Today was literally all over the place In Cape Town! We started off with our day on our way to Table Mountain! As we got there the whole choir was so excited to get off the bus and finally be 1,067ft up high in a cable car. So we waited in the bus for Enrico to give us the ok, but when he came back we got the news that the cable cars were no longer running due to the clouds that caused low visibility. The whole bus groaned in disappointment, but to cheer us up Enrico and Rhaea allowed us to shop around in the mini stores they had near the experience. There were coffee shops, ice cream, and gift shops that gave us a little something to be happy about.
The last activity that day was a workshop with the South African youth choir so in between table Mountain and the workshop we had lots of time. From there everything, but the workshop was a surprise as we started to drive away from Table Mountain, Rhaea used her handy dandy mic and announced that we were heading to Bo-kaap, the oldest surviving residential neighborhood in Cape Town. We walked through the streets with colorful houses and visited a spice shop.
Then we went on to the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront. When we got there, we saw a big Ferris wheel to the left of the waterfront and on the right was the big mall. We divided into groups as some went on the Ferris wheel or in the mall for an hour and a half of free time. As each group slowly met back at our landmark (the waterfront) everybody got the chance to take pictures and relax for a bit as we enjoyed the view.
When everyone was on the bus, Rhea then reminded us that we had a surprise lunch. Driving to our next destination, some people slowly started to recognize familiar highways and neighborhoods that were driving past! I myself had recognized a graffiti painting on a house wall that said “Langa” on it and realized that we may be going back into the same township we went to before.
Arriving in Langa, we got to see a different side of the township that we didn’t get to see before. Enrico instructed us to follow him as usual and lead us to the restaurant. When we got closer to it, we realized that the outside of the building looked like a house and was very intriguing. As we walked in, we took our seats and let the show begin as a couple musicians walked on the mini stage in front of us started playing some tunes on huge xylophones that everybody at the tables started to vibe with while we waited to be served. In between the wait, there was an older woman who told us the history behind the building and her experience of living in South Africa. When the food was ready, it tasted amazing! Getting to try ostrich for the first time and different food varieties to choose from as well. At the end of our feast, the musicians were still playing music and the whole choir started to sing along with them as it was time for us to say our goodbyes and head onto the next activity.
When we got back on the bus, everybody was tired from the large amount of food that we ate and totally forgot that we had a workshop to attend. When we got to the UWC, we played frisbee and then rehearsed some songs until the South African Youth Choir showed up. They introduced themselves and sang us a couple of their songs as we did the same in return and had a great time learning, singing, and belting our hearts out.
Wrapping up our last activity, Kimani told the choir to rest our voices since we had been singing for a week straight and could be on the verge of losing our voices for the 4 upcoming performances we had the next 2 days. As we got on the bus back to the resort for dinner it was a bit tricky trying to stay quiet when suddenly anybody who was talking was being poured a cup of tea–classic Kimani.
Ended our night with a whisper.