Lianna on the amazing orientation week

After arriving in Cape Town it’s easy to see that the tales were not exaggerated, and trying to describe how beautiful and cool it is here is going to be hard, but I’ll give it a shot.  Orientation week has been really amazing.  The first couple of days here I spent staring with my mouth open at Table Mountain, partly because it is so beautiful and partly because I couldn’t really talk the first couple of days – I tend to loose my voice out of excitement.

There were so many amazing things that we got to experience this first week, the most moving for me was going to church in the townships.  All week we have been exhausted, trying to catch up on sleep from the flight, having busy, packed days, and staying up late just getting to know each other is a dangerous combination.  But during the Church service I didn’t think about how tired I was. All I could do was smile and tear up, watching the pure spirit and joy of the people as they danced and sang their hearts out.  I hope I never forget sitting in that church, and being able to see the joy on everyone’s faces. 

Another one of my favorite experiences so far has been going to the taxi rank for the first time.  We went in groups of two up to the platform and weren’t allowed to tell each other what it was like, which just helped build excitement.  Going up there was the first time it really hit me that I was in Africa, it was just such a unique experience that I really enjoyed.