This past weekend, UCT was closed Friday through Monday for the Easter holiday. The break gave me a chance to visit with friends, celebrate Easter with my host family, and do some much needed catch-up!
I met up with a friend on Saturday, and we toured the Bo-Kaap area (also known as the Malay Quarter) of Cape Town. In the past, this area was home to slaves that came to Cape Town from Southeast Asia. These groups were mainly Muslim, so the area has Islamic schools and mosques. The houses in the area are painted bright colors, and not without reason. When the people in slavery were freed, they were allowed to finally buy their own houses and decided to paint them bright colors to represent this freedom.
After touring Bo-Kaap and its museum, we then traveled into the city to walk around. We came across a drum shop which was hosting a drum circle outside, and got to try our hand at playing! After a while we caught on, but it was impressive to watch the experts play so effortlessly.
We ended our Saturday by going to Signal Hill to see a beautiful sunset. There were tons of people (both locals and visitors) coming to watch the sun go down over the Atlantic. The sun kept it warm, but once it set and the wind came, the temperature dropped quickly! If you ever come to visit in the fall or winter, definitely don't forget your jackets (especially if you're coming from Florida!).
On Sunday, Jo and her family welcomed me to join her family in an Easter dinner. We drove about an hour or so out of town to visit my first wine farm. The drive out was full of gorgeous views of the countryside and farmlands. Dinner was great, and I got to connect with another recipient of a Rotary Global Grant. She is originally from South Africa, and actually went to Gainesville (UF) for her degree in veterinary medicine! We got to talk about Florida, and, of course, the Gators. After dinner we took a walk around the property, which sits right on the side of a mountain. Afterwards, when we were on our way back home, we even saw a few zebras!
I had a great time over the break and I was very grateful to get the chance to explore so many new parts of Cape Town.