How Low Can You Go?

Sunday, Grace, my very sweet apartment-mate attending Williams from upstate NY, and I woke up to run at 6:30 in the morning. Somehow, I feel like adrenaline pulses through my veins here. Everyday is exciting and new, no matter how sleep-deprived I may be. Do you see a general them here? We had to meet at 7:30 to board the buses for a peninsula tour. Although we initially sat in the back, Brittany and I made our way to the front seat of the bus, squeezing with Praise on a seat meant for two. It was a blast and the views were unbelievably beautiful. We drove around the entire peninsula- not an easy trek for a largebus. We stopped four times to get out and take thousands of pictures, like the true American tourists that we are. But, for the most part we spent the day gawking at the beauty of the coastline and joking with each other from our cozy but comfy seats.

We stopped at Boulder’s Beach to see the penguins.

We stopped at a township for lunch and ate in their convention center. This township, as small as it is holds 40,000 inhabitants. It has a school and many different churches as well as a variety of extracurricular programs for the community’s kids. The kids performed for us; they were quite good and very expressive. It was clear that their involvement meant a great deal to them. The members of this township are for the most part well fed and in possession of shelter but a great deal receive government support and drug problems run rampant throughout the community. It is a very harsh way to live.

Our last stop along the tour was at the Cape of Good Hope, the South-Western most tip of all of Africa. That was a concept to wrap my head around. The coastline there is divine and generally untouched. It is secluded enough and the cliffs steep enough that tourist don’t often find themselves eager to destroy the white sands and natural shores with their lasting treads.

We hiked up to the light house and then down to the tip of the cliffs. It was wonderful, but by the time we got back into the buses there was a general need for shut-eye.

Most of us slept the whole way home

as burns started to form on our backs and shoulders.

That night, we went to half off sushi and cocktails at a nice restaurant called Beluga. It was our “family dinner” with the whole program, organized by G and Charles. It was delicious.

I shared a huge platter with my newfound friend Brendan. We weren’t sure of half of what we were eating but it was delicious and well worth the price. I spent most of dinner probing three of my guy friends about their families and hopes and dreams in life. They soon found that generally my dinner table conversation, as I have learned from my family, is not simply based on the latest movies out in theaters. It was a great dinner and a good time to get to know one another.