It’s my last week in South Africa. Exactly 7 days from now, I will be heading to the airport to fly back to America. I have no idea if I feel ready or not. It depends what hour in the day you ask me. There are things I cannot wait for about being home, and other things that make me so sad to go back. It’s a challenge because, although I’ve grown up in Ventura, I have spent 4 life-changing months here in South Africa and it has become a home to me. I now feel as though I have two homes, and being in either one is ambiguous. I love both of them so much, yet being here, I miss Ventura and I know returning home, I’m going to miss South Africa…agh it’s kind of a lot. But I’ve been praying about it and trusting that the same God who is with me here will be with me in Ventura and provide everything I need to readjust.
Anyways, now to update you on this week! Monday was a GREAT day. I woke up early and walked down the Olympia Café (ITS AMAZING!) with some friends. We got coffee and croissants, talked for a bit, and then I got to journal. It has become my new favorite thing: waking up early, getting a delicious warm drink, and writing out my thoughts while sitting in an adorable little café that directly overlooks the harbor/ocean. If it were a free experience, I would do it every morning. After that, we had class and then another group of us went into downtown Cape Town! We went to this place for lunch where I got an Nzolo sandwich with vegetable chips…it was delicious. Then we walked around a bunch of little street markets, bookstores, etc. I got the last of my gifts for people! Yay! We came back to BI and spent the night doing homework, emailing people, etc.
Tuesday, I started my day off once again with Olympia…it’s becoming an addiction. Haha. Then our whole group went and did the Peninsula Tour, which is essentially a tour of some of the most beautiful views that exist in this world. That’s not necessarily how they advertise it, but that was my conclusion. :) This tour included visiting the Cape of Good Hope, Cape Point, Houk Bay, and the penguin beach…yes, a beach with penguins on it. It was a warm, clear day and I loved getting to be surrounded by such beauty. Plus, we had a picnic lunch and it was SO good. French bread, hummus, grapes, cheese, mango juice, chocolate chip cookies…I loved it. That night, we went to watch Theater Sports at a nearby theater. It was surprisingly really funny. It was also nice to go out and do something at night because most of our excursions are during the day.
Wednesday, I got to talk with my parents! Internet has been so tricky lately and communication has been limited, so it was good to talk. I even sacrificed my morning Olympia trip so talk to them ;) Then we had class this morning and after, some girls and I went and got lunch…at Olympia. Haha. We walked around Kalk Bay and went into a bunch of little shops, then spent the afternoon at an Internet café where I finally got to upload pictures to Facebook!!! I posted some from the Farewell Dinner, Garden Route, my homestay, Kalk Bay, Cape Town, and tons more. So click here if you want to look at them!
Thursday (today) was another good day. We got to sleep in a little…by the way, my version of sleeping in has changed drastically, i.e. I woke up today at 8am. I haven’t slept past 8:30am since being here. But anyways, I slept a bit and then—you guessed it—walked to Olympia with some girls. Then we attended BI’s chapel, which had a really good speaker! He went to BI and is now a missionary in Kenya. He had a lot of really good things to say and I enjoyed it a lot. Then, our whole group went to Stellenbosch and Spier. Stellenbosch is essentially the wine capital of South Africa, which I found it funny that we went because we aren’t allowed to drink alcohol here. But oh well…the vineyards were beautiful to look at. In Spier, we got to go see some cheetahs and some people even got to pet them. It was a good, relaxing day. We came back and I spent some time working on my final paper (we do have homework here, contrary to popular belief) and then I went with Katie and Nick out to dinner, where I got incredible tomato and basil soup and worked on my paper. I am currently sitting in a little café, drinking Rooibos tea and looking out of a window that faces the ocean, reflecting the moonlight. Gorgeous.
Things are wrapping up here in South Africa. Now that I’ve finished my paper, all I have left for class is a group project due Monday. We stay in Kalk Bay until Sunday (during which I get to visit the Hillsong church here!) and then we move to a hotel in downtown Cape Town where we do our final presentations and a debrief/re-orientation. Then Wednesday morning, we head to the airport to come home! I honestly cannot believe this chapter of my life is almost over. It is the most surreal thing I have experienced in my life up to this point.
I’m sorry for the lack of pictures on my blog. I can’t upload pictures here at BI, but like I said, I was able to upload some to Facebook the other day so look at those if you want! To end this blog, I want to share a quote with you from Nelson Mandela, whom I have a new obsession with. In his inauguration speech on May 10, 1994, during which he focused heavily on reconciliation, he said, “Out of the experience of an extraordinary human disaster that lasted too long, must be born a society of which all humanity will be proud…Never, never, and never again shall it be that this beautiful land will again experience the oppression of one by another.”
With love from that beautiful land,
Alex
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