Rhodes Memorial
The
second thing I managed to cross of my bucket list was walking up to Rhodes
Memorial. The memorial is in honor of Cecil Rhodes…and we like to call it the
“monument to the oppressor” (for more information…Google him). Anyway,
regardless of its historical significance, the memorial is quite beautiful and
situated at the base of Devil’s Peak (mountain), it has a gorgeous view of Cape
Town, and Observatory, where we live.
I
think it was Monday afternoon when four of us walked up to the memorial from
Obz, which takes about half an hour both ways. It was a really nice walk and
actually a little challenging once you get further up, closer to the memorial.
It sure wasn’t anything near the difficulty of climbing one of the three
mountains (Table Mountain, Lions Head and Devil’s Peak) which most of my
roommates had done, but for me it felt like an accomplishment, especially
because it did put a lot of strain on my knees and hips on the way down.
Although I would love to climb one of the mountains, it might be a little
ambitious for me with my joints, especially because on a mountain like that
there is no “see how far you can go and then get a ride back”. If you climb up,
you have to be able to get yourself down! So we’ll see if I attempt any of
those in the next four weeks…it might be better if I don’t!
Even
so, the view from Rhodes was beautiful, and looking out over the city was one
of those moments that made me stop and think about the time I’ve spent here and
the time I have left. It’s amazing to think that it was four months ago when I
looked at Cape Town and though, “wow, look at this city, I can’t believe I’m
going to live here for the next five months”. And now, here I am looking at the
city and realizing that it has become my home after living in it for four
months. It will certainly never take up the space that my true hometown has in
my heart, but I really do know my way around Obz, and downtown Cape Town, and
most of the ins and outs. After all, I’ve been living here for four months, and
this incredible experience is something I’ll always have with me, and Cape Town
is always going to be one of my favorite places on earth.
Stellenbosch
Today was another exciting adventure to cross of my list! A
group of 15 of us traveled to Stellenbosch for a full day of vineyard tours and
wine tasting, all organized for us by our lovely roommate Bridget!! Earlier in
the semester many of us visited Groot Constatia, a beautiful vinveyard that
piqued our interest in wine and had us begging for more! Today we got to go to
one of the places in the area most famous for wine, with a great history and
hundreds of vineyards, Stellenbosch!
Fortunately
the weather today was beautiful and allowed for such a lovely day at the
wineries. The 15 of us had such an amazing time. Honestly I would have gone to
Stellenbosch no matter what, with or without the group, because I love wine
tasting and wanted to see it, but being with everyone made it that much greater
of an experience. Often times living with so many people and especially going
out in really large groups like that can be aggravating and overwhelming. But
today it was wonderful. To feel so close with people I only met four months ago
and to continue to bond with them more and more every day is such a pleasure
and blessing. I actually hate when anyone gets sappy or makes remarks like
“aww, guys, we’re such a cute family!!” perhaps because I’m a cynic, perhaps
because I think acknowledging the cuteness makes it less genuine, or perhaps just
because I miss my own family so much! But regardless, the truth is that the 21
of us have formed in one way or another, a big (sometimes dysfunctional)
family.
Especially
after the second winery, when we each had already tasted ten wines minimum,
everyone was excessively smiley, giggly, friendly, and all around happy to be
together and to be here having this amazing experience. There are some things,
like South Africa, that could honestly be enjoyed by almost anyone with almost
anyone at all by their side. There’s a lot to love and enjoy. But I have to
say, if I couldn’t share this experience with my family and my best friends, I
couldn’t have chosen 20 people that I would have rather shared it with. Sure,
waiting in line for the shower every morning is a pain; waiting for the 21st person to be ready to leave always makes us late; and 21 strong, outspoken,
dominant personalities have a way of clashing at times, but I wouldn’t trade my
roommates for the world, and as much as I am at peace with the fact that I’ll
be home in less than five weeks, I am certainly going to miss my K-House
family. And that is as sappy as I’m going to get!!
Pictures to come when there is enough internet to upload!!
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