All Good Things Must Come to an End

It's true. On this earth, everything good comes to an end at some point or another. Fortunately, the best is always yet to come! It's the hope I hold onto. Better things are always ahead. Without such hope, what fun would life be?!

Me and my friend Elayna on Robben Island

Two weeks ago, on Thursday, April 18, we took a ferry to Robben Island, where political figures such as Nelson Mandela were held captive for many years. Mandela himself was incarcerated on the island for 18 years, only to be imprisoned for an additional nine years on the mainland. What made the tour especially interesting was the guide that spoke to us when we got to go inside the prison; he himself had been a prisoner there. Conditions were unpleasant as meals were repetitive, Afrikaans and English were the only languages permitted, mail and media were filtered, and one bucket served as a water holder or a toilet--it was up to you. Overall the tour was really cool and I'm glad that we got to go. The ferry ride there wasn't that great as many got seasick, but the ride back was much better.

Shark-cage diving in the Atlantic

On Saturday, April 20, me and 13 others went shark-cage diving in the Atlantic Ocean. We had to leave at 4am to go, but it was well worth it. The drive there took about two hours and the driver got lost a few times, but eventually we made it. I was in the second of three groups to go into the cage and we'd gotten to spend the most time out of anybody in the cage: a whole 45 minutes! Throughout the entire morning we saw about five or six different sharks, which didn't get too vicious but one of them did attack and hit the side of the cage with its tail. As a whole though the experience made me less afraid of sharks, which probably isn't a good thing. Glad I did it though! Definitely overcame some (minor) fears that day. That evening my roommate Sammy and I went to our home stay family's house to make them a delicious Mexican dinner (along with the two guys who were currently staying there); they loved it! It was good seeing them and having a home to go back to; definitely felt like family.

Sunday was pretty relaxing as I spent the morning working on (and finishing) a term paper for our History & Culture of South Africa class. I went on a three-mile run in the afternoon, which felt so good! My right foot, which I sprained a couple of months ago, has been healing well these days; I pretty much don't feel it anymore! That evening I encountered a man named Tacobas who doesn't have a home and has been living on the streets for a while. He'd spent five years in jail but hasn't been in for a while. Aside from telling me that he needed food and a place to live, we ended up sitting down and telling each other about our lives. I could tell that something was different about him; rather than simply begging for food and money he wanted to get to know people. He wanted to feel connected. He wanted to love someone, to hear their story, and to have a friend. At the end of our time together I prayed for him, gave him R20, and went back home. Leaving him I felt completely overwhelmed (in a good way) and couldn't help but think about what God was doing in my life. Tacobas made a bigger impact on me than he may ever know and for our encounter I am extremely grateful.

Exploring the Bo Kaap

Last Monday a group of us went on a several hour hike to the top of a small mountain (or maybe it was a hill... what defines a mountain, anyway?). We had to crawl through some brush and a small section of cave but the challenge was well worth it. The view was beautiful and overlooked the entirety of False Bay. On Tuesday, April 23, we visited the Bo Kaap, a Muslim/Malay section of the inner city. The tour wasn't too long but we visited a spice shop, a mosque, and ate a homecooked meal at one of the homes there. The food was so good: curry, rice, potatoes, and chicken. Talk about a cultural experience! That night we went to theatre sports, where two teams of actors competed against each other in a series of acting games and challenges. It was pretty funny!

On top of Table Mountain, overlooking Cape Town

On Wednesday we hiked Table Mountain, which was no easy feat! The hike for me took about an hour, and while it was strenuous it wasn't as challenging length-wise (time-wise) as I thought it would be. The view at the top was incredible; it overlooked the entire Cape Town area and beyond it too. After lunch I hiked about 30 minutes out to the other side of the mountain to MacClear's Beacon, the highest point on the mountain. Again, the sights were amazing! On Thursday we visited Stellenbosch, touring a college and buying wine for our families. It was my first alcohol purchase!

This last weekend was pretty chill. On Saturday I went and saw some African Penguins and ventured into Cape Town in the afternoon. We ate lunch at the eastern food bazaar and went to the Green Market after that. The sellers were relentless in trying to sell you stuff; it got a little crazy but that's Cape Town for you! I spent all day Sunday studying for our History & Culture final.

Yesterday morning we had that final. It didn't go too well (our professor later told us that we didn't fare very well) but it sounds like we'll all still get good grades in the end. Our professor is a pretty chill guy and won't be too tough on us, especially considering we're at the end of our trip and have been on vacation mode for a while now. Today we had reorientation at the University of Cape Town, which involved reflecting on the semester and preparing for home and reverse culture shock. It's all so unreal, everyone going home. Especially since about 20 of us aren't going with them; we're staying in Africa for a bit longer. Some are going to Kenya, one guy is going to Uganda, and one girl is going to Malawi; talk about world travelers!

I'm going to spend the next couple of weeks at a hostel in downtown Cape Town. Tomorrow evening we're going to a soccer game at Cape Town Stadium, which should be really fun! I'm not sure what we're doing for the remainder of the time but we'll figure it out as we go along. I'm excited to be on vacation and to travel on my own; the joys of growing up! My last two days I'll spend with my home stay family before flying home to America. Although I'm stoked to go home I'm excited for these last couple of weeks too!

This semester has been beyond incredible. I have been challenged in so many ways and learned so much over the last four months. To relay everything would take forever. Overall I am extremely grateful for this experience. Africa is a beautiful country with incredible people and I have no doubt I'll come back here one day.

And now, to the next: independent adventures in Cape Town.

Let's go.