Let's Go to the Beach-each, Let's Go Get Away

By Izabella (Ethics, Culture, and Society, ’27)

For our third day at project gateway we took a little excursion to uShaka a beach/ mall on the Indian Ocean. For many in the group it was our first time in the Indian Ocean so it was extra special. After body surfing, swimming, sunbathing and bracelet buying on the beach we all did a little shopping on the beach front.

We got the full beach mall experience today from making build-a-bears, to buying sweet treats, to discovering Rip Curl a South African surfing brand and buying handmade goods! We certainly had a wide variety of experiences today!

We are also celebrating our second birthday on the trip! What better way to celebrate than a beach day? We ended our day with dinner and birthday fudge (milk tart and amarula.) We do our best here to create a home away from home to celebrate each other.

My favorite parts of the day were swimming the waves, and building my build-a-bear (Moofasa). It was certainly a special day that everyone enjoyed.

It has been really interesting to see many parts of South Africa. We saw the western coast in Cape Town and now the eastern coast in Durban. Although it’s not fair to compare the mega urban cosmopolitan city of Cape Town to the more rural areas that we have seen of Durban and Pietermaritzburg, however, it has been really special to be able to experience it all!

Here on the eastern side of the country we hear more of a variety of languages, mostly Zulu while we are out shopping and between the natives here. It is super interesting to hear the native languages used. We attempted to learn a little Zulu in class but it is nothing compared to being able to hear it in everyday life.

We are also incredibly privileged on this trip to be able to see and do the touristy things in South Africa but also be able to get glimpses into everyday life. Today was a more touristy day however we are staying near a school so we can see some everyday activities and absorb more of the culture that way. We are also incredibly blessed to have hosts that are willing to share about their lives and what life is like in South Africa.

It is sad to think our time here is coming to an end, however we still have a lot to learn and do before we leave!