We Made It!

30 grueling hours after leaving home, our plane finally arrived to Cape Town a little after 10:00 pm on Friday evening. After clearing customs, we retrieved our luggage and were greeted by two individuals holding an AVIVA sign. They drove us to Table View, a suburb located 25 minutes to the north of Cape Town where we will be staying.

We got to our accomodations sometime after 11:00 pm, a house with a capacity of approximately 30 that lodges volunteers currently working at the Home of Hope, School Feeding Program, and the Penguin Conservation Project. We were showed to our beds in the female dormitory, a room with bunk beds sleeping 14 girls. (Where everyone had been asleep until we showed up.) With no bottom bunks left, we all clumsily climbed into our beds on the top, feeling a little nervous about their height and lack of handles or guardrails. Trust me; if you are unfortunate enough to have something fall off your bed during the night, you just have to call it a loss as the treacherous climb down is not something that can be easily done in the dark. Unfortunately, I sacrificed my pillow the first night.

Saturday morning we woke up and chatted with a few of the girls who have been living in the house for a while. There are individuals from the U.K., the Netherlands, France and the U.S. They all shared information with us about transportation, how to do laundry, get groceries, etc. After unpacking and getting organized, we walked into town to conquer the grocery store. Our neighborhood seems to be particularly safe, and I would guess that this part of town isn’t what many would imagine Africa to look like, with new buildings and palm trees lining the streets and a view of the city of Cape Town nestled at the base of Table Mountain to the south. It’s stunning.

Grocery shopping was no small feat and I felt like we may have been there for close to an eternity, but we were able to buy some groceries and other items we realized were on the ‘forgotten list.’ With a 20 minute walk home and limited hands to carry everything, we had to sacrifice certain healthier items like orange juice for the more obvious choices, like wine. At least we’ve got our priorities straight!

Today we took the bus into Cape Town and walked around downtown before heading to the V&A Waterfront, a huge tourist destination. There is a new bus system that recently started running from Table View to Cape Town for less than $2.00 each way, everyone has been raving about what a blessing this new system is.

Our biggest challenge thus far seems to be crossing the street in under 15 minutes. Cars drive (very fast!) on the opposite side of the street than we’re used to and yielding to pedestrians doesn’t seem to be a theory that they believe in here, not even on crosswalks. Though very chilly in the evening and early morning hours, so far the South African winter seems to contain nearly ideal weather, with sunny skies and temperatures in the low 60’s. We are all still pretty jetlagged as we try to catch up on sleep while simultaneously adjusting to sharing a room with 13 other girls – Benadryl and earplugs seem to help a little!

This week AVIVA will take us on a cultural tour to teach us of the history of Cape Town. We will also be introduced to the home where we will be working for the remainder of our stay. There is already so much we are planning to do that we are fearing that 8 weeks won’t be long enough to fit it all in!

Don’t worry, we’ll still come home in August!

At the Kansas City Airport, ready to leave!

Amy and I on the beach by our house

A view of Cape Town from across the bay in Table View

Amy inspecting the meat at the grocery store...I think I'll pass

Our sleeping arrangements

The backyard of our house. A little too chilly for any swimming!

The kitchen

Living area

Living area

Downtown Cape Town

At the V&A Waterfront

Another shot from the V&A Waterfront

Victoria's Wharf

A ferris wheel at V&A Waterfront

Laura and I on the ferris wheel

V&A Waterfront

Table Mountain

Performers at the Waterfront