"America vs. South Africa" by Jason Hafford

Any time you leave the country, you tend to notice the subtle
differences between home and abroad. Here are a few from Cape Town:

America has stop lights. South Africans call them "Robots".

America has fast food. South Africa has Steers Burgers and KFC on EVERY corner.

America has ketchup. South Africa has 1000 Island and BBQ sauce for burgers.

America has Six Flags. South Africa has the Worlds Tallest Bungee Jump.

America has petting zoos. South Africa has Shark Diving with Great Whites.

America has rush hour traffic. South Africa has Elephant road blocks.

America has football, baseball, and basketball. South Africa has rugby, cricket, and the 2010 FIFA World Cup!

While there are obviously differences between the two countries it is
ultimately the similarities and relationships that make this a special
place. I thoroughly enjoyed staying up late into the night talking
SEC football with a Canadian tourist at a hostel and realizing that
McDonald's will deliver McFlurrys to your hotel room. Moments like
these remind you that in the end people really aren't that different
even if they are separated by the Atlantic Ocean.

"My Top 10" by Emily Roach

My Top 10 Favorite Memories from Cape Town Week 2:

1. Reaching the top of Table Mountain, and being greeted with a slushy from one of my friends. The slushy and the view fostered an environment perfect for reflection and a new found respect for my foreign environment.

2. Watching Rugby in a local bar. I met a student who attends my university, and loved watching a thrilling, aggressive, sport.

3. Meeting Nelson Mandela’s former cell mate on Robben Island. He opened up and shared with our group the ways he smuggled news into the prison, and the mindset he kept in order to survive. His story caused me to reflect on how blessed I am to live in such a wonderful and free society.

4. Spending the night in Sir Lowry’s Pass. My house mom, Miss Sus, was immediately hospitable upon my arrival. She withheld no information and cooked an incredible pasta dish for supper.

5. Meeting an extremely smart 12-year-old boy in Sir Lowry’s Pass. He had interests in my home, reading, and the sounds of New York City, that I often forget to cherish. He was different from the other children. He hated rugby, and said he had more fun learning. This is rare in American children, and we should all learn from his passion.

6. Going to the vineyard in Franschhoek. We met the owners of the vineyard, and learned the proper way to taste wine, and differentiate the various tastes. My group, the Bafana Bafanas, bonded while tasting the unique wines.

7. The Darius Goes West video. If you haven’t seen Darius Goes West, you should. Seriously, YouTube it. The video is inspiring, and will make everyone reconsider the way they treat others.

8. Bartering in the Green Market. Today, Monday, I went to the local market where vendors sell souvenirs like soccer jerseys, jewelry and tapestries. My dad is a lawyer, and my mom has always said that I am clearly my “father’s daughter.” Today, I understood our similarities. I loved bartering with the locals and working the vendors down to my desired prices.

9. Watching the sunset from my balcony at Lagoon Beach. Two of my favorite things are the beach and boating. This week, I have a point to pay more attention to the sunset. Last day, I saw a sail boat fading into the distance and the sun slipped behind the horizon. While it sounds cliché, it was one of the most poetic scenes I have ever witnessed.

10. Seeing the entire global lead group out at Cubanas. Cubanas is a “salsa dancing” bar in Cape Town. While I never actually saw people salsa dancing, I saw every person from Global L.E.A.D, and finally realized that I have made one hundred new friends in one of the most beautiful places in the world.

“Bucket List Time” By: Taylor Cardwell

South Africa is a place where one should go to complete his or her bucket list. No matter what activities that you enjoy participating in, South Africa will have it. You might be a hiker; well you could always climb Table Mountain. You might like swimming; well you could cage dive with Great White Sharks. You might be crazy; well you could jump out of a plane to skydive or off a bridge to bungee jump. There are also plenty of places to shop and tons on wine vineyards for those people who like to keep their feet more grounded. Those cat lovers out there could go to the Cheetah Outreach and pet cheetahs. If you love playing with kids and can resist making someone truly happy you can visit Sir Lowry’s Pass where “out of energy” is just some the kids do not experience. There is plenty of rugby and even the World Cup for all of those sports fans. The point is that South Africa has it all and I would like to share some of the things that I will be checking off of my bucket list on this trip.
1. Bungee Jump (off the 2nd highest bungee jump in the world.)
2. Pet a Wild Animal (the cheetahs)
3. Climb a mountain (Table Mountain)
4. Learn to surf
5. Cage Dive with Great White Sharks
6. Go on a Safari
7. Go to a World Cup match

"Top Ten New Things to Try in South Africa" By: Crystal Weigle

10. Ride an ostrich in Oudtshoorn, the ostrich capital of South Africa. The wranglers catch a male ostrich by the neck and put a small sack over its head to blind it. The ostriches tend to panic easily, so the normally bury their heads in the sand because they think that if they cannot see you- you cannot see them. Then they guide the ostrich over to the post for you to hop on. When they take the sack off its head, it panics and gallops around the pin!

9. Eat springbok, ostrich and kudou. All of theses are local game meats that are really delicious!!

8. Go on a night safari to see the Big 5: lions, rhinos, leopards, water buffalo, and elephants. Addo National Elephant Sanctuary was the beautiful park that we stayed at and we got to see many of these and other animals on our night safari and day tour.

7. Try a roosterkouk which means roasted/ barbecued cake in Afrikaans. It’s a local sandwich with a roasted flat bun spread with butter, lots of cheddar cheese, African bacon, and fig jam. It is delicious!

6. Go shark cage diving and learn to surf.

5. Take lots of pictures of the epic mountain ranges, rough gorges, beautiful wine lands and rolling waves on the sandy beaches. Take video of the dolphins racing your boats on the sunset cruise.

4. Try a springbokie. It’s the local shot: peppermint liquor with Baileys on top. The colors represent the colors of the Springbok (animal) and are the colors of the South African Rugby team who are also called the Sprinkboks.

3. Meet other travelers at the beautiful hostels we stay at during adventure week. Not only have we gotten to met travelers from the States, UK, Germany, New Zealand and many other countries.

2. Go to a rugby game. We will be doing this tonight! If the South African team wins, the rugby finals will be played here in Cape Town on the 13th of June.

1. Bungee jump off of the tallest bungee in the world (216 meters) at Bloukrans Bridge. Everyone will agree, it is one of the most terrifying and exhilarating experiences of your life!