Siobhan seeing it again with new eyes

On Thursday night we climbed Lion’s Head to watch the sunset into the ocean (something that I had never seen before, living on the East Coast) and it was definitely my favorite thing that I have done since being here. The sun was just this burning orange ball that you could look straight at as it sank into the ocean, leaving the sky a gorgeous pink and purple painting in its wake. It was incredible because on one side, all you could see was the ocean, and then you turned around and saw the moon getting brighter and brighter as the sky got darker, hanging over the city that was slowly lighting up. I really can’t even describe it in words, but it was definitely the most beautiful thing that I’ve ever seen.

My family is here visiting me and it has been so much fun taking them around and showing them everything. For once I know where I am going! It’s been amazing because even though I’ve only been here a month, I have apparently gotten used to how stunningly pretty it is here, which I hate to admit. I realized this as we drove up and down the roads that I have traveled daily, and my sister insisted on having the car pulled over so we could get out and look and take pictures. I hate the fact that this has become a common sight for me, and so I am thankful that I have my family here to remind me just how lucky I am.

I’ve also been reminded about the inequalities in Cape Town as I show them places such as the waterfront, with its elaborate hotels and BMWs parked outside. It is so hard to come to terms with the fact that there is a multi-billion dollar hotel only 30 minutes away from some of the worst poverty I have ever seen. I can’t accept the fact that this is the reality of this country, and it’s hard to appreciate the beautiful architecture when I know that only 20 miles away people are living in shacks made out of tin. I’m realizing as I write this that the same exact thing occurs in the U.S. (just look at New Haven: on one side you have Yale, while on the other you have streets that you can’t walk on at night) and yet it took me coming to a completely different place to fully realize the injustice of this. I can only hope that I can keep this mindset when I get home, and work to change these injustices.