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| Megan H in Bo-Kaap |
I knocked a lot off my
Cape Town bucket list this week. With our trip coming into it’s second half,
I’ve been jumping at every opportunity possible to see as much of Cape Town as
I can. This past weekend, half of us were at the homestay and half of us were
home, so those of us that were home planned a jam packed weekend. On Friday
morning, we went to Bo-Kaap where we walked around the famous streets and ate
in my favorite café that we have been to so far, named Bataria. After, I went
to the Athlone YMCA for my activist project. I have been trying to plan the
project since the second week we were here, and unfortunately none of the
projects I previously planned would have worked out. However, it led me to the
YMCA and I am now so excited! I get to go there every Thursday and Friday to
help with the kids, who are so fun and energetic, and I even get to teach some
dance! It couldn’t have worked out better and I hope that I will be able to
provide some substantial assistance to the kids and the center.
After we came back from the YMCA, we
went to free beach yoga. It wasn't easy per-say, but it was so relaxing and the
beach at sunset was amazing. Dolphins actually came in while we were doing yoga
to where we could see them from the shore. I couldn't believe it was real life
to be honest. On top of that, half the exercises they had us do were stretches I
used to do in my absolute favorite dance class, so I was doing what I loved in
the most beautiful setting possible.
Ironically, within one minute of
us saying "Namaste," a huge windstorm blew in. It got to the point
where we literally had to seek shelter in this random country club to call a
cab. Not surprisingly however disappointingly, everyone in the club was white
and over the age of 40. When I went into the bathroom they had this painting of
6 middle aged white people playing golf, yet everyone who worked there was
black. It honestly just made me very uncomfortable, and I realized I was
probably standing in a hotbed of racism from the apartheid area. I was grateful
for the refuge from the storm, however that reality hit pretty hard.
On Saturday, I went to Old Biscuit
Mill in the morning, which I am now officially addicted to. I had some much
craved iced coffee, and went around to all the stands eating as much as I
could. I might have felt sick later, but everything I ate was delicious. After
walking around the shops, we went for a hike on Lion’s Head. I really do like
to hike, however I’m not an experienced hiker. So, when people said “it’s not
that bad of a hike!” I pictured a hiking trail that probably got steep a couple
of times. Nope. There was definitely a lot of rock climbing and some brief
mountain scaling, but it was well worth it and the view at the top and sense of
accomplishment was reward enough. After we came back from the mountain and had
some much needed sitting time, we went to the Carnivale. We got there late so I
didn’t get to see much of the floats, but what we did see was very cool. I was
very impressed by the stamina of the dancers who danced for blocks on end.
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| On Lion's Head |
On Sunday, we went to the
Stellenbosch Wine and Pizza festival, which was far but also a day well spent.
We might have been some of the only people there between 18 and 30, but I’ll
take any excuse to eat pizza.
I can feel the time ticking down on
my time here in South Africa, and although I miss my friends and family at
home, I wish I could stay here for much longer. There is always something to do
here, there are always amazing people to meet, and always something new to
learn. Although I know the way I feel here and the memories I make could be
unique to being in Cape Town, I hope I can take some of this sense of adventure
and liveliness back home with me. My time here has already taught me so much
about myself and this country, and most importantly I have come to realize that
no matter where you are there is always something to be exploring, trying, or
learning about. Even in Connecticut J
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