Somewhere on a Beach

By Thea (Psychology, '28)

Indian Ocean at uShaka Beach, Durban, South Africa

Today was another outing from our prison cells and suits, into our varying swimming suits. We had about an hour and a half drive to the beach and the mall on the beach.

The drive was interesting, as we saw construction. And there was actually work done, though there was nobody working as it is Sunday. Seeing the varying construction signs compared to ours was interesting. Some of the barriers were yellow, which I found interesting. And I didn’t see reflective strips for nighttime. Not seeing the bright orange barrels was amazing though, and I also didn’t see any barriers that had been seemingly ran over.

We arrived at the beach and many immediately went into the ocean. For most, it was their first time in the Indian Ocean, and a memory they won’t forget. The water was in fact, saltier than expected. Some tried body surfing with the help of Matthew and others enjoyed playing mermaids and jumping the waves. Some stayed dry on the beach and just enjoyed the sun.

After everyone had enough salt intake from the water, everyone changed and walked the mall. Everyone found something, whether it was for themselves or others. Many enjoyed sweet treats and drinks, staying hydrated in the sun.

Some of us, decided to make memories in a physical form. Meet Moofasa and Angus. Fun fact of the day: They share the middle name of Durban. We have Build-A-Bears at home, but when are you ever going to be in a Build-A-Bear in South Africa again.

They had a great time seeing the views and enjoying the ride back with us, which was a windy one as the van was hot. Open windows became our best friends. After returning to our cozy prison cells, many hit the shower to clean sand and take naps before dinner.

The group wants everyone to know just how excited they are about figuring out the showers. We have struggled the last few days on what showers have warm and cold knobs on what side. Today marks the first day that nobody has had a cold shower (if they did, they didn’t speak up). We were able to have each stall filled and had all warm showers. Just what we needed after the salty water.