in which to grow up. I went to school on Wednesday, but fell very ill in the afternoon. I ended up going to the hospital for dehydration and a blood test said I had a bad bacterial infection throughout my digestive system. They gave me some good medicine and I am feeling about eighty percent myself again, but I have spent the last three days being a bum and recovering. Once April beings I will have only ten more weeks in Cape Town. I love it here and it is going to be very difficult to leave. I won’t think about that just yet. Peace

Two Months Down, Three to Go

Wow time is flying by. As of yesterday, I depart in three months from this beautiful place. I cannot believe it. I feel very at home here in Cape Town. I was talking with my friend yesterday and she asked if I had been homesick. I had to answer honestly, not really. Apart from a few episodes of missing my kitchen at home (haha why is it the kitchen I miss?) I am quite content here living in this wonderful community of people and experiencing the little things of everyday life in a different country.

I must back up and give you an update on the past few weeks. Two weekends ago the group went on a retreat at a center called Volmoed (pronounced Fulmood because it is Afrikaans) in the town of Hermanes. I was so beautiful there. We were surrounded by mountains and hills of vineyards with the ocean not but fifteen minutes away. The weekend was a vacation that I did not realize I needed. I love being in nature, especially in the mountains. Friday evening when we arrived, there were wild baboons roaming around. They looked like cows they were so big! I walked along a little creek to a waterfall and pond. Saturday morning a group of us got up early to hike and see the sunrise. We didn’t quite get to the top, because we took a wrong turn, but it was ok. We sat in the middle of the trail to watch the sun pop over the clouds. It was beautiful to watch the sun climb down the mountain side, lighting up the fauna along its way. I and two of my friends decided to continue to follow the trail instead of going back the way we came. It turned into quite an adventure through a small town, cow pasture, through the woods, over a fence and finally back to camp, just in time for fresh cinnamon rolls for breakfast. Later that day, a friend and I went on another hike up the mountains across the way. When we reached the top we could see the entire coastline and surrounding mountains. It was incredibly beautiful. I always feel closer to God when I am surrounded by nature. I certainly felt Jesus walking with me along the ridge looking over the incredible view. All in all, it was a wonderful weekend.

The following week was straightforward. I had two fun days of service with the babies. I am getting to know their personalities. I like singing “head, shoulders, knees, and toes” and the babies seem to like it too. Classes last week were not so great, but that is alright. We did a fun activity in my Grassroots class. We stimulated a community meeting where we all imagined out ideal community and wrote down details of what we saw on one white board. Then we came up with six themes that included all of our details could be categorized into. For example Environment was one of our themes, so listed under those themes were things such as open space, parks, sports fields, and public recycling bins. It was a very practical exercise that I can see myself doing with a community in a future.

On Saturday some of us went to Simon’s Town which is famous for its penguin beaches. I did not actually go onto the beach, but walked along a garden path to see the wild penguins. They were so darn cute! We stopped for lunch at an outdoor patio that looked over the beach. The beach itself looked like paradise with turquoise water and golden sand. Then before we went back home we played a pickup game of soccer with some of the children who were at the beach. To finish off a perfect day we hung our heads out the window of the train on the way back as it wound along the beach and coastline. I was a really wonderful day, in a most unexpected way.

Sunday I was quite lazy. Monday all the babies were sick with fevers, so they were unhappy and we just tried the whole day to keep them moderately happy. Tuesday they were feeling better and I spent most of the day helping one boy, Simpiwe, learn to walk. He is quite strong and can push himself backwards well, it is going forward that he needs to practice.

Classes this week were much more interesting. I learned about the Namibian war for independence from South Africa where there were human rights abuses committed (hence why we were talking about it in ethics class). I had never heard about it before, so I liked the class very much. In my Women Gender Studies class we talked about gender in music and sport. It was a stimulating conversation that really made me think about how gendered our society is. I also had two, what I might call, ‘random intelligent life conversations’ with two of my UWC friends today. I felt really cool to be able to connect with UWC students. There is such an atmosphere of yearning for knowledge on campus and I really enjoyed talking with other students about, well a lot of different things. Tonight I am packing to leave on an epic spring break trip up the Garden Route (a scenic coastal drive) to Durban and Johannesburg ending in Kruger National Park for a series of safaris (stopping for a bungee jump along the way). I am sure I will have quite a few exciting stories to tell when I return next Sunday. Until then, peace.