With each passing day, our time in Cape Town seems to get better and more exhilarating. Our day long bus trip began with a brief go around of the city. The downtown area, district six, and other neighborhoods were passed through as we made our way to Cape Point. Between the beginning and the end of our voyage, we took a boat ride to the harbor. Here we saw seals and mountains as the ocean roared and the winds thrashed us about the boat. Right now in South Africa it is fall nearing winter so the climate is very humid and rainy. Parts of the day are super sunny and warm, while other parts make us feels as though we are enduring a monsoon. The weather doesn’t seem to affect the penguins, however, because we saw scores of them lining the beach. Additionally, we saw baboons, and let me tell you, they are not docile beings. One was easily the size of a Labrador and had the strength of a body builder. Plucking deeply rooted plants was as easy for him as it would be for a human to pull a blade of grass from one’s lawn. Unreal.

The other day I saw the ocean for the first time—today I touched it. The Indian Ocean is beautiful. Verbal descriptions are no way to even begin to paint a picture of this wonder. Honestly, I am in such awe at all of the sights. Maybe I am so amazed because of my lack of experience abroad. Either way it's incredible. The only thing is is that I am currently a tourist. I haven’t yet been totally immersed into the culture because unlike our interaction with the landscape, we haven’t really interacted with the people. I think this will come when we go out into the townships, though. (Don’t worry Mom, I’ll be safe). I really want to hear first hand accounts of what life is like in this region of the world, as it is so different from anything I’ve ever experienced. It is so easy to make judgments about a place so early on into one’s stay, but it won’t be until we really connect with the people that one can truly understand the culture of Cape Town.