Weekend 1

My first real weekend in South-Africa was spent anywhere but home. On Saturday morning we went to the theme park Ratanga Junction with all the Dutch exchange students and Loren. The first attraction we went on was the Slingshot. The Slingshot is a human catapult, reaching a height of about 30 meters, swinging you around in the air and making you feel like you can fly. It was one of the most exciting things I've ever done in my life. We went on a few other rides, had a drink and then left the park. We went to a HUGE mall afterwards, called the Canal Walk. We had lunch there on the Food Court, which was a square in the mall, containing food restaurants and take-aways. It was designed as if it was located on Times Square, with many lights and advertisements. It was a lovely day. That evening, I was going to have a sleep-over with Elise, at Lauren's house. We had a nice dinner outside and watched a movie afterwards.

On Sunday morning we had breakfast and then Elise, Lauren and I went to Stellenbosch with Lauren's dad to take her sister's stuff to her residence at University. On our way to Stellenbosch we drove past many shanty towns and that really showed the other side of South-Africa. Being at Herschel and living with a good family, doesn't really make you think about this side, so it was impressing to see. While Lauren's sister and parents were arranging the room, Elise, Lauren and I went into town. We went into a few shops and then had a smoothie at a nice old-fashioned café. We had lunch with Lauren's family at a Lebanese restaurant in town. The cheetah outreach Spier was next on our planning. Spier is a place where you can see cheetahs and predatory birds. We could stroke the animals and we took a lot of pictures. After Spier, I was brought home by Lauren's dad and we had an easy supper. The weekend passed by very quickly, and tomorrow we have to go to school again, where I will be playing hockey for the first time.