Cape Town Sundays on a Study Abroad Trip

By Jordan Conde and Katy Zimmerman
After a night free to ourselves, where getting some much needed rest seemed to be the best option was, as typical, ignored. The only possible opportunity to "sleep-in" like our normal American lives was thrown away in search for experience. The few minority that chose this path decided to feel more culturally endowed and chose to participate in a church sermon in the morning (or for around this part of the country, 9:30 AM.) Yes I know, truly terrifying! 

 A typical and reasonable time to be awake. Shockingly enough, Church in Cape Town is reasonably familiar to our southern US sermons. Even though an ocean apart, such a religion is filled with the same amount of energy just as it is back home. The same community of faith and the same purpose for why such a community exist is nothing but the same. Those of whom attended found new found friends even in such a distant land. All that went also decided to adapt to milk and tea, which was a comfort to replace the American life blood of coffee. 

In the afternoon, once everyone in the group was able to catch up on beauty sleep decided to take their bags and scavenge for food. Italian, Barbeque, South African, and of course McDonald's were all reasonable choices for such an occasion. And of course with any and all meals in Cape Town, the proportions of food are A LOT bigger than typical American size. I apologies to be the bearer of bad news, but sadly things aren't always bigger in Texas. 

Shortly after, the cabs were quickly boarded as everyone was excited to see the 2010 World Cup Stadium where Cape Town City would be taking on Baroka. We weren't alone. Many ecstatic fans would soon join after. Although some members of the group didn't understand the full rules of soccer they knew the exact moments of unfair plays and great moves by the players. Right before the group left, the game winning shot was made. The ball moved smooth through the blades of grass and was kicked into the goal with ease. The crowd goes wild! 

Closer to the end of our day, we all decided to take a nice visit to the Kirsten Bosch Botanical Garden. Which by my advice is the PERFECT place for any; proposal, wedding, honeymoon, and any other romantic type of activities. (You're welcome gentlemen) 

For someone such as myself who isn't huge on natural gardens, this one was truly breathtaking. I have truly never seen any other beauty that lies here in Cape Town. Not only with this garden but with the other natural landscape, people, food, music, culture, history, heritage, man made buildings, and landmarks. This trip and especially this day has been nothing short of beautiful.

Popular posts from this blog

The Tale of Two Views - Mountain or Ocean

Image
By Patrick Osei-Hwere and Connie McKee We head out today to approximately the farthest and highest landmarks of Cape Town for differing views and experiences of the city. At 07:45 hours on a 62°F Monday, the vans head southwest towards Robben Island - infamously known for holding political prisoners such as the late Nelson Mandela. Robben Island It's a perfect day for the trip - calm seas, clear skies, and the stunning waterfront. But as the Krotoa (the Robben Island ferry named after the female political prisoner banished to the island in 1669) rolls away from the shoreline one cannot help but reflect on a similar trip - just 50 years ago; the last trip for some on board, or for others, a one-way trip for at least decades. Banishment. One last look at the waterfront - home, family, community receding. Did resolve flicker? Did they have enough to keep hope and themselves alive? Robben Island warrants multiple trips - the first is never enough. This is Connie’s second
Read more

The Parent Perspective; A True Compliment!

Image
By R. Brady This year my family celebrated the new year twice in one day. The first time was a nail biter. To explain, I have to jump back in time. Just a few days earlier we had sent our son back to college after spending Christmas break at home. He needed to pack up things back at his home-away-from-home and get ready to leave on a trip to South Africa. He is part of a study abroad group from West Texas A&M University. Back to the nail biting. As parents of three college students, my wife and I are working through the process of watching our children transition into adults. They are moving away, planning a wedding, traveling to a foreign country, and forgetting to text their mom. All during the Christmas break. This makes life a little tense at times. All was good after we heard that our son and his group had safely arrived in Cape Town after several days of travel. They arrived just in time to ring in the new year on South Africa time, which is 8 hours ahead
Read more

Finding Value in South Africa: Students Put Global Media into Practice

Image
By Jon Mark Beilue The class is Global Media and Social Change. For nine West Texas A&M University students, one graduate student, two high school students from Wellington and Dumas and Dr. Enyonam Osei-Hwere, associate professor of media communications, they took that class title to heart. On Dec. 30, they, along with Connie McKee, director of forensics, found themselves on a 25-hour collection of flights from Amarillo to Dallas to Chicago to Vienna, Austria, and finally, to their destination a world away, or at least 14,265 miles away – Cape Town, South Africa. “Students are stunned when they leave the (Cape Town) airport,” said Osei-Hwere. “That’s one of my favorite things to see their reaction and what it looks like. Mountains, beaches, forests. They have no idea.” There for the next two weeks, WT students weren’t there necessarily for the unexpected beauty that surrounds Cape Town, but to put into practice the class they had just completed in the Sybil B. Harrington Fine Ar
Read more