2015 Co-educators

2015 Co-educators
2015 UConn Co-educators Begin Their Cape Town Adventures

WELCOME TO OUR BLOG

As anyone who has participated in UConn's Education Abroad in Cape Town will tell you, there are no words to adequately explain the depth of the experiences, no illustrations to sufficiently describe the hospitality of the people, and no pictures to begin to capture the exquisite scenery. Therefore this blog is only intended to provide an unfolding story of the those co-educators who are traveling together as companions on this amazing journey.

As Resident Director of this program since 2008 it is once again my privilege and honor to accompany another group of students to this place I have come to know and love.

In peace, with hope,
Marita McComiskey, PhD
(marita4peace@gmail.com)

Friday, May 1, 2015

Taylor L celebrating Freedom Day on top of Table Mountain

It is hard to believe that this is my last blog post that I will write from Cape Town. At first three and a half months seemed like a long time, but it definitely is not long enough. I know that without a doubt I will be back: hopefully sooner than later!

Although I am not much of a hiker, I was determined to climb Table Mountain during my time here. With my injury and our busy schedule, I was nervous that I would not have the opportunity to do so! However, on Freedom Day, I embarked on the journey. John and I hiked up Platteklip Gorge because we were told it was the easiest way up. I definitely did not find it easy! I was not only surprised by the steepness, but I was also surprised by the people I watched hiking up and down the mountain. When we were going up we saw people running down the mountain! Apparently there is a race to see how many times an individual can run up and down Table Mountain. I found it slightly crazy but praiseworthy that people put their bodies to this test.

I was also shocked to see what people wore as they hiked. I passed by individuals that were hiking barefoot, in short skirts, in long jeans, etc. If I did not have my hiking shoes, I know that I would have rolled my ankles several times over. If I did not wear a tank top, I would have sweat much more than I was. If I did not wear long leggings, I would have scraped myself climbing up all the rocks.

I began to wonder if people wore what they wore because they chose to or if they could not afford the proper attire. It never occurred to me that people would think to hike if they did not have the proper attire. I guess this goes to show how iconic getting to the top of Table Mountain is; people will do just about anything to get to the top. I admire native Capetonians for this because this is something that I would never have thought of doing.


It was pretty remarkable to hike Table Mountain on Freedom Day. Looking down at Cape Town, I began to picture what April 27, 1994 must have looked like down there. I pictured long lines of people waiting to vote. I pictured individuals leaving with huge smiles because it was his or her first time voting.

While standing on the top of Table Mountain, I not only enjoyed looking out at the city and all the other suburbs, but I also liked looking at Robben Island. It was so remarkable to see Robben Island in the distance. Robben Island was once a symbol of oppression but now it is a symbol of individuals’ quest for freedom. By seeing this, I really could not think of a better way to celebrate South Africa’s Freedom Day. I know that on future April 27th’s I will look at my photos and try to remember the remarkable scenery I saw below me.


No comments:

Post a Comment