Stepping Out of My Comfort Zone
Wednesday was a day to try new things.
My day started early with my "More than a Feeling" alarm ringing at 6:00 AM. I made my way down to the reception and then the Camps Bay Beach to find out what "Sunrise Surprise" iXperience had planned for us this morning. At the beach, 3 people were handing out glowing purple headphones, and I confirmed that the rumors we had heard we true: the sunrise surprise was a silent disco.
But, it wasn't the type of silent disco I had seen before, where everyone listens to different music and dances to their own beat. Instead, the 3 leaders walked us through the hour long dance party, starting slowly with specific instructions for "Dancing in the Moonlight," easing into it with the "Mandiba Shuffle," and then going all out with "Thunderstruck." By that time everyone was much more comfortable making a fool out of themselves on the beach, and even finding and hugging other iXers (many still strangers at this point) with closed eyes. The party ended with a motivational speech from one of the Sunrise Surprise leaders urging us to step out of our comfort zones and truly make the most of the experience.
The morning is weird to describe to those who weren't there, but I really enjoyed it and am so glad I went. The only thing that was missing was the sunrise! It got light, but was too foggy to actually see the sunrise.
Later, before my class started I grabbed lunch with some friends I've met here. We went to the food court we've been frequenting for lunch, and I tried a new place (in continuing my effort to try every restaurant there) called Kobu. I ordered the Kobu Kebab for 180 rand, which included 4 pieces of, I'll say interesting, meat: Ostrich, Crocodile, Zebra, and Warthog (sorry Pumba). None of them were particularly good (I would describe them as gamey - dense and chewy with not a whole lot of flavor), but I would say the crocodile was the best. I probably won't try any of them again, but it was convenient to be able to try them all in one meal. Sorry, I didn't get any photos of it, but here is a photo of the ice cream waffle I got yesterday instead. Much better than warthog.
Finally, after class, I went straight back to Camps Bay to try to make the end of the volleyball game/hangout iXperience was hosting. But, when I got to the edge of the sand, I was stopped by one of the many people lining the street selling ~3 foot by 10 inch prints. I decided to engage, and am so glad I did. Mishek and I ended up talking for about 45 minutes, and he told me about his upbringing in Malawi, the meaning of his name (he's named after someone in the Bible who converted a large group to believing in God by never wavering from his faith), how his parents both died when he was a teenager, and how he came to Cape Town last year and has been selling his art on the street since. He preached to me about how his faith keeps him strong and how money divides us, and he told me how he learned English and art in school. He even went through one of the paintings, showing me the steps he took to paint it. After the 45 chat, I bought a painting of his home village in Malawi for 400 rand, and promised to come back and talk with him more in the next few days.
Most of these people make up the stories of their lives to sell their trinkets just to buy alcohol and drugs, and that may have been the case with Mishek, but I am going to believe that he was really a genuine person. Regardless, it seemed like his day had been made when we parted ways, saying "God bless you Chris" repeatedly as I walked away, and I had thoroughly enjoyed the exchange as well.
So, stepping out of my comfort zone in so many different ways really paid off. Now I'll try to keep it up for the next two months and beyond!
My day started early with my "More than a Feeling" alarm ringing at 6:00 AM. I made my way down to the reception and then the Camps Bay Beach to find out what "Sunrise Surprise" iXperience had planned for us this morning. At the beach, 3 people were handing out glowing purple headphones, and I confirmed that the rumors we had heard we true: the sunrise surprise was a silent disco.
But, it wasn't the type of silent disco I had seen before, where everyone listens to different music and dances to their own beat. Instead, the 3 leaders walked us through the hour long dance party, starting slowly with specific instructions for "Dancing in the Moonlight," easing into it with the "Mandiba Shuffle," and then going all out with "Thunderstruck." By that time everyone was much more comfortable making a fool out of themselves on the beach, and even finding and hugging other iXers (many still strangers at this point) with closed eyes. The party ended with a motivational speech from one of the Sunrise Surprise leaders urging us to step out of our comfort zones and truly make the most of the experience.
The morning is weird to describe to those who weren't there, but I really enjoyed it and am so glad I went. The only thing that was missing was the sunrise! It got light, but was too foggy to actually see the sunrise.
Later, before my class started I grabbed lunch with some friends I've met here. We went to the food court we've been frequenting for lunch, and I tried a new place (in continuing my effort to try every restaurant there) called Kobu. I ordered the Kobu Kebab for 180 rand, which included 4 pieces of, I'll say interesting, meat: Ostrich, Crocodile, Zebra, and Warthog (sorry Pumba). None of them were particularly good (I would describe them as gamey - dense and chewy with not a whole lot of flavor), but I would say the crocodile was the best. I probably won't try any of them again, but it was convenient to be able to try them all in one meal. Sorry, I didn't get any photos of it, but here is a photo of the ice cream waffle I got yesterday instead. Much better than warthog.
Finally, after class, I went straight back to Camps Bay to try to make the end of the volleyball game/hangout iXperience was hosting. But, when I got to the edge of the sand, I was stopped by one of the many people lining the street selling ~3 foot by 10 inch prints. I decided to engage, and am so glad I did. Mishek and I ended up talking for about 45 minutes, and he told me about his upbringing in Malawi, the meaning of his name (he's named after someone in the Bible who converted a large group to believing in God by never wavering from his faith), how his parents both died when he was a teenager, and how he came to Cape Town last year and has been selling his art on the street since. He preached to me about how his faith keeps him strong and how money divides us, and he told me how he learned English and art in school. He even went through one of the paintings, showing me the steps he took to paint it. After the 45 chat, I bought a painting of his home village in Malawi for 400 rand, and promised to come back and talk with him more in the next few days.
Most of these people make up the stories of their lives to sell their trinkets just to buy alcohol and drugs, and that may have been the case with Mishek, but I am going to believe that he was really a genuine person. Regardless, it seemed like his day had been made when we parted ways, saying "God bless you Chris" repeatedly as I walked away, and I had thoroughly enjoyed the exchange as well.
So, stepping out of my comfort zone in so many different ways really paid off. Now I'll try to keep it up for the next two months and beyond!
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