Taylor L balances her adventures with some thoughts on her time here

Taylor L, John, and Taylor P playing with the elephants

This past weekend, John, Taylor and I headed on the Garden Route Tour. While we had expressed our interest in doing the tour, we did not think we would be able to because of how busy our last few weeks in South Africa would be. We were nervous about spending one of our last weekends away from our home in Cape Town but I am so happy that we took the chance and left for a few days.

Our weekend was full of adventures. We rode elephants, pet cheetahs, held lemurs, walked with lions, enjoyed the night on Myoli beach, and of course bungee jumped. While I was nervous about bungee jumping because of my shoulder, I was quite surprised that it was very smooth! It was such an adrenaline rush and so much fun that I wanted to do it again! However after bungee jumping I began to wonder if the majority of people whom bungee jump are tourists or if they are South Africans. This reminded me of how so many South Africans look at Table Mountain everyday, but have not been to the top of it.

Taylor L jumping off the highest bridge

 We were lucky to share the tour with two individuals from London, two individuals from Germany, one individual from Saudi Arabia and of course our awesome guide from Cape Town! Additionally, at the backpackers we talked to people from all over. It is pretty remarkable that everyone we meet seems to fall in love with Cape Town, despite the amount of time he or she may spend here. I am so grateful for my opportunity to study and intern here. 

When we were at one of the backpackers we experienced load shedding. It was pretty awesome to be surrounded by such amazing people, at night by a fire, and have to talk to one another. If there was electricity, we may not have had the same experience. Everyone may have been in their rooms and updating their friends and family on their awesome experiences on the garden route.

While on this garden route tour, I was once again quite surprised with how much information I have learned about South Africa. Before applying for this program, I knew nothing about South Africa. While there is still so much depth to South Africa’s history, I definitely have learned so much by immersing myself in the culture. Additionally, at my internship, one of the other Speech students asked me how I have responded to the social issues in South Africa. If this had happened in my first few weeks here, I would have responded to her with a blank face. However, now I feel comfortable sharing my knowledge and my experiences to answer such a question!

While it was nice to get away, I was once again thrilled to be back home. On the way back from the game reserve, we drove by Eros and I was thrilled that I would be going into work in less than twelve hours. At that moment, I realized that I only have a few more days to drive by Eros. I really cannot fathom not being greeted by the amazing students and staff there