One Month

One month ago today I landed here in Cape Town. It has been a full, challenging, rewarding, and fun four weeks. Reflecting back on the time I have spent here thus far has just shown me how much more there is for me to do and see. Taking it one day at a time allows me to try to be fully present in each moment, but planning ahead of time allows me to accomplish more and more activities on my bucket list.

Last weekend a group of us went to Stellenbosch for the weekend. It was one of the girl's 21st birthday, so we took the train out east of Cape Town to the beautiful vineyards and farmlands. We ate a wonderful breakfast at a cafe and went wine tasting at four different vineyards throughout the day.

Stellenbosch, South Africa

While going from vineyard to vineyard we learned how to taste the wine properly and little about each vineyard. According to our server proper tasting includes 5 steps: see, swirl, sniff, swig, swallow. A lot of the places had spit buckets, but one server told us that if we spit the wine out we would not have the whole experience of the wine we were tasting. If we spit out the wine before swallowing, the wine would miss our deep throat tastebuds and not be the same. You did not have to tell us twice! We probably tasted around 20 wines throughout the whole day. Before wine tasting in Stellenbosch, I had never particularly enjoyed wine, but I enjoyed a lot of the wines I tasted. Apparently, a lot of the wines I tasted are sold in the United States! Later that night we explored Stellenbosch and went dancing. All in all, it was a fun weekend full of beautfiul landscapes and good wine.

Duke and Cami enjoying a fine glass of wine

This week was tiring with two full days of service back to back and then school the other three. Mostly, this week required patience. Because there are 19 of us all with different schedules, sometimes we are riding in the car for long periods of time picking up or dropping off people. In addition, even though I might only have class from 12:00pm-1:00pm I still have to be on the bus at 7:15am and not be picked up until 3:00pm at school. This requires a little more organzining and planning so that I make sure I have a book or homework or something else to do during my down time.

Saturday (yesterday) I took an early train to Simon's Town (the last stop on the line). This town is known for Boulders Beach that is home to an African penguin colony. Little did we know, Boulders Beach was a 40 minute walk from the train station. However, I did not mind because it was beautiful outside and there was a lot to see on the way in anyway.

Simon's Town

The highlight of my day in Simon's Town was seeing the penguins! At first we only got to view them from a boardwalk while they sunbathed on the beach. However, when we went to the actual Boulder's Beach the penguins walked among us as we sunbathed! They did not mind us being there, but would snap if you got too close. My friends and I went a little crazy taking pictures with them, but when will I ever be up close and personal with a penguin again?!?! 

Me and my penguin friends

Besides the fact that I was amongst penguins, the beach itself was beautiful. Big boulders (hence the name) were scattered throughout the shore and water creating a secluded feeling to the beach. After frolicking with the penguins we took a swim. Some of the penguins even swam close to us! 

African Penguin colony

The day did not end with Simon's Town. Yesterday was a full moon, and in Cape Town there is a citywide pilgrimmage to Lion's Head to hike, watch the sunsent, and then watch the moon rise. We left a little late and did not make it to the peak for the sunset, but watching it from the side of the mountain was beautiful nonetheless. 

Sunset on Lion's Head

There were many people on the trail as we made our up, so hiking was slow. It did not matter because it gave us more time to take in the scenery. The last part of our ascent was made in the dark, but the light from the full moon made finding footing much easier. At the peak we spent some time with all the other people from the city enjoying the view. Cape Town was a sea of lights pulsing with life under the full moon. Taking some time in silence to reflect on my time here thus far was peaceful and relaxing in the moonlight.   

Table Mountain in the shadow of the sunset

This week is another one full of service and school. I cannot wait to see how the rest of my days unfold at iThemba Labantu and UWC. Sorry for the delay in this blogpost- I'll try to blog more often so as not to keep you in suspense!