Cape Town part 2

I've just moved in with my home-stay family about 30 minutes away from my classes here at B.I. at a township called Ocean View. My roommate Shaun and I will be living together with our family for our last week in Cape Town before we fly back home on May 5. We will be living with Dan and Moira who have 3 boys and 1 little girl. They have been so warm and welcoming to us already, and it's been a true blessing to be a part of their family. I'm really excited for the time we get spend together this week.

So far, I've had an incredible time in Cape Town. From hiking Table Mountain to visiting Robben Island and the waterfront, I've experienced a lot of Cape Town in just one week.

This past week has been full of field trips, adventures and seafood. Our first field trip for our South African history & culture class was a walking tour of Langa, a township outside of the city center. Langa was very different from Haniville in Pietermaritzburg. Instead of dirt roads and mud & brick houses, Langa had paved roads, street lights and 2 community centers. While I'm sure a lot of the differences have to do with the size of each township (Langa was way bigger), I saw a different culture and attitude with the people of Langa than I saw at Haniville. Our guide explained it to us this way: the Xhosa people of the cape provinces were historically the more educated tribe in South Africa, which is why we saw no children around the streets on a school day. Langa still has its fair share of problems, but I have a lot of hope for the next generation that is being raised in the township right now. We concluded our walking tour with yet another South Africa braai which I was totally ok with.

After a day of classes and volleyball, our next field trip was to the top of Table Mountain. We had the option of either taking the cable car up to the top or braving the trail up. I opted for the hike, which was really more like 2 hours of stepping up rocks. The view on the way up made it all worth it though, as we climbed up a small gorge looking back to the city center and harbor below us. When we made it to the top, I saw ocean water for almost 360 degrees. It was incredible. On one side, I could see out to the cape peninsula and False Bay, while on the other side I could see Robben Island, the city center, Lion's Head mountain and Signal Hill. On top of that, we were blessed with a perfect day free of clouds and wind, and nothing but African sunshine.

After I finish classes today at B.I., Shaun and I will go back to Dan and Moira's house in Ocean View where we'll eat and spend the evening with them. Life is good right now, and I'm trying to forget the fact that I'll be leaving this amazing country next Wednesday. Next up this week: cape peninsula tour, soccer game in Cape Town, and Stellenbosch.

P.S: I have really limited internet access while I'm in Cape Town, so I'm sorry I haven't been able to post any pictures that I've taken here. I will try to put some up once I get back to the States next week.

Bly Te Kenne, Cape Town

It’s Saturday, and I’ve already spent 2 days in one of the most beautiful cities I’ve ever visited – Cape Town. I apologize for the delay in posting. It’s been tough to track down consistent internet to connect to. I’ve begun the last leg of my adventure here in South Africa, where I will be living in Cape Town until I leave for home on May 5^th. I’ve arrived here at the “Mother City” after an incredible travel week that took me from Pietermaritzburg in the East, to the edge of the world here in the Western Cape province. Instead of flying, the 52 of us piled into two chartered buses that drove us across the southern coast in what’s known as the Garden Route – one of the most spectacular road trips I’ve been on.

After a melancholy farewell dinner at A.E. in Pietermaritzburg, we headed out southwest toward our first stop on the garden route: East London. South Africa really is an amazing country; if you drive just 9 hours, you are in a completely different world than where you began. As our buses crossed the KwaZulu-Natal/Eastern Cape provincial border, we were suddenly in a place with a different landscape, different culture and even a different language. The local African language was no longer isiZulu, what we had studied in class (and I was just getting good at it), but isiXhosa. Instead of bright green hills filled with cattle and maize, I began to see dull green fields dotted with sheep. Minus the sheep, I thought for sure I was driving through Nebraska or Kansas. We eventually arrived in East London after the sun had set. We over-nighted in a hotel about 50 feet from the Indian Ocean. It definitely made for a nice view, but I was busy missing A.E. and Pietermaritzburg.

After a delicious South African breakfast at our hotel in East London we loaded up the buses for our next destination: Port Elizabeth. P.E. is another coastal city in the Eastern Cape province and was remarkably similar to East London. Perhaps the biggest difference I noticed between the two is the decreased usage of English and the increased use of Afrikaans as the lingua franca. We stayed at an even more spectacular waterfront hotel for the night that overlooked the Indian Ocean. I had a delicious sushi dinner then tried my hand at a blackjack table at the casino next door to the hotel. I lost a few Rand, but it was a fun night nonetheless. I was exhausted but still went to bed with a little anxiety as our trip to the world’s highest bungee jump was planned for the next day.

The next morning, on the day of the bungee jump, my roommate Shaun and I were woken up to a knocking on the door by one of our leaders. While I at first thought it was just a nice wakeup for breakfast, I soon found out that everyone else was sitting on the bus waiting to go. It was 7 minutes past our schedule time of departure. I threw on a pair of shorts and a shirt and crammed everything else into my bag. It was not the best wakeup, especially for a day when I had to prepare myself for jumping off of a bridge. The Bloukrans Bridge in between the city of George and Port Elizabeth happens to have the world’s highest commercial bungee jump, and we just happened to be passing through it on the way to Cape Town (we made reservations in January). We had been talking about it since our first orientation in Azusa, and now we were finally here. I took my first peek over the edge of the gorge right as someone else was doing his or her bungee jump. I couldn’t believe I was about to do that. I paid, went through my instructions, and before I knew it I was walking across a catwalk to the center of the bridge, below the road level. I was assigned the second spot in my group of 17. The company running the bungee jump had a live video feed from the platform to a café back near the entrance, so the rest of our group had the opportunity of viewing our looks of terror as we walked up to the edge. Just like that I had a cord attached to my feet, and I was holding onto a pair of shoulders as I was led to the edge of the platform. I took a nice look down to the ground, 216 meters (about 700 feet) below, and got ready for a major adrenaline rush. 5…4…3…2…1… bungee! As I jumped I immediately felt about 4 seconds of pure freefall before I felt the tension of the bungee cord. As I bounced about 4 times before I was pulled up, I felt absolutely amazing. The quietness and peace of the space below the bridge was mixed with an insane adrenaline rush all over my body. I had just jumped the world’s highest bungee jump. No words.

After jumping off of the bridge, we continued our drive toward Cape Town until we reached our final overnight destination at a place called Carmel, just outside the city of George. Carmel wasn’t right next to the ocean, but it was by far the most beautiful place we have stayed at in South Africa. Located on top of a valley that led into a bay, Carmel is a Christian conference center spread out over a few dozen acres of South African beauty. Flowers, bushes and even the grass teemed with brightness and color. We would stay two nights at Carmel before finally arriving in Cape Town on Thursday.

After our first night at Carmel, the 52 of us split into 2 groups of 26 again. Half of us would explore the nearby Cango Caves while the other half toured a local ostrich farm. After each group was done, we would switch so that everyone had the chance to do both. I was in the ostrich group first, which meant I would check out a bunch of ugly, oversized birds with marbles for brains. It actually ended up being pretty cool, and I had the chance to ride one of the ugly things around until it sat down with me on it after about 10 seconds. Riding an ostrich is not something you get to do everyday, so I had a good time. After the ostriches, we drove over to the Cango Caves to take an “adventure” tour that would take us deep into the cave. I absolutely love caves, and this one was maybe the most spectacular one I’ve been inside. The first was a little tame, but took us through some of the most jaw-dropping rooms of stalagmites and stalactites (still don’t remember which is which). The path got narrower and narrower until our guide led us to a few passages where we had to get on our hands and knees in order to squeeze through. It definitely wasn’t for claustrophobics. After a 2-hour tour we were back in daylight and on our way back to Carmel.

We woke up to our last day on the amazing week of travel, sad to leave the beauty of Carmel but ecstatic for the new adventures awaiting us in Cape Town. The 5-hour drive from George to Cape Town didn’t seem long at all, and before I knew it I was looking out over False Bay across to the Cape of Good Hope. As we drove from the rural suburbs to our hotel in the center, I saw how it would be hard to argue against the labelling of Cape Town as the world’s most beautiful city. Even more so than when I was in East London or Port Elizabeth, I felt like I was in a completely different country than the South Africa of Pietermaritzburg and Natal.

Cape Town is like California meets Europe meets Africa. Beautifully situated right under Table Mountain adjacent to the Atlantic, Cape Town is a bustling co-capital city (with Pretoria) with the flavor and energy of an African city, but with the modernity and progressiveness of a contemporary European city. We spent our first night eating out at an Indian bazaar restaurant in the core of the downtown area. Cape Town is a complete cultural mix – it seems like every language, race and culture of humankind can be found here. Street signs are in English, Afrikaans and Xhosa. A few Victorian buildings such as the Parliament building stick out among the towering skyscrapers and busy city streets. Hawkers of every variety can be found on pretty much every street corner. I’m not usually one who enjoys busy city life for very long, but Cape Town feels like no other city I’ve visited. It feels clean and close to nature yet comes off as bustling and super modern. After an orientation meeting we had a delicious lunch of fish and chips before packing up yet another bus for our next destination in Cape Town.

Our group of 52 will stay at both a Cape Town family and dormitories at the Bible Institute of South Africa (everyone calls it B.I.) while we are here in Cape Town. Half of us will be in home stays while the other half will stay in the dorms on campus. We will all have class together here at B.I. then return to our respective overnight places. I’ll be here at B.I. for the first half before I stay with my homestay family in the suburb of Ocean View. B.I. has a stunning campus. My dorm room is about a 30 second walk from the beach, and overlooks False Bay. B.I. is located in the coastal suburb of Kalk Bay, a gorgeous seaside village with a small dock and train station. Although I miss PMB and A.E., I will definitely enjoy my time here in Cape Town. I still have a lot more to explore and discover on my South African adventure before I come back to the U.S. in May. Bly te kenne, I'm pleased to meet you Cape Town.

Sala kahle KZN

It's sad to say that this will be my last post from Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal this semester. Tomorrow morning (Sunday) the 52 of us will leave our campus here at African Enterprise and load up our buses for Cape Town. It's a bittersweet feeling leaving our chalets here at A.E. I'm definitely excited for the new adventures awaiting me in Cape Town, but at the same time I feel like I've grown a second family here in Pietermaritzburg.

I must say however, I couldn't have asked for a better week for my last week in KZN. Our group spent this past week on an overnight safari in the Mkhuze section of the iSimangaliso wetland park, followed by a two night stay in a rural Zulu village in Zululand. From Zulu dancing to cheetah viewing, I definitely got a good taste of Africa this past week.

Bright and early Monday morning at 5:00 AM (more like Sunday night) we loaded up the buses for our safari and Zulu cultural experience that would last Monday through Friday. Because of the size of our group, we were divided into two smaller groups that would take turns at each place during the week. I was placed with the safari group that would spend Monday through Wednesday at Mkhuze at an unfenced camp within park boundaries. I grabbed my bug spray, sunscreen, and Birkenstocks (fortunately/unfortunately I didn't have my safari vest and hat to complete the outfit) and was on my way to my first overnight African safari. On our way to Mkhuze we made a small detour to drive through the state owned Imfolozi game reserve where we spied on impala, kudu, inyala, white rhinos, elephant and giraffe. This was a little warm up to our real safari in Mkhuze, as we were still on a paved road the whole time in Imfolozi, and watched from the windows our buses. The real safari was yet to come.

After Imfolozi, we drove a few more kilometers to Hluhluwe, a small town in Zululand. Even though the boundaries of the modern Zulu kingdom fall within the province of KZN, Zululand is still recognized and acknowledged by South Africans. In Hluhluwe the 26 of us transferred into our safari vehicles - a Landrover-type truck with bench seats and a canvas top. At this point in time, I was definitely feeling like Indiana Jones. We drove for another hour in our safari vehicles to iSimangaliso, where we finaly arrived at our camp in Mkhuze at around 4 PM. Our camp was located a few kilos from the park boundaries and was only accessible by a dirt path that could MAYBE be considered a road. The camp was made up of a main kitchen/dining building surrounded by 5 bungalows and a fire pit area. My bungalow was a mosquito-netted shack completely made out of wood, and powered only by a solar panel on its roof. It would make for a perfect bunkhouse during our stay at Mkhuze.

Our time at Mkhuze was completely filled with game drives through the various parks in and around the iSimangaliso reserve area. On just our first morning we spotted dozens of impala, a few inyala, tons of zebra, an African tortoise, a pack of wildebeast, and at least a dozen giraffes. Our driver Andrew would drive us through the vast network of dirt paths through iSimangaliso as he pointed out tracks, signs and sounds that helped us spot animals. We returned to camp for lunch and headed right back out for more game viewing. We headed toward a different area of the park than where we drove in the morning, until Andrew pointed out something that immediately caught our attention. Driving past a giant pile of fresh dung, Andrew pointed out tht only one animal could have made it - an African elephant. As we crept further up the road in our vehicle, we saw several huge branches resting in the middle of the road. Something had broken then off of the trees and was probably still eating nearby. We rounded a corner to find an adult bull elephant staring us down, about 10 meters from our vehicle. I couldn't believe it. As we crept further up the road, and closer to the elephant, he began to snort until he let out a piercing trumpet sound that most likely said something along the lines of GO AWAY. We held our ground as we took picture after picture until suddenly he made a sprint for our car. Andrew hit the gas and we managed to survive our first charge by a wild African bull elephant. My adrenaline is spiking just writing about it. When we returned in the evening for dinner, we were treated to an amazing meal of rice curry, chicken and rolls. Everything tastes better when you're camping, so I dined like a king my first night at Mkhuze.

The next morning we drove to a private game reserve just next door to Mkhuze called Phinda. Phinda has all of the big five - elephant, lion, water buffalo, leopard and rhino (the five most dangerous game animals to hunt in Africa), as well as cheetah and pretty much every kind of deer species in southern Africa. We were even more exposed for this safari, as we transferred into completely open-aired jeeps with bench seats. No less than 20 minutes into our drive, we were staring down a group of 3 cheetahs in an open field. The cheetahs were busy spying on a pack of impala in the distance, which allowed us to get about 10 meters away from the cats.

We returned to camp for a small lunch before loading up our vehicles to meet up with the other half of our group that had spent the past 2 days in a Zulu village. We drove for about 45 minutes and arrived at a country club for lunch to find out that the other group's bus had broken down. In addition to this, a few people form the other group had spent a night in the hospital from vomiting and diarrhea and were severely dehydrated. When we finally met up with the other group at a car dealership, we were met by exhausted pale faces. Some kind of stomach bug was ravaging the group. We were warned once again to not drink the water in the Zulu village. We all felt so bad for everyone in the other group, as they would probably have a hard time enjoying themselves at Mkhuze. We left for the Zulu village with apprehension to say the least.

After driving for a few hours through rural Zululand, we descended into a valley until we eventually arrived at our destination on the side of the valley. We barely made it up a steep rocky hill, and parked in front of a group of about 10 or so thatch-roofed mud huts where we would be staying for the next 2 days. As soon as we opened our van doors we were greeted with smiles and "sawubonas" by about a dozen local Zulus. After hugs and handshakes we were led into a cozy rondavel where we sat on grass mats to avoid the cow dung surfaced floor. The leader of the village performed the traditional Zulu ritual of announcing our presence to his ancestors by burning a clump of herbs. We were then served the traditional form of Zulu hospitality - an offering of Zulu beer. It was super thick and didn't look anything like a Coors Light commercial, but was refreshing nonetheless. After an amazing dinner of rice, putu (maize-based grain stuff), beef stew, sweet potatoes and beets, we sat around a fire as we put our Zulu phrases to test. Our sad attempts at using Zulu were often met by laughter and smiles from the locals, who were delighted to hear foreigners trying to use their language. I'm sure they got a kick out of us.

After dinner, we were treated with a Zulu dance performed by locals from around the area. Zulu music is enthralling by itself, so you can imagine how intense and energy-filled Zulu dancing is. About halfway into the program a few of us, myself included, were invited to join them in performing a traditional Zulu dance. Now anyone who knows me understands my severe lack of rhythm and dance skills, so you can imagine how the Zulus reacted to my attempt at the "Dance of the Bull." I think everyone left with smiles on their face from the fun night, myself definitely included.

As bedtime arrived, we said goodnight to our new friends and climbed into our bunks housed in a mud hut with a thatch roof and cow dung floor. You might think it wasn't much of an accommodation, but our hut was surprisingly cozy and rustic with its candlelit ambiance and relaxing African feel. I slept very well.

The next morning we awoke to another delicious Zulu meal. Our plan for the day was to go on a hike into the valley to another small village at the top of a hillside and meet up with a Zulu medicine man. The African sun was already out in full force by 10 AM, so we made sure to stock up on water and sunscreen. We met with the medicine man near a small forest, where he explained the various herbal remedies that could be found from plants within the forest. Probably in his 50's or 60's, the medicine man had practiced his trade since his father taught him as a young boy, just as he was currently teaching his son now. I got the feeling that not much changes in rural Zululand through the years.

We eventually reached the small village at the top where we met with some women who were busy making necklaces and bracelets from beads. We spent about half and hour with them until we headed back down to our village to learn how to fight - Zulu style. I learned that Zulu boys grow up learning the art of stick fighting from a very young age. Instead of hot wheels or legos, Zulu boys spend their time smacking each other with branches - I have to say I was a little jealous. after a brief demonstration I was paired up with another guy from my group. We were each given a "shield" (a club of palm leaves) and a beating stick made out of a clump of tough green branches. It was great fun. Sometimes I wish I grew up without a television too.

As the evening rolled into the village, we shared another great meal with our Zulu friends around the fire. It was such an amazing experience to get to know the local people by living with, eating with and laughing with them. The Zulu people are an amazing group of people. Zulu language, history, food, music, dance and sense of humor blend together to form a truly unique and beautiful culture. It was an honor to be a guest of such a warm group of people.

Even though I'm not leaving South Africa, I feel like I'm leaving somewhere truly special. From the relationships I formed at Walk in the Light to the laughs I shared in Zululand, I feel like I've formed some unforgettable memories and experienced some unforgettable adventures here. KZN is a place I won't ever forget, and a place I'm sure I will return to one day. Stay well KZN. Sala Kahle.

A Lifetime in 4 Weeks

My time serving at Walk in the Light has come to an end, and I can't say that I'm at all excited about that. The past four weeks we spent in the township of Haniville on the outskirts of Pietermaritzburg were filled with some of the most moving and powerful days of my life. I can't believe that I have to say goodbye to this amazing community.

Even though I've only spent a short amount of time working in Haniville, I really feel like I have been permanently moved by the time I spent in this community. I am starting to find out that I was created for service. From digging irrigation ditches, to running after school programs for elementary school kids, I truly felt at home at Walk in the Light. I am finding it much harder to complain about any of my life situations when I've witnessed so much suffering in Haniville over the past few weeks. I am so blessed and unbelievably fortunate to be in the position I am in. I really think that when I step off of the plane in Denver in May, I will no longer be able to look at the world the same way.

I would have never thought that I could be so attached to a community I volunteered in as I am attached to the community of Haniville. It is so difficult to put into words. I felt so alive serving the people of Haniville, even when I would come back to my chalet at A.E. exhausted and sun burnt. I wholeheartedly feel like God is showing me how I must live my life when I come back to the United States. I'm finding it harder and harder to think about myself and my needs when there is a world of broken families, terminally ill kids, and abuse like I've never even imagined before.

My life is not about me. Over the past four weeks, I have witnessed firsthand the incredible power of love, in a tangible way. The pain and hurt humanity experiences is no longer a distant concept to me. Children are not getting enough food, the elderly are not getting proper shelter, and a single mother with AIDS is being abandoned - right now. This is an emergency. Complacency has no place in my life anymore. I have no excuse.

But the story does not end here. I have seen more than just suffering in my time at Walk in the Light. I have seen the undying peace and joy of Christ that has healed lives, broken chains, and brought hope to those who have nothing to be hopeful for. I serve a God who loves. I serve a God who answers prayers, who's heart breaks for the broken, and who does not forget about those who have been left behind. Christ heals lives like nothing else in this world can. The life He brings is authentic, and best of all - he accepts us just as we are. Jesus does the healing and renewal for us. And I have seen His love in action like I've never seen it before.

I still have a lot to digest and process from my time in Haniville. The relationships I formed there, the friendships I've made, and the connection to the community I felt I've made there will continue to be close to my heart. But what now? How can I go on living my life in the same way? I'm afraid I've gone through some core transformations that won't allow me to be the same. My prayer right now is that my service here in South Africa won't be compartmentalized and/or limited to the past four weeks in Haniville. This whole idea of service and love toward those in need is not just a 4 week deal. As we get ready to leave for Cape Town next week, I know that my heart will continue to beat to the rhythm of Haniville. I am a part of something that is much bigger than myself.

Next up: Safari trip Monday through Friday