First of all, I know I've neglected this blog over the past few weeks (or more). I apologize! I was going to update when I got home from Hobbiton on Hogsback - which I'm sure you learned about on my Facebook page - but then I was busy getting ready for my week-long holiday. During that holiday, I went on a 5-day trip to Cape Town. I SHOULD have updated straight after I got home from there, but then I was busy getting ready to go back to school. And this week at school has been hectic! So...I'm only finding time/remembering to update now. My bad!
I'll say a little bit about each week, because I don't want you to end up spending your afternoon reading a novel. Here goes:
Hobbiton on Hogsback is a nature camp place up in the mountains; it has ropes courses, a zip line, nature trails, and waterfalls. The accommodations left a bit to be desired, but the setting was beautiful. Plus, the 6th graders seemed to have a really good time. I did a lot of things I didn't think I would do, but I realized that any experience I have here is a once-in-a-lifetime thing. So...I might as well! I went on every hike, I jumped off a really tall pole, I went on the zip line, I abseiled down a high wall... It was actually so much fun.
Cape Town was, to say the least, absolutely amazing. There is SO MUCH to do there, and it's impossible to do it all in just 3 days. There are museums, historic buildings, shops, market stalls, the waterfront, tons of beaches, wine country, and of course the famous Table Mountain (which can be seen in the background of almost any view in Cape Town). On our second day of touring the city, we went up Table Mountain in the cable car, and while the journey up was extremely nerve-wracking, the end result was completely worth it. The views on top of the mountain are so stunning, so spectacular. I haven't seen any views like it before, and I highly doubt I will again (until I go back there, of course...sometime...). I was also set to go on the tour of Robben Island where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned, but all the tours on that day got cancelled because of a "technical problem." I was very upset, to say the least, but that just gives me incentive to make my way back to South Africa in the future.
This week at school was pretty crazy; I filled in for two different teachers on Tuesday and Wednesday, which definitely gives me a lot of experience... But I missed being with my fifth graders! I want to spend as much time with them as I can this week, because - get this - it's my LAST WEEK with them! Can you honestly believe it? I have one last week at my school, plus a free week at home to make sure I get everything done I wanted to do and round up all my belongings to pack... And then I come back to America. My three months here is almost up. I am completely flabbergasted. I figured my time here would go by quickly, but not this quickly. I'm pretty sure I just got here the other week! And now I'm preparing to leave!
I'll post one last entry before I go, if not more, just to summarize my time here. If I can remember everything!
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