This was the week of homestays! I stay with a lovely woman (who we call Auntie) and her great niece that spends most of the nights with us. I stay at a Cape Coloured home and community that was actually one of the cities that people were taken to after forcibly removed from the homes following the Group Areas Act of 1950. One thing that sticks out to me about the Coloured community is their sense of community. My Auntie’s whole family lives within walking distance of her and there are always people popping in to ask for a favor or to just visit. So different from America! They also continually feed us and tell us to eat more, more, more! I greatly enjoyed the time to relax, catch up on some sleep, and do homework (am I still in school?). My family is so sweet and hospitable and I am so thankful to have stayed with them!
This week we
went on a peninsula tour where we went to Boulder’s Bay to see the penguins
(new favorite animal) and to see the Cape of Good Hope. We took a lovely walk
on the cliffs above the sea at the Cape of Good Hope and I was again taken
aback at the imagination and artistry of our Lord.
It is coming to
that point in the semester when everyone is ready to go back home. People are
missing boyfriends, friends, and, especially with Thanksgiving this week,
family. While I miss friends, family, Christmas season (it’s summer here – so
strange) and am excited to go back, I don’t feel like I am “ready” to go back,
if that makes any sense. I am still greatly enjoying my time here. On
Thanksgiving day we went to Bo-Kaap in Cape Town which is the Malay community
there. We toured a mosque, places of importance to that people group, saw all
of the vibrantly colored houses, and had lunch in a home with traditional food.
We visited the District 6 museum. District 6 was an area that was claimed a
“Whites only” area under the Group Area Acts of 1950 and all of the inhabitants
were relocated. It is sad to see how horrible people can be to one another.
I spent the weekend at my
homestay house. We walked around the city, went to a farm (where I rode a camel!), went to the library and to the
market, but spent most of the weekend at home. We walked around
the city, went to the library and to the market, but spent most of the weekend
at home. I greatly enjoyed the time
to relax, catch up on some sleep, and do homework (am I still in school?). My
family is so sweet and hospitable and I am so thankful to have stayed with
them!