Skip to main content

Twenty-One

Today I turned twenty one. Today I hiked up one of the seven natural wonder's of the world, Table Mountain. Today I soaked up the glory of God. Today I was blessed by those who love me.


Let's start from the beginning...
This morning, I woke up to, what my four lovely flat mates had created, a room covered in streamers.



Next, I set out to hike up Table Mountain and was blown away by the view. These are some pictures on the drive there and at the base before ascending the mountain. We were given three hours to reach the top and meet with our group. I made it to the top in exactly one hour. Praise the Lord for a body that matches my active attitude. I started at 9:18am and pushed to reach the top at 10:18am! Prior to starting the trail, one of our CLC's, Reagan, had announced some logistic details, "We're all going to meet at the top at half past noon. If you are one of the crazy ones, like Peter and Casey(who are two of the guys in our semester with a reputation for rock climbing, tree climbing, and outright adventurous speed), then you'll reach the top have quite some time to kill." I remember thinking to myself, I wonder if I qualify as a crazy? Well I learned something today, in Reagan's eyes, I'm a crazy! I started following Peter and Casey up the mountain and there was no way I was going to let them reach the summit alone, so I kept trekking with them, being the first girl to step foot onto the tabletop. The hike was like being on a constant stair master, rock stairs for dayysss. Table Mountain forms a prominent South African Landmark overlooking the mother city of Capetown. It is flat-topped and 1,085 M in elevation.




Some views from the top. And a jumping photo. The view was so fantastic that it gave us enough energy to jump. If you notice, I am wearing a tiara. Two of my friends had insisted I wore it since I was the "Princess." So I did, all the way up and all the way down I sported the crown.

After descending the mountain I cleaned up and put on the dress that I had eaten peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for meals saving up for. It almost seemed foreign to be putting on makeup and doing my hair because I had not done it in so long, I felt pampered. Then Marcela took me to the beach to do a photoshoot! I had a complete blast just being myself as she snapped away, wind in my hair and sand between my toes. There is something about the ocean that makes me feel at complete peace and Marcela's girlish giggles of excitement and fun poses had me smiling the entire time.


This is a little snapshot moment of my dinner. We dined in a small, Italian restaurant called, Pescadaros, in Simon’s Town. Lights were strung in the window and candles glowed on the tables, casting a warm glow upon our meal, which was lovely but the lemon cheesecake that topped it off was incredible.

-

This is a view of the city lights. After dinner Janet, one of our amazing CLCs, drove to the top of a hill so I could see the lights that I had briefly referred to while conversing with her earlier. Her intuition helped make my wish come true as we drove up the mountain and saw the vast span of city lights, glowing in an enchanting beauty. Music cued to Tangled’s At Last I See the Light and the scene was set for perfection. I could not have asked for a better day. The Lord overwhelmed me with so many unexpected surprises, with feelings of happiness and with love from those around me. May God make all of your wishes come true!
All my love,
Gennavieve

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Hampton Court Palace

Today, I toured Hampton Court Palace, an official historic, royal palace. Following are some of the sights I saw, history I learned, and favorites I enjoyed. The guard chamber of King William III. The magnificent display of 2,871 items of armor and weapons displayed a message that William was a great soldier and peacemaker. William's Presence chamber. Only high-ranking individuals were permitted into this room. William would be distinguished by sitting on a Chair of Estate. Those who entered his presence were required to remove their hats and make three low bows to the King, or even his empty chair. I'm grateful to serve an accessible King, who is with me wherever I go. William's eating room. He was expected to dine here on occasions "in front of persons of good fashion and good appearance," in order to display the sumptuousness of his food and to reassure everyone he was in good health. He was served by three servants on bended knee. William's P

Oopsy Daisy

Today I learned a cultural lesson through my daisy chain making. I was just being typical Gennavieve, frolicking in the fields between the rose geranium and picking daisies. I decided to make a chain and, before long, I had quickly assembled a round daisy necklace. I held it for a bit and then one of the workers, Mikeal, came up to our group and I decided to give it to him, so I put the flower garland around his head and it plopped on his neck. Little did I know that my actions meant much more than I had intended. Mikeal's eyes lit up and he screamed in Zulu to his coworkers, proudly showing off his chain. I giggled at first and then after the eruption of laughter from the workers, I realized that I had done something unusual. I swiftly found Pendele, one of the women who I've grown to trust and love who also translates for us, and asked her to explain why the men had been laughing. She began to laugh herself when I told her and after she regained composure she sai

JCR Welcoming Dinner

As part of New College, I was cordially invited to a welcoming dinner in the JCR Private Dining Room at St. Catherine's College. This invitation is considered an incredible honor and, after talking to the presidents, many students never receive the privilege of a formal dining experience in a college hall. The evening called for black tie attire, which meant tuxes for the guys and formal dresses for the girls. Luckily, I packed my sister's pink cotton candy gown. The evening began in a welcoming chamber. We entered and, having been handed a glass of sherry, began making small conversation. After a social bit, we were lead to the dining hall, where we were seated at a table purposely designed higher than the other tables in the hall, symbolizing its importance. The plates had individual name cards, designating seats. I sat to the left of the special, middle head-chair which seated, Deepak Mukhi, our program director. I took one glance at my place setting, noting the multi