“Reality Fosters Creativity (WAF or MAF)” By: Caroline Matte

As my roommates and I head out our apartment door to meet in the lobby for adventure week, I realize that I know absolutely nothing as to what I am doing that day. I climb in the van with my roommates and I take a seat in the back. I honestly thought that the car ride was 30 minutes; however, Gareth (our Will Ferrell tour guide) reveals that we have five hours of bonding time ahead of us. In the next five hours, I learn about everyone’s past and realize that my new friends are straight up comedians. Everyone played off each other’s stories and I woke up with a sore stomach the next day. Every time we got out of the van, even for gas, it was a humorous game of tag. Most of the time we were trying to find Gareth and he was always “trying to find us.” It always took an hour, regardless of how much Gareth jokingly threatened us. Some days, when everyone was tired from the long day of adventures, someone would start busting out laughing, and it became contagious. I feel like a laugh is the most memorable trait of someone as cliché as that is. “Reality fosters creativity,” because I feel like the best things are found through the simple ways of life (sitting in a van). I guess it wasn’t necessarily the adventures that drew me closer to these people; it was the ridiculous conversations that I will keep with me when I leave. I think not knowing where I was going or what I was really doing was part of my adventure in Cape Town, South Africa.