Already March

It's Monday, the first day of March. It really is quite incredible--borderline scary--to already be in March. Before I know it, my time here will be winding down. It's constantly scorching here in Cape Town. Yesterday was probably the hottest day yet, reaching as high as 40 C (about 104 F).

Phil, Andy, Johannas, Charlotte, and I took this hot opportunity to spend the whole day climbing. We set out early to conquer Table Mountain, the range that overlooks the Atlantic. We started at 9:00 am thinking that we'd beat the heat, but we largely underestimated the trek on which we had set...We began in Kirstenbosch gardens (beautiful place that I'll have to take my mom to) on the southeast part of the mountains and navigated our own trail from there. By the time we actually began ascending, it was close to 10:00. Minimal shade on the rocky mountain. Penetrating sun and no cloudage. There were a few tricky passes, but for the most part it was gradual, yet very tiring. By the time we got to what we thought was close to the top, we reached a map that said we were still 3hrs away from the cable car that would take us down. We were exhausted at this point but just kept trekking; it's what we came to do. Overall, we got a fantastic few of the city, suburbs, ocean, and mountains. The total expedition lasted over 5 hours and covered over 10 km of climbing, all in 100+ F heat. Call me a wuss now, Chris, ok? At one point we ran into 'more-experienced-looking' climbers who asked us if we needed them to call an evacuation crew for us. I think they were actually pretty serious about it, too. Whenever we thought we were at the final peak, there was always a dishearteningly taller peak beyond. But alas, we made it to the cable car that would take us back down to the city, where we'd catch a cab back to our house. Nothing has ever felt so rewarding than the water, vitamin water, and frozen yogurt that i inhaled at the finish line. Upon arriving home, we watched the Tottenham game (they're 'my team' now thanks to a fanatic named Max), then the Carling Cup game, and we topped it off my going to see the movie, 'the Book of Eli'. Good way of finishing off an exhausting day.


Mondays (today) are the busiest day of the week for me. I begin with three classes, usually. Today, however, I am not beginning with 3 classes; instead, i'm at home writing this blog. And then, at 2:00, I always have SHAWCO volunteering which is a really great experience. I travel to the township of Khayalitsha, where I tutor 4th graders in maths, literature, and 'life orientation'. The kids are sometimes a little wild and hard to communicate with, but it's still something i'm glad i'm doing. This township is the saddest and one of the most impoverished places i have ever seen. It shares many characteristics with the 'shanty towns' you see in 'District 9'. But, both the kids and I enjoy the sessions, and hopefully they can get something out of it. I sure am.

After, SHAWCO, it's all play. Typically, I will then go to 'Scrumpy Jacks' with another SHAWCOer, Eli, and we'll shoot some pool and drink some litres. Then, at 8:00 we head across the street for our weekly reservation at Panchos Mexican Grill. About 15 of us consistently eat and drink margaritas here every Monday. We all look forward to it. After this, we will top off our night by traveling to Wynberg, and going to a jazz club called 'Swingers'. Here, we listen to some amazing local musicians play at open mic while we shoot pool with shady locals. All in all, Mondays are the best (and most expensive) days of the week!

Signing off from Cape Town. May each one of you have a very good opening week of March.

I will end with a fun video of spirited and drunk fans singing at the Stormers game.