Just a splash of color - South Africa

When someone says Africa, everyone always thinks of South Africa. When people go to South Africa, they say they are going to Africa, which of course is true because South Africa is in the continent of Africa. But they are also inherently wrong. Each country, even each city, in Africa is completely different from those on its borders in the most beautifully unique way. As I took my first steps on to mainland Africa at the Cape Town port, these facts could not have been more clear.

I was greeted by the V&A Waterfront which rivals the District Warf in Washington DC, an aquarium bigger and with more variety than the one I grew up visiting in Tampa, Florida, and a view of into the distance of some of the most amazing hikes in the world. I talked with people dressed similar to me, I rode in cars just like the ones I would soon be driving in Europe, and my first meal was a hot chocolate and croissant.

On the ship we spent hours and hours discussing South Africa - from education to politics to the environment, I thought there would be no surprises. Of course I was totally wrong. I spent most of my time in South Africa on SAS led programs, including a field class.

There is a water crisis in South Africa which has led many businesses and organizations to hang posters and other kinds of "advertisement" reminding each other to be conscientious of water usage!

I spent my first day in South Africa biking the streets with the wind in my hair and the sun beating down on my skin. I had been waiting to ride a bike through the streets for weeks and the anticipation to get out and do something active besides use the gym was eating me alive. Myla, Valeria, Mason and I biked rented bikes from UpCyle which has stops throughout the city, and made our way towards the historic Bo-Kaap. Despite a few botched attempts to bike uphill, we made it to the town of bright colors unscathed. I quickly found myself staring in awe, talking to locals, and snapping hundreds of photos of the bright rainbow colored houses. As we forged further into the center of the town we ran into a professional photoshoot in the streets with men and women in colorful patterned cloths running and jumping through the streets.

Far too quickly my stomach started complaining and we made our way out of Bo-Kaap and towards the city center where we dropped of the bikes and searched for a good meal to fill us before wandering long street and the surrounding areas. After lunch we split up and Myla and I continued to explore the new city. My favorite part was finding a small photo gallery and rooftop terrace above an electronics store where we took a break from the hectic city to people watch from above. Yet, the day was not over and soon enough we had to head back to the ship to search for a place with strong enough wifi to make a call back to the states. This was the hard part about being abroad with the most limited access to the United States imaginable -- I needed an internship (and housing) when I returned and I was determined to be in Washington D.C. Thus, I had interviews and phone calls at whenever we hit land and I had a free moment. Myla - yes I dragged her with me did you expect anything less - spent a few hours getting work done while I did my very best to sound like the perfect candidate over the phone a few thousand miles away before rushing back to the ship in time for dinner.

Over the next three days I spent hours staring at animals I'd never seen before at Bottlierkop Game Reserve. Thankfully I met Lauren who made the program 500 times better as well laughed nonstop and swapped stories about everything imaginable. The days were spent on game drives and horseback exploring the land and snapping pictures of everything that moved from rare plants, to preying lions, to sleeping zebras and playful hippos. Each night swam or listened to music before retiring to our own tent-hotel room decked out with a balcony looking over the animals, an outdoor shower, and a canopy bed. It was magical and heavenly, leaving the view, the animals, and the staff there was honestly so depressing. We left the reserve in the morning making it back to the ship in time for dinner on the waterfront. Lauren and I met up with Chantal, Kelly, Patti, and Bobby for an absolutely delicious meal before checking out the nightlife.

The next day Lauren, Deanna, and I woke up bright and early for our shark cage diving excursion! We had a two hour drive there and back but it was worth it to see my favorite animals. After the drive we were given breakfast and herded onto a small motor boat which took us pretty far out to sea. We anchored near a few other boats, but on wetsuits and prepared to jump into the freezing cold water. I was so beyond happy to get back to land so I could put on comfortable warm cloths! We were given lunch and then were back on our way to Cape Town.

The last day Valeria and I had our Global Studies field class, "Penguins and Plastic Art." We began our day at a local surf shop which also sold delicious smoothies and made all their boards out of recyclable materials. After, we went to a penguin reserve park where we same native penguins in the wild. I had never in my life expected to see penguins so close, especially not so many of them - couples, babies, parents, big and small it was beautiful.

Once we finished our walk through the penguin park we made our way to the beach to make some plastic art out of recycled materials. Essentially we were given plastic and scissors and told to make a cool clock. Let's just say we had a rough start but by the end I think we were all in consensus that we needed more time. Nevertheless, we stopped our work in favor of a picnic beach lunch and some time to run around.

The day ended with a quick stop at a local market which reminded me of Chelsea's Market in NYC and Union Market in DC. It was an old warehouse with different vendors inside, half the vendors sold food and the other, arts and clothing. I had an amazing crepe as I inspected the trinkets and spoke with the people working the shops, all of whom were chatty and intrigued by our trip. I bought a "howzit" canvas and made my way back to the ship, saying goodbye to yet another country.

Till next time - in Ghana!!