My time so far in Cape Town has been
pretty wonderful and amazing. I feel so honored to be a part of this trip and
to meet so many inspiring people, both from UConn and from Cape Town.
I have very much enjoyed looking out
the doors of the gate each morning and seeing Table Mountain, either at
sunrise, sunset or any other time of the day. The strength and power of the
mountains greatly adds to the power I have come to witness in the hearts and
souls of Capetonians.
On our first day, we went to all of
the lookout points where we were able to gather absolutely incredible views of
the many mountain ranges in Cape Town.
I really enjoyed how we saw the
beauty of the land before witnessing the beauty of the people. The smiles,
laughs and songs of those met so far are reflections of the dances of the
clouds on the cliffs and the sun on the peaks.
The spirit of Cape Town is something
that I am very much enjoying. Everyone seems to sing, from our police captain
to our tour guide, and I am sure many more to come.
Today we went on a tour of all of
the townships and the spirit and the beauty of the people who lived there
amazed me again. Having researched the
townships in Marita’s class, I expected a desolate place where no one was happy
and all was dark.
I was completely, and most
pleasantly, surprised that each face I saw had light that sparked behind their
eyes with hope. The tin walls of the homes did not confine the great spirits
that lived there.
In walking through Manenberg, one of
the neighborhoods, to the community center we met an amazing young man, the
same age as most of the UConn students on this trip, dedicated to the inspiration
of the youth to prevent them from joining street gangs.
Seeing him not only interact with
the young children, who clearly admired him, but then give us a tour in a
language not his own, sent chills up my spine to know that anyone at any age
can educate so passionately.
I am greatly looking forward to the
rest of this trip and learning more from my fellow co-educators and new
neighbors.
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| Hout Bay |
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