Hey everyone!
This will be a pretty short one because we arrive in Takoradi, Ghana tomorrow morning and I am running pretty low on energy. I want to be sure to get a good night of sleep. :)
I got back from my homestay around 10:30 a.m. on the fourth morning we were in South Africa. Kaitlyn and I had reserved most of the rest of that day to do some shopping. After we showered and had a quick lunch on the ship, we headed out to find a taxi that would take us to Green Market Square. Our taxi driver told us that actually wasn't the best place to go, so we listened to his advice and let him take us to a place where a lot of the locals shop. It was actually closer to the ship than the market we were planning on going to. On the way there, we passed Hillsong Church and he told us about the Good Friday services they were having there the next morning. Neither of us had really thought about the fact that the next day was Good Friday, but we decided we really wanted to go!
After doing a little bit of shopping, our driver took us back down to the Waterfront where we found some Wifi to do some research for classes and call our families. Then we found a place for dinner and called it an early night so we could head back to the ship and see if we could find anyone that wanted to go to church with us in the morning! We found a couple of other girls to come along, so we woke up early and went to the 8 a.m. service. I had an amazing, life-changing experience there that morning and I just want to say thank you so much to everyone that has been praying for me and supporting me!
This will be a pretty short one because we arrive in Takoradi, Ghana tomorrow morning and I am running pretty low on energy. I want to be sure to get a good night of sleep. :)
I got back from my homestay around 10:30 a.m. on the fourth morning we were in South Africa. Kaitlyn and I had reserved most of the rest of that day to do some shopping. After we showered and had a quick lunch on the ship, we headed out to find a taxi that would take us to Green Market Square. Our taxi driver told us that actually wasn't the best place to go, so we listened to his advice and let him take us to a place where a lot of the locals shop. It was actually closer to the ship than the market we were planning on going to. On the way there, we passed Hillsong Church and he told us about the Good Friday services they were having there the next morning. Neither of us had really thought about the fact that the next day was Good Friday, but we decided we really wanted to go!
After doing a little bit of shopping, our driver took us back down to the Waterfront where we found some Wifi to do some research for classes and call our families. Then we found a place for dinner and called it an early night so we could head back to the ship and see if we could find anyone that wanted to go to church with us in the morning! We found a couple of other girls to come along, so we woke up early and went to the 8 a.m. service. I had an amazing, life-changing experience there that morning and I just want to say thank you so much to everyone that has been praying for me and supporting me!
After church, I went with my friends Kaitlynn and Cali to Robben Island where Nelson Mandela was held prisoner for 18 of his 27 years behind bars during the apartheid. We had to take a 45 minute ferry ride out to the island. You would think that after being on a ship for three months, I would be used to rocking in the waves a little bit. In my defense, this was much smaller than our big ship! It was like Hawaii to Japan all over again. The waves were awful! I was not feeling too well by the end of it and was really happy when we arrived on the island! (They actually cancelled the rest of the tours after ours because of how bad the waves were.)
Our tour guide had actually been a prisoner there himself for several years during the apartheid. He first took us on a walking tour of the prison and then on a bus tour of the island where we got to see the houses the prison workers used to live in, the school used for the children of the warden and the guards, and a couple of old churches on the island. The school is no longer running, but current Robben Island staff members and their families live in the homes. Here are a few pictures!
This was on the ferry ride over to the island before we started rocking in the waves!
Nelson Mandela's cell.
Our tour guide had actually been a prisoner there himself for several years during the apartheid. He first took us on a walking tour of the prison and then on a bus tour of the island where we got to see the houses the prison workers used to live in, the school used for the children of the warden and the guards, and a couple of old churches on the island. The school is no longer running, but current Robben Island staff members and their families live in the homes. Here are a few pictures!
This was on the ferry ride over to the island before we started rocking in the waves!
Nelson Mandela's cell.
After our very rocky trip back to the Waterfront, I met up with my friends Gabby and Kaitlynn to go to Two Oceans Aquarium! I love aquariums. :) It wasn't a very big one, but it was still a lot of fun and I got to see penguins! It closed at 6 p.m. and we got there a little before 5 p.m., but still had plenty of time to go through it all.
After the aquarium, I headed back to the ship to get ready for the program I signed up for, "Evening Cape Town Jazz Safari." I was really excited! There were about 15 other people on the trip so it was a pretty small group, but I have found that I actually enjoy trips more when there are less people. We took a short 20 minute drive to one of the townships where we were warmly welcomed into a home and treated to a wonderful dinner and a jazz performance by several local musicians. They were incredible! It was great to relax and enjoy dinner while being in the company of such amazing and talented musicians. I bought their CD before we left. (I've discovered that I really love African music! I bought several different CD's over the course of our six days there and plan on getting more when I get back to the states!) I mainly took videos so I actually don't have very many pictures, but here is one!
We were suposed to continue our evening at a Jazz Club called the Mahogany Room. However, when we arrived we realized there had been a miscommunication with our reservations so there were no seats for us. That was pretty disappointing, but at least the first part of the trip was fantastic!
On the last day, I decided to stay on the ship to catch up on some sleep, write in my journal and reflect on all of the experiences I had in South Africa. It's hard to find alone time on the ship so I like to take advantage of it sometimes. I had the most incredible time in South Africa, and I know I'll be back again someday. I don't know how or when, but I know I will. It is such an amazing place.
We had six days on the ship between South Africa and Ghana. The end of the voyage is starting to come up really quickly, and I have a lot of work to do in my classes for final projects and exams! I will probably have to spend a couple of nights in port on the ship studying because I have three finals right after Ghana. It can be pretty stressful at times! It's hard to believe that the voyage is coming to an end so soon. After Ghana, we have one more stop in Morocco before debarking in Spain. It has gone by way too quickly!
Tomorrow I have a field lab with my Music Cultures class. We are going to a drumming and dance workshop! I can't wait!
Thanks guys!
We were suposed to continue our evening at a Jazz Club called the Mahogany Room. However, when we arrived we realized there had been a miscommunication with our reservations so there were no seats for us. That was pretty disappointing, but at least the first part of the trip was fantastic!
On the last day, I decided to stay on the ship to catch up on some sleep, write in my journal and reflect on all of the experiences I had in South Africa. It's hard to find alone time on the ship so I like to take advantage of it sometimes. I had the most incredible time in South Africa, and I know I'll be back again someday. I don't know how or when, but I know I will. It is such an amazing place.
We had six days on the ship between South Africa and Ghana. The end of the voyage is starting to come up really quickly, and I have a lot of work to do in my classes for final projects and exams! I will probably have to spend a couple of nights in port on the ship studying because I have three finals right after Ghana. It can be pretty stressful at times! It's hard to believe that the voyage is coming to an end so soon. After Ghana, we have one more stop in Morocco before debarking in Spain. It has gone by way too quickly!
Tomorrow I have a field lab with my Music Cultures class. We are going to a drumming and dance workshop! I can't wait!
Thanks guys!
No comments:
Post a Comment