Look at that. It's my view right outside the hostel we are staying at called Once in Cape Town. Every morning I wake up and look at this mountain and I think to myself, "I'm in South Africa." Giving myself that daily affirmation is enough to wake me up and get my day started.
I feel like I've been waiting for this day for such a long time and now that I'm actually in Cape Town, it doesn't feel real. I am completely in love with this city. I don't know what I expected it to be like, but I know that I am completely and 100% head over heels.
Since being here (we've been in Cape Town since Tuesday morning) I've experienced so much. We've been to a club, taken the train, walked to the city, learned a little bit of Xhosa, took a taxi, went shopping, got sunburnt, experienced a power outage, and so much more.
Yesterday was one of my favorite days. We were divided up into groups and then given a destination somewhere in Cape Town. My group's destination was the Diamond Museum on the V & A Waterfront in town. To get there, we had to buy a train ticket into the city and then walk there from the train station. The trains in South Africa are so different than the Metra in Chicago! For one, they don't announce the stops -- you have to go to the map and find your station and then count the stops until yours. In Chicago, they usually announce what station you're at, but not in Cape Town. Luckily for us, Cape Town was the final stop, so we all just got off when everyone else did. Walking into town wasn't hard either; we just followed the signs leading to the Waterfront, which is a huge tourist attraction. It actually reminded me of Navy Pier in the city.
The Waterfront was absolutely gorgeous. The weather was absolutely perfect. I loved being on the water so much, and we even saw sea lions playing in the harbor! There was also this gorgeous clock tower:
How pretty is that?? Anyway, the Diamond Museum was pretty cool. They are actually owned by a diamond company, so of course we didn't get the hardcore "blood diamond" details that plagued South Africa's history. But they did have a lot of really cool diamonds and facts about diamonds. They even showed some diamond cutters actually shaping the diamonds right there in the store.
The way back was probably the best part of the day for me: we took a taxi back! When I say taxi, I mean these little mini buses that South Africans call taxis. It took us awhile to find the mini bus station, but once we did find it, I think I counted 18 different people in the taxi at once. It was PACKED. There are two people who operate the taxi: there's the driver, and then there's the guy who hangs out of the window screaming at passerby where the destination is. It was definitely unlike anything I have ever done before. I wish I could accurately describe the experience but I was just so in awe of the whole situation that it's hard for me to put the situation in words.
Last night, a small group of us were at dinner at about 8:30pm, when all of the sudden, the power went out. We were warned that South Africa would be experiencing power cuts all over, and we had ours last night. The power was out for two hours, so we all sat in the lobby of the hostel talking. I think that we are so privileged in the US that we don't have to worry about the power going out. But it was really interesting to sit around and talk with everyone.
It's hard for me to describe the physical beauty of this place. It's unlike anything I've ever seen before, especially growing up in the Midwest. I've been trying to take pictures of everything, but even pictures cannot accurately describe the beauty of this place. I've only been here for three days, but it already feels like home to me.
Sobonana! (That's how you say goodbye in Xhosa!)
Well written, and I'm so ecstatic for you. Adventure on!
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