hakuna matata

September 23-28, 2011 - Cape Town, South Africa

okay, sorry this is a day late. but the first night back on the ship i always feel like i'm gonna blow chunks, so i just got my laundry together and went to bed last night. plus, going around the cape is supposed to be some of the roughest seas we face. not great.

anyways, we arrived in cape town what seems like years ago. all you sas alumni told me to wake up early and watch the sunrise as we sailed into cape town, so that's exactly what we did. maddy, will, nick, and i woke up at 5:30 friday morning and went up to deck 7 forward. one problem, we weren't allowed to go outside because it was too windy. so we sat in the glazier lounge until the sun started to peak over the mountain tops, then we disregarded the signs and all ran outside. it was GORGEOUS. the first sight of table mountain was breath taking. the captain promised we'd see dolphins and whales, but there was none of that. we ended up getting there a little later than planned, which was fine. we had to go up to the glazier lounge to get our passports stamped face-to-face with south african customs to make sure we weren't lying about who we were. then we took a little nap and maddy, michael, and i left the ship. we docked at the v&a waterfront, which was gorgeous! it wasn't like the last two ports which were industrial/cargo ports. this was a passenger port, which meant malls, restaurants, and shops were 10 feet off the ship. so once we got off the ship, we went to mitchell's for lunch. mitchell's is a bar that all sas kids go to every year. we saw the american flag that past voyagers have signed and it was fun trying to find all our friends' names and leaving our own names too. i got cape malay curry for lunch, which was spicy and delicious, and we got a few drinks. we might have had a few too many drinks for "lunch," but we're in SOUTH AFRICA!!!!! after lunch we ran over to buy tickets to robben island, then headed back to the ship for an FDP that the three of us all had to go to. a man from the truth and reconciliation commission came and spoke to a group of us. it was really interesting, but nothing really that i didn't already know. after the lecture, brew & i were pretty tired since we woke up so early, so we took a nap. then we woke up and her & i met some friends at a restaurant across the waterfront for some fish and chips. then we walked around the mall for a little bit, grabbed a cup of REAL coffee, and then went back to the ship and went to bed.

the second day, we woke up around 8 to have some breakfast. then we got ready and met in tymitz square. maddy, jake, linda, will, julieta, johnny, and i all jumped in a taxi and went to table mountain! it was on my sas voyage bucket list to hike table mountain, so i forced everyone else to do it with me! table mountain is 3,558 feet to the top. i was expecting a path that criss-crosses back and forth to the top. yeahhh, no. it was basically a climb literally straight up stairs to the top. it took us about 3 hours, and i died a little. but when we got to the top, it made it all worth it! i think i could see the entire world from up there. brew and i forgot to do it, but we wanted to reenact the "simba, one day all of this will be yours" scene from lion king. breathtaking views of all of cape town and we could even see our ship from there! after a billion pictures and a much deserved coke, we took the cable car down, which was awesome in itself. the floor of the cable car rotated 360 degrees so we could see everything. it was awesome. once at the bottom, we all took a cab back to the waterfront and will, maddy, & i went back to the ship and grabbed some food on deck 7. then we all took a well deserved shower and nap. we meant to wake up to grab dinner on the ship, but they changed the hours when we're in port and we forgot so we missed dinner. so we went back up to deck 7, then all headed to mitchell's. i think all of sas was there, which was really fun. we spent a few hours there, made friends with locals and got free drinks (safely, don't worry family) and then maddy, brooke, nick, will, & i jumped in a cab and went to a club called voom voom. we ended up VIP for no reason, again... got more free drinks and danced all night. we got back to the ship around 3:30 and i went straight to bed.

the third day i woke up at 5:30 (so two hours after i got back to the ship) to catch the bus out to aquila game reserve for a day safari. it was about an hour outside of cape town, and when we got there we got free champagne (but i said "thanks, but no thanksss" haha too much drinking the night before). but we got the BEST breakfast there, and i'm pretty sure i ate ostrich. it was really good, but very different. after breakfast, we split into two groups and got into these huge, open safari jeeps. i sat with jake and linda. we went on a two hour game drive, with one more champagne break. we saw elephants, hippos, rhinos, zebras, lion, springbok, and a few more animals. after the game drive, we went to their recovery area where they had worthogs, alligators, more lions, cheetahs, and leopards. pretty bummed they didn't have giraffes because they're my favorite animals, but heyyy can't win 'em all. then we headed back to the main area where we had another delicious meal. going into the reserve i was expecting it to be like planet earth with animals EVERYWHERE. but aquila is only 11 years old and so they don't have huge animal populations. so there we only 2 elephants, 5 rhinos, etc. but the facilities were amazing, and aquila is even a resort. so in time, it is going to be amazing. after lunch, we got back on the buses and came back to the ship. maddy had gone on a wine tasting tour that day, so we took a nap when i came back. then maddy, kelsey, matt, will, elaina, michael, and i went to a really nice dinner. i had seafood pasta and shared an avocado salad with maddy because a country FINALLY has avocado! it was delicious. after dinner, we all went to mitchell's. i had a drink, then came back to the ship around 12:30 because i was exhausted.

the fourth day we woke up and had breakfast but went back to sleep for a little bit. we got up, got ready, and maddy, michael, and i left the ship around 11. we took a cab to long street which reminded me a lot of the gaslamp... lots of cool bars and cute boutiques. i'm bummed we didn't go there one night, but we didn't really have time. so we walked around for a little bit then went to lunch at nando's. it's kind of like their fast food, but it was delicious. south africa is known for their peri-peri sauce, which is basically their version of hot sauce. so i had spicy rice with chicken and "hot" perri-peri. i almost went extra-hot, but thank goodness i didn't. my mouth was on FIRE and i loved every second of it haha. after lunch we walked to the african women's market. it was awesome, they had so much cool stuff and it was really cheap. so we did a little shopping, then walked around for a little bit more, sat in a coffee shop and had a nice cup of coffee. then we took a cab back cus i had to pack and get ready for my township homestay. if you don't know what a township is, google it.

at 4pm i had to meet in classroom 3 to meet for the township homestay. there were 13 of us, i believe, and we all walked to the bus together. the township was about 45 minutes outside of the city and is called guguletu. when we got there, they paired us off but i was in the group of 3. they gave us our "mama's" and then we were sent on our way. ashley, amanda, and i were set up with mama noks who ran the whole homestay stuff. we spent a lot of time playing with the children. this one little girl latched onto my hand and wouldn't let go the entire time, but she didn't speak the whole time so i don't know her name. i spent a lot of time playing jump rope with a group of kids... which was really a couple of cords tied together. it was a lot of fun. i also spun a bunch of the kids in a circle, which made me sore the next day. then all of a sudden the parents called the kids home and they immediately dispersed. so the three of us went back inside and talked to mama noks about her life. she is a single mother of 2, and was absolutely amazing. she made us these fried dough balls that were kind of like donuts. delicious. then i watched some tv with her son and the little boy she was babysitting. then it was time for dinner, which was a chicken leg, some potato pieces, a scoop of sauteed spinach and onion, and some homemade bread. it was delicious! and it was kind of strange cus as soon as it was time for dinner, there were a lot more people in the house than there were before. i don't really know who those people were, but one old lady started cleaning up after so i think it was kind of like her maid? after dinner, we had rooibous (spelling?) tea, which is another staple of south africa. i don't usually like tea, but i drank it all up because it was delicious. after tea i played cards with mama noks's son for a little then played hotwheels with the little boy she was babysitting. then after watching a little soccer, we all went to bed around 9:45. amanda and i shared a bed, and ashley slept on a little mattress pad on the ground.

mama noks woke us up at 8:30 on the fifth day. we got up and got ready, then she made us porridge. it was actually pretty good, especially cus we got more tea! then i bought a bracelet from her because she makes jewelry as her business too. then once everyone else met us back there, we got on the bus and came back to the ship. we were supposed to be back at 10, but we got back a little late so i didn't have time to get back on the ship and throw my stuff down. instead i had to run to the other side of the waterfront to meet michael and catch the ferry to robben island. robben island is where nelson mandela was kept while he was in prison. it reminded me a lot of alcatraz in san francisco, but the prisoners in alcatraz were hardened criminals. the prisoners at robben island were political prisoners who did nothing wrong other than fighting for their freedom. it was very powerful, and i'm so glad i had to opportunity to go. on the ferry back, the seas were kind of rocky and EVERYONE was puking everywhere. it was kind of funny though cus there was like a dozen SAS kids and we were just laughing at everyone else cus we were fine. once back on the main land, michael and i grabbed some lunch at fisherman's choice. it was right by the ship and reminded me of point loma seafood. i had hake and calamari, which was so so so good and fresh. then we walked around the mall for a little looking for south african rugby jerseys, but i couldn't find one that i liked. so we went back to the ship and found maddy napping so we decided it was naptime. when we got up, michael came over and the three of us went to another nice dinner. we went to karibu and i had the best piece of fish i've ever had in my life. i had the "catch of the day" which was cape salmon. but cape salmon is a white fish and it was SO good. i had mashed potatoes with it, which were awesome too. then michael and i split the "death by chocolate" because i needed chocolate. we sat and digested for a little, had another drink, then went to mitchell's for the last time. we stayed until last call, then came back to the ship, showered, and went to bed.

i woke up at 7 on the sixth day, got breakfast, and walked to the bus to go to mfuleni, a different township, to build a house with habitat for humanity. we were the third group to work on the house, so a lot of the house was done. we helped build the interior walls of the house, the door frames, and 2 porches. we mostly helped move concrete bricks, the roof shingles, and help mix the concrete using only shovels. it was hard work, and i'm pretty sore right now. but we got to meet the future homeowner and it made it all worth it. she is a single mother of 4 who just took in her sister's 3 children because her sister had just passed away. i couldn't believe 8 people were going to live in this house. the house was maybe half the size of the house i lived in last year at school, and maybe a little bigger than the kitchen at my parents' house. but i was so glad i could give a little back to the community. we got to play with kids a little more while we were there, but not too much because we weren't allowed to play with them in the construction site and we couldn't play in the street because raw sewage was flowing down the street. it was really gross, but also really sad. guguletu, the first township i was in, was one of the "nicer" townships (if you can even say that) because there were no shacks. but mfuleni was primarily shacks, and the built houses were definitely the exception. so it was heartbreaking to be there, but so glad we could make a difference. then we headed back to the ship around 4, showered, and ran up to the union to get a seat because archbishop desmond tutu came aboard to speak. if you don't know who he is, google it then slap yourself for not knowing. he spoke for a little less than an hour and was absolutely incredible. after he spoke, we ran to get dinner, then came down to our room and went to bed.

we're off classes today for our "african reflection." so i'll probably post again later today when i'm at work. but south africa was absolutely amazing. i know i said i want to go back to ghana, but the reality of that is questionable. south africa is not an option. i HAVE to come back! it was a real thought in my head to "accidentally" miss the ship and call the voyage quits there, it was that awesome. i know i did a lot and had some of the best times, but i also didn't get to do a lot too. there is just too much to do in south africa for 6 days. it was so fun, especially being there during the rugby world cup (which i'm guessing you probably didn't even realize was happening... don't worry the US is out of it). i can't wait to go back. i need to go to kruger, stellenbosch, kirstenbosch, cape point, district 6, go shark cage diving, and go back to everywhere that i went. and i NEED to see a giraffe (yes, i know they're at the SD zoo... not the same!). i miss it already!