Note from Janel in South Africa
South Africa has been everything I expected AND MORE!!! Where do I even begin? I started the journey 3 days ahead of my classmates and alone, as I was making a stop in Cape Town. I arrived very late on Wednesday (7/18) evening and had a big next day ahead of me. After my taxi to the hotel, all I could think about was sleep. The next morning, I woke up to the sound of the house staff singing and dancing around the property. It was an amazing thing to witness; this group of 9 women, singing…as if they were embracing and welcoming in the new day. Thursday would mark my first amazing adventure in the country, as I fulfilled a life-long dream of cage diving with Great White sharks!!! Without trepidation, I jumped in the cage (with 4 other adrenaline enthusiasts) and watched as 5 sharks circled for the better part of 3 hours. It was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced in my life. I met some cool people…this guy Jonas from Oregon, who was literally backpacking around the world and Rowenna from Newcastle, UK who was on holiday in ZA. It was a brilliant day!
The next day I ventured down to the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, which is the big shopping district in Cape Town. I had a few hours to kill before my flight would depart for Port Elizabeth and I would link up with the rest of the group. I mostly walked around the mall and the piers, although the weather had taken a nasty turn. Cold (upper 50’s) and rainy, which is typical for Cape Town during their winter. I suppose that is a luxury for some of us back in the States! 🙂
I arrived in P.E. and within minutes, the groups plane landed from JoBurg. It was so nice to see some familiar faces, although everyone I had encountered in the country was so lovely, I never really felt lonely. That Friday night, it was pretty much straight to bed. Saturday was a trip to one of the local townships and the Red Location Museum. A sobering sight indeed. To see what much of this country had to live with during the years of apartheid was heartbreaking. To sort of offset the somber mood we were all in, our tour guides took us to a shebeen which was once an illegal pub. Great experience and great cider beer!
Sunday was a tremendous day. We went to a lion park and we got to hold a baby lion cub!!! And I mean HOLD them! Unreal. We then went to the Kragga Kamma game reserve and saw many of the indigenous animals to the region, including giraffes, antelope, impalas, nyalas, rhinos, monkeys, buffalo, ostrich (which tastes good by the way!) and warthogs..just to name a few. Another incredible/”once in a lifetime” experience!
So far this week, we’ve been orienting to NMMU and the nursing program, catching up on emails and sleep. Tomorrow is our first clinical day. I’m nervous and excited. This trip has already changed me…in less than a week. I can’t wait to see what the rest of our time here has in store for us all! CHEERS! – Janel