The night before our arrival to South Africa I was still not sure what to do on the first day. I decided that I would just wait it out and see what happens. Morning time rolled around and some of my friends were like "come caged shark diving with us!" I have never done anything super risky, or ever thought about doing something like that! So, without giving it any thought, I said YES! Before I could even process what I was about to do, I found myself in a van and a 2 hour drive to the Atlantic Ocean where the sharks are. We signed some papers (and then read them) and headed out to the boat. Once we got far enough we suited up and got ready to see some sharks!! It wasn't until I was being lowered in to the cage that I realized that I was about to be face to face with a Great White. Instead of panicking, I said my little prayer, and put on my goggles!! As soon as we were lowered in to the water, the guides poured fish guts all around us and threw bait RIGHT in front of the cage to attract the sharks. When they came close, we pulled ourselves in to the water and watched the sharks swim right in front of our faces!! They were so close and it seemed like I was watching a movie, because who experiences this in real life?! After seeing 5 sharks, a mad adrenaline rush, and a "what were you thinking Maya" moment later, we headed back to the shore.
The next 4 days in S. Africa are all pretty similar. It is best summed up as living life as a "rich, white, successful man". South Africa surprised me and was a world of different from the Africa I saw in Ghana. Cape Town is a combination of Malibu/ San Diego/ Los Angeles, and West Africa...skdjgbskndg...wait what? YES. California and Ghana combined. Let me explain. I spent way too much money, I had 5 star dinners every night, my friends and I got a beach front hotel for a night, took a cable car up Table Mountain, we went to a soccer game at the World Cup Stadium, which was amazing! THEN, the last 2 days I spent in the Townships doing service projects. 10 minutes away from the luxurious life was poverty that is hard to explain. The separation of the whites and everybody else was ended a while ago with the ending of the Apartheid. So then why were my first 4 days in the "rich" area surrounded by white people, except for the workers and waiters; and the next 2 days in Townships where I did not see a single person who was not black or colored? This segregation was so obvious, there is no hiding it. For the service projects, I painted a house for Habitat for Humanity, and participated in Operation Hunger. Operation Hunger is a NGO that focuses on feeding malnourished children in the Townships (which mind you are 10 minutes away from multimillion dollar mansions and estates). During this project, I helped build a garden where the locals will grow their own produce. This was the hardest work that I have ever done in my life. I have service wounds, sun burns, blisters, and the chance to finally say I have done gardening before! It was hard, but very much worth it! After this, children lined up at the soup kitchen and we began the process. We took the kids height, weight, and upper arm circumference, and then gave them their supper. As the day came to a close, we headed back to the ship. My time in South Africa flew by and I didn't have the chance to do several things. I really wanted to go to Robbin Island, the prison where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 27 years. Next time! Oh, I forgot to mention that we hired a driver for 4 days...haha..OOP$$! He was amazing and took good care of us showing us around! I love South Africa, but I would not be able to live there. In a whole year, it only rained 2 days, and is 80+ degrees year round. Sounds nice right? NO.. I want seasons!! :)
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