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Travel week

There’s been a mix of feelings, but I only have so long before dinner, so I’m going to have to make this quick.

Saturday, early morning, we left AE for the last time this semester. It was mixed feelings, eager to move on and upset to leave the place I’ve learned so much at. We left at 7 in the morning, and traveled for 6 hours before lunch. We had lunch, then traveled another three hours before we finally arrived in Gonubie, and stayed in a place right on the beach. It was incredible, beautiful, and indescribable, and we enjoyed every second of it. We played soccer on the beach with the hour or so of light we had left, and then came back for dinner. After dinner, some of us went right back to the beach to smoke pipes and just spend time together. That was followed by bed time.

Breakfast the next morning was early. Like it always is. We left at 8, and drove for a long time until we reached our hotel in Port Elizabeth around 1 or 2. We had lunch and played soccer for 2 hours in the backyard, and headed down to the beach. Another dip in the nice cool ocean water, and then walking around on the beachfront brought that day to a close.

Today was bungy jumping day. Heights scare the hell out of me, so that’s what I had to deal with. We woke up and drove straight to FACE Adrenalin’s bungy jump, a 216m (over 700 foot) drop from a bridge, over a canyon that leads out to an ocean through the fog. It was beautiful. We jumped for 4 hours or so, and left after everyone had a turn. We drove and now we’re at Carmel by the beach, which is a beautiful place similar to AE. The views are indescribable, and I can’t wait to be able to put up some of the pictures. Dinner is in 5 minutes, and the evening will be hanging out again. Tomorrow will be headlined by soccer on the beach and adventuring through caves, and I think we arrive in Cape Town the day after that.

Bungy jumping was ridiculous. Being scared of heights didn’t help at all. The bridge on the way out (metal grating underneath the bridge that cars drive on) was safe but gave a little with every step taken, and it made me feel like I was going to fall through. After I finally made it out there, I watched 13 of my friends jump off a bridge before I finally got my chance. There was music blaring, and everyone was dancing to avoid showing how nervous they were. They tied up my feet, and I stepped to the edge, with my toes hanging off. They gave me a countdown, and knowing they would push me if I didn’t jump, I had to go for it. The first three seconds were the “oh shit” seconds, and time literally felt like it slowed down. I’m not being figurative here, and I’m not using literally liberally. The thing that stuck out most to me was how long it felt like I was falling for. As I’m typing it out, I’m reliving it and the feeling is returning. The blood is rushing to my head, and I feel like I’m upside down. They pulled me back up, and I was scared out of my mind. I’m a very reserved person emotionally, so when I got back up and wasn’t yelling, everyone thought I was the most calm and collected person there. I definitely wasn’t, but I’m not one to tell people that, so I just let them think it. Bonus points for Mackenzie.

There’s been a couple of other things on my mind lately. The only thing I really feel like sharing at the moment is how disgusted I am with South Africa at the moment. I was excited about the World Cup this summer, and really enjoyed watching it. I’ve enjoyed seeing the places the games were played, and some of the things that the country did with the money made it look really nice. The problem that I have is two-fold. First of all, the money that South Africa had for the World Cup was focused on making the areas the games were being played in look nicer. While I understand that it would have been difficult to use money from the World Cup and for the World Cup in an area that is not seen by the spectators at the World Cup, it still doesn’t sit right with me that millions of dollars were spent on sprucing up some wealthy areas of the country while there’s poverty in Haniville and 90% of the rest of the country.

The other problem I have is the main one that’s getting at me right now. The money didn’t simply go to sprucing up the nice areas, but there was money spent on hiding the poverty. The second that South Africa begins to show embarrassment about the poor community is the second that I begin to lose faith in South Africa. Covering up the poverty by building things around the slums isn’t helping anyone. We were driving through a nice area of town, came around a corner and saw a dump that had plenty of shacks and “houses” surrounding it, and went around another corner and couldn’t see it anymore. The countryside is dotted with these places, but there are people who came to South Africa for the World Cup, and they might have missed this major aspect of South Africa. All because the South African government was too embarrassed by their poor. That’s so frustrating to me,  that someone is willing to hide people. People who need help. It’s frustrating to see the government of a country I’ve come to love acting in a way detrimental to the people of that country, and I’m starting to feel betrayed by this. It’s weird, but it really does hurt.