Work and Play, No Time to Write!

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Well hello there! I have been so busy. Oh my goodness, there is barely a moment where I'm standing still, so pardon my large gap between entries! But I suppose the busier I am, the more I'm having fun, which has proven itself to be very true. To start off, I'm pretty settled into my life here in South Africa. I've officially gotten the lay of the land, I can navigate the train systems, and I feel at home in my host house.

First I'll cover the work portion of my life currently. I'm doing well in my internship (or at least I hope I am) and I get along well with my "colleagues". I'll be perfectly honest...I do not want to work in an office environment when I have a career. I simply cannot keep my attention drawn to a computer screen all day. I find I have less motivation when I'm sitting in one room all day than when I'm out in the world doing things that feel more productive to me. Luckily I have the opportunity to do those types of things almost every day at my internship. We visit juvenile prisons and reform schools, women's shelters, townships, and serve food to the homeless frequently. I love interacting with the people of Cape Town and I hope that I am bringing at least a small bit of help to their lives. Today, in fact, we went to the township of Vyrground (also called Capricorn) in Muizenburg. We held a soup kitchen and families in the township would bring their bowls to receive food. It was really nice to be able to play with the kids who were running around. It's difficult to see the areas in which some of these people must live, for many suffer very poor conditions, but to be able to provide a little bit of service feels very nice. Oh, in VERY exciting news, I learned how to learn a copy machine yesterday. Big props to my German coworker, David, who has to assist me in nearly every technological area of the office.

I've been taking advantage of all the tourist activities in Cape Town and I'm loving it! I have never been to a place that has so much to do. It's nearly impossible to be bored here, unless you're simply a boring person I suppose. Well you might want to settle in and get ready because I have done a lot since I last wrote, so I have a lot to fill you in on!

A couple weeks back I went on a wine tour with some of my fellow volunteers that I've made friends with. We went to five different vineyards and overall I tasted 30 different wines. Now I'm not talking just one sip of each here people, I'm talking small glasses of each. I'm sure my family will be happy to hear that I hold me liquor well. Uncle Rob, I'm becoming a wine expert now, so I'm sure that will make you proud! Katie and I have made some wonderful friends so far, a few of them being Emma (from England), Piet (Belgium), Brett (U.S.), Cornelius (Germany), Martin (Germany), Valentina (our host sister from Italy), Nanna (Denmark) and many more. Some of those friends joined us on the wine tour, where we had an excellent time!

Another day we did some exploring of downtown Cape Town. Surprisingly we don't get to go there that often, as its the last stop on the train line. We spend most of our time in the smaller areas that make up the greater Cape Town. But we did get down there and walked around the V&A Waterfront. We strolled through the craft market and had lunch at a little bistro. I hope to make it back there soon, but this time at night! I've seen pictures and it looks lovely. Plus I didn't get to ride the ferris wheel and I refuse to pass that up. On that same day we took the cable car to the top of Table Mountain and it is stunning! I swear you couldn't tell when the ocean stopped and the sky began. It was like being swallowed by a view of beautiful blue. It was quite chilly up there, but it was refreshing and the air was so clean! We took lots of pictures and spent time just staring at the view in silence (we all know how big of a deal that is for me). We spotted these cute little animals called Dassies. They honestly look like tiny little bears to me! But I suppose a gopher or very large chipmunk would make more sense. Afterwards we went to meet friends of ours at a bar called Stones and played pool. This is becoming one of our favorite pasttimes.

I'm looking through my pictures to remind myself of all the things I've done so far and I found a picture of a funny office anecdote that I'll share! One day I dressed in what I would not consider to be a short skirt, but I guess was too small to wear to a girls' prison. I suppose I hadn't thought it through, but it's very early when I wake up so I usually just pull the first thing on. I was not happy about missing out on the social justice activity that day. I guess my boss, Shuan, was tired of listening to me complain and told me that I could go. I was so happy, until he came out of his office holding a pair of his jeans towards me. Yes. That day I was forced to wear my male boss' pants. No. I'm not happy about the fact that they fit me perfectly. But I'll admit it was entertaining when he decided to try on my skirt. Switching outfits with your boss may be one of the few perks of an office job.

This Saturday, I had the most exciting day of my life. I need to only say one word to express my level of excitement to everyone who knows me. Penguins. Even though I only need one word, I'll give more. Katie and I took the train into Simon's Town, which is a small beach town that is home to Boulders Beach, where the African Penguins reside. There was a penguin festival that we intended to attend, but we didn't end up finding it. Instead we found the touristy attraction where you walk along a boardwalk that is surrounding by the world's most amazing animals. These little cute snuggle bugs are even more adorable in person! I squealed and teared up the entire time we were on the boardwalk. Afterwards we got ice cream and sat in the shade (yes, the African sun is FINALLY starting to come out) and listened to singing that was somewhere off in the distance. We finished up the day with dinner at a restaurant called Cape de Cuba in Kalk Bay with friends.

Sunday was the real adventure of the weekend! Great White Shark diving. Yes. I have accomplished another thing that I can cross off my bucket list. It was possibly the most thrilling, exciting thing that I have ever done! Obviously. The weather is not exactly what you want when getting in a cage in the ocean, cloudy, windy, and very threatening looking. But it made the whole experience more intense. As we first got on the boat, being the thrill-seeker that I am, I wanted to sit at the front, rather than inside the main cabin area with everyone else. I convinced Katie to sit with me and it was the scariest ride of our lives. The waves were huge and the wind caused the boat to slam down against them. Many times I thought we were going to end up right in the swirling waters of the sea, but we managed to stay aboard. Even though I should have been scared out of my mind, I actually thought it was so fun! Luckily I don't suffer from seasickness. Eventually we anchored and started the process. There are barely any words to describe how it feels to watch hundreds of big silver fish swarm around you and then suddenly see one of the world's biggest predators swim straight towards you from the shadows of the ocean. There are even less words to describe how much I hated stuffing myself into that ugly, skin-tight, used wetsuit. But hey, that's just my easy-going, free-spirited side talking.

The night life of Cape Town is very fun, I must say! I've had a great time going out with other volunteers and partying in the Mother City. A big night to go out here is Wednesday nights, which is great for my motivation and concentration on Thursdays. But to put my family at ease, Projects Abroad has a driver who we all pay to get us safely from our houses to the clubs and from the clubs to our houses. I promise I'm not putting myself in danger! Archie (the driver) is the most friendly man and half of the reason I go out is to be able to talk to him in the car.

I've already written so much so I'll cut it off here. I'm having such an amazing time and meeting so many great people. I had a moment the other day where I truly appreciated my decision to take this year off and travel. The things I'm doing will be with me forever. I can barely explain the memories I'm making. Not everything is sunshine and parties here though, but the tough moments make it that much more worth it. I hope to never stop my traveling and enjoying my life. I never want to be trapped in a rut. I always want to live a life that is busy, a little uncomfortable at times, but exciting and filled with adventures! Thank you for reading, as usual. Miss you, love you, and wish you were all here with me!

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Comments

[Helen]

sharks
TELL ME MORE ABOUT THE SHARKS! also are there squirrels in South Africa? I miss and love you both!!

[Hannah1234]

Awwh Helen I miss you! The sharks were amazing! It was a crazy experience! I bought a video of our shark dive which we'll watch when I'm back :) I actually haven't seen a single squirrel! I've been looking though. I'll report back if I do.

[MOMMY]

mommy wants you to email !!
You are leading the life of Riley, poppet...........email your mommy !!

[Uncle Rob]

Hannah the oenophile
So the young adult fancies herself a wine connoisseur. Don't know much about South African wines, but I imagine that the cabernets and chardonnays are quite nice what with the glorious dry heat for growing grapes there. You'll have to teach me up on African wines when I see you again. I miss you!