India: Surrender yourself to the unknown

Day 1 – Friday October 23, 2009 – Venture to Delhi

 

            In our India pre-port we were told that India is a country that will embrace our five senses and will love us if we love it back. I had not realized how excited I was for India until the day before we arrived. After the excitement in cultural and logistical pre-ports, I was pumped! I was ready to see the Taj Mahal, of course, but I was more excited to see a culture unlike any other. Upon arrival to India we had a diplomatic briefing with a few officials who work at the U.S. Embassy in India. They were all great and gave us useful information about rick-shaws (3-wheel “taxi” by bike; auto-rick-shaw is 3-wheeled motorized little vehicle), shopping, and food. Immediately following our briefing we were shown a yoga demonstration by two students who had been doing yoga for eight years. The instructor was the narrator of each move and it was impressive. They could bend and twist like I’d never seen before. I really want to take up yoga now because she said it’s not just for exercise but for a healthy, balanced mind. We were then called to the Faculty/Staff lounge to receive our Shore Passes which would serve as our passports in India (they weren’t distributing our passports for some reason, whew!). The Shore Passes had to be treated like passports because if we lost them, we weren’t allowed back into the port and thus wouldn’t be allowed on the ship. I went back to the room to pack for my three day trip across India because I wasn’t leaving until 13:00. I was really worried about the pollution because my roommate had gone out for just two hours and was already covered in soot. I packed as light as possible (you know me!) and headed to meet my group of 30 independent travelers!

            I knew quite a few people on the trip, but most not that well so it was going to be a fun experience getting to know new people! We were all so pumped to finally be in India and couldn’t wait to get going. Barbara organized the whole thing and did a fabulous job at it! From then on we referred to ourselves at the “Barbara Connell trip” which made the trip all that more fun. From the ship to the port gate (leads into town) it was about a 20 minute walk. With a heavy, very full backpack, 90 some degree weather, crazy rick-shaw drivers all over the road, and pollution filling my lungs, my first half an hour in India was not the most ideal. However, I loved it! I was so ready for this new and crazy adventure that awaited me so I was going to embrace every second of it, good or bad. We finally made it outside of the port after waiting forever in line for the port officials to check our Shore Passes. We weren’t sure where our bus was so we kind of walked for a few more minutes, then we spotted a huge tour bus with “Incredible India” written on the side. We met our tour guide who was quite the character and were so ready for an air-conditioned bus. Well, we all get on the bus with sweat dripping from every spot on our bodies and realize the air doesn’t work. We all have mini-fans above our seats but they won’t turn on and the tour guide said it just takes a while. We were pre-warned that in India, taking a while is normal and it means it’s going to a LONG while! Despite the heat and our brattiness for wanting air-conditioning we were pumped to be on our way. Our tour guide had the famous Indian bobble-head and it was the cutest thing I’d ever seen. He barely spoke English which was going to be a problem because we had to make sure we got to the airport on time and didn’t miss our flight. We kept asking him if he would take us into the airport to show us where to go but he would just bobble his head from side to side and not really answer the question. All we could do was laugh at that point and just enjoy the ride.

            I looked out the window for about half the ride and already I could tell India was going to be crazy! The traffic was horrendous and there were people everywhere!!! Eventually, I fell asleep until we got to the airport. We ended up having another guide meet us there which relieved all of us because we might actually find where we needed to be. We found the right entrance and got our actual boarding passes. Then we had to go through security and get our carry-on bags checked. This airport was completely different from U.S. airports because it was sooo much more laid back. We had a while until our flight so we bought some snacks and just relaxed. I had to go to pee so badly but when I went into the bathroom there was no toilet! It was just a hole in the ground with some white porcelain around it to make it look pretty. It definitely wasn’t pretty though because it smelled terribly in the stall. I was in the stall long enough to take a picture and just walk back out. I decided I could hold it until the plane and cross my fingers that the plane would have a toilet!  Our flight actually overlapped with the SAS trip going to Delhi so I got to sit with Katie on the plane even though she wasn’t on my independent trip J We had tvs which made the flight amazing! I made a jamming playlist and listened to music the whole way, playing a few games in between. I assumed we would get a snack on the plane just like any other flight but this time we got a meal! I was a little nervous to eat my first Indian meal but it was so good. It was almost like a fajita with lots of spicy sauces. We also got a small piece of chocolate cake which reminded me of a Little Debbie!

By the time we got in to New Delhi it was dark out and past dinner time. We found our tour guide who was the cutest little man I’d ever seen, Zukaturu. He had nicely combed hair and was wearing a bright orange shirt! We made it to our bus and went straight to our bus to head out for dinner. Before we got on the bus our tour guide was giving us necklaces made out of marigolds and some other pretty flowers. The necklace smelled amazing and I wore it the whole night! It was a great welcoming gift to the country. On our way to dinner we passed the U.S. Embassy and the Presidential Palace where the first woman president of India lives!! (WHOOT WHOOT!) We also passed the Parliament house and the India Gate.  We ate dinner at a fun Indian restaurant which had amazing food. The chicken tasted just like BBQ chicken on the 4^th of July! We had pitas, rice, and some other weird things that I tried but wasn’t a fan of. I tried the local beer called Kingfisher. The restaurant was pretty crazy because there was an old fashioned car in the middle of the room with its lights flashing every few minutes and Marilyn Monroe and Elvis’ pictures were hanging on the wall. I sat with Katie (my roommate for the trip, from Jersey!), Viki (who is one of the funniest people I’ve ever met), Katherine, and Paul. We had some great convos about Ghana and Katherine told us her story of how she met an amazing man who took her group in for the few days we were there. He gave her a beautiful necklace of Africa and a Ghanaian symbol that means accept God. It was an awesome story!!

After dinner we went straight for our hotel which was quite the experience! The bellboy (for lack of not knowing what his real position was!) led us up to our room, opened the door for us, and proceeded to enter our room to show us around. It was the weirdest thing, and a little creepy! We quickly locked the door after he left just to be sure we were alright then had a look around the room. It was completely roasting in there because India is just on fire all the time. Of course, our air conditioner was not working and when Katie went to fix it, a piece broke off that I think was pretty essential in making it work. Our beds had no blankets except for one sheet. They looked like they hadn’t been changed because we found hair on the pillows (it’s all about the experience right?!). Our bathroom was pretty big and had a toilet, Hallelujah!  Our shower, however, was a little different. It was a really big, round tub that took up most of the bathroom. The catch was that it had no shower curtain! I couldn’t believe it and thought it was the weirdest thing! By now it was past 11PM so we had to get to sleep because we had to be up at 4:30AM to catch our train to Aggra. Go figure that we couldn’t fall asleep right away and had to be up so early. After telling each other our life stories, Katie and I fell asleep.

A gift beyond words

Day 6 – October 8^th, 2009 – Operation Hunger

 

            My last day in South Africa was a day well spent because I learned even more about the severe problems that this country faces. We at 9am and headed to “Little Lambs: Educare and Aftercare”, a daycare center for children right in the middle of a South African township.  The daycare center splits its children up into three groups: babies, toddlers, and 4-6 year olds. I chose the 4-6 year olds and was very happy I did so. Our job while we were there was to weigh the kids and measure their arms and height. We would document each measurement on a piece of paper and then later place it on a graph to determine the nutrition status of the children. We got right to work and I helped with the height measurement station. We had such a big group so it was hard for everyone to find a place. I was ushering the kids from the arm measuring station to the height measuring station and making sure they were in line. Lauren would give them stickers when they were done with all three stations which helped us stay organized and made them extra happy! It was so cute because they would compare stickers to one another and try to sneak another sticker from Lauren. A lot of the kids still had their shoes off from the weighing station and many of them couldn’t tie their shoes themselves. I started a line going with the kids who needed their shoes put on and it was the most precious thing. The kids would stand there so patiently while I tied their shoes or helped them get their feet in. It was hard to see what some of them had on their feet because some kids had holes in their shoes where their toes were sticking out and some clearly had shoes that did not fit them, either too big or too small. It didn’t take too long to finish with the measuring so we were able to spend a lot of time playing with the kids. Their teacher who was an amazing woman had all the kids get in a group to sing songs for us. They wouldn’t even need to be told to start another song after the first one was finished because they just kept going. It was the cutest thing to see how intense their faces were while they sang to us. What made them even cuter was that they all had on matching blue jacket/pant suits and looked adorable in them! They loved having us take their pictures and videotape them. One little girl from the toddler room, about 3 years old, snuck into our room and somehow managed to get one of the guys video cameras. She was holding it like a pro, videotaping the kids singing. It was so cute! We decided to sing the kids a song too but it didn’t go as well as planned. We started with the “Wheels on the Bus” and then went on to “Heads, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes”. Turns out, the kids knew both songs and sang with us; they pretty much knew it better than we did! It was funny! After the singing extravaganza we just ran around the room and played with the kids. One little girl kept wanting me to pick her up so when I did she started to braid my hair. I had two little braids on each side of my face by the time she was done. She told me “your hair is beautiful!” It was the most precious thing! We danced around for a while then more little boys and girls wanted me to pick them up. I had everyone take turns because they were getting pushy and I told them if they wanted to play they had to be nice! The kids were obsessed with our cameras so we were all letting them take pictures of each other and us with our cameras. I had some pretty funny shots when they were done! Another little girl was kind of following me around so I started to talk to her. She showed me that one of her earrings had fallen out and she couldn’t find them. I had my little silver ball earrings in and showed them to her. I asked if she wanted to have mine and she just nodded her head. I took my earrings out and put them in her ears and her face just lit up. It was the best moment of my day! We were getting ready to leave so I snuck into the toddler room to see those kids. They all ran up to me when I walked through the door to hug me! I didn’t have nearly as much time to play with them as I wanted but I got them to take a group picture with their teacher. As I was leaving we were all blowing kisses back and forth to each other and it was a great hallmark moment! Right before we left, Lauren and I wanted to give the small things we brought for the kids. We didn’t have enough for everyone so we asked what we could do. One woman who worked at the center said to leave the little toys and stickers with a note to the head woman. She was currently with the students and we didn’t want to interrupt her. We left a short note explaining we wanted to help and were sorry we didn’t have more. It was the least we could do after spending a wonderful morning with the children. Christine, our tour guide, was showing the teacher and students the chart that some of the SASers created that documented the nutrition status of the children. There were only two kids who were malnourished but the rest of them were healthy. It was great to hear that the progress of the kids is moving smoothly and they are doing well!

            We left the daycare center and headed to eat lunch. We went to a huge community building to eat our box lunches before we went to the next part of our day. We all saved a bunch of things in our lunches (oreos, apples, boiled eggs, Capri suns, sandwiches) to give to the children and adults at the soup kitchen we were about to go to. Before we left, one of the head honchos of Operation Hunger came in to give us a briefing of the organization and what they do to help the people in South Africa. The organization is not as effective as we’d like to think it is due to lack of man power. They made it sound like when Semester at Sea comes each semester, it is the only time they are able to go in to the children’s center and get the weight and measurements of the children. This means that data is only being taken every once in a while so progress is hard to measure. We were confused that they base their program around Semester at Sea’s arrival in South Africa because the organization seems much more structured than they made it sound. However, the programs Operation Hunger has in place have been very effective for the growth and stability of the townships. Some programs include rain-water harvesting, hand pumps, food gardens, and brick making. The organization really focuses on creating sustainability within the community so the people do not need to be as dependent as they have been. We were all very glad to be there to help and really wanted to see the plans in action at the soup kitchen to get a better idea of the functions of Operation Hunger.

            We arrived at the location of the soup kitchen, which was the entry way to a woman’s house. The staff consists of six unemployed women who devote their time to helping their community. The program they run is called Vygrond Help to Care Centre (Vygrond is the name of the township). The women provide services that include informal counseling and support to families, health and awareness care, HIV and AIDS workshops, weekly soup kitchens, distribution of clothing and food, and child/youth activities. The soup kitchen is provided twice a week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and a special well balanced meal on Sundays. The women volunteers of the soup kitchen appeared busy getting the soup ready with the other women. Our whole group of SASers was lined up along the wall leading out into the street looking kind of clueless and helpless. I happened to be near the kitchen so I poked my head in and asked if there was anything we could do to help. (We were all basically waiting for the people to arrive to begin.) They started handing us tons of bread (loaves and pieces) to lie out on the table. We also had two HUGE pots of soup that needed to be carried out to the table. I grabbed one handle and Matt grabbed the other side and we carried it out. It was the best teamwork because the soup was filled to the brim of the pot and it was STEAMING hot. We had to be so careful not to spill it or drop it, and let me tell you, it was a heavy pot of soup! I helped carry the other pot out with someone else and we were all ready to go. A group of SASers lined up behind the table so they could serve the soup and bread and another group was at the extra food station from the items we contributed from our box lunches. There wasn’t much else for us to do so we all just kind of stood against the wall as more people started lining up. Right in the front of the line were two little girls, probably aged 2 and 3, with their colorful plastic bowls patiently waiting. As soon as I saw them I got tears in my eyes because the day finally became real. People in this township really do need this soup to survive. More and more people started to arrive and the majority was children. After a while, more adults began to arrive and we got ready to begin the serving. Before we started, the head volunteer had us all join hands to say a prayer. The words she said affected me deeply because she was so thankful for having us there to help and show we care. When we opened our eyes I realized I wasn’t the only one with tears running down my face. A lot of us were feeling the emotions of the day!

            It was so hard for me to stand there and see all of these people in line for soup and bread. I immediately got tears in my eyes as they started handing out their bowls to be filled, especially the little ones. I felt so helpless because none of us had a job to do in order to help them, except for the five students serving soup and bread. I could only stand there so long staring at the children and adults in line so something sparked me to help. I saw a little boy, no older than three years old, carrying his bowl of soup, bread, and an apple under his arm. I bent down and asked him if I could help carry something and he sort of stared at me for a few seconds looking puzzled but when I reached out to help he let me carry his soup. It was such a profound moment because even though I wasn’t doing anything extravagant, I was able to help him carry his soup so he didn’t spill it. This soup was probably the only meal he would have today and I didn’t want him to lose any of it. I helped some more children carry their soup and bread along the walkway to the road and they were so appreciative. More SASers had started helping children and adults carry their soup too. Some SASers were giving away stickers and small trinkets to the kids, some were taking pictures and playing with them, and others were having conversations with adults and teenagers in the soup line. It was so heartwarming how everyone had found their place and were all doing something to help. I think just our presence there was enough to make these people happy. I started talking to two women on the side of the wall as they were eating their soup named Seena and Cheena. They were saying how they never thought America or Americans were real because they had only seen us on TV. Cheena said she knew we were real because we were there now and it was amazing for her. What a statement! It was so unreal to me that they couldn’t believe we were actually there to help them. Cheena also said that our presence was enough to show them we care and things would get better just because we were there. As they left, she told me to pray for them and it brought tears to my eyes because they were so spiritual and it was obvious their attitudes were majorly shaped by religion. Despite all of the poverty and hardship these people have gone through, they have faith. Their faith is what holds them together and keeps them going and it was so powerful to see it in front of me. This moment really showed me how important faith is and that no matter what, faith is what gets you through. It was a lesson I was in need of and it really made a difference on who I am. I will never forget these two women and our conversation and I will continue to pray for them.

            The line was slowly getting smaller, which meant it was almost time for us to go. I went back to the soup line and was able to jump in and serve the last few people of the day. It was an amazing experience to literally be giving food to people who were in such a need of it. The pot was getting emptier so some people didn’t get as much soup as others. I would try and give two scoops but sometimes people would move on before I could give them more. The amazing thing was that they didn’t even realize they didn’t get as much as soup as the next person. These people were so appreciative that they were getting food for the day and it really hit me hard. I felt so guilty for every time I have complained about not liking the food I have or wasting a plateful because I was full or didn’t like it. How could I take for granted something that these people don’t even have on a regular basis? I was ashamed of my actions and made a vow to make an effort of appreciating what I have much more than I ever have before. The whole day was definitely a personal struggle for me.

            After the last of the line had received their soup and bread we had to gather everyone to leave. I hugged and thanked all of the women who provide the weekly soup kitchen and they thanked us for being there. We got a small group picture with all the women and then headed to the bus. I was so full of emotion at that point from seeing such huge amounts of poverty and was not in the brightest of moods. It took everything I had to hold it together until we got on the bus. Lauren and I didn’t talk the whole way back to the ship because we were both so full of emotion. What we saw was not easy but definitely very important because it is a reality of life. I was glad to witness everything first hand and see the faces of the people that need our help; I will never forget those faces.

            By the time we got back to the ship, it was on-ship time and we would be leaving South Africa soon. It was an amazing country and I could not have had a better experience! Next up…MauritiusJ

I hear someone knows the Single Ladies dance in here

Day 5 – October 7^th, 2009 – Khwa Ttu! Route

 

            Today was my cultural history lesson of the Sans people who originally populated South Africa. The drive to Khwa Ttu, the San Culture and Education Centre, took a while so I got a nice nap on the bus. I sat next to Gloria, a Lifelong Learner, and we chatted for a bit about her travels. She’s been to 158 countries in her life which is something I can only hope to achieve! We arrived at Khwa Ttu which was a main building with the restaurant, gift shop, and accommodations. We were given an introduction by our guide Andre about what we would be doing for the day. Khwa Ttu “is the home, workplace, culture and training centre for Southern Africa’s first people – the San (in the past called ‘Bushmen’).” “The San are an ancient hunter-gathering people who, in more recent decades, have encountered poverty and discrimination. Khwa Ttu is not a monument to suffering or misery but a living celebration of past and present San culture.”

            The Sans Culture and Education Centre is housed within restored old West Coast farm buildings surrounded by a nature reserve with many different birds and game. We started our tour through Khwa Ttu with a video about the facilities and a Sans clicking lesson. The Sans languages have clicks incorporated into their words. Clicking is done in five different ways depending on the word. A certain clicking sound is made when you place your tongue on a certain part of your mouth and click. There are so many different languages within all the Sans tribes so the lesson was pretty complicated! Andre told us the names of all the tribes and the language they speak. He also gave us examples of some words and we were able to test it out. I was not picking up the clicking very well so it was more like me spitting everywhere when I tried it! After the Sans language lesson, we were able to explore the museum, look at pictures, and read stories of the Sans people. Some pictures were difficult to see because the Sans people suffered through much misery and discrimination. It was very interesting reading testimonies of the people and hearing what they had to say about their lives.

            We ate lunch in the restaurant that is located in a renovated old farmhouse with stone walls. I had salmon ravioli which was pretty good; I might not get it a second time though. I sat with Gloria and Kathy and had a great lunch conversation. After lunch we got some time in the arts and crafts shop which was filled with so many wonderful artifacts and I bought a few souvenirs. Then we headed outside to begin our San guided tour through the property. We hopped into an open vehicle pulled by a John Deere! This was my substitute safari because I didn’t go on one while in South Africa. We drove around the property and the scene was beautiful and peaceful because there was nothing for miles. After driving a bit, we got out to begin our nature walk. Andre told us about different tracking skills the Sans people used and showed us the tracks of the animals on the reserve. We saw an ostrich egg hidden in a bush, paintings of the Sans people on rocks, and a trapping mechanism used to catch birds like the guinea fowl. It was really windy and cold out so the walk wasn’t as exotic as you’d think. Luckily, I brought my Northface with me! We finally made it to the replica Traditional Village which was a grouping of small huts made of sticks and straw (I think) in a circle with a fire pit in the center. We all sat down in the circle on small wooden peg seats to watch demonstrations of ancient tools. A Sans woman was the demonstrator and spoke in her language with clicking while our tour guide translated. We were shown the arrows that were used for hunting, beads used for teething children, different animal skin cloth, and many other traditional artifacts. Our guide showed us how the animal skins are worn on the men. Some just wear the skin as a short flap with their bare butt showing and others wear it through their legs to make a thong! It was pretty entertaining watching Andre go about all this and dance around!! The sky was getting dark fast because a storm was on its way so we headed back to the tractor vehicle. As soon as we got in, it started to rain so we had quite the wet ride back to the main area. It was worth it though, because we saw so many animals! We almost ran over a guinea fowl because it was running right in front of our tractor. Huge groups of bontebok were grazing in the pasture and last but not least, we saw ZEBRAS!! One zebra was standing in the middle of the road but it was raining so I couldn’t get a great picture of it. There were about 7ish zebras on the side of the road when we drove past and it was definitely the highlight to my day! When we arrived back to the main part of the center, we said our goodbyes to our tour guide and headed back to the ship.

            I took another nap on the bus because I still hadn’t caught up on my sleep. The whole travel, travel, travel thing gets pretty tiring so any chance I get, I find that I’m napping! When I got back to the ship I immediately went out to get some last minute souvenirs because the girls weren’t back from their day trip to see the penguins! I told myself I would be gone 45 minutes and I was gone 45 minutes; I’m getting the whole time schedule thing down! When I got back I found Lauren and Katie. We wanted to get some groceries before we went to dinner because the following day we would have no time. We pretty much sprinted the grocery store in the mall, which was right in the Waterfront, and speed shopped. We were in desperate need of some good snacks because the ship’s food is starting to take its toll. We hurried back to the ship to meet Becky and Kate for dinner. We planned on going to Mama Africa but it was already 9 and Lauren and I had to be up early so we decided to save money on a taxi and just eat at the Waterfront. Lauren, Katie, and I walked around for a while to find a nice casual place for dinner and remembered that Kristin, Jeremy, and John were eating at Quay Four, a bar and restaurant. We decided to check it out and it turned out to be a great choice; they had 1 liter glasses of beerJ It was the perfect last night in port dinner with some great friends. The place was really cool because it was right on the harbor and had live music. There was a man playing guitar and a woman singing and they remade a lot of popular American songs. It was kind of crazy to be in South Africa listening to Journey. John had his Phillies jersey on because the guys were there watching the Phillies game! It was kind of our night of homesickness because the place brought us back to home even though we were in South Africa. I think after this long we all kind of needed a night like this! The beer was great and needless to say, I finished the whole thing. I didn’t beat out the guys though because they both had three each. After we had eaten our dinner we were all hanging out and watching the game. In between the songs that the band was playing they would play regular music. Lo and behold, Single Ladies came on. After performing the Single Ladies dance in the SAS Talent Show, I’ve become the staple Single Ladies girl on the ship so of course everyone was like do the dance, do the dance. Jeremy said if he asks them to play the song over I have to do the dance, so I said “okay, sure” – not thinking he would actually ask them to play it again! About a minute later I hear on the microphone, “I hear someone knows the Single Ladies dance in here! Come on down”. I walk past all the tables of people staring at me and approach the dance floor. As soon as I hear the song I turned into Sasha Fierce and started working it. The crowd loved the dance and Lauren and Katie were videotaping for me! When I was done the singer guy says “She watches way too much MTV” haha! As I walked back to our table everyone was staring at me and saying “great job”. I couldn’t believe what just happened and that I just performed the Single Ladies dance in the middle of a bar in South Africa!! A couple of the waiter guys came up to me and patted me on the back which I got a kick out of! It was quite the night! Soon after the show, we headed back to the ship.

            On our way back to the ship we passed the pirate ship again! We decided to go in and check it out one last time. There was a bigger group there having some drinks and Pedro was there!! He had on tall, striped toe socks and his pirate outfit. He was adorable!! We were talking to our pirate friends and before I knew it, I was in a duel with the woman pirate! I had the heavy sword and we were each on our own pedestals trying to swing at each other. We went at it for a good ten/fifteen minutes and finally neither of us could duel any longer. The last two nights were great because I was truly immersed in the life of a pirateJ We bid our farewells to the pirates and went to the ship to settle in for the night.

I did drink the wine

Day 4 – October 6th, 2009 – Cycling in the Winelands

 

            Today was a fantastic day! What more could I have ever asked for than to ride my bike and drink free wine all in the same day. (I know the wine wasn’t really free because I had to pay for the trip but I’ll just pretend!) South Africa is very well known for its plethora of winelands and it has many! We started our cycling adventure in Stellenbosch, a main attraction for wine tasting. We parked the mini buses at a remote area near a small restaurant called Jonkershoek. After taking a potty break and getting ourselves geared up for the bike ride (helmets and all), we mounted our bikes. Right before we left for the ride a ladybug landed on my arm! I figured that was a sign of good luck that today was going to be a great day! Alex, our tour guide for the day was in the lead and his partner drove the mini bus with the bike rack just in case anyone wanted to take a break from the ride.

            The first ride was 16km long and took about 1 ½ hours and the scenery we rode through was stunning. We started off down a back road through the woods and it was very peaceful. The weather was perfect for a bike ride, cool enough for a light jacket but still warm enough so you weren’t shivering. We rode over a few bridges and down a dirt road. There were a few trailers we passed which surprised me because I thought they were only in the U.S. Along the dirt road was the first winery we saw! It was beautiful and looked like a palace out of a storybook. The lines of grapes outlined the property and only added to the beauty. There were also two horses that just completed the picture. One white and one brown – they were stunning! After touring through the back road, we merged onto the main road and passed even more winelands. The area was so hilly and mountainous so it made the view even more outstanding. Each wine house we passed was beautiful and I felt like I was looking at famous palaces. Along some of the winelands were workers who would wave to us as we rode past. I saw two more stunning white horses who could have been straight out of a painting. Of course I was the last one because I kept stopping to take pictures of everything!

We rode through some really nice neighborhoods when we approached the town. What was interesting about the houses was that they all had extreme security measures. Nearly every house had barbed wire atop the walls of the house. It was kind of mind boggling because the area was so nice and didn’t look like there could be any criminal activity. Next we drove through Boland College Stellenbosch campus. It was beautiful and unlike any college campus I’ve ever seen. The residence halls looked like fancy palaces with balconies. There were apartments and housing complexes along the next street which didn’t look like a college town at all. We even saw some cute boys playing “football” (soccer in the U.S.) in a nearby field. Of course I snapped a picture J   The majority of the first part of the ride was downhill which made the ride pretty nice. After riding through the campus we had to ride back up the loop we had gone down, which meant we’d be riding uphill. I was not thrilled at all! The scenery was still gorgeous but the hill was not. It was a struggle and we were on the opposite side of the road this time so we didn’t have the little bike path. Eventually, the group had split into smaller groups and I was in the tail end group with Louis, Deb, Kyle, Jonny, and one other guy. Along the way we all stopped for a picture of the entrance to a winery. Someone had the bright idea for us to take a picture of us on top of the wall. We all jumped on top of the wall and then climbed up to the higher part of the wall. Luckily, when I got up I saved myself from falling into the barbed wire on the other side of the wall!! I was surprised I even made it on the wall without breaking anything. We took a few pictures then jumped down. It was a nice break from our cycling trek up the grueling hill. After pushing ourselves through the rest of the ride we finally made it back to the group and the restaurant we started at! We loaded the bikes up and headed to our first winery. By now I was pretty pumped for some wine tastingJ

On the way to the first winery we stopped at a mountain overlook. It was beautiful. The whole day we had been surrounded by extravagant mountains and hills that literally took your breath away. We got a great photo op of the Simonsberg mountains and then carried on to the winery. We arrived at the Franschhoek Cellar which was the perfect place for wine tasting. It was everything you’d expect when entering a winery. Wooden ceilings, brick tiled floors, deep red painted walls, and rows of wine bottles. To say the least, I was in heaven! I There were four tables for all of us to sit at. My table had my Global Studies teacher and his wife (another professor on the ship from Spain), Pat (ship counselor and my bus buddy!), Alex (my new friend on the cycle), and Lindsey (a Lifelong Learner’s daughter who’s 20 something). We had a great table and all were very excited for the wine tasting. We each had six wine glasses on a placemat; three for white wine and three for red wine. The wine lady gave us a briefing on the history of the winery and I was surprised to learn that the winery only produces the wine they sell, they do not grow their own grapes. Either way, the wine was great so I wasn’t complaining! They poured our three white wine glasses of different white wines. We had quite the surprise before we started tasting! Kyle proposed to Deb!!!!! We were all a little shocked that it just happened! I had never witnessed a proposal before so it was pretty exciting. They were sitting at different tables and Deb found the ring in her wine glass! Kyle had asked the wine lady to help him out when she poured the wine. It took a while for Deb to realize what was going on then Kyle came over to her and knelt down. It was really romantic and sweet but a little shocking. I don’t think anyone expected to witness a wedding proposal on the Cycling in the Winelands trip in South Africa! So after the excitement, we all settled down to begin the tasting. Before we began the tasting, the woman told us how to correctly taste the wine. First you swivel, then you sniff, and finally you sip! It really makes a difference and when you sniff as you drink the wine all sorts of smells and flavors become so much stronger. I felt like a true wine taster! I loved all three white wines!!! They were amazing – Mom, you would have loved them! The reds were surprisingly good, being that I tend to like whites better. I was sure to get the names of the wine and the distribution list for future reference. After the tasting we went downstairs to have lunch. Our guides had brought in lunch for us: big rolls, ham, potato and pasta salad (nothing like home though), regular salad, cookies, and nacho chips with a fabulous spicy sauce! It was a nice little picnic style lunch after some great wine. I’m pretty sure we had all worked up a good appetite after the cycling and the wine. For the second trek of cycling I opted out of riding because it had gotten really chilly, windy, and rainy. I only wore shorts and a long sleeved shirt so I wasn’t weather prepared at all. Deb opted out too so we rode in the mini bus with the other guide who drove the bike racks. She took us to the Huguenot Monument in memory of the founders of Franschhoek. The monument was very exquisite and symbolized the struggle the Huguenot’s faced when breaking away from their country for religious purposes. It was interesting to hear a little bit of the history of the town we were in! She showed us one of the top restaurants in the world that is located in South Africa, Reuben’s – it looked pretty fancy! We left the monument to catch up with the rest of the cyclers who were biking to the next winery, a solid 19km away!! I wasn’t complaining that I was riding in the bus!

Alex ended up driving our mini bus with Deb and I in it. It was nice to get some one on one time with him to learn more about South Africa. He was a riot and we all got along very well. We stopped on the side of the road to let some bikers pass us and got see the national flower of South Africa. We learned about it in cultural pre-port and it was just as pretty as in the pictures we saw. We passed more wineries and I was convinced to come back to South Africa! It’s so pretty and I wanted to spend more time at all the wineries. Just as we pulled into the second winery, it started raining. We got lucky with timing and entered the winery to stay dry. It was a mix between a museum called the Museum Van de Caab and a winery called the Solms Delta. It reminded me of a barn because the doors were open and we sat at tables inside with stone walls surrounding us. We tried eight different wines at the Solms Delta, most being red wines. All four of the white wines we drank were delicious. There was one red that I liked but the rest were much too strong and had a terrible taste. Usually I could handle it and finish the glass but the Langarm was really terrible. I sipped it and almost spit it right out. Let’s just say I wasn’t asking for seconds. Our wine guide was funny when telling us about each wine we tried by giving them all a code name. We had “cool by the pool”, “fireplace wine”, “picnic wine”, “dessert wine”, “safari wine”, and “party everyday wine”. He also told us about the different shades of wine which I never knew about. Some whites have a more clear color and others are more yellow. Some reds are deep in color, others are a lighter pink. It was interesting to hear more about wine than I’ve ever knew before!

When you’re drinking eight different wines in a row you need to take it fairly slow. Well, our wine guide did not. I’d have one sip of the wine and he’d be coming down the table to pour the next one. In other words, I got my share of high-speed wine tasting and it was a good thing we weren’t biking anymore! Pat was at my end of the table and she was telling us all sorts of Semester at Sea stories from her past voyage. Some kid fell off the boat (he’d been drinking) and into the ocean. He got really lucky because the girl he was with shouted “man overboard!” and it took nearly an hour for the ship to turn around and get him. He’s lucky he didn’t get sucked into the motors. It was a pretty exciting story to end the day and we wrapped up our wine tasting to head back to the ship. Alex and I snuck out wine glasses and almost got caught by our wine guide! We made it out successfully thoughJ I slept the whole way home and was ready for a nice hot shower!

When we got back to the ship I showered and then went out to dinner with Kristin and Katie. We walked along the restaurants on the top level of the Waterfront and found a happy medium! Kristin and I wanted to eat at the Greek and Mediterranean and Katie wanted the City Grill. Both restaurants are owned by the same person so we could eat at one and order off the menu from the other so it worked out nicely. We got some pita and hummus for an appetizer and it was delicious! I ordered the seafood pasta and it came out in a foil swan on my plate!!! I opened it up and was a little surprised at the extent of the seafood; the shrimp had legs!!! I ate muscles (which aren’t as bad as I thought) and prawns. I couldn’t believe it but I was kind of wishing I got the chicken and mushrooms that Kristin ordered! Oh well!! After dinner we were looking for some gelato and ran into Lauren, Becky, and Rosario!!! I was so excited Lauren was back from her safari! Becky and Rosario went back to the ship and Lauren joined us in our search for gelato. We found a cute place inside the mall and I got peppermint and German chocolate = to die for!! We enjoyed the gelato then headed to Mitchell’s for some Karaoke!

Mitchell’s is an Irish pub in the Waterfront that has Karaoke every Wednesday. We walked in and the place was a mix of mostly SAS students. We pretty much took over the bar. I wasn’t too thrilled to be surrounded by that many SAS kids so we headed upstairs. The place was huge and had another bar on the 2^nd level and a huge seating area where the karaoke was. We came to the right spot! Lauren, Katie, Becky, Rosario, Jennifer, and I all headed over to the far side of the bar so we weren’t surrounded by SASers. The karaoke was fun and we were all dancing and having a good time. There were locals all over the area so we finally didn’t feel like tourists. We met a group of guys from the British Army who were in South Africa. They were a riot and had a good time dancing with us to “Summer Lovin”. Becky and I decided to get a beer so we went to the bar and met a guy named Gray from England! The bar was packed so it took what felt like an hour to finally order a beer! It was delicious though and well worth the wait! We headed back to our little area and if you can’t guess, I signed up for karaoke! After waiting a bit my name was called and I went into my superstar mode. The crowd cheered and then on comes…”rollin’, rollin’, rollin’ on the river”. I belted out Tina Turner’s Proud Mary, my signature song in front of the entire bar in South Africa! Everyone cheered and I felt very accomplishedJ Shortly after my performance we headed out to go back to the ship. On our way back, lo and behold, we found a PIRATE BAR!!! The bar was literally a pirate ship docked in the harbor just a short way down from our ship. We figured we might as well try it out so we climbed aboard the ‘Jolly Roger’ pirate ship. I walked on and was in complete heaven! There were only a few people at the tiny bar in the back room of the ship (the ship was pretty tiny but my perfect sized pirate ship). The pirate was off-duty and didn’t have his pirate outfit on so he handed me his sword. If only you could have seen the look on my face! Then he gave me his pirate jacket AND hat!! Before I knew it I was in complete pirate uniform on a pirate ship in South Africa – what more could a girl ask forJ Lauren put on the other pirate jacket and had her own sword so we got some great pictures. We climbed up to the forward of the ship and were pretending to duel when a cop car drove by on the Waterfront road. He stopped and was joking with us. I talked to him the entire time in my pirate voice and when they drove away I said “I would never talk to a cop in the U.S. in my pirate voice!” It was awesome! They were great and made me feel even more like a pirate! After exploring the ship and playing pirates we decided it was time to goL More like the rest of the girls decided. As we were leaving the Jolly Roger, the other pirate was coming back to the ship. We stopped to chat with him and I had officially met my future husband. His name was Pedro and he was the cutest pirate I’d ever seen! He even carried the cannon on his shoulder!!! It was love at first sight and all I have left of him is a picture. It was a fabulous way to end the nightJ

Where the world meets

Day 3 – October 5th, 2009 – Khayelitsha Township Visit

 

            Today my trip to the Khayelitsha township didn’t leave until 13:30 so I got to sleep in. I had been so exhausted from the last two days that I needed to just sleep in. I woke up at 11:00 and went to lunch with Kristin. After lunch, I showered and got my bag ready for the trip. We left promptly at 13:30 and had to drive about 20 minutes to Khayelitsha. I sat with Jane on the bus and found out that she did SAS in 2004! On the way, our tour guide gave us a briefing of the township and its history. The townships have existed since the 1800s when the Africans were blamed for the spread of the Bubonic plague. They were forced to the outskirts of Cape Town to avoid spreading the disease further, although it was never proved if it was true they were the cause. Khayelitsha is the youngest and biggest township in Cape Town. Someone asked how the people in the townships feel about tourists coming in like we were. Our tour guide said the local guides have helped to change their attitudes about tourists by creating more interaction between the tourists and the people. The people are more willing to show the tourists their homes because they want the tourists to gain a better understanding of the way they live. The people in the townships are also more welcoming because they know the tourists will donate to them as well as just visiting. Unemployment is a huge problem in the townships due to a tremendous illiteracy rate and lack of education. There is no punishment for not going to school and a high dropout rate is prevalent. Many young girls dropout of school due to pregnancy or having to “mother” their younger siblings. Crime is another major problem in the townships because so many teenagers are not in school and form gangs. The streets of the townships are one of the most dangerous places to be at night in Cape Town. Alcohol is a regularly abused substance because it is so cheap which also contributes to the crime rate.

            As we entered the townships, all you could see for miles were small shanty homes made of tin pieces. Each shack was so small and usually housed about eight people which is insane! I couldn’t believe how many tin shacks there actually was. It was extremely hard to wrap my head around the way these people were living. Our guide said there was no plumping or running water so toilets were in the form of buckets. Illegal and unsafe electricity wires ran along the rooftops of the shacks because there was no proper electricity in place. We passed a few schools with children in uniforms but it was obvious that the students were only a small portion of the children in the townships. It’s hard to put into words what some of the shacks looked like. There were many hair salons as we drove through the township; many were made out of dumpsters. The building structure of the townships was just unbelievable. Before the trip I pictured in my head what I was expecting to see but actually being in the township and seeing it in real life was very difficult. I realized we have nothing to complain about when we have a leak in the roof or the front door is creaking. Many of these shacks don’t even have doors. It’s incredible that these people could even survive by living in homes like this. I’ve definitely learned how much I have to appreciate in my life!

            Our first stop was the Khayletisha Craft Market, which was a community center type building filled with tables of crafts. There was an African band playing some super cool instruments on the stage as we entered. We spent a while in the craft market purchasing items that were handcrafted by the townspeople. Everything was beautiful and fairly priced so I got a few things to bring home. It was obvious how much the townspeople appreciated our presence and that our purchases would go a long way for them. I was happy to help in the least bit. We had to get back on the bus to head to our next stop which was difficult because a group of school kids had gathered around us and wanted their pictures taken. I just wanted some time to enjoy the people but we had a schedule to keep. I was kind of irritated when we got on the bus because one of the girls said she was mad we couldn’t bargain. I thought to myself, how can you be upset you couldn’t bargain when all the money that you just gave to those people is going directly to put food on their families’ table or to send their child to school. It’s discouraging when people don’t know when to be a little bit unselfish and can’t sacrifice saving a few bucks to help someone else.

            Our next stop was the Philani Nutritional Center in another part of the township. The purpose of the center is to work with HIV positive women and children. There are 16 centers in either Cape Town or South Africa to give women assistance. The centers provide education for mothers in the community about nutrition for their children. At the center the women learn skills regarding craft making, printing, and weaving. There is also a clinic on site and a children’s place which is similar to a day care center. The center focuses on HIV protection education and also gives the women who are HIV positive a chance to obtain an income to support themselves and their families. When we arrived to Philani, we walked through the court yard to the boutique where most of the crafts are sold. We were able to see the weaving room where the women were set up at their stations. Their work was beautiful. Most of them were creating rugs with different designs and pictures on them. Upstairs was the weaving loom station. I had never seen a loom in action before and watching the women use their feet and toes to make it work at such a fast pace was mesmerizing. We saw the printing shop downstairs where the women painted different designs and then printed them onto bags, aprons, and stationary. There was so much talent and it was very inspiring to meet the women! We got some time in the boutique but I had already spent the rest of my money in the craft market. There were so many great pieces that I wanted to bring home!! On our way back to the bus I walked next to one of the women on her way to another part of the center. I told her she was very talented at what she does and thanked her for allowing us to visit the center. She was very sweet! There was a huge group of kids that had gathered outside of our bus before we left. We got some time to play with them which was great! In every country we have visited, all the children have been so excited to see us and always want to be around us. I love their spirit and how excited they always are despite their living conditions. Megan had brought some bubbles and was blowing them which was a huge hit with the kids! When we were leaving the Center we had a little problem. There was a wire running across the rooftops over the street and our bus was too tall to fit under it. After a little problem solving, we made it through!

            Our next stop was Vicky’s B&B: South Africa’s Smallest Hotel. The hotel is pretty much a house with six rooms for guests, right in the middle of the township. Vicky started the bed and breakfast so tourists could get a better understanding and experience of the townships other than looking out a bus window. The rooms were really nice; some were doubles and others were singles. There was a common living area upstairs and downstairs with couches and various artifacts. There was also a balcony to overlook the townships. It was a very wonderful and sad experience in one. I was still having a hard time realizing the extent of the standard of living in the area. We didn’t get to meet Vicky while we were there but her daughter showed us around and was so welcoming into their home. There were more kids surrounding the bus as we left Vicky’s and we got to play with them for a while!

            Our last stop of the day was another bed and breakfast, Kopanong B&B, for the same purpose of bringing tourists into the townships to gain a better understanding of the way they live. The slogan of the bed and breakfast is “where the world meets” because it is right in the center of the eastern and western worlds. We were given coffee, tea, and a special ginger juice which was really good. We also had cookies, lemon tarts, and a fried dough type dessert as we listened to the woman who owned the bed and breakfast discusses how the business functions. She uses teenagers who have either dropped out of school or have not had the chance to continue their education as tour guides of the townships for the visitors. The bed and breakfast also houses conferences for people coming into South Africa who are looking to help the townships. Many people have come to Khayelitsha to help the people in the township which is the main reason for the bed and breakfast. When we left the bed and breakfast we were given a tour of the township on the way back to the bus. We, of course, had a huge group of kids following us which was great! So many of them were holding hands with people in the group and were just fascinated by us. One little girl was very shy and kept walking by me. I asked what her name was and how old she was to get her to open up a little. I couldn’t pronounce her name but she was seven years old. She was so sweet and after I talked to her for a little bit she suddenly grabbed my hand and we just walked silently with each other. It was a very humbling experience and I’m so happy I met her. Before we boarded the bus I got a picture with her! On the way back to the ship I didn’t know what to do with my thoughts because I was still so awe struck at everything I just saw. It was difficult to understand the vast differences between the two sides of Cape Town. It was obvious that segregation was still so prevalent despite the end of apartheid. It was saddening because I will never understand why segregation has existed and still does. Every human is the same, despite the color of their skin. No one is better than someone else because of the way they look and it’s disheartening when you see firsthand, the effects of segregation. Hopefully, one day we can help South Africa to reassemble the connection between its people so everyone will once be equal.

            When we got back to the ship I stopped at Katie’s room to talk about our days. She went to Operation Hunger which I would be doing on the last day. We finally got around to go out to dinner. We met Julia upstairs and decided to stick to the Waterfront for dinner. Katie, Julia, and I found Meloncillo’s, which was an Italian restaurant on the upstairs level of the mall/restaurant area. It overlooked the entire Waterfront so we had a great view. Our waiter was named Quiet and was from Zimbabwe. He was such a sweetheart and took good care of us. We had two bottles of wine he recommended that was delicious! The wine was a 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon called Asara. We had some great food and great conversation and then headed back to the ship for some rest. Traveling is much more tiring than I thought it would be!!

Keep your arms and feet inside the cage - the sharks will bite!

Day 2 – September 4^th, 2009 – Shark Cage Diving

 

            The alarm went off at 4:05AM. I’m pretty sure this was my earliest morning yet! I had to meet with my group in Tymitz Square (main area on the ship by gangway) at 4:40 and we had to meet our driver at 4:45. Today is shark diving!!! I went with Jennifer, Christina, Madeline, and Barbara. I got about 4 hours of sleep the night before because I was so anxious for today so I was definitely tired. We met our driver and this other man (a little sketchy but what the heck!) who gave us the rundown of the day. He wasn’t going with us but our driver would be taking us to other locations to pick up more people, then we would be heading to Gansbaai (most popular area in South Africa for shark diving) for our adventure in the water.

            The ride took about 2 ½ hours but we finally arrived at the restaurant for breakfast. The sign said “Right of Admission Reserved Restaurant” so I’m not sure if that was the name or what the dealio was but it was a cute little place! Breakfast was very good and they gave us a lot of food! We also had coffee made out of a coffee bag which was a new experience for me! During breakfast we watched a video about sharks and shark diving just to get our adrenaline going. Dixie, one of our guides, began our instruction of the day explaining what to expect and that they can’t guarantee sightings but it should happen. Then we boarded the vans again to head to the dock. When I first saw the boat, I was a little weary. It looked like a fishing boat for tourists, which is pretty much is! I could see the cage hooked on to the back of the boat and it looked like it had been on its share of shark dives. I wasn’t sure if it was going to last through ours! We didn’t waste any time leaving the dock so very quickly we were on our way. We had a group of 26 people but the boat usually takes out 40 people. I was glad that the trip wasn’t full so we could get more time. The boat felt pretty packed with 26 people though so I couldn’t imagine it with a full 40. Dixie said the ride would take about an hour to arrive at the spot where the sharks had been spotted. We dropped our stuff in the bottom cabin and made ourselves comfy on the top of the boat. It was freezing. Very windy and cold and definitely not the weather I was hoping for on my shark diving adventure. Luckily, I brought long pants and a long shirt but I was kicking myself for not bringing a sweatshirt. There were people from Sweden, Australia, and a few other places on our tour. The two girls sitting next to us were actually from California! Imagine that! Sheena and Megan were twin sisters who were about 24-25ish and are traveling around South Africa for a month. They were so sweet and we hung out with them during our shark dive! On the way, we spotted about four Southern Right whales!! At one point the whale was really close to the boat so we got a great look at it. It was so exciting!! We also saw a few seals on our travels.

            When we arrived at the shark spot there were a few other boats already landed. We stayed for a few minutes then found a new location away from them. We didn’t want anyone hogging the sharks! The boat crew dropped anchor and we headed downstairs for our dive lesson. The dive instructor was pretty cute but very to the point! He didn’t want us taking any risks and getting hurt. There would be six people in the cage at a time and we would go in four groups. He handed out the wetsuits and booties and we began putting them on. There were still wet from the dive before so it made it even harder to squeeze the thing on. It was pretty entertaining watching all of us struggle! We headed out to the back of the boat when we were all wet suited up to get ready! My group wasn’t the first to go in which was kinda nice because then we could see how it works. They had a huge fish attached to a buoy to use as the bait. The rule is they aren’t allowed to give the bait to the shark because then sharks will associate humans with food. The whole shark diving thing isn’t the best for the relationship between humans and sharks either, but it’s all in the fun of the sport, right?! Anyway, there was one crew member pouring sea water into a bucket filled with random fish parts to use as chum too. They would pour that into the water to attract the sharks. The first group was finally in the water and it was all about waiting for the sharks. It took FOREVER but when a shark finally came everyone was so excited! We all ran to the side and we could see it through the surface! We went to the top part of the boat to get a better view and the shark came back again and it jumped out of the water at the bait. We saw teeth and all! It was crazy. It was starting to hit me that I was about to get in that cage and have a shark that close to me. I was getting more and more nervous. The dive instructor and Dixie are yelling “look down”, “look right”, “look left” throughout the whole process so it makes it even more exciting. Another group went and we saw another shark while we were in the boat.

When it was our turn to jump in the dive instructor handed me the goggles and helped put them on. I climbed over the side of the boat and put my feet on the buoy ledge and jumped in the cage. I was on the far left so I was right on the end. It was pretty scary once you were in the water because all you had between you and the ocean was a rickety, old cage. Every time I went under water my goggles would fill up with water so Christina told me to push down on the top and breathe out. It helped so much! The wetsuit was very buoyant so when I would go under water I had to hold myself down by grabbing the cage. This freaked me out because if a shark came up my hand would be right there. I eventually figured out a system that worked and kept me under for a little while. I kept looking to the side of the cage because I was paranoid a shark was going to come out of nowhere. The crew member kept throwing the bait right in front of the cage too, which didn’t make me feel much better either. The water was really cold but my adrenaline was pumping so much that I barely noticed it. The wetsuit also kept me pretty warm. The water was very murky and dark so I couldn’t see too far from the cage. I think that’s why I was so scared, because I couldn’t see if anything was coming at us. We were in the cage for what felt like eternity, but all of a sudden Dixie yelled “down in front!!” As soon as I dove under the water I saw a huge great white swim all the way in front of the cage nearly three feet away from it. It didn’t bite at the bait at all so it didn’t come near the cage. As it swam by it was so peaceful and just stared at us. It was the wildest experience! The shark didn’t stay long at all and just swam off into the distance. We waited a little longer for it to come back but there was no sign of any more sharks. We had to get out of the cage for the next two groups to get in.

The next group spotted a shark but the last group didn’t get to see one at all. It was such a dreary day so the sharks weren’t around us at all really. I guess it wasn’t our lucky day. I was just happy I got to see at least one while I was in the cage! People from the last group were complaining about not getting to see any sharks so Dixie gave everyone a coupon to come back at any time (no expiration date) for a free shark dive. I was pretty excited that I’d get to do it again at some point in my life. We had to take our wetsuits off and get ready to go back to land. The wetsuit was much harder to get off than put on, though! I went to the back room where there is a storage unit and bathroom to change. The room smelled terrible from the bathroom and the floor was all wet and I was praying it was just water I was stepping in. I eventually got my wetsuit off without falling and breaking anything! It was hard to get warm with the little clothes I did have but we all piled on the top of the boat to watch as we floated along. The girls and I had a great talk about our lives at home and on the ship and all got to know each other better. It had been a great day! When we got back to the restaurant we sat down for lunch. I had another great cheeseburger! It was nice that all the meals were included in the price for the shark dive. We watched the video that Dixie recorded while on the shark dive. She got some great shots of the sharks but it wasn’t worth buying. We had an underwater camera that we used so we figured that was enough. For lunch, we sat with Sheena and Megan and got to know them better. We had exchanged e-mail addresses so we could keep in touch.

I slept the whole way on the ride back to the ship. Going on four hours of sleep was pretty tiring after shark diving. I sat next to one of the guys that was on our shark dive because the rest of the seats were taken. He took up both of our seats pretty much so I slept in the aisle half the ride. We finally made it back to the ship and I headed straight for the hot shower!! The girls and I met up to go to dinner and wi-fi after we showered. We ate at a popular steakhouse called Spurs. I had amazing quesadillas which was just what I needed! After dinner, we went to the hotel for some wi-fi. We actually went inside this time because if you order something from the bar they will let you sit in the lobby. The whole place was taken over with SAS students but we found a comfy couch to sit at. I ordered a peanut butter cake with ice cream which was delicious!! I Skyped Britt and her family which was so awesome to see them all!!! It’s nice to talk face to face instead of through e-mail. The connection wasn’t good at all because there were so many people using the internet but I was just thankful I got to for a little bit!!! (MISS YOU BRITT!). Then I Skyped Mom and she had Allison with her! We got to talk longer than the night before because at this point some people had cleared out so we had a bit better connection. I got to see Lewie and it really made me miss home! I’m doing alright with the homesickness thing as long as I get to talk to everyone here and there. It almost makes it worse when I get to see everyone. But nevertheless, it was amazing to chit chat for a bit and get to see their faces! (MISS YOU TOO MOM!!). I headed back to the ship pretty early because I was so tired from the last two days. I needed a good night’s rest before my township visit the next day! At least it’s not until 1:30J

How long is this gonna take?!

Day 1 - Saturday, October 3, 2009 – Hiking Table Mountain

 

            We are finally in Cape Town!!! The night before I slept in Lauren and Rosario’s so we could get up early to watch the sunrise. It was 6AM and very early but when we looked out the window all we could see was the outline of the mountains and coast! It was so exciting to finally be here. We rushed up to the top deck with our cameras and it was perfect timing for sunrise. There were a lot more people up than I thought and we all watched as we pulled into port. It was the most beautiful sight! It was pretty chillier than we had expected but the weather wasn’t supposed to be the warmest while we were there. Lauren, Katie, Becky, Ashley, Rosario, Jennifer, Monica, and I all ate breakfast on the deck and saw a group of seals right by our ship – a great sign before our adventures began in South Africa.

            It took a while to get cleared from the ship but we finally ventured out into Cape Town between 10 and 10:30. Lauren, Becky, Kate, Rosario, Megan, and I were off to Table Mountain for the big hike. The day turned out to be perfect for it. Bright and sunny skies and it had warmed up a lot! I suggested we walk to the bottom of the mountain but when we actually saw how far away it was we decided against it! We were ported in the Waterfront which was a beautiful area to be in. Extremely developed and there were so many restaurants up and down the walk. There were such pretty boats ported next to us and all along the harbor. The Waterfront reminded me a lot of Boston and Halifax. Anyway, we found a taxi and headed off to the mountain. Our taxi driver’s name was Charlie and he was so cute! We were in a minivan type taxi and Lauren, Megan, and I sat in the “trunk”. This was my first experience riding in a car on the left side of the road. It was pretty exciting. When we finally reached the bottom of the mountain I looked up and almost fell over because the mountain was so HUGE! I couldn’t believe I was about to climb it, especially after I didn’t exactly make it to the top of the mountain in Ghana!! I figured this was a great chance to redeem myself and I was determined to get to the top.

 We started the hike at 11:00 so it was right near midday when it would get super hot. We decided to take the Platteklip Gorge route because it was the least steep path – if you could even call it a path! The gorge goes straight up the center of the mountain and is a direct ascent to the summit. Rosario started ahead of us and pretty soon she was out of sight. Pretty quickly Megan, Becky, and Kate were all booking it too, so Lauren and I hung back and just took our time. It felt like every ten feet I was ready for a break! I’ve definitely learned that I need to practice on the stair master before I embark on a hike up a huge mountain! Next time I’ll be more prepared! With just the two of us left we took our time and stopped when we needed to. After about an hour we ran into Micah, an SAS student from Hawaii, who was hiking at our pace. We stuck with him up until the top. We would stop for pictures and just to take in the scenery because it was so beautiful. We could see the entire harbor and as we got higher up the scarier it got to look down. Eventually we ran into a bigger group that included Mario, Career Services LLC, Jane, nanny for a professor on the ship, and a few others. We all stuck together the last leg of the hike. As we were going up, many people were coming down and we would ask them all how much longer! It had gotten really hot as we were hiking and we ended up running out of water. We would have had three bottles but Lauren’s ran away from us in the taxi L Pretty soon it was only about 30 minutes more to the top depending on how many times we stopped. Our short breaks worked out nicely because we would hike for a while, point out a shady area, make it there and stop. I realized that if I was ever going to make it to the top I would have to have short term goals which is exactly what we did. Right before we got to the top we met a group of girls from the U.S. studying at the University of Cape Town. We told them all about Semester at Sea and they told us about their time in South Africa. It was pretty awesome to meet people from home on a mountain in South Africa! Small world!

            We finally reached the top and it was a big clearing but we still had to walk to one side or the other to see the view. We had to hike up another short little hill with super high rocks and then we made it!!!! It was the best feeling in the entire world. I couldn’t believe I actually climbed Table Mountain. Charlie said it usually takes about 2 ½ hours and that’s exactly how long it took us! We were happy we didn’t go over, especially after all of our stops! We got to the edge and the view was breathtaking; unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. I couldn’t stop taking pictures. The ocean was beautiful and we could see the rest of the mountain along the coast. We were so high up (3,500ft) and it was unbelievable! We took the typical pictures everyone takes on top of a mountain – I’m going to have some good Christmas card pictures by the end of this trip! By this point we were so dehydrated and hungry that we pretty much ran to the restaurant. We saw the rest of the girls from our group who beat us by 30-60 minutes. They were about to head back down as we got in line for food. Lauren, Micah, and I had lunch together and I ate the best cheeseburger of my entire life!! We took our time enjoying the scenery and walking around the top of the mountain after lunch. We stopped at the gift shop and bought a few things. Then we headed to the Cable Way for our trip down the mountain. After the hike we decided it was our reward to take the cable car and Lauren hurt her ankle a little when we got to the top so it was best just to ride down. The trip cost $10USD which I thought was a rip off but oh well! Lauren is super scared of heights so the cable car wasn’t her favorite ride. A huge group of people clamored inside the cable car and we were on our way down. As we descended the cable car started spinning so we could get a full view! It took us all by surprise and Lauren pretty much kept her eyes closed the whole time. It was a nice ride and we got a great view of the mountain and the harbor below. On the side of the mountain I could see mountain climbers. It was crazy because they were so high up and pretty much had nothing holding them. That’s not the next thing on my list to do!

            By the time we got down it was about 5PM. We grabbed a taxi bus which had other people in it already. It was only 20Rand each so we got a great deal! The currency exchange in South Africa is very close to Morocco (about 7.1 Rand for every $1USD). When we got back to the Waterfront, Lauren, Micah, and I walked around a few stores. We went into a furniture store that had a full zebra skin – CRAZY! You could see the ears and where the eyes used to be. I think it was supposed to be a rug?! I stopped to get ice cream and Micah headed back to the ship. The vanilla was so good and pretty different from our vanilla at home. It had a great flavor! Well, I wasn’t used to being able to an English speaking country (we pretty much get by using hand motions and pointing in all the countries) so I pointed to the cone of the guy that just ordered. As Lauren and I were leaving, that guy and his wife asked us if they could ask us a few questions. Turns out they’re working on a global project of going into the townships and recording the African music. Their goal is to get the behind the scenes music out into the world because people living in the shanty towns have little opportunity to do so. West, the husband, asked each of us what we think of African music and I compared all of the different African countries we’ve been to (Morocco, Ghana, and South Africa). He really liked our answers and we told him and Suzanne, his wife, about Semester at Sea and why we were in South Africa. We gave them our info and bid farewell. Just think, if I hadn’t pointed to his ice cream cone we probably never would have met them!

            Lauren and I went back to the ship for dinner and a shower. There was a really nice hotel right across from our ship in the harbor with free wi-fi so we took our computers out about 8PM. There were SASers lining the wall of the entrance to the hotel Skyping and browsing the internet. I Skyped Mom, Chris, Max, and Lewie! It was so great to see Mom!!! The connection wasn’t the greatest but it went pretty well for my first time trying to Skype. After we were out there for a while the hotel security guard told us we needed to leave. Apparently, we were disturbing the guests. Hmph! We went back to the hotel to hang out for a bit then head to bed. SHARK DIVING TOMORROW!

A Life Changing Experience

Friday, September 25, 2009

 

            Today is our last day in GhanaL I do not want to leave this country at all. I’ve had such an amazing experience and I only want it to continue. My last adventure is a visit to the OSU Children’s Home in Accra. It is an orphanage for children from infants to school aged children. Our trip leaders were Bill and Carolyn, Lifelong Learners, and Betsy, the ship’s librarian. Katie and I sat together on the bus as we left fairly early to arrive on time.

            When we arrived at the children’s home we were greeted by the administrator and a young girl about 13 years old who was mentally disabled. The young girl immediately latched on to a few students by holding their hands. It was obvious she was extremely excited to have us there. She never spoke the entire time so I think she had difficulty communicating and was making a lot of hand motions throughout our visit. We were given a brief introduction to the orphanage and the way it is run. There are classrooms for the small children and the older children were in school so it wasn’t as rowdy as usual. We were taken into the main building which had a courtyard play area which was surrounded by classrooms on all sides. The amount of toys in certain rooms was very limited and it was obvious the facilities needed some redevelopment. During our tour the young girl had taken my hand and was giving me her own tour of the area. She was so sweet and I was glad to be there with her. We were then taken to the fenced in backyard area where there was a huge playground set up for the kids. There were so many children running around and playing from toddlers to about six or seven years old. There were a few older kids roaming quietly here and there. As soon as we walked into the play yard they immediately ran up to us and started playing with us. A bunch of kids were going down the slide, swinging, and going around on this circle roundabout thing. The kids all had little uniforms on with blue mesh shorts and a white mesh shirt. A little boy ran over to me and hugged me so I picked him up and walked around with him. He was so cute and just wanted to hang out. We walked around talking to the other kids and danced a little bit. The little boy wanted to get down and play so I started playing with some more kids. We didn’t get much time in the playground and as we were being shuffled out the kids became so upset. It was really hard because the kids were just clinging to us and crying. They didn’t want us to leave them and it was obvious they are attention deprived and just want someone to play with. As I watched a one year old cling to Viki and just cry it brought tears to my own eyes. Seeing the look in that child’s eyes and how sad she was made it really difficult to watch. As we walked to the other buildings I just broke down. I didn’t realize how much seeing these kids would really affect me. My heart was just aching for them because they were so lonely and had no families to love them. I was just honored that we were able to be there for the day with them, though.

            Our next part of the day was dedicated to painting two main buildings of the orphanage. We were given a few buckets of this grayish-beige paint made out of some weird concoction. They scooped the paint, which was really sticky and grimy, into a bucket and added water to make it more like paint. We split up into groups to paint different buildings. As Katie and I were painting, a little girl named Tracy kept following us. She really wanted to help paint and before Katie knew it, she had three kids holding her paint brush. We moved onto another wall after the first one was finished and Samuel, our tour guide, came over to help. He was giving me advice on how to make the most of my paint because, as most of you know, it’s not my specialtyJ I talked with him about Ghana and how much I love the country. He was happy to hear that I really am planning on returning! Samuel had been such a great tour guide and really helped make my trip in Ghana more memorable because he taught us so much about the country. He went out of his way to get postcards, stamps, and newspapers for a group of us and was also taking the time to help us paint during our visit.

It didn’t take much longer to finish the two walls so a small group of us headed to the play yard to spend more time with the kids. There was another building that had some music coming from it so we decided to check it out. A table was set up outside the doors and the woman said we were welcome to go in. There was a women’s conference going on for the last few days and they were all inside. It wasn’t your typical conference because all the women (about 15) were all standing around the room singing gospel songs. They welcomed us in and we sat down in the back. After the head woman spoke for a short while, everyone was back up and singing. We stood up and joined in from our seats but pretty soon they were calling us to the front to join them. The group of us gathered in their circle in the front of the conference room and started singing and dancing with all the women. They embraced us and made us feel like we were one of them, even though we stuck out like sore thumbs. All the women had amazing dresses made of colorful patterns of fabric and had clearly been doing this a while. We had so much fun going around in a circle dancing and singing. It was a great feeling to be with these women and feel their spirit around us. It was one of the most powerful things I’ve experienced and I’m so glad we decided to go in the room! Before we left we wrote our names and emails down on a piece of paper so we could get more information from them.

We still had a little while before lunch so we went in the school/play building of the orphanage to play with the kids some more. They were everywhere! It was snack time so all the kids had lollipops and juice boxes. One little boy, not much older than a year, was struggling with his juice box straw. I bent down to help him and his straw had fallen inside so I tipped the box up like a bottle and he was able to get the rest of the juice out. Something as simple as this made me realize how much these kids need someone in their lives to help them with the little things. Given, they are in a children’s home where the people working there give them a portion of that but not nearly as close to what they need and deserve. Once the little boy was done with his juice he wandered off. A bunch of kids were pushing around a small jungle gym and I almost got run over by them! The whole room of kids was insane. They were screaming and running around like animals! It was pretty entertaining. Another little boy, about 1 ½, was dragging a bumblebee stuffed animal around that was almost the size of him. Every kid was so cute I wanted to take them all home with me. After playing for a while longer we were being rounded up to leave for lunch. As I left the building, there were some small children outside playing. A little girl who was nearly 1 year old ran over to me as soon as I stepped outside. I picked her up and hugged her and we danced around for a little bit. She was the most adorable little girl. I was only with her for about five minutes when Bill, our trip leader, came to me and said we needed to leave. I told the little girl I had to go and she just clung to me. When I tried letting her down she immediately burst into tears which made me tear up. I kept trying to get her to stand up and she would not let go of me. I had no choice but to go because the bus was leaving but it was the hardest goodbye I’ve ever experienced. She was so upset and I felt like I was abandoning her which was a terrible feeling. Eventually, I got her to sit down and I had to walk away. Bill was still there with me and he took my hand as we walked back to the bus. If it wasn’t for him I probably would have broken down. We walked back to the bus and he said “it’s not easy, is it?”

We went to a hotel restaurant for lunch. I sat with Katie and a group of girls I hadn’t met yet. One was the other Mackenzie on the ship. I was so excited to finally meet her because I just love meeting other Mackenzie’s. We had the Ghanaian “club sandwich” and fries for lunch. The sandwich was a triple decker with eggs, mystery meat, lettuce, and a few other things that I’m not sure of. Not the best lunch of the trip. Before going back to the orphanage we stopped at the hotel gift shop. I bought Kente cloth which was exactly what I wanted in Ghana. The fabric and patterns are so colorful and crazy! I love it! I also bought a giraffe statueJ It’s not taller than me though so it should fit in my suitcase. We went back to the orphanage to give the gifts we brought for the children including: books, crayons, markers, balls, puzzles, other toys, etc. The children’s home doesn’t have much for the kids to play with so SAS donated all of the items to them. I helped carry a huge bag of stuff in the administrator’s office and we had filled the entire couch with stuff for the children! It was a great feeling to be helping them out, even if it was a small gesture. The administrator took us to the section of the orphanage where the babies are in their cribs. All the cribs were lined up in a tight row against the wall in the front room and back room. We first walked in the back room and it was one of the saddest things to see. All the babies (under 1 year) were sleeping in their cribs, some were standing up, and some were on the ground playing. One baby was in a basinet and was no more than one month old. One of the girls stopped to play with the kids on the floor and they all started crying when she had to leave. It was so hard to see so many little babies left to grow up with no family. As we went around to the other side it was almost unbearable because there were even more babies in their cribs lined up on the wall. Most were sleeping but I would make sure to bend down and say hi to each baby that was awake and standing in their crib. It was the least I could do as we just walked through. I felt terrible because we couldn’t stay and play with them. The last baby I got to was standing up tall in his crib and started smiling when I said hi to him. It was so precious! The hardest part was when he put his arms in the air and reached up for me. It took everything I had not to pick him up because we weren’t allowed. To see him look up at me and just want to be held was heart wrenching.  At that moment, I decided I am going to adopt a child at some point in my life.

We went to the play yard to say bye to the older kids one last time. A group was playing in the walkway and we stopped to get a few more pictures. It was an easier goodbye than it could have been but it was still hard to leave the orphanage. We thanked the administrator lady and she blessed us! She was so grateful we came and I was so happy I chose to come there. I got a picture with Samuel before we got on the bus because he was my favorite tour guide!! We also exchanged information so we could keep in touch.

As we drove home, all I could think about were those little kids who might never have a real home or family. It was so hard to grasp that some of these children were just abandoned by their parents or had lost their parents and would never see them again. I’ve never appreciated or loved my mom more than at that moment! (I love you Mom!) By the time I got back to the ship it was on ship time and we didn’t have much longer until we left Ghana. I was not looking forward to leaving because I had such an amazing experience in the country, but I know I will come back! We got back to the ship, ate dinner, and I had a sleepover in Lauren and Rosario’s room. Next up, South Africa!!!