Mary's continuing to expand her comfort zone.

Two Sundays ago, Libby, Elizabeth, Sydney, Trista and her mom, Abby, and I went kayaking along Boulders Beach where the penguins are. It was so much fun!! Libby and I were partners and we were on a roll. We got really close to some of the penguins which was awesome. One of them was molting! :D It was a really cool experience, especially since I've never really been kayaking before, much less seen penguins that close up.

I have been quite busy at the internship, but it's been good. Amelia and I helped facilitate a human rights workshop in Delft which was cool. I have been working on several projects, like running the Facebook pages for Africa Unite, helping with school club events, and following up on the disability dialogue.

For my internship, our Africa Unite school club at Simunye High School was planning to have a big fashion show event/fundraiser last Friday. In the past it's been a huge event where 200-300 people show up. The learners were very excited for this. However, only a few hours before the event, the matron called me and said she had to cancel the event since the supervisor teachers could not stay the whole time (which is school policy). And the reason relates to it being pay day for the teachers and them doing their own thing. The learners were really upset, rightfully. It's so sad to hear what little support the learners have, and how the teachers did not plan around this. Such a shame. I hope we can make this event happen next week, although the fact of the matter is still upsetting.

This weekend was quite busy but really fun and exciting! Molly, Pauline, Elizabeth, and I went to an Ostrich ranch which was sooo cool! Who knew ostriches were so big here in South Africa. We learned all about them, got to feed them, and got to sit on one! I hadn't even known that was possible. We also ate ostrich burgers at the restaurant there which was kind of ironic.

Yesterday Molly and I took a surfing lesson in Muizenberg. I'm not a great swimmer and not great in the water in general, so I was pretty nervous. This was definitely a "branching out of your comfort zone" thing for me because of that. Surfing was hard but a cool experience! I'm glad I tried it; I don't know if I'd do it again, but I'm glad I experienced it and know how it works.

We had the braai last night for Vernon which was very nice! It's good talking to everyone and sharing a good meal. Overall, these last few weeks in Cape Town are going to go by so fast. I'm glad we are continuing to explore new places, try activities, and get the most out of our time here!