On
Saturday, I spent the day at the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens with Karen,
Laura G., Taylor, and Sarah I.
Kirstenbosch is definitely my favorite place in Cape Town; in fact, it’s
in my top five favorite places I’ve EVER been.
Walking through the hundreds of different species of plants, flowers,
and trees is a magical experience. The
air is fresh and crisp. I’ve now been to
the gardens several times, yet there’s always more to explore. One of my favorite areas of Kirstenbosch is
the Enchanted Forest – the huge twisted trees always amaze me. Other parts of the garden that I love are the
Fragrance Garden, the Sculpture Garden, and the rolling hills where I can sit
and look at the mesmerizing mountains. 
There
is also a stream with small stones in the water that people can walk on. The sound of the flowing water is so relaxing
and peaceful. Everyone who visits Cape
Town should set out a time (preferably an entire day) to walk around the
botanical gardens. We brought a picnic
lunch from the Old Biscuit Mill that we ate before meditating in a field
overlooking the mountains. I’ve been
meditating every day for the past few days, and I can tell it’s helping me
relax and realize how lucky I am to be here in Cape Town. Studying abroad is one of the best decisions
I’ve ever made. It has given me new
life-long friends, opened my mind to new cultures, and given me experiences
that’ll positively impact my life forever. |
| Taylor, Sarah, Anna, and Laura |
We
watched a movie called “I Am” in Marita’s class on Thursday. It discussed how every living thing on Earth
is connected. The energy we emit into
the atmosphere affects the people, animals, and plants around us. After massive disasters such as hurricanes and
9/11, random number generators around the world started creating non-random
patterns. What really made this
documentary interesting was the scientific evidence it presented. There have been hundreds of studies on the
connectedness of living beings. When the
energy of a person changes, the energy of the plant next to that person also changes. Additionally, the molecules of argon that
were breathed in by Joan of Arc, George Washington, and Martin Luther King are
the same molecules of argon that we breath in today. The argon in our lungs is the argon that
existed in the lungs of dinosaurs and every living being since the beginning of
time. Not only is our energy connected
presently, but we are also connected through space and time. This made me think about how my own actions
affect those around me. I want to become
a more positive person so that I can spread positive energy to the people I
hang out with and talk to.
Today
at my internship, we had a group of preschool children come to the nature
reserve for a bird watching workshop. We
had a bird specialist capture birds around the reserve. He allowed the kids to pet the birds he
caught and gave them facts about each type of bird. The kids really loved interacting with live
animals. However, I was a bit torn on
whether I support this type of contact with animals. Although catching birds is a way for humans
to better understand and study birds, it interrupts the birds’ natural
life. Being held and pet by humans may
be uncomfortable or even hurt the bird.
We let the birds go free soon after we caught them, but I still feel
like we shouldn’t have this type of control over the animals with which we
share this planet. Nevertheless, I
enjoyed spending time with the children.
I love being around kids because they have so much energy and enthusiasm
for life.
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