The adventure in Cape Town continues!
Tuesday night, after our time at BI, we came back to our homestays and at our house, we were having a party! It was our host family’s pastor’s birthday so we threw him a surprise dinner party at our house. The food was absolutely INCREDIBLE. There was chicken, steak, chips, butternut squash, rice…it was so good. Then we had a feast of desserts! I went to bed a very happy girl that night :)
Wednesday, we all met at BI and then drove to a township in Cape Town called Langa. It was quite the experience for me. I honestly don’t know what to think of it. This township has gained quite a lot of tourism over the years, which has helped them gain funds for development projects. Because of this, although there were parts of it that were really sad, most of what we saw was really nice. Which is awesome and it’s great that they’re developing it like that, but I didn’t quite know how to handle it because of how many tourists they get there. They even said there were three bed & breakfasts’ in the neighborhood. I couldn’t help but question. Bed and breakfasts, a personal radio station, nice big buildings…it was very different than Mpophomeni or other townships I’ve been to. It made me wonder about the authenticity of what these tourists are seeing. Because, in that place, it looks like townships and apartheid weren’t that bad when in reality, it was awful. I’m so glad Langa is being developed the way it is, but…I don’t know. For some reason, I just felt weird about it.
Anyways, after our time there, we came back to BI and I got to walk around the town a little bit. It’s absolutely adorable and the whole main area of town is a strip right along the coast, so you are walking next to the water the whole time. It’s amazing. We came back to Oceanview and tonight, there was a basketball game! The Oceanview team vs. the Americans! :) We kind of got our butts kicked but that’s fine; we had so much fun cheering and just interacting with the community. It was great!
Thursday, we did a day trip to Robben Island. I have been looking forward to this since we got to South Africa, and it did not let me down. Our tour guide was a man who actually was a prisoner there for five years because of his political activism against apartheid. I couldn’t believe I was actually there. We read so many crazy stories about how hard it was to get a hairbrush, or how they made the prisoners wear shorts in freezing weather, or how they would bury prisoners up to their neck and then pee in their mouth…it’s so awful. We also saw Nelson Mandela’s cell. We couldn’t go in but I would guess it was 10-12 feet wide. He spent 27 years total in prison and 18 at Robben Island. I can’t even imagine spending that many years in a cell that small. 18 years…that’s nearly my entire life. And then, after all that time, he came out ready to forgive the people who put him there and push for reconciliation. He’s truly a remarkable man. We also got to see the cell of an activist named Robert Sobukwe. He lived in solitary confinement for 7 years I think. They had letters on display between him and his wife, and they were some of the most beautiful pieces of writing I have ever read. And the letters were in their actual handwriting and everything, so genuine. Ah, I loved it. The craziest thing about all these people though is that they were imprisoned for fighting for equal rights. By trying to end apartheid, they suffered so much. The stories were amazing.
When we came home after Robben Island, I was doing my homework on my bed when Chloe and Cleon (the two kids at my homestay) came in. They saw on my computer the picture of Ethembeni and the rainbow, and somehow, God provided the opportunity for me to share with them the story of Noah’s Ark and the rainbow that was sent. They were absolutely in awe. They kept asking if that story was from the Bible and if I learned about God in the Bible. It was so precious. Then, they started telling Katie and I how Michael Jackson and Nelson Mandela are friends… :) It was so cute.
Friday, we had class in the morning, and then got to go into Cape Town! We took the train in and walked downtown to this burger place where I had one of the best burgers and best milkshakes of my life. Then we walked down to the Green St. Market and I got some gifts for people, as well as some fun things for myself ;) It was so good to just be in a smaller group, on our own, spending time in the heart of Cape Town. And then, on the train ride home, a man stood up and announced that a group of people from YWAM wanted to sing for us! They sang Mighty to Save, This Little Light of Mine, and Amazing Grace. The best part was looking around seeing how many people were singing along…a teenage black girl, an elderly Asian woman, all of us Americans…it was great! I love those little moments in a busy day when God just reminds you of His presence. Friday night, we went to a church disco! Our “mom” described it as “a club but with Christ.” :) We had a great time dancing with everyone from the church, and some of our American friends. It was complete with a strobe light and worship music put to a rap beat…classic.
Saturday was AWESOME! We hiked to the top of Table Mountain and it was incredible. The hike was SO hard. The “trail” was a bunch of huge rocks piled together, and it was a steep incline for 2 hours straight. I was exhausted, but the view from the top made it worth it. I don’t know if I’ve ever been surrounded by so much beauty in my whole life. I felt like I was on top of the world. We could see the lowest point of Africa, downtown Cape Town, Robben Island, mountains and ocean that seemed to go on forever…it was magical. I could have stayed up there forever taking pictures. There are no words that can describe how beautiful it was.
Sunday was our last day at homestays. We went to church with our family, and then spent the afternoon packing up and just relaxing with them. We said our goodbyes, which was sad. It was nice being around a family and in that environment, and I was actually surprised how sad I was to say goodbye to people I only met a week ago. But hopefully we’ll see each other again someday. So now, I’m sitting at my new home…the Bible Institute! I’m excited to be here. I feel like it will be relaxing after a very chaotic last 3 months. :) 10 days left!
With love from South Africa,
Alex
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