From the second we landed in Cape Town the phrase “TIA” was dropped in nearly every chat, but it took me a few days to realize what it really meant: “This Is Africa.” Below is a list of my top TIA moments:
- Bungee jumping off the highest bungee bridge in the world. Definitely the most terrifying thing I have ever done and had I not been in Africa I probably never would have done it. The support of friends along with the blaring techno music is what got me up there (not to mention two men pushing me)
- Pulling in to Sir Lowry’s Pass and seeing a million smiling faces running along side the bus. I have never been so humbled as I was to see these children who have close to nothing light up over a hug.
- Visiting Robben Island and having Nelson Mandela’s cell mate, Ahmed Kathrada, guide our tour. It was such a neat experience to hear him talk first hand about what it was actually like living in prison for all those years.
- Hiking, more like climbing, Table Mountain at sunrise. All 104 of us set out to hike the hardest trail on table mountain, Skeleton Gorge. It was a very long, hard hike but at the top of the mountain we experienced the most incredible view of Cape Town.
- Getting stuck in the middle of a heard of elephants. As we drove into Addo National Park we were ecstatic to see one lonely elephant but as we got farther in one elephant turned in to about 30 surrounding our van to the point where we could not move.
In a city like Cape Town it is easy to forget that you are in a place like Africa but these moments along with many more have reminded me that “This Is Africa”.
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