Cape Town Walking Tour
The walking tour was an amazing experience! Transferring from Pietermaritzburg to Cape Town was most definitely a different experience. Pietermaritzburg was more suburban or even rural in some areas, but Cape Town is most definitely urban. Cape Town actually reminds me of a combination of many big cities in the states smashed into one area. The city reminds me of New York because of how busy it is and how tightly packed everything is, but it also reminds me of a beach city from home because everywhere we go, water is somewhere near by. I am in love with this city. I have also discovered that I am not really a city girl at all. I like going into the city, getting what I need to get and spending my allotted souvenir money, but then I must peace out into the more suburban or rural area or even the beach area. Through this experience, I have begun to discover new things about myself and where I see myself in the future.
I loved seeing all the various places that were on our list of places to see as well. When I found myself not quite interested in the item on the list, I found myself loving the walk to the destination and the various sites we had the chance to see on the way there and then becoming even more interested in the place that was on the list. Pietermaritzburg was fun because it reminded me more of home, but Cape Town has its little pieces of home as well. At African Enterprise, I loved how the campus was isolated in its own little area because it was cool being on our own “island” and I felt safe there. Here in Cape Town, I feel safe in groups, but I have also found that we tend to get hassled more here. When interviewing the three different people, I found it rather interesting hearing all of their different remarks. All three of the people we interviewed were colored and they all had something different to say in answer to our question. The first gentleman we interviewed responded that South Africa was perfect for him and he would not change a thing about it. The second gentleman we interviewed said that he was forced to move to Cape Town from Port Elizabeth because there are more jobs here in Cape Town. He is now a security guard, but he said that he does not like it here because it is more dangerous. The final couple that we interviewed said that they have no other choice but to live here in Cape Town and they are unhappy here because there are not any jobs for them. Every person we interviewed had a different answer, as they all had different perspectives on life here in Cape Town.
My favorite part of the walking tour, other than seeing all the different sites, was most definitely interviewing the people and asking them how they feel about South Africa. So many times people in foreign countries ask us how we feel about Obama. That question must be one of the top asked questions of Americans for the last couple of years. I do not mind answering it at all, but I have always wondered how the people asking me like their own country, so I am glad that we were forced to ask people because then it was less awkward. Thus far, however, I have loved everything about Cape Town and all the sites we have had the chance to see. We serve an amazing God and He really did make one beautiful masterpiece when He made South Africa. ☺
For the last week, however, we stayed at the Bible Institute here in Kalk Bay in the province of the Western Cape of South Africa. Right across the street from our little flat (or apartment) of 6 girls, was the Kalk Bay and all of its beauty. Every single day of the week, we were given money to go out for lunch and dinner along the street by the bay and it was absolutely beautiful! :) We also had the chance to meet some fellow Christian college students here at the Bible college, which was absolutely inspiring. These people here have chosen to solely study the Bible and all its intricacies and it amazes me. I have not been moved to quit nursing school and change my major and go to another four years of college, but I have been inspired to discuss the Bible with more people who are studying it. :) This entire week has been spent at one of the prettiest places I have ever been to. We had class on the history of South Africa for two hours on Monday and Wednesday and then field trips on Tuesday and Thursday. On Tuesday, we toured the township of Kalk Bay and on Thursday we toured the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Point. For each of these field trips, we had to write a reflection for our course, so I will simply cut and paste both one page reflections I wrote for those two days as well as pictures because I feel that they say it best. :) We were given Good Friday off school, so we even got to go to a local baptist church here for Good Friday to remember what Christ did for us on the cross.
Township Tour: Langa
We toured the township of Langa today. I didn’t really know what to expect other than to have my heart broken by the poverty of certain parts of the town. I expected to kind of be an unwanted intruder by the people there, but our tour guide told us that the people are used to tourists and even make money off them, so it was okay to take pictures. The town of Langa is a very unique town. It is like towns I have seen, but it is a combination of so many different types of towns. At home, there is lower class, middle class, and upper class, but I have never seen such a stark contrast as I have seen today. I don’t know if it’s just less obvious at home or if they do a better job of hiding it, but it was different today. Today in Langa, an extremely poor family would share a wall with upper-lower class. In other parts of the township, the poor homes would literally be on the other side of the street, facing the nice homes. I have never seen such a defined contrast in my entire life.
What I found interesting was how in nicer areas, we weren’t really greeted with open arms. No one really said anything to us. In the poorer areas, the pig men made comments about how they would like to keep us, but the women were always smiling at us. You know what never changed though? The children. No matter where we went, the children loved us. They would have smiles from ear to ear and always wave to us. As we were walking through one of the poorer areas, this little girl who was probably about four or five walked up behind me and put her hand into mine and she stole my heart in that moment. Then who I think was her little brother came up behind her to fight for my hand, so I put my camera away and crouched down a little lower so I could hold his hand as well. We walked hand in hand with Renna on the other side of the little girl down the entire street and I fell in love. I couldn’t speak a single word to them because of the language barrier, but the love of Jesus was all we needed to communicate. I pray that those two children feel the love of Jesus throughout their lives.
What I found absolutely astounding about the township was the stark contrast between lower and most definitely higher class. In the states, no one wants to have universal anything because they are all for capitalism. When they work, they want to see the fruit of their labor. They want to be able to rise to the top. Health care here in South Africa is universal, but people clearly rise to the top. I don’t understand. Renna asked me if I preferred universal health care and I told her that after seeing how people in the clinics here do not take full advantage of their free medications and die of AIDS, I would have to say that I prefer the way they run things in the U.S. because things that are worked for are always more appreciated. My Dad won’t give away a puppy for free from our Labradors for the same reason. When things are earned, they tend to be more appreciated. What frustrates me, however, is how does a person born into nothing become a person of the middle class? How do they even begin to work their way up? I may not know the answer, but I am dedicated to encouraging people along that social and economic ladder and showing them the love of Jesus along the way. I absolutely loved touring Langa.
Peninsula Tour
Today must have been one of the best days of my entire life. No matter how many times I think I have finally grasped God and His beautiful creation, a new day and its beauty prove me wrong. We finally arrived at the mysterious sign that everyone has in their profile pictures on facebook after coming to South Africa, “Cape of Good Hope.” I now have a potential new profile picture! No, but seriously. When we arrived at the sign, I realized that we had gone to the Cape of Good Hope for far more than just the sign, although the sign was very helpful in telling us where we were. We had gone to the southwestern most point of the African continent and we now want to tell the world about its beauty. Our tour guide told us that we could walk up to Cape Point or we could look around at the bottom of the Cape of Good Hope for a while and then head on up in the bus to Cape Point. There was no way I was going to take the bus. I have come to South Africa to come, to see, and to conquer. There would be no conquering going down from the bus drive. I was wearing sandals, but there was no way that they were going to stop me.
I have never seen my camera go dead so fast as it does here in South Africa. Whatever hike or field trip I go on, I charge my battery to its fullest charge the night before and within a few hours of a field trip or excursion day, the battery on my camera is already fading and the low battery light is flashing. I love it! You know you are in Africa when you have to charge your camera after four hours in the same place. Along the entire hike from the Cape of Good Hope to Cape Point, we had to stop and take pictures about every five minutes. God’s creation is astounding and it leaves me in awe every single day. Just when I think I have it all figured out, something else awes me even more than I thought I could be awed. I was talking with one of the girls who was walking with me about how after seeing God’s creation: the ocean, the cliffs, the grass, the wild animals, and the people exploring all its beauty, it would be so hard to believe in evolution or the big bang theory. How on earth could a big bang cause all the beauty that we see daily here in South Africa? God is the most talented artist I have ever met and His works never cease to amaze me. I got a little sunburnt, but today was worth the burn.
After touring the peninsula, we went to Boulders Beach to see the penguins on the beach. Such a cool experience! I have seen penguins at Sea World. I have only seen penguins at Sea World. I really do believe that I have only ever seen penguins in Sea World or at some other kind of wildlife or marine Antarctic kind of place. I had never seen penguins in the wild, let alone at the beach in my entire life before today. Seagulls are at the beach. Pigeons are at the beach, pooping along the boardwalk and potentially on peoples’ heads. Penguins are not beach animals. Here in South Africa, penguins are beach animals. So cool! Today was most definitely a day that I will never forget.
I have been in Cape Town a little over a week and I love it here. We serve an amazing God and He has designed some beautiful places. Now it is time to leave the Bible Institute and go on to homestays. Kara and I will be living with a couple in Ocean View who has two daughters who are grown up and moved out of the house at age 36 and 31, so we are looking forward to staying with them in their home and becoming a part of their family for the week. I pray that we are a blessing to them the entire stay and by the time we leave, that we have gained their favor and been a blessing to them both.
