Today was full of adventures and excitement. Although today was very tiring, the group and I enjoyed ourselves and got closer to some new friends like Push, Mike, Ashley, and more. It was a very jammed-packed day where the group experienced the type of opportunity that will be remembered for a lifetime.
Today, the group and I woke up very early around 6am and met at “Mama Knox’s” house at 7:30am. We left our home-stay moms and had a very hard time saying goodbye. Each of our moms received a card from us to show how much we appreciated their comfort and support while in their homes. All of the moms were very nice and respectful!
Once we met at Mama Knox’s house, she started selling some of her jewelry and souvenirs for us to take back home and share with our families. Also at Mama Knox’s house, we made many sandwiches for ourselves and other homestead members we were going to meet later as we hiked up Table Mountain. Once we made the sandwiches, we drove in the van to pick up homestead members and drop off luggage with the backpackers in Cape Town. The experiences with the Home-stays were very unique. We were exposed to all types of cultures and traditions.
As I mentioned, we picked up Homestead members and headed to Table Mountain. Push and Mike were very experienced with climbing Table Mountain and had many tips for our group. On the way up Table Mountain, I believed that this hike would be a walk in the park. I was 100 percent wrong!
The first 30 minutes of the hike was smooth and simple. After that time period, the hike started to become something like a big test that I hadn’t studied for. I am personally afraid of heights and that made the hike worse than it might have otherwise been. The rocks that we had to climb were slippery because it had rained previously. That made the hike feel even harder than it ordinarily was. On the way up, I took many pictures because I felt proud that I was overcoming a fear. The time going up took about 1 hour and 30 minutes.
Now on the way down, the hike became very scary for me. There were about 3 ladders going down and it took about 3 hours. This part was what caused my body to become sore. Despite all of the fears and negative thoughts, the hike was a once in a lifetime experience that I enjoyed, but I couldn’t say that I would repeat it!
Tyrone P., Eastern High School