It has been nearly two weeks since we left, and this experience continues to enhance my knowledge of the the world. When we first arrived, the excitement and anticipation of exploring the city trolled me. I absolutely could not wait for our first full day of venturing through the beautiful Cape Town. On our first day we went to Table Mountain, which holds the most spectacular view overlooking the city. The phenomenal view easily distracted me from the fact that it was three degrees Celsius on top of the mountain.
The following day we went to the Cape of Good Hope which was absolutely breathtaking. During our time in the park we went on a hike and saw many animals including ostriches, baboons, penguins, and more.
On Friday we went to Langa township where we saw life inside one of the many townships South Africa has. This township was a culture shock. There were people who lived in huts, others lived in apartments, and some even lived in storage units given to them by the government. This was a true eye opener as to what some people in South Africa experience compared to the lifestyle I was about to experience with my host family.
When we arrived at Brescia School in Johannesburg Friday evening, I was beyond excited to finally meet my host family. My host family is nothing less than outgoing, kind, and exceptional. On Saturday my host family took me to the Lion Safari Park where I was able to see countless animals in a realistic environment for them. I saw cheetahs, zebras, giraffes, lions, ostriches, and warthogs. After the safari my host student, Tarryn, and I went to pet lion cubs and a cheetah. Holding a lion cub is a moment in my life that I will never forget.
On Sunday I got the full tour of Johannesburg. This city is massive, and my host family and I explored every inch of it. I saw many interesting things including the stadium built for the 2010 world cup, the different levels of poverty, and the university my host parents attended. On Monday we spent our time at the school. It started with a tour of their gorgeous campus and continued on to attending classes with my host student. On Tuesday there was a focus on history in South Africa. We went to an apartheid museum that was truly eye opening in a sense that it sugar coded nothing. I saw the brutal reality that apartheid had on people in the place that it occurred. We continued on our day by visiting Nelson Mandela’s house in Soweto, as well as the Number Four prison on Constitution Hill.
The following day, Wednesday, was spent at Brescia school attending classes. Brescia is very different from Ursuline, yet they hold some similarities. Their school day starts at 7:30 with devotions each and every morning. Some mornings they sing, while on other days they have a student read a devotion to the high school. They have most of the courses we have as well as consumer studies, which is a cooking class. Their school day ends at 2:30, which makes the school day an eight hour day, just like Ursuline.
On Thursday we went to St. Ursula and they welcomed us with open arms. Everyone was so kind and welcoming. While at the school we sat in on the vote for head girl and head boy. Each year they elect an eleventh grader to become the new head girl and head boy for the upcoming year. This is something new and completely different from Ursuline in St. Louis. The head girl is just like the head of the school, equivalent to our student body president.
On Friday we went to Liliesleaf, where Nelson Mandela and many other liberation leaders hid during the liberation movement. This was very eye opening and it is a part of apartheid history I had never heard about before.
