It’s been a day over three weeks since I landed in Cape Town. Every day of these three weeks has been amazing, and I absolutely love it here. The reality of being here is starting to set in, and even though I feel a little homesick sometimes, I know I made the right decision in coming here. The people I’ve met are amazing, and they make for a good time no matter what. And in a place as beautiful and welcoming as Cape Town, it’s hard to feel homesick for long.
This afternoon I went to Muizenberg and tried surfing for the first time. Luckily, I went with all girls and most of them had never gone before either. At Muizenberg there is a local surf shop that rents out boards for fifty rand an hour. The boards were huge! I couldn’t even get my arms around mine to carry it to where we were sitting. I was so nervous about surfing! I’m not that good of a swimmer and the waves were quite large. But in we went, and it was quite hilarious. We couldn’t really get that far out because the waves kept crashing on us. I was definitely struggling. There is a lifeguard who I’ve met a few times at the beach, and earlier we had been talking about how it was my first time surfing. He must have noticed that we were all struggling because he came out on his board and helped us out. It was so nice to have him in the water with us, basically giving us a free lesson. He taught us how to get through the waves without getting tossed around and some of the other basics. He was really helpful. I never really got the hang of it, but it was really nice just chilling out on the boards past the point where the waves were breaking. We went out so far! At one point our group was the farthest group of surfers from the shore. I really enjoyed floating around on my board in the ocean. It was really peaceful. Getting back into shore was all but impossible. I didn’t really know how to ‘catch a wave’ so I ended up getting tossed around and falling off my board. Luckily, the lifeguard was there to get me out of what could have been a panicky situation. In all, I rode two waves. I never actually stood up, but just laid on my board as it coasted to shore. It’s surprising how fast you go. I will definitely try surfing again, especially because the lifeguard told us to go get him whenever we went surfing so he could go in with us. The shop that rents surfboards also rents out boogie boards, so I think I will spend a day getting my boogie board on.
At Muizenberg there is this amazing ice cream/frozen yogurt place called Sinful that has the best ice cream. I rewarded myself for all my hard work and bruises with a scoop. There’s also this amazing bakery that has chocolate croissants that are to die for. They bake them throughout the day so they’re always fresh. I’m all about the food here, if you can’t tell.
Today also wrapped up my first week of classes. I won’t dwell on this idea of school, because it doesn’t do much to brighten my day, but I think I will like this semester. Today in my social work class, we had a guest speaker who played a huge role in organizing the social welfare policy when Apartheid ended. It was amazing to hear all of the planning and coordination that went into the making of new social service system. She spoke a lot about the climate at the end of Apartheid and about Nelson Mandela’s release, since the twenty-year anniversary of his release was yesterday. It turns out my social work professor had a large role in coordinating the development of new social policy, and it really makes me excited to learn from her.
OK, here’s the Kit Kat update: according to Wikipedia (yes, I wikied Kit Kats), Kit Kats are made differently in the US than everywhere else in the world. Here in South Africa, they are made with more milk and less artificial sugar than in the US. How about that? I wasn’t going crazy, there really is a difference! I plan on buying a ton (yes, a TON) of Kit Kats to bring back with me. They are that good. I’m getting my friends to try them, and they all agree that the difference is there. If anyone wants a delicious South African Kit Kat Chunky bar, let me know and I will work on getting one to you.
Well, I’m off. I only have about 25 pages of Long Walk to Freedom left and it’s about time I finish it.
-Sarah
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