Simons Town is a very small town, located about a little bit outside of Cape Town. It’s right on the coast, against beautiful boulder and white sand beaches with incredible mountain ranges lining its other side. We stayed in small cabins and for the first couples days, were oriented into South Africa by our coordinators while exploring Simons Town’s beauty. The first couple days, we learned about South Africa’s past, present, and hopes for its future. We learned about the multitude of different peoples that compose South Africa, in addition to some of the biggest issues they face as a country today. From these couple days, I know South Africa will be a challenge emotionally given its history of apartheid and the remnants of such recent events that scarred most South Africans. I do however, look forward to learning from amazing people who eat, sleep, breath, and bleed South Africa and all that it encompasses.
It’s incredibly refreshing to be somewhere tropical after braving the cold in Beijing and Changsha, not to mention all the beautiful backdrops we have. My friend and I went for a run this morning on the beach and everything about it felt so good and refreshing, almost therapeutic. It was on that run that I thought more about how blessed I was to have the opportunity to see and experience such beautiful places. Forever grateful!
