Once again, I am sorry that I have failed on my promise to keep you guys better updated. I have decided that I am not a documenter in any way shape or form. Blogging, journaling, Instagraming… Just not for me. However, today is the official halfway point of the trip and so I figured it’d be a good time to give you guys an update on what has been going on here in South Africa.
It has been two and a half weeks since the students arrived in Cape Town, and it has been non-stop action since then. Here’s the spark notes on just a few of the things we have done so far:
- Went on a historic tour of the city the first day to help the students get some background of the city they would be living in.
- Hiked Table Mountain. A small group of us led the pack and made it up in just over an hour. Trust me, that is an impressive feat but there was nothing impressive about my condition as I was gasping for air the entire way up. I was basically being drug the whole way up.
- Visited a special needs orphanage twice. Came in expecting to be heartbroken, but instead left uplifted both times. Although the circumstances of the children there is sad, that place was so filled with love. The staff was amazing and the kids were all smiles. We have been taking students as an extra service opportunity each Saturday.
- Visited the Amy Biehl foundation, which is a large after school program for kids. They sang, danced, and played guitars for us. I don’t have time to write about it but the story of Amy Biehl is the ultimate story of forgiveness and redemption. I encourage you guys to take a few minutes to look up the story of this foundation that has inspired so many of our students and myself.
- We visited some historic wine lands where students learned about the history of wine in South Africa and had a chance to create their own blend. I however don’t have much of a taste for wine and remembered that Rob (who is a literal giant) has the ultimate jujitsu gym/man cave so Ish and I brought a pair of work out clothes and duked it out in the boxing ring while the students were wine tasting.
- Returned to Robben Island, which is where political prisoners such as Nelson Mandela were held during the Apartheid. There is so much history there and we got to hear first hand accounts from former prisoners who now work on the island sharing their stories.
I don't have good enough wifi to share pictures right now, but if you want to get a glimpse at these experiences then feel free check out my Facebook album! https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.4642790557066.1073741830.1512150124&type=1
Now we are halfway through Adventure week, which is when we take these giant trucks (which I refer to as tanks) down the Garden Route and stay in a hostel called Afrovibe for five days. During the day our schedule is packed full of unbelievable adventures. I’ll write a blog at the end of the week with all the details because I could type forever about what we’ve already done in just three days. Not to mention we will be jumping off the worlds highest bungee bridge tomorrow and Friday is Cage diving with Great White sharks… I’ve got tons of great pictures and Go Pro videos that I will put together as soon as we get back into Cape Town.
Overall, I could not have asked for a better experience so far. This trip has far exceeded all my expectations (which were incredibly high). All of the students are amazing and eager to grow. My program group, the Springboks, are all awesome. They are the 40 students that I have been with through all the activities I listed above. Here’s the catch. 40 students. 40 girls. No guys. This kind of concerned me at first, but they have been unreal great. I have had a blast leading and getting to know them.
The first half of this trip has been a couple of the best weeks of my life. I’ve formed so many new friendships and have learned a ton about myself. I am still SO grateful for the opportunity to be here serving these students. Cannot wait to see what the second half of the trip has in store for us!
