Day 8: Cape Town
By JD Nord
Day eight took us to the end of our visit to South Africa.We visited the Sinethemba Youth Development Center where youth of the area are able to gather and learn ways to be responsible, self-reliant, and impactful members of their society. Here our team, along with the volleyball team,divided the children into groups to teach them our sport. Strikers, midfielders,forwards, and goalkeepers showed their groups of kids some of the important skills of the beautiful game. We then created teams for full-sided games, which saw our K players teaming up with the kids. A post-game celebration consisted of players swinging kids around, giving them piggyback rides, and conducting dance battles. Our visit to Sinethemba left all with smiles. We then began the trip back to Cape Town and the V&A Waterfront for some shopping and dinner.
As our trip began to wind down and we prepared for the long journey back home, we had the opportunity to reflect on the plethora of breathtaking experiences we had. For me, it was difficult to wrap my head around the entire trip. We experienced the beautiful and the ugly, the happy and the sad, the heart-warming and the heart-wrenching. South Africa offered us so much to learn from; we will cherish all the country gave us to take back to our homes in the United States. The team learned lessons from South Africa that will help them as athletes, students, and citizens of an ever changing world. The lessons of resilience, compassion, and unity were abundant.
We learned about resilience from Brett Archibald, the hike up Table Mountain, and our visit to Robben Island. Mr. Archibald’s amazing story about being stranded in the ocean, alone, for 29 hours showed us that we are capable of so much more than we think. We are able to push past the limits we set for ourselves and keep our fingers off the quit button, whether that is in sport or in life. We also learned that lesson from our hike up Table Mountain where guys banded together, urging each other up the steep terrain to the top. From here, the view was spectacular and well worth the effort. Robben Island was the ultimate testament of resiliency. For the prisoners who ended upon Robben Island, the brutality they faced daily was extremely trying on their spirits. Seeing Nelson Mandela’s cell where he lived for 18 years and hearing stories of how he and the other prisoners lived, our team gained a deeper understanding of the grit it took to live through the torture and come out the other side to make change for the better.
Mandela and the other prisoners showed us what compassion looks like as well. Despite the conditions that many South Africans lived, and continue to live, through, they display the greatest empathy for others and operate with grace. Our team learned what compassion for others looks like first hand at Baphumelele, RV United, and Sinethemba. The orphaned children had little and we arrived with a lot, however they gave us much more than we thought was possible; they gave us love and a feeling of pure happiness like no other. Those experiences and feelings will last with us forever.
One of the most important lessons learned from South Africa is of unity. The country has 11 official languages and countless different cultures all feeding into one South African identity. The ability for a nation once divided to band together with such inclusiveness is a feat which we in America should strive for as well. Is South Africa perfect? Absolutely not, but it showed us that working in a united fashion toward a common goal goes much farther for the whole than being separated. Much like how a team is more successful when the entire group puts its energy into a single goal.
These lessons are a few of many that South Africa and itsculture taught us. We are so fortunate to have had this opportunity. As such,we must thank all of those that made it possible. Melissa (our tour consultant here in the states), along with our coaches, moved mountains to ensure we had the greatest trip possible. Frank (our amazing guide) and Neil (the world’s greatest bus driver) provided us with an amazing experience and kept us safe while in South Africa, even teaching us Xhosa. To our parents, family, and friends who supported us on our journey, we thank you very much. And last but not least, thank you South Africa for welcoming us and changing our lives.