Emily looking ahead

Sitting at the top of Lion’s Head watching the sun sink into the ocean on one side and the full moon rise on the other, with the view of Table Mountain to our left and the city of Cape Town to our right, was a very surreal moment for me and I’m sure for the amazing people I’m on this trip with. I often wonder how so much beauty can exist in one place and how so few people can know about such a place. Although the hike was short, just an hour or so, there were some difficult parts to it that required teamwork. Making sure Terri could reach the ladder rungs hammered into the rocks and reach the chain above her was my main concern on the way up! Coming down was a whole other experience as we helped each other through the dark with only the light of the moon and our cell phones. I found it very sweet how the small group I was with made sure each person made it safely down the ladders before proceeding down the trail. It is easy to see just how much our affection for each other has grown over this short period of time. The amazing quiet of the mountain struck me as we walked down with just the crunch of gravel beneath our sneakers occasionally breaking the silence. 

It I amazing to think that we still have two long months in this amazing country but then again that is such a SHORT time! There are so many things I want to do, like hiking around Cape Point, going camping, white water rafting, cage diving, sky diving, the list goes on. I know these days are going to fly by and so I try to appreciate every second I am in this beautiful country because pretty soon I will be back Storrs in the beautiful leaves, wrapped in a sweatshirt and scarf and wondering how I am possibly already back from Africa, possibly never to return. 

I am very excited to start my activist project at Thandukulu. Julian, Marie, Taylor and myself are going to be teaching kids, most likely ninth graders and maybe some teachers too, how to use computers. Our hope is that these skills will help them to achieve the same things in college that come easier to their more affluent classmates, and hopefully we can have some fun along the way. I am very excited to spend the weekend on an Olive Farm and really hope we can finally have a campfire and make some smores! Being from Vermont, I really miss this! But I am also excited to meet some local South Africans who are our age, outside of the party scene and really connect. I think it will be very interesting to see all of the different perspectives on human rights. Coming from a country where I have basic necessities such as clean water and access to good education will definitely set me apart from the South Africans and the international students we will also be meeting, it should be a great experience, not to mention bring our group even closer together!