Alex continues to be fascinated by Cape Town and all it has to offer

Meika & Alex

The experiences I have in Cape Town, even after being here for three weeks, never cease to astound me. From my internship and talks with people to weekend adventures, everything here continues to fascinate me. The people who live here still surprise me too. I’ve never met so many people who constantly go out of their way to help me, who speak as they walk past me on a sidewalk, or care about my safety. They definitely have a way of making me feel completely at home, and I’m so grateful for that.

                 

Earlier I expressed my nervousness about starting my internship; for fear that my goal in life wasn’t going to be suited for me after all. But great news- my first week at my internship went SO well. I was able to participate in things I never thought I’d have the chance to do, and everyone I work with is so caring and happy I’m there. The first two days at Beautiful Gate were extremely emotional for me. I visited several homes in the community and seeing such drastic differences from what I grew up around was very shocking. Yes I knew informal housing existed, and yes, I had the opportunity to visit several townships during orientation. However, having the chance to walk into the homes and interact with the people is a completely different story and showed me a whole other side to life. I’m so thankful that I’m able to be involved in the surrounding communities at my internship, and hear their stories. Just from my experiences from the first week there, I know that this is definitely something I’m very passionate about and quite possibly one of my callings in life. I can’t wait to see what else I get to participate in there, and I’m looking very forward to this upcoming week!

Lion's Head & Signal Hill as seen from Table Mountain

To make an already awesome week even better, a group of us went hiking Saturday and I had such a good time. We hiked Skeleton’s Gorge, which starts in Kirstenbosch, then across Table Mountain, and down Plattenklip Gorge- 7 hours of hiking and 7 hours of breathtaking views. I was a little nervous since I haven’t been hiking in quite some time, but I survived (thank goodness). It was pretty intense, especially in parts where we scrambled over rocks and climbed up ladders, but worth it when we FINALLY reached the top. (*So we hadn’t planned on doing that much hiking, and didn’t realize that we had finished one trail and were starting another. Before we knew it what seemed like a never ending trail finally ended at the cable car on the other side of the mountain). We got to one fork in the path and decided to venture to the left and came upon a reservoir that was very unexpected, and so surreal (I’m still not sure it existed) because the water was yellow, pink, red, and blue, and in the middle of nowhere. It was quite possibly an oasis for delirious hikers. MK, one of the students from Thandakulu High School, joined us on our hike; it was awesome getting to know him, and chat about South Africa. It’s experiences like these that make us such a solid group. Hiking around for hours, talking, pushing and helping each other, only brings us closer and it’s an awesome feeling getting to really know the people around you.

                 

I know I’ve said it before, and it definitely wont be the last time- but this city is more amazing than words can say. There are new adventures everyday and new people to share your ideas and thoughts with. I didn’t know I could enjoy somewhere as much as I do here, and each day I fall even more in love with the city. Tomorrow starts a new week of experiences and I can’t wait to see what happens!