so do you like fishsticks?

Hey everyone!
So, this weekend was absolutely fantastic. Last week was hectic and filled with work, so I promised myself that I would get it all done and be completely ready for the Cederberg mountain camping trip that we went on. Luckily I made it through the week and even got some homework done for this week, so I could really enjoy the weekend. Friday afternoon all the AIFS kids and a handful of drivers/chaperones (if you could really call them that) piled into some Stellenbosch University vans and drove about three hours North of Stellenbosch. For the first half of the ride we were on the highway passing through small and rural towns, and the second half was spent driving down gravel and dirt roads that traversed mountains and had some serious twists and turns right next to massive cliffs, but Mike Mullins got us there safe and sound. The cabins where we stayed were at a private campground called Sanddrif and they were the cutest houses ever. They were nicer than our flats on campus, but they still didn't have heat. The weather all weekend was gorgeous but the nights were FREEZING. We arrived around 6 on Friday night and settled into our cabins. We had a braai that night and spent our time hanging out around the fire and looking at the stars. On Saturday Mike Leslie woke us up bright and early for our hike! The first part of the hike was tough but we had amazing views the entire time. We stopped at the base of the Wolfberg Cracks and waited for everyone to catch up. From there we started climbing through the cracks and up rocks. It was one of the coolest things I have ever done...we were literally squeezing through space surrounded by 30 foot sheer rock walls on both sides. One part of the hike consisted of all 30 something of us walking down a narrow hallway of rock that was wide enough for maybe one or two people to go through at a time. At the end, there was about an 8 foot wall straight up that we had to get over before continuing. The method of climbing was by pushing your back up against the wall and putting your feet out in front of you against the other wall, and inching up the walls to the top. Now, for all of you from SMC you know how we climb the hallways in the suites? Well this skill helped me get up this crack without any help at all...I was so proud of myself! It was really cool to be able to do that without any extra help, even though there were people waiting to help you if you needed it. After that there were two more intense cracks to climb through, and then we reached the top where you could see for miles around. It was an amazing view that neither my pictures nor my words could describe accurately. We hung around at the summit for a while and we also had a snowball fight because there was snow at the top! It was pretty crazy seeing snow, but also a nice reminder of home. We took tons of pictures and I really wish I could put them online, but I'm still trying to find a way to do that without my computer. We slowly made our way down the mountain again, and everyone made it to the top and back with minor bumps, bruises, and scrapes. My knees are impresively cut up, but it was all worth it. After the hike we headed to a spot along the river where we could cliff dive into the water. The jump was about 10 feet or so and the water was ICE cold...like you come up to the surface and gasp for breath cold. However the jump was quite fun and felt amazing after the long hike. We left the river and headed back to camp for hot showers and dinner...potjie! (That is pronounced poy-key). It is kind of like a beef stew with meat and vegetables cooked in a cast iron pot over a fire and coals for about four hours. It was delicious and filled us up after such a long adventure-filled day. On Sunday Hestea woke us up (much more gently than Mike, I must admit) and we cleaned up camp and after breakfast we drove to the Cederberg winery where we got a tour and a chance to taste some delicious wine. Cederberg is world known for their wine and their Shiraz won an award for being the best Shiraz in the world...which it definitely is. We got to try a a few different kinds and learned about the process of wine making. After the tour we got back in the vans and drove out to where there were some bushman paintings. The paintings we saw were done by the Khoisan people about 8000 years ago. They were incredible to see and the caves that they were in were equally as cool. We had lunch here and then piled back in the vans for the long drive home.

During the weekend there were tons of good conversations, laughs, and discussions. It was great to have the chance to get to know our AIFS group because so far we haven't done anything as just our group. The next chance we will have is over spring break (two weeks away!!) while we are on the Garden Route. Our leaders (or whatever we could call them) are wonderful and I cannot say enough good things about them. They are so helpful and offer us advice about anything and everything. As if AIFS doesn't pamper us enough, they give us a mom as well. MamaH (Hestea) is one of the nicest people I have ever met and we are truly blessed to have such a wonderful person with us. This weekend was full of adventure and my knees are thanking me for it today, but I am so glad I went! I think that is all I have to update on now...I'll post again soon!

Totsiens,
Megan