My father and my sister came
this past week to visit me in Cape Town and they just left yesterday. It was so
much fun to see them and be able to spend time with them, and I miss them
already! I definitely am starting to feel homesick, especially since I didn’t
get to see my mom or my other sister, so I will be very excited to see them at
the end of the month. Last Wednesday I went to the airport and waited at the
domestic flights for them to walk out. It was so exciting to see them and they
were surprised that I was there. I took them dinner that night at Mama Afrika’s
so they could try some of the game food that is here in South Africa. They
didn’t know much about apartheid or the situation currently in South Africa at
this time so I took the time to explain some stuff that night. On Thursday I
took them to go hiking up Table Mountain via the Skeleton Gorge route, and it
was quite a journey. We have hiked many times before in the states but it has
been nothing like the hike up Table, so I don’t think they were very prepared,
though I tried to tell them! It took us about 5 hours to finally get to the
top, and they were in awe of the view. It was definitely a great experience to
share with them and I’m glad they still really enjoyed it even though it was
tough. Friday was spent a little more relaxed, shopping and stopping at the
beach. We also went to the Crypt that night and my family got to meet all of
our friends that work there, which was nice!
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| Fuller House dedication with Molly, Libby & Mary |
On Saturday, my activist project with
the Fuller Center for Housing Western Cape was having a dedication for the
house that we have been working on, so my family and I went to the celebration.
The house is being built in a township and my dad was nervous at first to go.
But once we got there and my dad and sister met everyone, they saw how amazing
everyone really is. Lots of people came to celebrate the house and of course
Pastor Louis explained the progress to my dad and all about the project. We had
a Bishop from the states come because the house was dedicated to his late wife,
and he delivered a beautiful speech. I had the honor of giving a speech as well
which was really nice but also very nerve racking. We then had a very nice meal
all together and the workers and volunteers were presented with certificates of
appreciation. I was glad my sister and
dad could be a part of it because I wanted them to see all of South Africa, not
just the touristy parts, and I think this gave them a good perspective on the
country and also how amazing these people are and how dedicated they are to
living the best lives no matter how much or how little they have.
On Sunday we
went to Aquila and got to see lots of animals on the game reserve including
most of the Big 5, which was very exciting because that was a major thing my
family wanted to do and I don’t think they were disappointed! On Monday we went
Shark Cage Diving which was also a thrill and definitely got your heart racing.
We saw a good couple of sharks and they were absolutely huge and got right up
to the cage, so my dad especially enjoyed it the most! (Whereas my sister got a
little seasick!) Tuesday was again a more chill day and we had dinner at
Marita’s that night was so much fun. Chantel, Vernon, Esme, Bongi, Mteto and
some others all came and Marita made an enormous amount of food so it was a
great time and my family really enjoyed it as well. It was definitely hard to
say goodbye yesterday!
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