Erica's hike as a metaphor for her time in South Africa

A few nights ago, Brittany, Sarah, and I decided to hike Lion’s Head at sunset with some of Brittany’s friends from work. But, given the fact that we’re all on laid-back South African time, we got a late start. Though the moon was full, and the bright city lights surrounded us, most of the hike was in the dark, using flashlights. In the first few minutes of the hike, I fell and scraped up my hands pretty badly. I told myself, “Turn around, you’re crazy, you can’t hike this entire thing in the dark.” As I climbed the rocks, I kept thinking to myself, “You’re going to have to hike back down this and it’s going to be terrifying.” At points, the path narrowed and we were literally right on the edge of the mountain in the dark. I thought of my Dad and everything he’s ever taught me about hiking (and not hiking!) at night, and I knew he’d reprimand me for this entire adventure. But when I finally got to the top, I knew why I was up there. At the summit, we had a 360 view of Cape Town at night. The moon was full over the city, and though I knew that down below, a loud and exuberant city existed, from up above it looked so peaceful and quiet. The white waves of the ocean stood out against the blackness of the water—the ocean at night seems so massive and powerful…always moving, always full of life. The lights of the city glistened so that it seemed as if the whole city were alive and moving to the beat of the ocean. Above me, I could see Orion, my favorite constellation. Those are the stars I use to anchor myself no matter where I am in the world. Though I was still shaking from that terrifying hike, I began to breathe and really appreciate what a gift it was to look at Cape Town from the summit. I said aloud to everyone, “How am I ever going to leave this place?” As I looked down at Cape Town, I felt like I was looking down at my home. And it was breath taking. 


On the way down, I had to stop and cry a few times because I was panicking. There were points where I really just wanted to be airlifted off of the mountain because I didn’t see how I was going to make it down in the dark. But, just like bungy jumping, I realized my body and my mind are capable of doing incredible things. So often we limit ourselves because of fear—and when I got over the “hard” part of the hike, I realized just how capable I really am. Sarah and I had what we called a “campfire moment”—one of those cliché moments that you see in movies. I turned to her and I said, “Sarah, can I have an English major, metaphor moment with you?” And she, of course, said yes. I told her that I felt like the hike could be a metaphor for my time in South Africa. There have been times here where I’ve literally just wanted to sit down, cry, and not move another step. But I’ve had to learn to trust myself and empower myself to get over the difficult things I’ve experienced here. Sarah kept saying to me when I was scared, “You’re in charge of whether or not you fall. You have control over your body. You have control over which step you take next.” Her advice could apply to so many things in life, and I really appreciated it.

It was so fitting to hike Lion’s Head in the dark. Not only did I get to see a 360 view of this beautiful city I now call home, but I also began to appreciate my time here in South Africa in a completely new way. You are as strong as you tell yourself that you are. I’ve spent a lot of time telling myself I can’t do things. I’m glad that the other night I proved myself wrong.