Ballse

Haut Espoir Vineyard

I have been here for a week and a half now and I still don’t feel like I am actually in Africa. I think I am waiting on all the wild animals and the green rolling hills on the safari to finally realize that I am in Africa. All of the large highways and city life are not what I was expecting Africa to be like.

I tried to become a wine connoisseur today but it was an epic fail. Red wine just isn’t my thing! We traveled out to the South African wine country today to visit a town called Franschoek. The town that we were in was so pretty. I feel like I keep saying everything is so pretty but it really is. All of my pictures look fake but they aren’t and the beauty in this country is mind blowing. Haut Espoir was the vineyard we walked around in today. It was a 45 acres vineyard that a woman bought and built from scratch 11 years ago. Her son now farms the vineyard and was our tour guide for the day. Once we toured the vineyard our wine tasting began. This vineyard was all about their red wine and since I have always wanted to get into drinking red wine I had to try them all. I took about a half of sip of each wine and only liked maybe 1 or 2 of them.

The wine we made

We then got split up into groups to make our own wine. We were given 6 basic types of wine to mix together to form a new wine and then name it. My group picked our favorites of the 6 and then decided how much of each type to blend together. When Rob, one of the owners, came over to try our wine and we asked him how it tasted and his response was, “ballsy.” None of us had any idea what that meant but it was the inspiration of the name of our wine….Ballsé! Once everyone was done making their wines the competition began! After the owners examined the wine for its appearance, aromas, taste and feel, a winner was chosen. Ballsé, the wine my group made got first place!! I tried the wine and I actually liked it. For our price we got a free bottle of their signature red wine, The Gentle Giant (which is just for you dad). After the wine tour we ended our day with lunch in the cute little town and then made our way back into the city. 

My group

Good Morning Hike

Good Morning! 

I have officially climbed both mountains in Cape Town. This morning was the sunrise hike up Lions Head. I woke up at 5:30 to experience the beautiful Cape Town sunrise thinking that this hike would be a breeze compared to Table Mountain. Well within the first 10 minutes of my early morning hike I was already exhausted and regretting my decision to sign up for this hike. The beginning was like a speed race on an uphill dirt path with lots of rocks to trip over due to the darkness. Once the dirt path ended the rock climbing began. There were times during the hike that we were climbing latters because it was so steep. Hiking Lions Head was scarier than the Table Mountain hike only because of the massive rocks we had to not walk but climb on and at times it looked like with one wrong step you could go tumbling down the mountain. Briley and I were walking at our own pace with Ish who was full of tricks during the hike. He kept telling us 15 more minutes even though we were only halfway up. After looking at the upcoming rocks that we had to climb, Briley and I didn’t understand how we were supposed to climb back down the mountain once we reached the top. It looked tough enough to climb up that climbing down seemed impossible. Well again Ish tricked us to thinking that there was a cable car waiting at the top to bring us down but it was just a trick again. We climbed the rocks back down the mountain, which was actually not as hard as I was expecting. We had to sit on our butts at time to keep from falling and my hand got a little scuffed up but we made it down safe and sound. The sunrise from the top was beautiful to watch and we arrived at the perfect timing. We got to watch the sun appear in the horizon and then made our way back down the mountain. This hike was a great way to start our morning. I can now cross that off my Cape Town bucket list! :) 

Sunrise

Today’s class was probably my favorite one so far. We talked all about overcoming obstacles and it was great to here people from my group share their stories about different events they are currently going through or have gone through.

After class a big group of us made our way to the Green Market. It is a market full of little knickknacks and other souvenirs. We then walked to Charly’s Bakery, which is supposed to be one of Oprah’s favorites. We talked about the Oprah effect in my marketing class and this bakery is a great example. Oprah mentioned it on her show and it is now a go to in Cape Town. 

on top of Lions Head

Weekend

Sorry for my delay in posts. This is what I did over my first weekend in Cape Town. 

Friday:

It’s time for my first real weekend in Cape Town. Today after class a group of us went to the V&A Waterfront, which is this really pretty harbor with lots of really nice restaurants and shops. We spent most of the afternoon and early evening walking around buying souvenirs and watching local groups perform on stage.  The mall at The Waterfront was one of the nicest malls I have even been in. All of the stores are European influenced so I didn’t recognize most of them but the high-end name brand stores. I did not feel like I was in Africa or a third world country while in the mall. What really blew my mind was how packed the mall was while we were there.

We went to dinner that night at Quay 4 Tavern. We wanted to eat somewhere on the water but needed to find somewhere that served more than seafood and wasn’t ridiculously expensive. You could tell we were all American when we ordered because every one of us ordered a cheeseburger and fries. During dinner we were awkwardly serenaded by the bar musician multiple times. After dinner we came back to our apartments to get ready for our first night out on the town in Cape Town.

I was really excited to experience the nightlife of Cape Town after hearing about how much fun everyone had Thursday night. The group that I was with decided that we wanted to go to a chill low key bar first because it was still kind of early. Our first stop was Cabana. This was a hookah bar that was beyond crowded. Our next stop was a club called Fez. I felt like I was at a Pretty Lights concert. The club only played dubstep and had an intense light show going. It was so different than any other club or bar I had been to in the States. I think I had more fun people watching at this place than anything. Also the bars close at 4am here and my grandma self can’t stay out that late.

My first night out in Cape Town was an interesting experience and for the first time here I was scared to be walking around. I didn’t like the creepy people that were just standing in the streets and drinking in a foreign country was a bit scary. I felt like I was always watching behind my back and eying my drink the whole time to make sure everything was fine. Thankfully Ish is always there to protect us and I’m curious to see how my next night out in Cape Town will be.

Saturday:

I have now experienced the one thing that everyone told me I needed to experience, Old Biscuit Mill. Let me tell you, it was everything I had ever imagined and more! This place was a market with tons of delicious food and some cute clothing vendors. I literally wanted to eat everything inside that place. Right when I walked inside I saw Belgium Waffles, prime rib sandwiches, fresh produce, lemonade, and more! We walked by a smoothie vendor and of course I had to get one. The strawberry smoothie I bought was quite tasty. It was almost as close to Tropical Smoothie, which serves the most amazing smoothie you will ever drink. I then tried this flat bread French pizza, which is on my list of things to eat next Saturday, and finally ended my day with a nutella and banana crepe. The crepe melted in my mouth it was so good. Old Biscuit Mill might be my new favorite place. I plan on attending every Saturday morning.

Saturday night we attended the Stomers Rugby Game. The spirit of the fans was just like a SEC college game day. Everyone, including us, was dresses up in their jersey with their face painted! Before the game some of the locals put on an African Braai for us. This is a traditional African BBQ and probably the weirdest BBQ food I have ever eaten. We liked to the call the meat “mystery meat” because no one had any idea what kind of meat we were eating. I was starving because I hadn’t eaten since the Old Biscuit Mill so I ate my hot dog thing like a champ. The rugby game was pretty interesting. It took some time and lots of questions to figure out what was going on but I really enjoyed the game. During the first half of the game a vendor walked by with donuts that smelled exactly like a funnel cake. Due to mine and Briley’s sweet tooth, we went on a mission to find a funnel cake. After about 10 minutes of searching and a lot of locals asking us what a funnel cake was we settled on a brownie and popcorn.  

My first weekend in Cape Town was great and my time here is already flying by. I can’t believe it has already been a week and next week my group starts our experiential learning week with a trip to Robben Island, a wine tour, and a trip to Cape Point. 

Dangerous and Inspiring

Sorry no pictures today. You get to read my awful writing :) This is a really long blog but you you really need to read. Today we discovered the second most dangerous thing about this trip. Don’t be worried they aren’t things that can threaten us, they are only things that can make us extremely fat. Well Tuesday night we discovered the most amazing pudding that the hotel restaurant serves which we then managed to eat on Wednesday night too. It is a warmed chocolate syrup cake that is baked on top and gooey on bottom. Literally to die for!! 

Tonight as me and my roommates were hanging out at our kitchen table trying to do our homework due tomorrow we all wanted some ice cream. Thanks to the front desk we discovered Mr. Delivery. They will deliver anything and everything right to your front door. It’s like bulldawg delivery but in Cape Town. Thanks to Mr. Delivery we had McDonald’s milkshakes (real American I know) delivered right to our front door. We have only been here 5 days and have already eaten the chocolate pudding twice and now found Mr. Delivery. Don’t worry mom and dad I plan on hiking Table Mountain again to work off all my sweets and alcohol.

It currently sounds like we are sitting through a hurricane. The wind is going insane outside. It is supposed to rain all day tomorrow but I am hoping it will rain tonight and be sunny and clear tomorrow. The weather has been amazing since we have been here which they say never happens. I guess Mother Nature is excited that we are here!

Anyways, today we had our first look into a township in Cape Town and let me tell you it was an eye opener. I honestly don’t understand how a family can live there. The houses were shacks made with either bricks or cements blocks and others were made with scraps of metal or wood just thrown up. The houses were almost on top of each other stretching for miles and miles each direction. As we were driving by on our nice leather seat charter busses all the little kids were running outside jumping up and down waving at us. They were so excited to see us coming and you couldn't help but smile waving back at these little kids. Even the adults would wave and smile welcoming us to their home. I was amazing that they were so inviting and wanted us to be there. When everyone on the bus waved to the locals their faces lit up with joy like we just made their day for saying hello. Just seeing day made my day too. 

While in the township we went into one of the schools part of the Amy Biehl Foundation. Amy Biehl was an American women volunteering in South Africa during the 1990s committed to making a difference. She was an advocator for voting rights and was helping to create and free and democratic South Africa. She made many friends white, black, and colored forgetting the negative connotation her skin color could have. One day she was driving her colored friends home when a political mob stopped her and forced her out of the car. She was then stoned with bricks and stabbed to death. Her life ended when she was 26 and just two days before she was planning on returning home to America. The four men that killed her were sentenced to 18 year of prison. When the Truth and Reconciliation Act was established the four men applied to be released and with the help of Amy’s parents and their forgiveness of these four men they were released from prison after just 5 years. Amy’s parents were able to forgive the men that killed their daughter because they believed that the apartheid robbed these boys of their childhood and the apartheid thought them to hate white people. Amy's parents believed in the truth and reconciliation process and today Amy’s mother and one of the men that killed Amy actually travel around together to tell their story. The Amy Bielh Foundation was then started in honor of her. 

The foundation was started to help kids in the townships stay off the streets and have a better education. They put on an afterschool program where the kids learn about education, playing instruments, dance, playing sports, and much more. We went to one of the programs today and watched the children play the flute, guitar, drums, and violin. They put on an awesome performance where they danced and sang. The African dance was so cool to watch and everyone was screaming away for them as they performed. When we arrived at the school the kids were so excited for us. We went into one classroom where a girl stood on a chair and gave a speech about how they were learning about plants and animals and how plants and animals are not discriminated against one another because of their type or differences. She then asked us why are people discriminated against one another. We are all humans. Everyone was in awe after this girl spoke. She was the best public speaker and captured everyone attention and maybe only 13 years old!

Most of the workers at the programs are volunteers. One girl was from Holland and staying for 4 months to teach the flute. She was only 18! How inspiring is that?? When it was time for us to leave all of the kids kept asking us if we were going to come back. They did not want to see us leave and were so happy we came and watch them perform even if it was only for a few hours. The passion that they all have for the activities they are learning about is inspiring. I was speechless when I left and I literally cannot wait to go back during our service week. I impact these kids have made on my life after just one day was insane. I can only imagine how I will feel after a week of serving. 

Here is the link to the Amy Biehl Foundation incase anyone is interested…

http://www.amybiehl.co.za/

Goodnight to all and thanks for reading!! :) 

-D

step by step to a whole new world

Group starting the hike

Me hiking Table Mountain

This is what the trail mainly looked like

View down the mountain while hiking

We hiked up this part

One view from the top

me at the top

Our hiking group

I did it! 

Sunset from the top of Table Mountain

This blog is going to be short today. It’s like midnight and I am worn out! Today we hiked Table Mountain. This was probably the greatest physical accomplishment of my life! I am so dang proud of myself for reaching the top that I want to go hike it again.

Table Mountain is this huge mountain that takes over Cape Town. There is absolutely no way to miss it if you are looking at the city. The mountain is 5,558 feet with a 2-mile wide flat plateau at the top. The staff surprised us today and decided we were going to hike Table Mountain today instead of Friday due to the weather coming in this weekend. Well I was thinking that the hike was going to be a somewhat simple flat dirt trail up the mountain but I was in for a rude awakening. Within the first 10 minutes of hiking I was completely out of breath. The trail was all rocks on a steep incline. As Liza, one of my roommates, put it the trail was a stair master on steroids. Every time you looked up you felt that you were never going to make it but I was so motivated to get to the top. I wanted to see the views and experience the top of the mountain! Every step made you hurt more and more. My legs literally felt like jello. We all got so excited when a flat area came about even if it was for 5 steps. Whenever the group I was hiking with got to the top we screamed with joy because we were so excited to be reaching our destination. The views from the top were absolutely worth the hike. They were completely breath taking. I wish I could have stayed up there longer to take more pictures and take in where I am and what I just did. That was the first mountain I have ever hiked and probably the most strenuous amount of physical activity my body has done in a really long time. Today really was a great day! I can’t wait to wake up tomorrow probably not being able to walk but it was totally worth it.

On the side note, I am finally charging my phone for the first time in 5 days. Got to love these 1990 little keypad South African phones! Also drinking a glass of wine at dinner every night has been the best thing ever. Can’t wait to turn 21 in the States 2 days after I get home. Tomorrow we are touring a township. I am really looking forward to this eye opening experience.

Day One

On top of Signal Hill with Table Mountain 

Today was the first day of the program. Our day started with an orientation of the program and then a tour of the city. We started at 8am with breakfast in our "classroom" which really isn't a classroom. This year they wanted to make the program more comfortable so our classroom is actually the owner of the apartment's real house. We are calling it the lagoon house because it has a beautiful view of the lagoon right outside the apartments. Every morning we get to walk along the beach/lagoon to class listening to the waves crash while enjoying the views of Table Mountain. 

After our orientation we split up into our Community Group, which is a group of about 7 or 8 people. These groups are a way to help us get to know each other and participate in little activities. Today we made a bucket list of what we wanted to accomplish during our 5 weeks here. This was my bucket list.... 

Bungee Jump!

Swim with great white sharks

Tastes lots of wine 

Get close to a penguin

Hike Table Mountain and Lions Head

Try the different types of food

Ride an elephant

Go to The Old Biscuit Mill

Sky Dive!

See a whale

Of course there is way more that I will be doing but these and the things I want to do the most!

District 6 Museum

Building where Nelson Mandela spoke 

In the afternoon we went on a city tour. We rode on charter busses that were nicer than any charter bus I have ever been on in America. First we went to the slave trade museum where Liza, Briley, and I got a little carried  away wandering upstairs looking at the old school guns. We then learned about the different languages spoken in South Africa from this really nice man that worked at the museum. After our time at the museum we walked around the city a little bit. Our group came up to this gorgeous building and without asking the significance behind the building we all stop to take pictures of it. The tour guide found this amusing and managed to trick us into thinking that it was a meaningless building but it was actually the building where Nelson Mandela made his freedom speech after being released from prison. Our final museum of the day was the District 6 Museum. (yes I did think about the Hunger Games when I saw the name) This museum was all about the destruction of District 6 during the apartheid. It was a memorial to the district, which was really neat to see. There was a display of all of the street signs from the district and a map of the district that all the families signed where their houses used to be.

I climbed this!

Me, Briley, and Liza on top of Signal Hill with World Cup Stadium 

Our next stop was up the mountain to Signal Hill. This was a little scary because it felt like were going to fall off the cliff. The view from the top of the mountain was absolutely beautiful! We could see the city, suburbs, and beyond from one side and nothing but ocean on the other. It was also a great view of Cape Town Stadium, aka The Toilet Bowl to the locals and The 2010 World Cup Stadium. After our scary descend down the mountain we ventured to Cliffton Beach to climb some rocks and take more pictures. As we were driving back to the apartments we all started screaming because we thought we saw a whale. Well the bus driver let us think it for a few seconds and then goes "umm that's a rock." Got to love our stupidity! 

Cliffton Beach

Roomates
Briley, Liza, me, Connie

                                      

                                               View of city from Signal Hill

Tonight we went to a traditional African dinner. I was a little scared at first but the food was actually really good. I even tried a bite of lamb (shocking I know). We had people paint our faces and play music for us! I really enjoyed dinner and experiencing the real African culture. 

                                                  

                                                                  Getting my face painted

Briley and Me at African Dinner

I made it!!

After 2 days of flying and maybe like 5 hours of sleep I have finally arrived in Cape Town!! You can call me strange but I thought the 11 and a half hour flight from Amsterdam to Cape Town was easier than the 8 hour flight from Atlanta to Amsterdam. I don't know if the personal TV's had anything to do with it but the flight didn't really seem that long.

Let me start from the beginning of our flying adventure. We (briley and I) left Atlanta Friday around 3 for Amsterdam. That flight was very interesting. We might have been some of the only Americans on the flight and everyone around us was speaking in Dutch or some other language. It was really cool listening to them speak, especially Dutch, which might be my new favorite language. Whenever anyone spoke my attention always went to them to see what language they were speaking. 

We arrived in Amsterdam at 6am and we were both beyond tired. We figured that since we are staying in Europe a week after we leave Cape Town we would go ahead and buy our European adaptors. Before I finish this story let me give you some background on me and Briley. We have known each other since 5th grade and we never argue. Well, due the our lack of sleep and traveling we started arguing about which adaptor would fit our American plugs. After a good two minutes of "I think this one will work" and "No, I think it is this one" a worker came to our rescue. After he showed us which adaptor to buy we made our purchase and then laughed about how we just argued over a stupid adaptor. After 4 hours in Amsterdam and listening to the moving walkways say, "mind your step" every 10 seconds, we left for Cape Town. 

We landed in Cape Town last night around 10 pm. Two Global Lead staff members picked us up and brought us to the hotel we were staying at for the night. Once we got here we went to the staff room to use the Internet and eat a peanut butter sandwich and then it was time for a BED!

This morning we got to check into our home for the next five weeks. They are 2 bedroom 2 bath apartments with an ocean front view that is to die for! Global Lead had our welcome bags waiting on the table for us! (thanks mom) After a little unpacking we headed off to lunch and then to venture on the beach. My first Cape Town meal was delicious. The menu had some interesting items that aren’t really going for my picky eating habits but I found something yummy. After lunch we walked on the beach taking TONS of pictures and feeling the freezing cold water. Now we are waiting on the rest of the group to arrive and then off to The Pick and Pay.

Tomorrow begins the Global Lead Cape Town 2012 program!


-D

Sunset on plane to Amsterdam

Welcome bags when we arrived! 

View from our apartment

Me in on the beach in Cape Town 

Table Mountain