Time Capsule Letter
“Just as ripples spread out when a single pebble is dropped into water, the actions of individuals can have far-reaching effects.”
-Dalai Lama
Hey Everyone,
I hope this letter finds you well. Time goes by in a flash! I know those 21 days in S-O-U-T-H A-F-R-I-C-A sure did—wait did I spell that right?!
I bet by now you are in the middle of your school year. In the midst of all the activities you all are involved in; I want you to take a moment to reflect on our time in South Africa. Between the fun of singing over and over to BackStreet Boys, painting Elizabeth’s house, helping to teach the children at Nyakallo, and sitting by the ocean listening to the waves -we all had periods of growth and self-reflection. I hope you continue to embrace that growth, continue to reflect on how you can contribute to society, and continue to combat the single stories you hear around you.
Remember that our time spent in Du Noon truly made an impact on the community and had an impact on us as well. The knowledge YOU gained on this trip I hope will serve you and the communities you find yourselves in for the rest of your life!
SO much was accomplished during those 21 days and I hope while you read this you find yourself smiling because there was a ton of fun that happened during our time there that made the experience all the better.
Three weeks may not seem like an extremely long time but it can make all the difference in the world. Remember our Group’s OMG – “One Meaningful Goal” – that we created at the end of the session over S’mores?
We pledged to reduce food waste in our lives as much as possible and to stay in contact in order to encourage each other to continue on a path of sustainability. We would love to know how that is going! Have there been any changes in your life, home, or even community?
Never forget the ripples effect your actions have on society. I hope you hold onto the quote that Gail gave us as we concluded our time in Du Noon and continue to ponder how you can be the change you want to see in the world. I am so very proud of you all and know you will go far!
-Jennifer Duncan (Mentor)
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Tuesday June 18 and Wednesday June 19, 2019
Hello family and friends! We’re writing all the way from beautiful Cape Town, South Africa. We’ve just begun our 21 day Social Change Program here, and want to share some of the highlights of our first days together.
I’m Mark, the International Director of this program. Below, you’ll find some photos of our group. We’ve all arrived safely, although some flights were delayed because of late departures from the US. But, everyone was able to get a full night of rest before waking up to a warm breakfast of homemade biscuits, cereal, and traditional Rooibos Tea. After breakfast, we came together to begin our Orientation Day schedule which included our first group photo! We also reviewed our House Rules, the Student Code of Conduct, some local cultural norms, and were introduced to one another through a fun ice-breaker name game!
Afterwards, we packed up our lunches and headed to Dunoon Township. There, we visited two schools, played games and sang songs with local youngsters, helped serve lunch, and had our own lunch, as well. The local children really love songs and dancing. After a few hours of fun, we headed back to home base for a rest, and then jumped back in the van to drive down to the beach for sunset.
At the beach, we had amazing views of Table Mountain. In fact, the neighborhood we’re in is actually called Table View! Lots of photos and laughs later, we arrived back to homebase again for dinner and our first Mentor Group. We spent time doing reflective journaling, and continued to get to know one another by sharing about our experiences of our first day in the Township.
It’ll be an early lights out tonight, as we’re all exhausted from the long trip here and all the adventures we had today. Beginning tomorrow, students will be sharing their experiences with you through this blog, so continue to follow along on our journey. We hope you can get a sense of how incredible these people and this place really are!!!
For now, it’s time for bed. But there’s more to come, so stick around:)
Thursday June 20, 2019
Two student perspectives:
Hello! I’m Owen, a student on this exciting South Africa program, and I volunteered be one of our first “Leaders of the Day”! This means that you’ll be able to read directly from my experiences and thoughts from our second full day in Cape Town.
Today, we continued our service at the township school, Nyakallo. I was tasked with beginning the repainting of the schools’ indoor walls, with my fellow students Maia, Will, and Dianne. Renovating such a helpful place truly made me feel like I was contributing to something greater and helping to improve the lives of the many adults and children who would continue to roam the building. Working hand in hand with the self-proclaimed “Man of the House”, I felt a sense of unity in achieving our shared goals.
Our second stop was the famous Table Mountain, a tall plateau that had been staring us down since we all arrived in Cape Town just a few days ago. While everyone conquered the mountain at varying speeds and intensities, overcoming such an arduous physical challenge was key to us maintaining an optimistic attitude. We bested the tallest and largest monument in all of Cape Town; there’s nothing we can’t do now!
We ended the day by hosting a mini-debate among ourselves about the HIV/AIDS crisis in South Africa. We were each given a different perspective to argue from, whether it be from the government’s perspective or that of a large pharmaceutical company. Our perceptions of human rights were challenged as we collaborated to come to a conclusion. We learned it’s important to consider everyone’s point of view, regardless if it is from a traditionally beloved or detested source.
Thanks for reading the blog post for today! There’s still so much for us to do over the course of our three week program, and we’re all super excited for what it will bring. Remember to look back at our blog to see what we are up to next!
Owen Culberson / Grade 12 / Pembroke, NH
Hi, my name is Dianne and I’m from Mclean, Virginia.This is my first time going on a GLA organized trip and coming to Africa. I volunteered to be one of the leaders of the day, so i will be sharing my experiences for today’s blog.
Today we went to a local school called Nyakallo. We met the owner who runs the school and takes care of the children. We decided to help her by repainting the walls to give it a newer and nicer look. After we finished painting for the day and looked at a comparison of the color before and after, we realized that it did look a lot cleaner, even if it was only a small difference. This showed me that we should find ways to help others that we can accomplish. We don’t have to do something extravagant or big to help others. we should listen to what they need and find ways that we can help with our own abilities.
After we were done painting and helping out with the kids for the day, we headed off to climb Table Mountain. Table Mountain is a popular mountain for tourists that has a flat top. I personally didn’t climb all the way up because I was climbing with someone that wasn’t feeling too well, and we thought that their health was way more important than an adventure. Instead, we decided to use the lifts to get up. When we were up there, we were met with an amazing view. Every view, angle, and side we saw up there was breathtaking. It was definitely worth it to visit Table Mountain.
It is adventures and experiences like these that made me want to come here with GLA. It gives me opportunities to help others, while also seeing the world and and having fun. It gives me new perspectives of the hardships and lifestyles of others that I wasn’t familiar with before. I’ve definitely started to understand the reality of life here, and the hardships of others.
Thank you for visiting our Blog today! We’re all super excited for the fun adventures to come and will keep sharing our experiences with you. I hope that you will also wanna hear about our adventures, and maybe join us one day!
Dianne Zhang-Li / Grade 9 / Mclean, Virginia
Friday June 21, 2019
Hi, our names are Maia and Benji and we are from around Maryland and Virginia. This is our first time on a GLA trip. We were the leaders of the day on Friday, which means that we are writing the blog post for June 20th. Today we volunteered at our service site, splitting our time between helping kids do crafts and helping to renovate the common room of the school by repainting it. We met the principal’s daughters who performed a dance/drum routine for us that they were practicing for a performance later.
Today, we were split into three groups. One group helped the 4 and 5 year olds make crafts, such as puppets and shakers. The second group continued to paint the common room of the house that makes up the school. The last group worked with the Neptunes, the two and three year olds. They played with them, fed them, and sang songs to them, such as Baby Shark.
One experience that was really great for me (Maia), was right before snack time with the 4 and 5 year olds. While the girls were in the bathroom, the boys were getting rowdy and trying to push each other over. In order to calm them down, we taught them the American alphabet song. Even though not all of them could sing along just yet, they all calmed down and did their best. We learned that instead of pronouncing Z the way we do in America, they call it “Zed” instead. The teacher even asked us to sing it with the girls, who picked it up even faster than the boys had.
Hello everybody, this is Benji. I’m just gonna share something about what I’m most excited for about this trip really quickly. Probably the thing I’m most excited for so far, at least, is the penguins and hiking at the Cape of Good Hope. I also heard there would be a super long bike ride to go along with that day, which is good, because I was also in need of some exercise from the multiple days of just eating and helping out the community. After we visit the cape and the penguins, I will probably be good on for my tourism needs, at least for a little while.
Thanks for reading today’s blog post! We’re excited about the rest of our program and will keep sharing each day and posting as often as we can, so stay tuned!
Saturday June 22, 2019
Hi, we are Rachel and Gentian, and we are from Maryland and Florida! This is our first time traveling to South Africa. We are the leaders of the day, which means we will be sharing this blog post! Here it goes!
Today we visited local malls and craft markets as well as participating in a video scavenger hunt in the middle of the largest mall in Cape Town! Despite having a rainy day, we bonded as a group and were able to experience a part of Cape Town we otherwise would not have seen.
A moment we’ll never forget was riding in the ferris wheel that overlooked one of Cape Town’s harbors. The conversations I had within that ferris wheel ride changed my perspective on life, with everything from different cultures to the impact of our service being discussed.
This program day challenged us to reach out of our comfort zone and talk to strangers, especially during the video scavenger hunt, as well as walking through the markets. These lessons helped us to broaden our horizons and learn valuable communication skills in order to develop a deeper understanding about the cultures of the people we talked to.
Hopefully when we get home, we will implement our newfound communication skills in order to learn more about the people in our community.
Thank you for reading our blog post! We are so excited about the rest of our program and we will keep sharing each day and posting as often as we can, so stay tuned!
Sunday June 23, 2019
Hello, Lindsey and Jenna here! Lindsey is from North Carolina and Jenna is from Ohio, but they first met in South Africa on this trip. This is our story of our sixth day on this amazing trip. Today we started the day off very early with breakfast being at 7am rather than our normal 8am start. We were not prepared for what this wild day would have in store for us.
The bike tour bus came to get the group from homebase at 8am and we set off learning about the history of Cape Town as we drove. Our first stop was at a dock where we boarded a boat to go see seals. It was incredibly exciting to see the amount of seals swimming in the water and we even got to see a few babies. The scene from the boat made for some great photographs and was quite breathtaking.
Once we returned from the boat we set off to go see African penguins on the shore. We were slightly saddened by the amount there, but it was still amazing to see the few there waddling around and we both saw one go for a little swim. From there we set off on our 20 km bike ride on a road sandwiched in between the Atlantic coast and the beautiful mountain range that surrounds Cape Town. Part way through our bike ride we were surprised to see baboon warning signs. We even started making jokes about actually seeing one. We never expected to actually encounter one (This is extreme foreshadowing!).
As we were biking, 3 crossed the road directly in front of us and we quickly sped by them to avoid any unwanted encounters. As we neared the end of the biking portion of the day, 3 got to experience an extended ride, as they missed the turn. They were able to see an ostrich farm that no one else got to see. Luckily, they were redirected by Gail (the local director), who was following the group from the back to ensure nobody got lost or left behind. We all enjoyed a nice picnic lunch at a small museum with real whale bones in the courtyard!
We then went to The Cape of Good Hope where we got to watch the waves from a lighthouse and cliffside. We hiked for another 45 minutes where we had two encounters with baboons. One baboon took an interest in Owen’s backpack but luckily was scared off by Mark. The second encounter unfortunately was not as lucky, as the baboon took Jennifer’s sweater that she was unable to fight off. After our close encounters we got to sit on the tip of The Cape of Good Hope for a view unlike any we’ve seen before.
After our long day of biking 20 kilometers, hiking, and “fighting” off baboons, we were all exhausted. Most of us slept in the car and our 10pm lights out time was not as difficult as usual.
Thank you for reading our blog post, and see ya in the next one 🙂 That’s all folks!
Sunday June 30, 2019
Hello families! Here is what we’ve been up to the last few days!
DAY 7 — Will & Ali
Hi, my name is Ali and I’m from Philadelphia. This is my first time on a GLA program and traveling internationally on my own. My name is Will from Minneapolis, and this is my first time traveling by myself outside of the U.S.
We’re leaders of the day, so we’ll be sharing today’s blog post. Today we started out our day by doing service in Dunoon with the kids at Nyakallo. We continued our project of painting the inside of the house and teaching the kids numbers, and the letters of the alphabet. We made up a song to help the kids learn about the letter “c”, which hopefully was helpful. Will and I spent time in the Neptune room, with kids from the ages of 2-3.
After our service, we went into downtown Cape Town to learn about the history of the city. First, our amazing local director Gail took us on a tour through the heart of downtown to show us the buildings which were used during slavery. After learning about the enslavement of black Africans in Cape Town, we walked to a food bizarre where we enjoyed a traditional eastern meal of biryani and pita.
After stuffing ourselves, we went to the District 6 Museum to learn about the tragic eviction of the residents of District 6 in the beginning of apartheid. We were fortunate enough to receive a museum tour from a man named Noor, who lived in District 6 when the government designated it as a whites only neighborhood. To end our day, we went to a small local market to buy handmade crafts for our family and friends. Today, learning about the tragedy of District 6 and the horrors of slavery, we were able to expand our understanding of the true history of Cape Town and South Africa as a whole.
Thanks for reading today’s blog post! We’re excited to update you in the future with all the fun things we have planned.
DAY 8 — Rachel
Hey it’s Rachel and today i was leader of the day, so i have the opportunity to share a blog post about the day with you all! We began the day with service at Nyakallo where some of us taught the number 3, while others continued to paint the interior of the house. I was in the classroom and one of the little girls i was working with was having trouble and kept asking for help. We worked together and before long she had figured it out and was writing her 3’s like a pro all by herself. The impact may seem small, but the pride i felt was immense.
I’m no teacher, but i think the one-on-one assistance we can provide in contrast to their usual 30 students to a teacher ratio can be very beneficial to the kids. Being a part, no matter how small or short lived, can make a difference. I’ve decided i can implement this same concept when i get home and wherever i go in life- taking a little bit of necessary time to share my knowledge and help others who may struggle with certain things when i’m able to. Having the opportunity to learn, work, and play alongside these kids is definitely the highlight of this trip for me and a life changing experience.
After service we had planned on a trip to Robben Island, but we had a change of plans due to weather (lots of wind and potential of rain) and instead, headed back to home base for some insightful discussion based leadership activities. In the evening we watched “A Long Walk to Freedom”, the movie about Nelson Mandela’s life and the hardships and triumphs he lived through and fought for. Overall it was another eye-opening day and i am so excited to see what the next 2 weeks hold. Make sure to check back for more blog posts to keep up with our exciting adventure!
Rachel Linn/12th Grade/Maryland
DAY 10 — Jenna
Hey y’all it’s Jenna again! Today I was chosen as the Leader of the Day all by my lonesome. But shoutout to Lindsay and Owen, they’re always being there to tackle the dishes with great a cappella jam sessions!
We started the day off with service at Nyakallo and the iconic greeting of “TEACHER! TEACHER! TEACHER!” I personally have the most fun spending my time in the “Neptune” room with the two to five year olds. I have a greater connection with them because I have a younger sister close to their age. My favorite moments in this classroom are our dance parties. All the kids are full of pure joy and always dance like no one is watching. It’s extremely hard not to join in with them. One of my other favorite moments was when I began teaching some of the kids how to tie their shoes. We have the knot down but have the bunny ears to work on. I have a feeling we’ll get it 🙂
After service, we went to Bo Kaap, a historical site of the Cape-Malay people. There, we cooked a traditional Cape Malay curry, flatbread, and samosas. It was absolutely DELICIOUS and our tummies were very happy. Some of us even got the recipe to make it at home, so parents remember this. Dinner could be made by us 😉 After our lunch, we went on a tour of the area. The historical sites were beautiful. My personal favorite part was learning out the community’s primary religion of Islam.
At the end of the day, we came back to Homebase, ate dinner, and did mentor groups. We talked about one thing we wanted to change in the world. If you’re reading this, what would your response be? What are small steps you can take to get closer to achieving it?
Jenna Gilbreath/ Freshie in Uni/ Ohio
DAY 11 — Owen
Hello again! I’m Owen, and was chosen to be today’s Leader of the Day. That means you’ll be listening to my unique perspective as we all went about the volunteer and tourist aspects of this awesome South Africa program.
Because it was a weekday, we resumed our regular service at Nyakallo, which I’m sure you’ve all heard about by now. We had an especially long day ahead of us due to some early departures during the same week. Today, I was working again with the older kids — around four to nine years old — teaching them the alphabet, the days of the week (though they have significant trouble realizing not every day is Friday), and their colors and shapes. Part of my job today was also instructing craft time, where I helped my usual group of kids braid and (attempt to) crochet friendship bracelets and necklaces.
Through trial and error, I think I’ve really found my niche in this program. I’m a sub-par painter and borderline awful with younger children, but I’m absolutely entranced by working with the kids I have for the past week. I’ve learned many of their names, their quirks, and their senses of humor, all of which have left an unbelievable impression on myself that I’m sure to carry back to America. It’s amazing, honestly, the fact that while I’m absolutely a newcomer to Nyakallo, I feel welcomed instantly as a partner and a teacher.
The rest of our day was rather relaxed. We had a few blocks of free time we used to take some long deserved naps, visit the local mall for snacks, and socialize with each other.
One of the focal points, at least for me throughout the day, was our Leadership Activity and Mentor Group session, where we were tasked with thinking about both our past and our future, and where our ambitions would take us in the years to come. From these activities, I really got a grasp of what, specifically, I was looking for in the future, and what sort of positive change this GLA program would help me implement for the world around me.
Well, that does it for my newest blog post! We’ve just reached the halfway point of this incredible opportunity, but there’s still so much for us to do. I look forward to whatever we do next, as well as updating you about it too!
Owen Culberson / Grade 12 / New Hampshire
DAY 12 — Lindsey
Hello! I am the Leader of the Day today. We had breakfast at 7:30. Today was our safari day so we left around 8:30 for a long 2 hour drive. We snuggled up with some blankets and just hung out. Jenna and I watched a movie on the way there while also looking at the amazing views out of the window. We arrived and were given a buffet style lunch where there was a lot of different options to choose from including dessert. We then left on our safari for a chilly ride in an open-aired jeep. It was so amazing just looking around before we even saw any animals any direction you looked you could see beautiful mountains.
We started off the adventure laughing at Mark our director who said that the rock in the distance was a hippo and then we realized it actually was. They were all huddled up and looked like a huge rock. We saw many animals along the way, however as a group we had two favorite encounters. The lions which we got very close to which made some of us excited and uneasy at the same time because we were about 7 feet from this huge male lion. The second was my personal favorite animal: the elephant. We saw two elephants in the distance and drove towards them. One of them was just minding its own business but one started charging at the vehicle from a few hundred yards away, and even made the driver nervous that he flew into reverse and zoomed off.
That experience made us all excited but also terrified because this huge animal just started charging at us. I was so sad that I hadn’t even been able to take a picture before we had to leave the situation. Luckily, we were able to get a different perspective of them further away and were able to take lots of great pictures. We then headed out of the game reserve and back to the van to head home. We learned that they do not bring any new animals into it they just fenced around the animals that are already there. This protects them from poaching (especially the endangered rhinos) and any interactions with the civilization that we have all built around the animals’ home.
When we got back to homebase we relaxed for about 30 minutes before we had vegetarian and non-vegetarian hamburgers for dinner along with some salad. We then had mentor group where we did an activity to choose our top 20 values and then narrow it down to only two that are values that we truly live by. Today we all learned a lot and that activity really highlighted how we have been digging deep to find our true self and determining what we can do to demonstrate these values on the remainder of the trip and back home as well.
I have seen a side of myself that I didn’t know I had until this trip. I am so excited for the remainder of the trip and to see how much more I can learn as the program continues. I hope you can see how much of an impact this experience and program can have on us participants. I hope you enjoyed hearing about our experience today and are looking forward to our adventures to come!
Lindsey Toro/ Grade 11/ North Carolina
DAY 15
Hey guys! It’s Dianne and welcome back to the blog. Today was a very special day for us because it was our second to last day of service, as well as Rachel’s birthday.
Today, we went to Nyakallo, the school we are working with, and just made sure that everything was finished. We finished all the painting and touching up we needed to do. As for the kids, we wrapped up and did a review of all the things we have taught them so far.
It started to kick in that our service was ending. It made us think of all the fun times we had with the kids and the teachers. During the time we were there, we made a special connection with them. We were a little sad to think that we might not see them again, but were happy that we could help them. I think we would all agree that we will never forget our experiences and the people we met.
It was also on this day that Rachel turned 17! As soon as we woke up, we started to wish her happy birthday and give her presents. Her parents and family gave her an envelope for her to open on the day of her birthday as well. From the time we woke to the time we slept, we were in a great mood. After service we had some leadership activities and got to relax. It was a really fun and layed back day.
Thanks for visiting the blog again! I hope you come back to read about our experiences again!
DAY 16
Maia here! Today was day 16, our last day of service and our last day in Cape Town before we go on our Garden Route road trip!
Our day started off with a late sleep in, which was a major treat for most of us! Then, we went into Du Noon to volunteer with Nyakallo for the last time. Since this was our last day, we threw a party for the kids! We had face painting, bubbles, and sweets. We sang our favorite songs with the kids – the hokey pokey, if you’re happy and you know it, and baby shark. We also finished our last project, decorating the billboard. We spent the previous night writing and painting “Welcome to Nyakallo.” This morning, we had all the kids make handprints on a poster and we hung it up with our sign. Elizabeth, the woman who runs the school, loved it and insisted on taking a picture of it with Benji, her favorite of our GLA group. After we were done with service, we went to say goodbye to our kids. We were all crying on the van ride back to the hostel.
That night, we went out for a 14 course dinner. That might sound like a lot but Will swears he was still hungry afterwards. At this dinner, we also had the opportunity to participate in a drumming session (or try to participate in a drumming session). Overall, today was the perfect culmination of our Cape Town experience and the entire group is super excited for our garden route excursion!
DAY 17 – July 4
Hi, it’s Ali back again for today’s blog post. Happy birthday America!
Today we began our road trip on the Garden Route- the last leg of our South Africa trip. We started our day by leaving at 7, with our tour guide, Ferne. We were driving for most of the day, but made some really great stops. We enjoyed some of the world’s best milkshakes and beautiful scenery passing through the Cape Mountain Belt. We had lunch by a lake in the middle of the mountain range. The weather was so nice compared with the wet and cold in Cape Town. We also stopped at an ostrich farm, which I’ve got to say are the strangest looking animals! We learned that their brains are as big as their eyes and they have the second strongest leather (or skin) in the world.
Our last stop of the day was a tour of the Cango Caves, where we learned the history of the caves. Tonight we stayed at Backpacker’s Paradise and had a with delicious meal!
That’s all for today, see you guys again tomorrow!
DAY 18 – July 5
Hello everybody, its Benji again, and this will be my last time writing the blog for the remainder of this GLA trip.
Today we got up early in the morning, ate some good breakfast, got in the van for another long ride, ok well, not that long, only about 1 hour which has become standard for our car trips so far. Finally we arrived at our destination which was a clubhouse on the coast, right next to the ocean where they offer a tour of the “Point of origin of Humankind”.
The tour was about the origin of man, specifically the first modern humans. It was, according to scientists, the place they found the oldest composite tools in all of Africa, and over the entire world, so far. We got to walk down the cliff to a series of caves, which was where the ancient humans lived. There was an interesting amount of big rocks in the water, which scientists say were part of the cave at some point in the past, which broke off the cliff due to unconfirmed reasons, but they have a theory that it was due to a massive inflow of water that broke the cave down and collapsed it.
We also learned that at two different points in time, during the middle and late stone age, the ocean was super low, letting the land be very, very high, and at one point the ocean was very high. Another thing we learned was how the stone tools were made, with smooth cobble formed in streams and rivers. They used the smooth stones first to form the edges of the rock, by smashing it on a bigger rock, and when the edges are formed, they break it off of the bigger rock, forming a tool that would look like an arrow head.
Tune in for tomorrow’s last, and final blog post of this trip, written by Rachel Linn, sponsored by Rachel Linn. Thanks for reading.
Hello everyone! It’s Rachel and I’m honored to have the opportunity to share with you the very last blog post of our 2019 South African GLA trip. Today was our final day on the Garden Route before we begin our trek back to Cape Town for our farewells and departure for home. As our final hoo-rah we drove to Storms River for lunch, followed by an exciting kayak tour.
Although many of us were very inexperienced kayakers, we all had a lot of fun and made it back alive and safe. Soaked, but alive and safe. After hiking back to our starting spot, we were grateful to be able to change out of our wet clothes and head to our next hostel. We enjoyed a wonderful home-cooked meal, and had a reflective mentor group activity-our final one of the trip. After our long, active, and exciting day, we will all certainly sleep very well tonight.
Something I will take from both today’s kayak experience as well as from this GLA trip overall, is that you will never know the possibilities of unfamiliar people, places, and things until you dare to take the step out of your comfort zone. Personally, kayaking through a freezing river in a wet-suit did not initially sound like the easiest or most appealing activity.
However, I went beyond my boundaries and, although it did prove to be challenging, it was also an incredible thrill that I’ll never forget. The same can be said about this entire trip- each day I stepped out of my comfort zone in a different way and was rewarded with one of the most incredible, eye-opening experiences of my life for which I am so so grateful for.
Thank you for reading this final blog post, and all the ones before. It has been an amazing trip, and we are so glad we’ve been able to share it with you all.