Around the World With Dartmouth Lacrosse: South Africa Part 2

Hello Again!

We've officially been in Cape Town for five weeks, and it has been incredible. Since our last blog, we have been very busy!

At the Shine Center, where we have been working, we have been busy with assessments. These exams lasted a week, and assessed each first, second, and third graders progress. The test encompassed a reading, writing, and comprehension section. It was so amazing to see the progress these students have made. It is especially amazing to see how far the third graders have come in their years at the center. The first and second graders who struggled are then placed in the program for the following year. The greatest part about the Shine Center is it has made the commitment to accept any child who scores below the national requirement for their English classes. Each day at the Shine Center has been amazing and it will be so sad to leave these children in a few short weeks!

Aside from work, we have managed to fit many different adventures into our busy schedule! A few weeks ago we went to Great White Shark Cage Diving. At 4 a.m. a van picked us up and drove us two hours outside the city to the “Great White Capital” of South Africa. We took an hour boat ride out to sea, before entering shark territory. We were the first four girls in the water (which was freezing and rough). Next thing we knew a Great White was going after bait right in front of us! It was such a surreal experience to be so close to such a scary, yet amazing, animal. The professional divers told us that it was one of the best tours in weeks, as we saw five different Great Whites one of which was 10 feet long.

The next weekend we went on a day tour of the Cape Peninsula! Our first stop was Haut Bay where we took a short boat ride to Seal Island. After, our bus took us to Simons Town, famous for Boulders Beach! Here we were able to see hundred of African Penguins inhabiting the shore. Our tour concluded at the Cape of Good Hope in Cape Point Nature Reserve. Here we had the opportunity to bike along the coast, which was absolutely beautiful! We even saw baboons feeding on Protea plants in the distance. The Cape of Good Hope is the most South Western point on the African Continent where the current of the Indian and Atlantic Oceans meet. The views were incredible!

Most recently we went paragliding off of Signal Hill, a mountain in the center of Cape Town. Although scary, it was amazing to see the whole city flying from above. We were lucky to get to do this, as it is the windy season here, and paragliding is too dangerous in certain wind conditions.

Up next is a three-day long trip on the Garden Route, an area that runs along the southeastern coast of South Africa. It's an action packed weekend filled with activities like bungee jumping, elephant encounters, hiking, and much more!

Our first five weeks in Cape Town have been truly incredible. And we have so much to look forward to in our final two weeks! As amazing as Cape Town is we cannot wait to be reunited with our teammates. GBG!!!

Love,
Jaclyn Leto, Danielle Lisovicz and Ingrid Hermanson

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