A few recent activities

Tsitsikamma Hike 

By Pia, Sophomore, North Caroline

The three day, two night hike started off with the whole group eating our whole snack in the first 10 minutes. We made a short venture to our first stop that had red water “swimming pools.” The tinted water was part of a stream that descended down a waterfall overlooking the lovely open landscape, a perfect refreshing afternoon treat. At 2am my alarm beeped and I popped up, rubbing the sleep from my eyes and poked everyone to get bundled to head outside to gaze at the stars. Liz and I played with the long exposure on my camera to capture the magical southern sky filled with many bright stars. I have never seen so many shooting stars in such a short time. The next day we all purified some water and headed out onto the trail through the lovely mountains lined with pines. We all anticipated rain and placed bets on the time the heavy dark clouds above us would let loose. Soon enough it was raining with a strong wind creating the lines of rain pouring from the sky being pulled by the gusts of wind on to us. We stopped unprotected form the elements and ate some delicious, soggy tortillas.  Chloe’s Tupperware collected the water leaving small bits of tortilla swimming! “Type one fun” we all shouted as we made our way up and down the mountains while singing Christmas music. We climbed a small hill to discover Toni and Quinn (who had stayed back at camp to heal),  all dry and smiley. We ran up gathered around her giving her wet hugs, hung our raincoats on a clothes line above the toasty fire and chatted, watching rain cast down upon the mountains. After a yummy dinner we roasted pink marshmallows an topped them off with a heaping spoonful of Nutella, A great ending to an unforgettable day of chatter, views, and rain!

Kliptown Youth Program 

By Chloe, Junior, Montana

“From poverty to opportunity” is the mission statement of the Kliptown Youth Program (KYP). Based in Kliptown, a neighborhood of the Soweto Township, KYP’s goal is to empower young people through education. We took a short walk through the dirt-patched, narrow Kliptown streets with the Director and Founder of KYP, Tulmi. Before the afternoon even began he told us not to pity anyone in the township and appreciate what we have instead of feeling guilty (a great message to think about with Thanksgiving around the corner!). In Kliptown 45,000 people live packed together in small metal houses. A single water tap is shared by 80-100 families. There isn’t a school in Kliptown so students must walk half an hour to school. This is the community that the KYP works in. Upon entering KYP we were given a tour of their computer lab where they offer computer literacy classes and internet access. We observed their food program where they were preparing pb&j’s to make sure every child had a lunch to take to school the next day. Finally we sat down to talk with people our age at KYP. We asked them about their schools, daily lives, and the importance of KYP. They asked us about what we’ve learned this semester. It felt empowering to chat with such a joyful and curious group of people our own age. The afternoon ended with a gum boot dance performance from the KYP boys. There is power and goodness in voices and hands moving together. It was an inspiring afternoon spent with people who believe in the power of youth!