Jumping off High things and a Lack of Internet
Yet again, South African internet and Chinese internet battle for the hardest thing for my American self to deal with. I tend to just feel super disconnected from the rest of the world without it, which I know is a dreadful thing in retrospect, but alas. I now waste most of my money at Coco Cha Chi for internet, since I hit my internet cap in a record 7 days this month. :) But anyways, that would explain the lack of blog posts. Last I was talking about Victoria Falls, but I’m going to mix this up and just make it “That Time Caitlin Jumped Off Some High Things.”
So for all those who know me personally, I have been dying to bungee jump since… well since I could articulate to my mother that I had no survival instincts. South Africa is home to the world’s highest bridge bungee jump and Victoria Falls was in the news last year for when a girl’s chord snapped on her second bounce. Now, I didn’t do the bungee at Vic Falls, but I did do the gorge swing, which I’ve been told is better than the bungee there and definitely has a longer free fall.
The girls that went before Ashley and I were crying, but I’m not sure I ever really stopped smiling. This was my first experience with free fall, I was a little worried I would hate it. False. Finally being able to jump off something was a huge sense of fulfillment.
So, I knew I was going to love the Bloukrans jump. HOWEVER, Bloukrans is so much higher. It is 216m above the river (it looks nothing like a river). I have been dying to this since I signed up for the Cape Town program. We did it during our Garden Route weekend. Thankfully, my friend Gina was freaking out, which kept me from freaking out as well. You get to watch the jumps from a pub across from the bridge before you go- I’m not sure if that helps the nerves at all. Anyways, Gina did hers and came up with a smile on her face right before mine. Everyone who works there is so great… although they told me to stop dancing and listen to their safety issues. I’m excited to try and go back (the second time you can go backwards!)
This may be my favorite tourist thing I have done in South Africa so far. However, it’s back to the grindstone. I told myself I wanted an academic semester in Cape Town, and I am at the point where research papers are happening. American University just graduated, and I don’t even have my last final until June 5th! I miss US academics though, it’s a weird thing to want at the moment. Advanced South African Politics still has proven to be my most difficult class. I definitely think of the world in international relations terms; I am horrible at domestic politics.
So back to the every day life in Cape Town: trying to deal with racism, sexism, poverty, and crime, while loving the friendliness of the people here, the beauty of the scenery, and the chance to have a new adventure.
