Leaving Cape Town

So, I'm a half hour from leaving for Joburg to depart on my 11-day safari, but wanted to fill you in on my last couple of days in Cape Town.

Thursday was quite possibly my favorite day in Cape Town so far, and arguably one of the best ever! A group of volunteers took the day off to go kloofing (cliff jumping) at Gordan's Bay/Kamikaze Kanyon. Sounds safe, right?? We went with some teenagers from Mauritius and England, and two awesome guides. We spent the morning hiking up and a pretty steep mountain and then jumping off cliffs and waterfalls into pools on the mountain side. I repelled (abseiled) down a 65 meter waterfall... pretty sweet. Climbing up to the jumps was pretty scary, basically scaling rock walls. And I jumped off lots of cliffs, my highest was 20 meters (over 60 feet). We definitely conquered our fears! It was so so incredible... or lekker! (as they say in Afrikaans). Then we got attacked by baboons and they got into our packs and stole our lunches and threw all our stuff all over the place. They are nasty little guys and can be dangerous but our guides chased them away. Such a great day and I can't wait to show you some pictures!

But all good things come to an end. And basically, I am so sad to leave. I had a very difficult time leaving my class on Friday. We threw a party with cake and ice cream, music, and a final art project. They flowered me with gifts, including a hand painted South African flag. I have so more stuff to squeeze into my bag on the flight home. I'll be able to keep in touch via e-mail with the school and the kids and I know that I will definitely be back here. It's been such an amazing 7 weeks, more than I ever expected, with each day being better than the next. I've grown really close to all the other amazing volunteers in my program and we're all having a tough time saying goodbye.

That being said, I will be back in Cape Town for another couple of nights to reunite with my friends, and I'm pretty pumped up for Safari. It's definitely going to be an adventure! I have once again no idea what to expect but fully intend on soaking up every minute.

I probably won't be able to update you while I'm camping in the bush under the stars, but will check in as soon as I can.

Miss you!
Jackie

Hey Hot Stuff!*

Hello there family and friends. So sorry to keep all you avid readers in suspense… but the internet here is quite slow and I haven’t had a good amount of time to update you on my week until now. It is already my 7^th and last week at my CCS program in Cape Town and I’ve been trying to squeeze in every ounce of fun out of my last few days. I am definitely not ready to come home yet and am already plotting ways to return to South Africa soon. But I am excited to embark on my two week adventure starting this weekend, so I really can’t be all too sad to leave.

Last week on Tuesday was the track meet that all the athletes had been training for the past few weeks. There were only a few athletes from each grade and only 2 other students came to school that day to watch their classmates. Nonetheless, we all boarded a rickety bus to the University of the Western Cape where Blossom was to race against 7 other primary schools in the area. The facility was pretty nice and it was a fantastic opportunity for the kids to be a part of a very organized event. The day was ridiculously hot though so the kids got tired out quite fast. They also can’t afford running shoes so they all ran barefoot on the hot track, which definitely was hurting their feet. I had a lot of fun though playing with the kids while watching the races. I also took a ton of photos of the competition and had an apprentice carrying around my other camera, following in my footsteps. We placed 7^th out of 8 schools… good effort Blossom! A couple of the girls and boys qualified for the next level of competition (I think on a more regional level) so I will have to wish them luck before I go!

Ebrahim on the long jump

And their off!

Highlights of the rest of the week at school included teaching some world geography, continuing my lessons about the US, reading up on mummies and pyramids, helping out in the computer lab with the younger students (*the computer would say congratulatory remarks like the blog title after a correct answer), playing handball, eating homemade doughnuts from one of the kids grannies, singing songs in Afrikaans (and getting made fun of for mispronouncing). I’m really starting to get to know the kids and am definitely going to miss them.

As for my last week at CCS, we’ve had a great time experiencing the rest of Cape Town. Last Wednesday, we joined some friends we had made earlier in the trip for Ethiopian food out on Long Street. Long Street is a long street full of bars and restaurants that is always a party hub for young South Africans. Ethiopian food pretty much just looks like baby food served with airy tortillas, but is actually really spicy and tasty, and is particularly enjoyable with a crowd trying lots of differnt dishes. Our dinner was accompanied with authentic music and dance, so all in all, a really fun night out.

Yum!

I spent Thursday and Friday afternoon finalizing my plans for Safari, and I was quite relieved to get that all out of the way. We took the train out to Stellenbosch for the weekend, a college town also quite well known for its many prestigious wineries. We stayed at a backpackers out there called the Stumble Inn, a very fitting name for the evening. We enjoyed a wine tasting in the afternoon, and then went out with some travellers we met at the hostile that night. I have really grown close to the other volunteers on my placement and we’ve been having a bunch of fun travelling over the weekends.

Wine Tasting in Stellenbosch

Sunday night we went to see the Cape Town philharmonic perform at the beautiful Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens. The view was amazing over looking the mountains and beautiful gardens. We enjoyed some drinks and eats for a picnic in the park, and made for a very nice evening. I don’t think I fully appreciate orchestra yet, but definitely am beginning to enjoy it more!

The view from the lawn at Kirstenbosch

The weather has been less than perfect the past few days, although I really shouldn’t complain. But Monday and Tuesday were hot and sunny, so I spent both days down at the beach along the eastern coast of the Cape at Kaukbaai and St. James.

I’m very excited for the rest of the week, but also really dreading saying goodbye to all my kids and new friends that I have met here. But I’m just trying to take it day by day and really enjoy every last moment here!

I have lots of pictures to show, but I will upload them later when I get a bit more time...

Cheers!
Jackie