Weekends were made for fun

On April 23, Lyndsey, Brianna, and I were able to venture out to Groot Constantia Winery. It is the oldest winery in the country of South Africa. We trained out to Wynberg and then we got a 5 taxi (less than a dollar!) to the winery. The taxis are the main mode of transportation, but it kind of is a weird thing. There is like this stop where all the taxis are and certain ones go to certain places, but the thing is is that it doesn't say what taxi goes where and the drivers for them are no where to be found! :) haha So at first, we literally had to go from taxi to taxi asking who would take us to Constantia. When we finally found one, we were excited cuz we thought we were going to be well on our way, but little did I know! :) The different thing about here is that the taxi does not leave until the entire car is full. There were a lot of other passengers in the taxi, and I couldn't even imagine how long they had been waiting, but when we got in we were only waiting for one more person...but we had to wait! I thought to myself that people who rely on the taxis for thier main transportation, how inconvenient it can be for them sometimes, becuase what if you have to get somewhere at a certain time ya know? And it's not like you can come earlier to prevent this from happening, because you don't know the schedules of other people. It was a crazy concept to me. So different from the hustle and bustle of the States back home.

So we finally got to Constantia, and it was gorgeous! I could not believe my eyes! The winery, the landscape, the view, and all arond....all of it was breathtaking! WE also got to go on this private tour with just the three of us, and that was also a treat as well! :)

The next day, April 24, our group hiked Table Mountain! One of the most famous landmarks of Capetown, and all of South Africa. It is known all around the world, becuase of its table top looking stature. :) It was supposed to be a three hour hike, but I ended up doing it in about an hour and a half! During the hike, the view was amazing! It was so gorgeous....I could see the entire city! when I got to the top, the view was one of the prettiest things I have ever seen in my entire life! Our group had lunch up on the mountain, and then I was able to ride the cabel car dwon. The entire expereience was one that I will never forget. This entire trip. I have just beena ble to do so many incredible things. I feel like everything that I have seen in the pamphlets, on tv, in the tourist books, I have all been able to do! After hiking Table Mountain, it was so evident how beautiful the city of Capetown is and why so many people call it the Mother City of Africa!

On APril 25, a group of us girls went to Hillsong Chruch. It is similar to Saddleback, very mega church style, but I really enjoyed it. The pastor talked about the power of God's redemption and His saving grace. We are His children, and his grace is amazing. IT was really cool, becuase one of the ladies in the church was able to share her story and God saved her life, literally, from a lifestyle of drugs and depression. It was amazing. After, the girls and I were able to Green Market Square, where we were able to buy lots of souvenirs and shop around for some really cool gifts, for some people back home. :) Later that afternoon, I switched over from staying at BI to my homestay in Oceanview. Like I have been staying in my past posts, I am kind of a nervous, but I know it will be an experience I will never forget. I feel like I'll really be able to learn from them much of the history of South AFrica, because Oceanview, where they are living, is a result of forced removals of the aprtheid. I will blog about my expereience afterward. :) My parents were saying that being nervous wabout staying in someone else's home is understandable, but they also encouraged me to be open to new experiencxes, so that is the attitude that I will go into this expereience with. :) Until next time....