Paragliding over Camp’s Bay, Clifton Beach, Table Mountain, and Cape Town. In order to get up in the air we had to climb Lions Head get our gear on and then run off the mountain! It was a little scary thinking about it but the views were totally worth it!
The pictures will not load on here but this was my view on the way down:
This weekend our program, Interstudy took us on a game reserve overnight stay about 3 hours outside of Cape Town. The resort was beautiful, even though it was way to cold to swim and use the swim up bar! The safari part was just okay. It was enclosed and coming from the Delta it was just sad seeing the animals in an enclosed space. But overall it was great!
Elephant charging us!
beauuuuuutiful zebrahhhhs
Popping Champaign
Our resort for the night and the pool we could not use
Since you couldn’t make it to Cape Town and Nollie and I could not make it to Chicago to celebrate on the trolley, we decided to bring “you” out with us. By the looks of it you had a 21st birthday that yo will never forget! Love you BB! See ya in a month!
Shots for 21!
YOU WITH US!
Over the weekend Dara, Molly, Levi and I took a quick overnight trip to Stellenbosch. It is about 1.5 hours by train outside of Cape Town. We were all excited to taste wine, eat delicious food, and to experience the Stellenbosch University night life we have heard so much about. It was a great little escape!
Wine tasting with Dara. 35Rand for 6 glasses.
After tasting we decided to explore the town and go somewhere new for lunch
A few hours later we just had to go somewhere new for dinner. The roof outside was tree vines! Very cool and different!
Sunday morning we tried somewhere new for brunch…yes I am wearing the same outfit from the day before
Lounging at the hostel before we left
This was honestly one of the best trips of my life. It was so nice to get out of Cape Town for 10 days to see other parts and different countries in Africa. I have over 3,000 pictures and probably just as many stories that will be with me for a lifetime.
Here are some highlights from each place:
The day finally came!! Cage diving with great white sharks was everything I expected it to be. I have been waiting to do this for such a long time. We woke up at 4:00am to drive to Shark Alley. When we were on the boat I was so excited that I volunteered for us to be the first group of 5 to go into the water. The water was very murky which made the visibility poor. Even though this was the case, we still could see sharks! The crew would lure the sharks in with chum so you would not be able to see them until they were right in your face! The second time we went into the cage the shark was very active! It would ram into it and jump right out of the water in front of us! It was also very exciting just to be standing on the boat watching the sharks from up above! It was one of the coolest things that I have ever done and I cannot wait to do it next again…….(Mom & Susan!!!)
Perfect day for cage diving!
Chum and bait
Cage diving experts
In the cage!
Shark Alley
View from below!
Everything in Cape Town is truly beautiful
I cannot believe that it is already March! The days are flying by! Or have I just been so busy that there is never a dull moment! I have done so much since my last post:
Classes have finally kicked in. I am taking: Clicking with the media—> we explore African language that is used in television shows and tv and print advertisements to see how it shapes African society, Ancient Egypt—> this is basically just for a history credit, Sex, Love, and Taboo—> in this class we explore sex and love how it is presented in African language (there are 11 different languages!!) and what are the taboos that surround these topics, and finally African Dance—> this is by far my favorite! Twice a week I meet with this class and we learn traditional African dances from different countries. At the end as our final, we put on a show with the dances that we have learned. It is so funny and even though I am not the best it is just an overall great time!
University of Cape Town Jammie Steps with Table Mountain in the background
Table Mountain hike. One Saturday we hiked up Table Mountain. It was beautiful, even though the hike up was dreadful! It was so hot that day. It took about 3 hours to climb up and 2.5 hours to climb back down. But the views were worth it! It was amazing seeing the city, beaches, and other mountains from up above.
Camps Bay and Lions Head
Markets. You are able to find anything and everything at markets around Cape Town. But once you have seen one- you have seen them all!
Old Biscuit Mill. This happens every Saturday morning. At this market you will find the most delicious foods and drinks that vendors and restaurants have to offer. It is a great place to spend the morning eating, drinking, people watching, and shopping.
Wine Society and Yacht club. These are two groups that I am a part of on campus. Wine society meets every Friday night! (A great place to start off your pregame!) A local winery comes in and we get to taste 6 different wines. We talk about the flavors we think are in them, how much they cost, and how they are made. Overall a great time! I am also in Yacht club. Every Saturday I can either sign up to learn how to sail, windsurf, or kite surf. So far I have just done the sailing. It was great until we almost capsized. Every Friday you can also go to the club, hang out, drink, and do these activities and then at night they have a braii (bbq).
Surfing. I am out of class before noon everyday, so what better way to spend the rest of your day than going to the beach. One afternoon we were feeling adventurous and decided to finally hit the waves. It was so much fun! I cannot even describe it! We had an awesome instructor Zar, who taught us everything that we needed to know. It is so much fun falling, almost getting up then face planting, and then finally getting up! I have been a few times now and each time it is just as fun as the first! (action pictures soon!)
They will probably cast us for Blue Crush 3:
Zar, the best instructor and local. Thanks to him we all got up!
Struggling with the wet suits.
Traditional 5rand soft serve
Mzoli’s. Meat restaurant in one of the townships. Locals and tourist hang out there on Sunday and Saturday afternoons listening to music, eating, and drinking. From the pictures it looks like MTV TRL Spring Break 2002.
Seafood. Before this trip I was not much of a seafood lover. I would just stick to walleye and that was it. Well now I am in love with sushi and any type of fish. We frequent the restaurant Belgua on Sunday nights for half off sushi and drinks. But the best seafood that I have had here was from Codfather. I took Nollie there for her birthday along with our roommate Brittany. It may have put a large dent in my wallet, but it was so totally worth it. They did not have a menu. You had to go up and go “fishing”, picking out fresh fish from the display in front of you. I ate my body weight in Salmon, sushi, prawns, and other fish from South Africa.
Nollie’s birthday dinner at Codfather
Sailing. A group of us rented a sail boat for 4 hours to sail on the ocean. It was beautiful seeing Cape Town from the water. We were even lucky enough to see the sunset from sea. The sun setting on one side and the landscape of the mountains on the other side. It was one of the most beautiful sights ever.
Birthday Girl
Birthday Boy
Rugby Game. Stormers vs. the Sharks. Cape Town won! It was exciting and upbeat. We really did not know what was going on during most of the game, so we split our time half in the stadium and half at the bar.
1/2 at the game…
1/2 at the bar…
Gay Pride Festival. This city knows how to party and this weekend was no different. I think the pictures do a pretty good job at showing how the day was. Cape Town Pride was great, but it did not compare to Chicago’s.
Inside the night club, don’t be fooled it was only 2pm!
View of Table Mountain from our street
Aftermath in Charnwood, we live in a nice place.
Out&About. Cape Town night life is crazy, no matter what time or day it is. We have really taken to the motto, “Work hard play hard”.
Mardi Gras Night
Nollie’s 21st Birthday!!
UHHH BYE NOLLIE
Wednesday night: Dinner at Panchos and 2 for one drinks at Stones:
Things coming up:
Cage Diving (next weekend!!!). Paragliding. Sunset Lions head climb. Spring break to Botswana. Victoria falls. Paddle boarding. Beaching. Surfing. Yacht club. St. Pattys day at Dubliners. Mom and Susan visiting. So exciting cannot wait!!
I was given the opportunity to stay with a family in a local township. It was one of the best experiences ever. Everyone was so nice and welcoming. Ami and I stayed with our Mama, helped cook dinner, took a tour of the township, met amazing people, and played with all of the kids we stayed with. I took down their contact information and I cannot wait to visit them all again!
Preparing dinner
Fifa!!!
All of the kiddies!
Modeling
Our room for the night
Grace!
On the way to church
Inside
The home I stayed in
Mzoli’s- This is a place in the township that is known for delicious meat! The best time to go is Sunday during the day. It is boyb, outside, everyone is dancing to the dj, and having a great time.
The kitchen at Mzoli’s
It looks very disgusting- but it was actually very very delicious!
This past week a group of 30 of us from the program went on a garden route tour! We traveled by van to all of the different towns, stayed at 3 different hostels, then flew back. It was a great time and I was able to experience things that I will never forget!
Wine tasting
Cheetah farm
Day 2 Congo Caves & Ostrich Farm
Riding the Ostrich
Right after it bit my shoulder
Day 3 Rastafarian Community, Elephant Farm, and Monkey Land
The longest dreads ever
House of Judah
Feeding the elephants
Day 4 Bungy Jumping! This was one of the coolest/scariest things that I have ever done before! I will try to upload the video later! 
The Bridge 
Before the jump! SOO nervous
Getting ready to go
Getting brought back up
Such a rush
Group!
