Pictures From Lion's Head Hike

Elle and me with the 12 Apostles on our way up

Me at the top with the clouds behind me

The sun starting to set

Caitlin, Grace, and I with the 12 Apostles in the background

Beautiful sunset with the clouds over the water

The clouds covering the water and the beaches

Clouds taking over the city

The city of Cape Town in the moonlight

More clouds taking over

Not a bad full moon eh?

Time for a Bit of Catch Up

So I have clearly failed at keeping a regular update on my blog, but I must say that my weeks continue to get busier and busier as time winds down! While my classes have been officially over for a week, my "extracurricular" agenda seems to be piling up (just can't help being that popular). Okay so I have a lot to cover in this blog since I have been MIA to the blogspot for quite some time. Let me see, the first thing I did since we last "spoke" was attend my program's farewell dinner at a fancy restaurant called Marimba. I, like the rest of the students, found it quite strange, not to mention a bit depressing, that our farewell dinner was taking place over a month before our actual departure. But, who am I to turn down a free delicious meal? Everyone got all dressed up and we exchanged toasts as people reminisced about the times we have had with one another over the past 4+ months. To be quite honest, that is all I want to say about the dinner right now because the word "farewell" just isn't doing it for me at this moment in time. On to the next day. That Saturday was one of my boss's/coworker's 24th birthday, so she had a bunch of games planned to play in celebration. We were all forced to dress in 80's attire, which made for an interesting cab ride and walk down the street downtown. Some how I had managed to bring leopard print spandex, colorful hightop converses shoes, and leg warmers (don't ask) all the way to Africa, which put me in competition for best dressed of the day. It was probably a good thing that my outfit was so unbelievable because it would be only fair to say that my partner and I did not bring our "A" game...anyway. 

The next Tuesday was our final Trinity class and dinner. The oh so wonderful Sibs took us to La Columb, which has consistently been ranked among the best restaurants, not only in South Africa, but in the entire world. Needless to say, this night was quite a treat for the 7 of us as we got to enjoy a five-course meal with each course paired with a different wine. 

A few days later Courtney and I teamed up with some of the other staff members at our internship to chaperone a trip to a lion sanctuary. One of the prizes of the 24-hour tournament was a trip to the lion park which was great because it was the first time that a vast majority of the children got to see a lion. It was pretty wonderful to see the excitement that the children experience upon seeing the first lion. Nervous smiles ran across each one's face as the large cat approached the fence growling at us. It really put things into perspective a little bit as I thought about all of the amazing things I have been doing these past 4 months and how I have been fortunate enough to see lions on various safaris and even walk with them for an hour at Victoria Falls (which I STILL need to write about). It was hard to think about all of these things as I stood there and watched children who have lived in Africa for several years and had never gotten to see the things that I have in such a short period of time. I was really thankful that I got to be a part of this highlight in their young lives.

That weekend I was fortunate enough to have my first visitor of the semester! Elle, one of my roommates from Trinity has been studying abroad in a science research program all around South Africa for the past 4 months. I have seen her once or twice for a couple short teaser visits, but since her program was all finished last week, she came to spend her last 4 days with me in Cape Town. Because her program had come to the city for their spring break, Elle had done most of the touristy things, which allowed us time to hang out and do things that we really wanted to do without any rush. One day we went to the waterfront and shopped around a bit before enjoying a bite of half-price avocado and banana pizza (trust me on this one, it is AMAZING...I don't care how it sounds). The next day we went to lunch with my friend Sam and then Elle and I went to Greenmarket Square, which is the main marketplace downtown where you can bargain for all sorts of African-made goods. In the evening, we met up with a few friends to climb up Lion's Head, which could quite possibly be my new favorite thing in Cape Town. The Lion's Head hike lasts for a little under 1 hour and is rather easy compared to those of the surrounding mountains. However, it provides one of the best views of the city because of its 360 degree view of the beaches and downtown. We managed to make it to the top with plenty of time to sit down, enjoy some bread, cheese, and wine, and watch the sunset. The view was incredible because the clouds covered the ocean water, providing a somewhat eerie, but otherwise beautiful landscape from the top of the mountain. It really felt as though we were looking out of the window of an airplane because we were on top of the clouds that hung low over the water and stretched out as far as the sun. We were able to get a great look at the 12 apostles, which are the mountains that fall behind all of the beautiful beaches of Cape Town. Once the sun set and it was dark, the full moon rose on the other side of the mountain over the city. The moon provided enough light for us to look down on the city and see all of the buildings that we go to everyday. It was truly a wonderful evening filled with amazing views and great company and I was so glad that Elle got to be a part of it! Later that night, we joined Sam, Shane, and the other people from our internship at a fancy club downtown where we spent the night dancing and having a good time.

Today Elle left South Africa to go back to the United States. I was pretty sad watching her leave because not only did I not want to see her go, but it made me realize what little time I have left in this incredible country. I am having such an amazing time with the people that I have met and the lifestyle that I have become accustomed to over the past 4 months. I cannot see myself just up and leaving, even though I know it is inevitable. Going abroad is such a strange experience because you spend every day for 4 1/2 months with the same people in a foreign environment sharing incredible experiences, and then just leave almost as if nothing ever happened. While I will take all that I have learned and experienced with me back home, I am currently having trouble grasping the fact that I cannot also take my friends and the place that I have called home for the semester along with me.

Some pictures of the 24 hour event!!!

Court and me covered in children for a good 6 hours!

Playing a little London Bridge as the kids went to get food

My boyfriend for the day (we spent at least 8 hours together)

View of the clubhouse from the other side of the field

Best food crew around! Thanks to our sistas from Shoprite haha

Court and me playing with the the kids, as usual

Me, Court, and Lunga (original food crew)

Shane standing in his box with his trident (like I said, it was a longg day)

A view of the full field

Sunrise in Khayelitsha

Some of the houses alongside the field

Clubhouse at sunrise

Field at sunrise

Another one of me and Court doing the bridge

24 Hours of Football, Food, and...Fun?

This past weekend the organization that I am interning for, Amandla EduFootball, hosted a 24-hour crime prevention soccer tournament. This event was created to have a day dedicated to promoting the concept of choosing sport over crime. The tournament consisted of 4 separate tournaments (U/13, Girls, U/16, Men's) that went from 9 am on Saturday until 9 am on Sunday. As for the staff, we left our apartment for the township of Khayelitsha at 7:30 am and did not return home the next day until 10:30. Needless to say, it was a longggg day. To give you a little bit of perspective, here are the numbers that were collected at the end of the event:

128 Teams:

-32 U/13 Teams

- 8 Junior Girls Teams

- 8 Senior Girls Teams

- 32 U/16  Teams

-48 Men's Teams

2173 Total People in Attendance Throughout the 24 Hours

292 Games Played

It would be a huge understatement to say that this event was a success. We had over 300 kids at the field before the first hour was completed. The amount of support that the event got from the township community, as well as the city of Cape Town was incredible. We had sponsors, such as Coca Cola, Umbro, and Shoprite come in to give out prizes, set up a stage/DJ, and supply three meals worth of food for the participants. I, personally, have never been part of such a tremendous event from start to finish. To think that such a tournament could be set up by a group of people who are, for the most part, in their mid- to low- twenties is just astonishing. Throughout the day, I helped distribute food by the masses, keep score of the games, and just provide a helping hand in whatever was needed. We used over 400 loaves of bread and Courtney and I made countless cups of coffee for the hundreds of players that participated in the night-long tournament. 

We started off the day full of energy, even building a bridge with our hands and dancing as the players came through to get their lunch. However, as the hours went on, our energy slowly faded, but we managed to keep our spirits high. Each and every staff member made it through the entire 24+ hours without a wink of sleep. We stayed awake by deliriously singing, dancing, and laughing at the smallest of things. Of course, the night was not without the occasional "creeper." For a good 4 hours Court and I were being followed by a man who claimed to have Bipolar Disorder and had informed us that his doctors (at the mental hospital where he walked to the field from) wanted him to live in the hospital ever since he tried to stab a man to death in Wynberg. We had another drunk man ask Court what her lover's status was, and also proceed to stalk us for the next several hours. However, there was nothing serious to worry about because of the presence of policemen, protection of the lovely Ryan, Amy, and Shane, as well as Court and my amazing ability to keep track of our location in relation to the creepers. Times like these just helped remind us that we were, in fact, in the middle of a township in Africa. On a more positive note, we also had visits from local and professional South African soccer legends who spoke for the crowd and helped give our trophies. The mayor of Cape Town even blessed us with his presence and gave a powerful speech on the importance of using soccer as a tool to prevent crime and incorporate life lessons. All in all it was a tremendously successful event and one that I am very proud to be a part of . It was a tiring, but wonderful time and I am so thankful to have been given a chance participate.

Adopted for the Weekend

Hello everyone, long time no blog! 


Sorry to keep you all waiting around (because I am sure you are sitting at your computers all day in hopes of a new post), but things have been hectic as usual around here! So this week I had many different things going on. Because of holidays, we have had a four day weekend due to Easter, as well as two days off last Wednesday and today. So let's start with Easter weekend. My really good friend Courtney from Trinity has been here in South Africa with me for the entire semester, and her parents decided to come down for about 10 days to visit. Because my parents were not able to take the trip, I took full advantaged of the DeVinney's pity on me by letting them "adopt" me for the weekend. On Saturday we took a trip to Robben Island, the home of Nelson Mandela's jail cell for 27 years. The tour around the island was very eye-opening as we got to see where a lot of the country's political history took place. Hundreds of the men who fought for the end of apartheid were kept on the island for many of years. It was really something else to finally be able to see the place of which we have learned so much about for the past couple of months. The island, being about 9 kilometers off of the peninsula, also provided a great view of Table Mountain and surrounding mountains. Once we got back to the mainland, we hung out at the waterfront for a really delicious dinner on the water. After we went back to their hotel at seapoint and later caught up with some of our coworkers/newfound friends at a club in Camps Bay on the beach. 


This past Tuesday, Sibs welcomed us with a special treat by bringing the group of Trinity students to Stellenbosch (the wine capital of South Africa) for a cultural dinner and overnight stay at her estate. We went to a restaurant called Moyo at Spier's vineyard. The restaurant was set up with big tents and treehouse tables, giving it quite an African feel. The food was put out in a buffet, serving all types of meat (lamb, chicken, beef, ostrich), fish, vegetables, and dessert. Now I am all about buffets, but let me tell you how dangerous they are for a bottomless pit like me. Around my third or so plateful of food, I was really starting to understand why my dad told me that I could not work at Coldstone for the summer because he would have to roll me out of there by the end of 2 months. Anyway, we had our faces painted and even got to join the locals on stage for an embarrassing rendition of Waka Waka. While my dance moves have improved rather immensely since being immersed in African culture, I hate to admit that I am still miles away from performing the show that Shakira can put on for a crowd. After dinner, we went back to Sibs's estate, where the DeVinney's once again took me under their wing by allowing me to join them in the cottage that they rented out. When I heard the word cottage, I knew that it would be nice because, after all, it is Sibs's house and anything that she owns is beautiful. But I did not expect our accommodations to be the size of an entire house, with multiple bedrooms, a dining room, kitchen, and living room. The cottage was a gorgeous modern place with white marble floors and black leather furniture. I am not going to lie,  I felt pretty spoiled getting to stay with Courtney and her parents while the rest of the students had to survive a night in a couple of Sibs's king-size suites that she has inside her house. The next morning, the rest of the students took forever and a day to wake up, so I went with Court's family to a nearby winery that was, of course, home to one of Sibs's dear friends. We were able to taste test 9 different wines, for no price because Mr. DeVinney bought so many bottles that it made up for the cost of all of our tasting. Needless to say, once we joined the rest of our class for lunch, it was rather difficult for Courtney, her mom, and I to stay tuned in the conversation. I guess 9 glasses of wine will do that to you. 


Now I would love to go on and explain the rest of my week's activities to you, but 2:00 am is quickly approaching and I have gotten an average of abut 2 1/2 hours of sleep for the past 4 nights (for some reason or another), so I am off to bed. Hopefully I will be more reliable to you devoted friends in that I will get back on track with updating my blog. Thanks for reading and stay tuned!

Pictures from my microflighting adventures at Victoria Falls (have to still write about them but I couldn't wait for the pics)

First aerial shot when approaching the falls

View of Livingstone Island atop the falls

Some elephants hanging out below

Another microflight flying about

Me in my suit, preparing for take off

And there we go!

Looking over the falls and the bridge connecting Zambia to Zimbabwe

Oh hello!

Some pictures from the beginning of spring break...sorry for the delay! More to come!

Our first made tent of the trip!

Makoro ride through the delta

Just passing by some zebra...

A look at the delta during our first nature walk

A view from inside the makoro at the lagoon

A zebra skeleton that we found along our walk

This is what happens when we get time to ourselves with no internet, no television, and no cell phones. If you can't tell I am the lily queen of the delta and she is fanning me with the lily pads.

Sitting on the pelvis of an elephant skeleton that we found

View of the delta at sunset

The makoro polers performing a dance at cultural night!