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