Olivia Shaw
Olivia Shaw
South Africa, 2021
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My name is Olivia Shaw and on January 13, 2021, I will be hopping on a plane to Cape Town, South Africa to begin work in Woodstock at a group home for immigrant and refugee children. I will be living in Cape Town for about six months and am so excited to see how my work will develop in my time there! Read More About Olivia →

My First Holiday in South Africa!

Hello from the United States!

I write this post after safely arriving home in Nashville after a bittersweet departure from Cape Town. My last days in Cape Town consisted of tear-filled goodbyes with the children of Lawrence House, rock climbing and hiking in the beautiful weather with good friends, and savoring the local food and coffee one last time- but! Before I write a post to process this time and the season of adjustment that I’ve transitioned into now that I have returned, I want to share stories and pictures from a very sweet trip I was able to take with some friends I made along the way! This post might not feel pertinent in context of the work that I was doing, but it was quite a highlight of my experience in South Africa.

Zebras! Not one of the Big 5, but one of my favorite animals.

In June, my friends and I began our journey to the Kruger National Park by flying into Johannesburg where we indulged in some DELICIOUS Turkish food and tea. We HAD to go to Nandos for dinner as it originated in Johannesburg! (We had delicious churros and I ordered them many times after this as a Nandos staple item). From Johannesburg we began our drive to the Kruger National Park to see if we could spot the big 5 (can you guess what they are?) We spent two days in a hut enjoying bush braais and safari rides.

Our personal tour guide for our morning game drive. What do you think his name is?

After our time in the Kruger National Park we drove to Drakensberg along the Panorama Route and soaked in some of the most incredible views of mountains and scenery. We stayed in a backpackers lodge and hiked Gudu Falls all the way to the beautiful waterfall! 

After this, we flew to Durban to enjoy a relaxing bike ride on the promenade and some local food (you can’t go to Durban without trying curry). The next morning, we woke up and flew back to Cape Town to rest up for the work week as some of our friends began to pack and say their goodbyes to us and Cape Town.

This trip was the first proper “holiday” that I was able to take while living in Cape Town and it was truly a wonderful experience! I’m so grateful that I was able to see so much of South Africa and it’s beauty.

 

In your corner,
Olivia

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