Before heading to Gugulethu

These past couple days have been relaxing and touristy fun. The first thing we did on Wednesday was our boat ride to Seal Island. It was absolutely gorgeous to be on the ocean and see all of the mountains. And luckily the weather has been on our side- whenever we’re inside it rains and most of the time we’re outside it’ll stop raining. On our drive to see the penguins we passed these million dollar homes down by the ocean. Jack Nicholson, Tom Cruise and Oprah Winfrey supposedly own homes in this area. I know that Oprah does a lot of work with charity, but it seems crazy to me how they live in this luxury lifestyle while living so close to people suffering in townships. I’m kind of assuming that they haven’t done much to help with this situation, but maybe they have.

Later on we walked around Cape Point, the most southwestern tip of Africa. This view was amazing to say the least. We climbed our way up to the top of a mountain to the lighthouse, which overlooked the ocean. These views are priceless and the pictures do not do enough justice. The physical nature of South Africa is stunning. It looks so fake-almost like a painted picture. It’s something that I wish everybody could see in their lifetime. It’s weird how much the nature contrasts with its distressing history. How does a place sustain its beauty when so many bad things are going on around it? Christen was telling us a story about how a couple 13-14 year olds from a township had the opportunity to see the ocean for their first time, when they only live 10 minutes away from it. This makes me think about how much I can take things for granted. For example, during the summer time I’ll drive 30 minutes away just to go to the beach if I feel up for it. I think it’s really important to appreciate all of the little things you normally wouldn’t think of missing.

Today we went on our safari! On our three-hour car ride to the game reserve we were surrounded by mountains (some that had snow on the peaks). Every glance in every direction looked so beautiful. At the safari it was so cool to be able to see all the animals in a semi-natural habitat. Being able to see how they run, how they react to humans, how they interact with one another, how they eat, etc. We saw giraffes, zebras, rhinos, cheetahs, lions, wildebeest, ostriches, and springbok. We rode this jeep that looked like a typical safari jeep-one that’s khaki camouflage, no windows, high doors, and mud splattering all over. It was great.

Tomorrow we are heading to church and then moving into our homes at Gugulethu. I’m nervous about adapting to a total new environment that will be drastically different than our culture in Minnesota, but I am also excited to have this experience and the opportunity to learn about the hardships in Gugulethu. Something that I have to remember to keep in mind is to follow Kevin Winge’s advice on coming in right. To remember not to make judgments and ask why they may do things a certain way. To not go in trying to change things, but to gain a better understanding of why they are the way they are.

I’ll post again after the homestays!
Xoxo