Not all those who wander are lost ...

Apologies in advance for this long post … this past week and weekend were incredible!

Right now, I am just totally in a peace of mind … this past weekend, a group of 8 of us girls hopped into 2 rental cars and ventured out to Hogsback. Hogsback is a little town in the mountains and was the place that J.R.R. Tolkien was inspired to write the Lord of the Rings. Just with this stated, I was extremely excited to see this mystical place and see what would inspire her to write those amazing books. Well I was definitely not disappointed!! Even the drive there was beautiful … all of us had lumps in our throats and we felt like floating – the view and the atmosphere was just so unbelievable and we could not believe the beauty around us and also could not believe that we have this opportunity to study abroad in such a magnificent place.

On our drive to Hogsback, we stopped at a town called Grahamstown. Grahamstown is known for its art, and I could feel its artsy vibe! I ventured into one of its many cathedrals and met a lady there who took us on a tour. This woman is incredible! She told us stories of her family and explained that she is taking care of her many grandchildren. She should have retired years ago, but she keeps working at the church so she can raise money to give her grandchildren a good education. I went out of that building moved and inspired.

We also stopped at a National park on our way to Hogsback. Earlier that week, we researched this place called the Great Fish River Reserve and saw that this place has rhinos, buffalo, and other wildlife, so we decided to go check it out! We get to the entrance of a gate, and this woman comes up to the cars and hands us papers to sign and also hands us a map of the place. Ryann asks this woman what there is to do here, and she replies with nothing. Johanna asks her how much it is to get in, and she replies with “not yet”. She then opens up the gate and we are at a loss of what to do. She did not give us any directions and the map did not help us at all! The whole thing was extremely sketchy. We start driving around … or should I say jumping around. Our poor cheap rental cars were getting beat up by the road and the bushes around us. It got to a point where we were scared for our lives – if the car breaks down or we blow a tire, there is no way we will find our way back and we will be eaten live by wild animals. Plus it was extremely hot and we would die from dehydration … okay, I’m over exaggerating a little bit, but I was definitely scared! However, we eventually turned around and luckily got out of there safely with only a few scratches.

Arriving in Hogsback, I was blown away by its beauty and culture. We drove past many villages and were literally driving in the mountains!

The first place we stayed at was called Away with the Fairies. This place really loved the Lord of the Rings! You can have the option of staying in The Hobbit, Bilbos hut, Pippins hut, Mary’s Hut, Frodo’s hut, or Sam’s hut! This place also has a bathtub outside, on the edge of a cliff!!! It overlooks the mountains, and you can see the villages underneath you. It was extremely peaceful sitting in there at night, looking up at all of the stars, and looking down into all of the lighted up villages.

The next morning, we were able to hike the mountains and hike to some incredible waterfalls! A few of us ventured out, and we came across this skeleton skull – I honestly did not know what to think about it!

Hiking this place was incredible! This is when J.R.R.’s quote could not be any more true – “All those who wander are not lost”. I love being able to wander into the enchanted forests and discovering amazing sights and landmarks. The whole thing was extremely peaceful and magical – it seriously was so amazing.

 

Hogsback has a lot of cool places to visit. We visited a pottery barn where this father and daughter make pottery and sell it to people. We ended up visiting this place twice because one of the people we came with wanted to go back to get this necklace. While we were there, we went inside their house, and we exchanged the mundane courtesy questions, and I told them that I was studying mechanical engineering and prosthetics. They then asked me “oh, is that why you came to visit Hogsback?” Astounded, I said no, they explained that the most prestigious prostheticist in the country lives in Hogsback, and she started her own project of helping miners in Sub-Saharan Africa because they lose a lot of their limbs. The people at this home told me that they will give her my contact information, and I am super excited to get a hold of her and hear more about what she does!

Another place we went to is called the Fairy Realm. It’s a garden that features a lot of fairies – Hogsback really gets into fairies and magical stuff! The man that runs this place told us that he lost his whole leg going paragliding … this concerns me because I will be going paragliding later this week!!! However, he explained that I should not be worried because he was paragliding recklessly – he explained it the same as driving – if you are careful, you will be fine, but if you drive recklessly, then there will be consequences. I just could not grasp the fact that he lost his WHOLE leg while paragliding! But he then had it reattached back on – the technology now a days astounds me! (mom – I’m still going paragliding)

 

Another place we visited was called the Ecology Shrine. Right when I saw this place, I felt at peace! A woman started this Shrine and built it all in a year and four months!!! She showed us all of her paintings and masterpieces and explained her views on individuals and how we are all connected with the universe and the nature around us.

The next morning, I decided to revisit that bathtub and woke up early to watch the sunrise. Nothing compares to sitting cozied under blankets while watching and listening to the nature around us.

We then ventured out to our next place to stay called Terra Khaya. I cannot get over this place! Terra-Khaya is a camping facility and eco-farm and shows an alternate way of living. It is situated in the hills of Hogsback in boony land, and it practices sustainable living in simple and created structures. You are seriously in the clouds in this place! All of the structures are built with recycled materials and natural resources and this place also has a bath underneath the stars and a shower that overlooks the mountains! It was probably the best shower I have ever taken! The water comes from the stream, the heating and cooking is wood-powered, and the electrical appliances are run off solar. They produce their own dairy and the food comes from the livestock and gardens. This was such a neat place to stay at!!! I visited the horses, pigs, chickens, and the dozens of cats and dogs. I definitely did not want to leave this place. It was so nice being able to escape the city life, breathe in the fresh mountain air, and enjoy the natural beauty and culture around me. Hogsback is definitely a place that I would want to go back in the future.

Earlier this past week, I was able to celebrate my 19^th birthday in South Africa!!! It was really neat to be able to celebrate my birthday in another country, and I was not homesick during this time because I have wonderful friends who celebrated with me!! I am so grateful to have made this friendships here … they are friendships that will last a lifetime! YAY for all of these opportunities that God has unfailingly given me!!

ONLY FOUR MORE DAYS UNTIL MY MOM AND AUNT COME TO VISIT!!!!!

ONE MONTH

Whoa ... I honestly cannot believe that I have already been in South Africa for a little over a month now. I was just looking through all of my pictures and reflecting back on all of the adventures I have had, all of the people I have met, and all of the things I have seen so far and it astounds me that it is only a month of memories! It's crazy how I can learn so much and grow so much as an individual in only one month!

Now, starting the month of March, I am FINALLY getting into a routine! Even though it is nice to finally adapt and get used to this culture, getting into a routine also means that time is now starting to go super fast! It is so easy to just get sucked into this routine and not fully soak in this adventure I am on, so I am making it my goal to fully embrace every day and be open to all of the little opportunities that come my way.

Since my last blog post, a lot has happened!

Over a week ago, a group of 12 of us rented three cars and drove to a place called Jeffrey's Bay. Jeffrey's bay is the surf hub of South Africa, and I could definitely feel the surf vibe while I was there! We stayed in a backpacker's called Crystal Cove where we were greeted with great hospitality - they served us a South African braii and even served us a few drinks! The waves here were also insane - I can definitely see why this place is called the surf hub of South Africa! The first night, we just hung out, enjoyed each other's company, and also enjoyed the natural beauty around us. The next day we went on a hunt to find this waterfall and cliff jumping place ... trying to find this place was an adventure in itself! We drove through many back roads and needed to stop every now and then to move the cows and sheep that were in the middle of the road ... sometimes it feels like I'm in Minnesota again!

However, it was definitely worth the hunt ...

When we got there, we were able to cliff jump and also zipline from the top of the cliff and land in the water - only holding on to a small and slippery wooden handle!

The next day, I got to experience a South African church service. I met a girl earlier on that week, and she invited me to her church. The church service was extremely upbeat, and it also had a cool South African vibe to it - they sang songs in their native language, Xhosa! This was extremely cool because I am currently taking a Xhosa class, so it was neat being able to understand what they were singing!

The rest of the week, I went to school and the beach - it is extremely nice being able to go to school and then to the beach the same day! Later that week, I also celebrated a friend's birthday and also had quite an adventure with a mouse ... long story short, a mouse has been living in my friend's flat for awhile ... pooping everywhere and eating their sponges ... so on a Saturday night, we were trying to hunt it down and kill it. Well, we found it living in her blankets in the corner of her room, and it ran away under her bed. I guess our screams attracted a few people and before we knew it, there were 15 people in her room! It was quite a scene watching EVERYONE being afraid of a little mouse, and it is hard to believe that with 15 people against one mouse, the mouse was beating us. But finally, after 30 minutes, 2 guys carried the bed outside and the mouse ran away.

That week I also started volunteering at a place called Cheshire. Cheshire is a home to mentally and physically disabled adults. There I got to feed people their lunch ... this was definitely something I have never experienced before ... I basically baby fed these people. One person I fed was only physically disabled, but she also had difficulty speaking. It took awhile for me to understand what she was saying, and I could tell that she was getting frustrated. I could not help but feel helpless and vulnerable knowing that her thoughts were as clear as day, but I could not understand what she was trying to say. However, when I did understand what she was saying and repeated it back to her, the look on her face was priceless - she was ecstatic! I ended up staying with her for 45 minutes listening to her life story! That day, Cheshire definitely stole my heart.

This trip has definitely taught me to step out of my comfort zone, try new things, and embrace every little opportunity because otherwise I would have no idea on what I would miss out on. So today, step out and try new things - you never know what might come out of it.

Peace!