Erica's week with family going by more quickly than she could have imagined

This week has been great so far! My mom and my brother are visiting, so I’ve been very busy with showing them around Cape Town over the last few days. They arrived last Friday and are staying until this coming Sunday, so we’ve already gotten to do a lot of things together. On Saturday, we went on a tour of Chapman’s Peak Drive, Hout Bay, and the Cape of Good Hope. I haven’t been to any of these places since the first week I arrived in Cape Town, and so it was interesting to compare how I felt during my first few days, and how I feel now that I’ve been here for a little over two months. Another highlight of the week was going on a township tour with Vernon. I was happy that my family got the opportunity to do this, because I think it’s important to see the realities of Cape Town, and not restrict yourself to only seeing the touristy areas. My mom and my brother got to meet Mums, which was very exciting for me since I’ve talked a lot about her to my family. I think the township tour had a big affect on my mom and brother, so I’m happy they got the opportunity to have that experience. Tomorrow we’re planning on taking the cable car up Table Mountain, and exploring downtown Cape Town a bit more. On Saturday we’re hoping to go to the beach, and then Sunday my mom and brother are heading back to the states. This week is going by a lot quicker than I could have imagined!

In other news, we leave for Johannesburg on Sunday, which I’m very excited about. I’m looking forward to seeing another part of South Africa, and I’m also happy that I won’t have to cook for myself or do dishes for an entire week (haha). I think going to the museums will be a great experience, especially having taken Vincent’s class this semester. I’m also excited to be staying in Kruger National Park for two days, and doing early morning and late evening game drives.

Rav's memorable moments while introducing her family to Cape Town

My parents just recently came to Cape Town to visit me! It was so great and wholesome to see them again after two months. I missed them so much, and it was so interesting to be their "tour guide" here in CPT. I planned their whole week here, and they were surprised at how much I know about the town. They told me that I've changed, and I find that intriguing. Change is always good in my eyes, it's how we grow into better versions of ourselves. 

I think a really memorable moment during my parent's visit was having a talk about race with them and identifying the colorism that is evident in conversations. Telling my parents that race is a social construct and them finally listening and understanding what I was saying was so refreshing. We are all brothers and sisters that should be fighting for each other, instead of using subtle racism and colorism as "small talk". Language is so very important in progressing away from hate. 

I also got the chance to show my parents some South African culture. We went to the annual Cape Town Parade, which was stunning. The floats and dancers and musicians were breathtaking. I am so glad they came to CPT to visit. My parents have gone through a lot to get me to a great school and to thrive in my future. For them to come to the continent, Africa, is such a huge accomplishment, and I can't wait for them to travel the rest of the world and learn more about different cultures and the meaning of love and life.

Laura G having a chance to share the city she has come to love with her mom

This week was super exciting! My mom flew all the way from Connecticut to visit me. Although I’m not used to planning everything out, I had a very nice time with her. I got to show her some of my favorite spots, like Muizenberg and Coco Wawa’s! It was her first time flying out of the country, and I’m very proud of her for coming all the way over here by herself.

I took her trip as an opportunity to further explore some sites I had already seen. As my mom asked me questions, I realized how much I have learned about this beautiful place. On Monday we went on the township tour. I was worried that my mom would be intimated by the idea of driving through the townships, since it can be hard to look at, but she actually really enjoyed it. Vernon surprised us with the drum circle again, which was definitely a highlight of the trip for her. The rest of the week was spent exploring the famous sights of the city, like Table Mountain and Cape Point. I was really glad I could share my experience with my mother. I think it helped her further grasp why I’m here and why I love it so much.

Laura & mom Susan enjoying a drumming lesson at
Guga S'thebe Arts and Culture Centre in Langa

While staying at her guesthouse one night, I had an interesting experience. We were coming home from dinner, when some South Africans invited us to have some wine with them. In the Ubuntu spirit, they gladly shared their wine with us. We began talking about politics, and I was really surprised by what some of the locals said about their current president. One woman, who was a white South African, was making pretty offensive and racist remarks. I won’t go into too much detail, but it further showed how much of a divide existed within the country post-apartheid. Since I’m in a township for my internship, I don’t really talk to too many white South Africans. It was definitely an interesting experience. They also assumed that I agreed with their opinions since I am also white, but I didn’t and I tried to make that clear.

After my mom left, I decided to go paragliding off of Signal Hill. It was a totally different experience than bungee jumping, which is the other adventurous activity I’ve done in my time here. It was a very relaxing experience. It felt like I was sailing through the sky. Next on my list is skydiving! I can’t believe how many amazing experiences I’ve already had in my time here. Sometimes it’s hard to believe that I’m actually here in this beautiful place.

I’m really looking forward to spring break and Kreuger! I can’t wait to look at the stars and go on a game drive.

Maddy's eventfully full week of introducing her family to Cape Town

Maddy & her sister with children from Eros School
where Maddy is completing her internship

This past week my family came to visit me here in Cape Town. We basically turned it into a family vacation and had a very eventful week! At first it was a little hard to adjust to having to worry about other people, as bad as that sounds. For the past 2 months, I have just had to worry about myself and what I wanted and needed to do. Now, with my family here, I was worrying about 5 people and wanted them to have the best experience ever so I stressed every detail of the busy itinerary. Though we had to make adjustments and didn’t get to everything I wanted them to see and do (that would be impossible with only one week) I know I had a great time sharing the experience with them and think and hope they had a great time experiencing things we couldn’t experience anywhere else in the world. We had a very busy week doing many touristy and local things. One of my favorite days actually was going on a field trip with my internship with my sister. My family came to visit my internship the day before and Sam, my supervisor invited my sister to come on the field trip and help out with and my sister, Lindsey, could not pass up a day with little kids. I was so excited to have Lindsey see what I do in my every day routine here and not just the fun exciting excursions. She got to see and help out with the kids I work with every day and I think she got a new appreciation for people working with kids with physical disabilities.

We did many other things as well such as a game drive, zip-lining through huge mountain ranges at crazy heights, surfing, a township tour, wine tour, and lots of hiking. The first day we hiked Table Mountain on the Skeleton Gorge route. This is one of the only things we did that I have not done yet and let’s just say it was a little longer than I was expecting. It was a beautiful hike though through all kinds of terrain and we had my brother there lightening the mood when people were ready to quit the hike. We also got to the top expecting to take the cable car down and enjoyed a nice drink and lunch at the top yet the cable car shut down because of wind so we had a nice windy walk back down. Having my family here for some reason really made me realize I’m only going to be experiencing this opportunity once and to really take it in as it’s happening. Overall it was a great week and definitely a trip to remember.

Sarah I cherishing her mom's visit to South Africa

3.18.17

Having my mom here for the past week was amazing.  Being such an important part of my life, it’s been really difficult not being able to see my family as often as I do at home.  That being said, I think I’ve learned a lot about myself being here on my own, which became even more apparent with my mom’s visit.  For I’m typically the type of person who plans the day at the last minute, who has no confidence in my abilities, and often questions whether or not I’d be able to survive as an actual adult; but, I’ve come to realize that I’m actually capable of taking care of myself, of doing things I’ve never dreamed of.  Becoming my own person, detaching myself from the security of my family, the interactions I had with my mom were different – one that allowed us to speak more as friends than always having to communicate in the mother-daughter dynamic.  Our time here together is something I will always cherish.

Our first adventure on the 2-day Garden Route tour was I think one of the main highlights for both of us.  We were able to interact with so many incredible animals! From the cheetah and lemur encounters at the Cango Wildlife Ranch, to the amazing and humane Walk with Elephants at the Indalu Game Reservation, to the petting of a Zebra family protected by a kind-hearted farmer and to the bottle-feeding of young giraffes, we got the full-exclusive experience with such magnificent creatures.  Both being animal lovers, it was definitely a dream come true – especially for my mom who used to want to be a zoologist, working with the big cats.