Seeking North Face Sponsorship

Like an ad for North Face, several other volunteers and I hiked and climbed (literally) to the top of Lion’s Head this week in a mere 45 minutes (guide sites suggest that it should take 2-3 hours).  It was quite a workout and made us feel like important rock climbers when we had to hang onto the chains and handles drilled into the side of the mountain (not as difficult as it sounds).  The view from the top was well worth it…unlike Table Mountain where you only get a 180 degree view of the city and beach, the top of Lion’s Head affords a beautiful view in any direction.  To the North, we could see the “Waterfront” and the World Cup Stadium. To the East, most of the city including Bo Kaap, City Bowl, and the highways that lead out to the suburbs and townships.  To the South, we could see Table Mountain (which didn’t look so high from where we were) and the 12 Apostles following it right along the coastline toward Hout Bay.  And, to the West, we had a complete view of the coastline from the Sea Point neighborhood through Camps Bay (the Laguna Beach of Cape Town, if you will).  Also at this angle we could see the paragliders as they flew off the side of Lion’s Head out over the water before landing in soccer fields or on the beach.

Tomorrow, I’m headed off to an Africa Day celebration at the placement site of one of the other volunteers (a high school).  Last week, I went with her and the coordinator she works with (the school nurse, counselor, gardener, and Peace Club leader) to visit a local court.  The “auntie” (an endearing term that South Africans use to address older women…sisi would be for someone my age) we went with works with a non-profit that supports victims of domestic violence in the court system.  She wanted to show the volunteer and I the “real Cape Town” so she showed us around the court system and we got to talk to a social worker who manages the Witness Waiting Room.  Anyway, this experience turned into an invitation to attend this special day at the high school where the students will celebrate their African heritage and honor their first international volunteer by singing her…the Star Spangled Banner.  This afternoon we listened to the South African national anthem at least 20 times hoping that we could learn it before tomorrow.  So far all I can remember is “Nkosi sikelel iAfrika…” It’s a really nice national anthem that has verses in Zulu, Sutu, Xhosa, Afrikaans, English, and maybe even a couple others; it was a protest song during Apartheid.

Well, we’re losing 4 more volunteers this week but have 14 coming in!  It’s going to be sad to lose some people that I’ve gotten to know in the past 4 weeks but I’m really looking forward to attending the orientation sessions with the new and getting to know them, too!