Looking back at February: Part 2

One day in Kalk Bay – Feb 7 
 

Train Station after arriving in Kalk Bay

Up bright and early, we hopped on the train around 7:30 am. It reminded me a lot of riding the light rail back home…combined with the feeling of sitting inside an old school bus. Adverts for love potions plastered on the walls and ceiling, like ridiculous bumper stickers. We didn’t really know when we were getting off, there are no apparent signs on each of the stops. Every so often we would get a glimpse of the ocean, the morning sun shining and making the water gleam. Our stop arrived, and we were greeted by the glory of Kalk Bay. 

After class, we got lunch, and we free to explore the area. Most of the girls walked back into town from the docks and explored the shops. It would be easy to blow a lot of cash there. I did a little bit of shopping and then ended the day in a lounge styled restaurant, sipping on a Margarita with a couple of my favorite gals. Just another day, living the life. Why haven’t I gone back yet? 

View from the train station at Kalk Bay

Truth. Amazing coffee, even better chocolate croissants. Great start to the day.

I'm not sure what kind of trees these are, but I enjoyed looking at them!

I was in love with these boats. My attempt at being artsy.

My current screensaver. I really need to go back.

Ended the day sipping on a cocktail with some friends. Perfect loungey/beachy spot.

Never get tired of this view!

Hike to Rhodes Memorial – Feb 10 

Just a 20 minute hike from our house. Rhodes Memorial is one of those places that guide books tell you is a MUST SEE. Incidentally, two separate couples were taking their wedding photos there today. It’s no wonder, beautifully crafted sculptures and an unbelievable view of Cape Town. It was a nice way to start the day.

Standing on the top of Rhodes Memorial.

The top of the memorial, grandiose columns!

I loved these lion sculptures.

Incredible sculpture, incredible view.

Scenery to the right of the memorial.

 Started Classes – Feb 11 Monday

Classes officially started today, our three week tour of Cape Town was over. I wish I remembered exactly how I felt. Looking back, it was nice to explore Cape Town, but classes should have started much earlier. I take classes on the UCT campus but am not directly affiliated with UCT. All of the staff hired, to teach the classes I take, work directly with CIEE. Because of that, class is always a surprise. CIEE books rooms for the other service learners and I to have class, which means that the location of our class is almost always a surprise. I could have it on the top of the mountain, at Upper Campus, and all of its 200+ stairs or, I could have it five minutes away from the house, at the CIEE office on Main Road. Be flexible! 

As a general recap of the classes, I have mixed feelings about the related courses. I’ve loved learning another language. I selected to learn isiXhosa, over Africaans, and have enjoyed mastering each of the clicks. Learning Xhosa has been a tremendous help in my service work, as Phumlani has a huge community of Xhosas. The other classes haven’t been as productive, but I will say that through taking classes, I learned a lot more about the context of South Africa and the people living here. I may dedicate a future post to share and reflect on my courses. 

This ends the second post for February. Thanks for reading! :) 

Lisa