Kayla's favorite weekend yet

So I think that last weekend was one of my favorite weekends here so far. On Thursday, we hiked up Lions Head Mountain to watch the sunset and moon rise. It was of the most amazing things I had ever seen. On one side of the mountain where the sun was setting, it was the ocean and beach and the sunset behind the water which was absolutely beautiful to watch. Looking off the other side of lions head was the whole city and the moon setting above it. It was incredible to see the city light up as the sky turned dark. I just couldn’t express how happy I was being up there although I'm sure I said it plenty of times. I really just couldn’t be happier that night and was also very satisfied with myself and everyone we went with for making it up the mountain since it was a rather steep hike.

On Friday, I went with Susie and Julian to Khayelitsha to work with Amanda and Bongi in their afterschool book club for middle school to high school aged children. It was a great experience to do activities with the kids and talk to them about what they wanted to do in their future and what they like to do now. It was amazing to hear the things that these kids wanted to do and I truly hope they achieve their dreams in their future. It was great to be able to help them in their life skills which is one step further to achieving that goal. That was one of my favorite things about this book club that Amanda runs; it teaches life skills to the children as well helping to build their confidence with talking and reading. I really enjoyed working with Amanda and Bongi and all of the children, and look forward to going back next Friday to help.

On Saturday, a bunch of us went to the concert on Clifton beach in which Vicky Sampson, our professor Vincent’s wife, was the star of the show. The whole atmosphere of the concert was just great. It was on a gorgeous beach and we were right next to Lions Head and Table Mountain. It started in the evening and lasted a little while after dark. It was amazing to listen to the music and stand up and dance with everyone. When they announced it was the last song, I was just wishing it could go on for a while longer. I really had a great time and enjoyed listening to Vicky’s amazing singing voice. Something else I loved about this concert was being able to see people hiking up and down Lions Head. When it was dark, you could just see specks of light going up and down the exact path we had taken on Thursday. It brought back the great memories and just all around, made me happy. After the concert, we got dinner and went out to some places in Camps Bay right near the water. It was a wonderful night.

This weekend, we are going to a human rights training weekend which we do not know much about. All we know is that there will be 24 of us there (our group) along with 24 South Africans. I am really looking forward to meeting these new people and can’t wait to find out what we will be doing all weekend. Judging by the amazing people I have met here so far, I am sure it will be another unforgettable weekend in South Africa.