Nature Girl
Sarah Elizabeth Hailey Joined: July 18th 2006
Logged in: November 14th 2010
Logged in: November 14th 2010
I have come to see the power in expression. But not just any expression, rather received expression, communcation. I see the amazing prospects for creating a space where the people I know and love can enter into these experiences with me--to learn and grow too. And to continue the dialogue I begin here. To challenge my own forms of expression and observations. And my words come to life when they can see a bit of what I see...
I owe this blog to Rebekah Luhrs. She has taken so many risks and through her experiences she has become a stronger, fuller person. And because of her honest and creative expression of her experiences, I have been challenged to take risks. I was intimately affected by her expressions. Without the uninhibited dialogue between the two of us in the past year, I would not have embarked on this adventure, nor would I feel so compelled to give expression to what I encounter here or wherever I go...
Travel Blog Posts
Mt. Siyeh
When one of the guys from my crew mentioned his plan to climb a mountain this weekend, I couldn’t hide my enthusiasm and practically begged to tag along. I’ll take any opportunity to get out on a trail in Glacier National Park. Jake hesitated, “Are you sure? It is a 10,000-footer.” I was insulted. Of course I can handle a good steep hike, and yes, I’m definitely in. I had no clue. Friday morning I woke up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. After filling our day packs with water, trail mix, cheese and beer, six of us Montana Conservation Corps volunteers piled into the CRV and headed for Glacier—we were a regular clown show. After our stretch circle and a pit stop in the bushes, we hit the trail. We walked among the pines, and I gobbled in ... read more
When the structures of society seek to steal away our common experience, we must intentionally create new structures that defy those separations. After these months of continual conflict with myself, of daily frustrated attempts at seeing the truth of this place which is South Africa, I decided to drastically alter the structure of my life. I arranged to work at a children’s home at the village of Umzinyathi in the Kwa-Zulu Natal province. Why not dive head-first into this thing called reality? Umzinyathi is about an hour’s drive outside the city of Durban. This small Zulu village consists of rolling hills of green traced with dirt roads and dotted with concrete houses. All day long taxis zip up and down the main stretch honking and signaling the code for their destination. One finger for Durban, two ... read more
I have been living in Stellenbosch for three months now and the oak-lined streets, the mountains glowing orange with each sunset, the Afrikaans language that floats around the campus and fills the background of my thoughts—these features and a thousand others greet me everyday. Slowly but surely they have become the sensations of home, the everyday commonalities that I hardly notice but cannot imagine Stellenbosch without. This process of Stellenbosch becoming my home has been marked by countless distinct experiences, snapshots that so clearly displayed the reality of this place. Yet I have time and time again deferred the responsibility of pronouncing and exposing this place in all its style and shame. Perhaps this is because I recognize my ignorance and I fear that my short-sighted judgments cannot do this situation justice—each new encounter unfolds for ... read more
rolling along
I awoke early Sunday morning, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed (that’s for you Triplet) ready to hit the trail. Uh, well, that’s a nice version of; I slept through my alarm and woke up, heart racing, to my roommate Mac banging on my door to get my tush out of the bed. Yeah, some things never change (just ask Christin and Len). After a quick stop at the 7/11 to pick up some essential sustenance for the trail, I met the group in front of the international office where we awaited our transport to Cape Town. The actual hiking began a bit late in the morning. Somehow our bus driver, a local resident, didn’t know where exactly we were going, so we wandered Cape Town a bit before actually arriving at our destination—I guess knowing your way around ... read more
the pre-game
My spring break started off with a little pre-gaming at the ole' flat on Friday night. Nothing brings people together like some home-baked chocolate chip cookies and spiked milk. The climax of the evening was when a few of us girls were working on Liz’s new dreadlocks while she strummed an auxiliary tune to a heated discussion on gay rights. I know you probably won’t believe me when I say that I didn’t get involved, but honestly, I was too entertained a sideline spectator. The real flares were between my roommate from Maryland, Mbali, a Xhosa gal from here in South Africa, a chill guy from Lesotho, and a Zimbabwean who loves Mogabi because “He’s a pimp.” Talk about conflicting worldviews. I did my part to keep the spirit up, declaring how proud I was to ... read more
Camps Bay
This weekend I caught a ride into Cape Town with a few classmates. From Stellenbosch, a short thirty minute drive along the N2 (and in our case, a couple unintended detours) will usher you directly into the heart of this modern port city. Towering buildings, restaurants, pawn shops, cathedrals, and apartment complexes crowed around the foot of Table Mountain, threatening further encroachment up the stone fortress. Each of us four girls played a key role in making the day a success. Kenya manned the steering wheel. With only the occasional stall, peel-out, and missed turn, she was for all intents and purposes, a successful chauffeur. Erin was the focused navigator in the passenger’s seat who directed the way and kept us on schedule all day. Liz, the theater major from New Orleans served as the upbeat, ... read more
Building in the Background
This is where I go to just relax, reflect, meditate, read, anything. It’s Stellenbosch University’s botanical garden, but I call it my sanctuary. I stumbled upon it just a couple of days after I arrived and it keeps drawing me in... ...and they call this winter...... read more
kayamandi view
Ever so rarely, you just have one of those soul-shaking days. You go to bed full of excitement, yet you sleep like a rock. The next day, you wake up and you feel as light as a feather. Such days are few and far between, some people even go months or years without one…I was fortunate enough to have one this week. Wednesday I started my tutoring at a school in the nearby township Kayamundi. As a handful of international students piled onto the bus, I was a bit anxious as to how the session would go. You know that feeling the first day of class or a new job, the nagging of the unknown that you ignore until you’re just about to head into it face on? Yeah. So, within minutes we traveled through time ... read more
Good Omen
From my window, rocky mountainsides and green branches peek out from behind the man-made angles of the residence complexes. It’s a nice contrast for me. This lazy Saturday morning is brisk but sunny, a nice relief from the constant rainy days that bring on a biting cold and chase me under the covers of my bed—we still haven’t gotten our promised heaters. Do you know that feeling of fall? The smell of fire or leaves, or something I can’t really put my finger on? That’s the feeling I’ve got today. It’s my second week here in Stellenbosch and my mind and emotions are beginning to settle. I’m feeling quite at ease and each day I am more excited to be here, realizing the adventure of it all… The town is cute, with lots of shops and ... read more
