A Mama's Trip to Cape Town

On January 5th, 25 women from all over Africa joined together in Cape Town, South Africa for the annual Homeschool Conference. It was an amazing time for me as a new homeschooling mom to learn about how to develop my philosophy of teaching and what style of homeschooling will work best for Lily. I left the conference so refreshed, excited, and encouraged by the moms that presented and that I was able to build relationships with. What an awesome blessing to serve with these women! (Cape Town was the most beautiful place and I cannot wait to take my entire family there to see it! It really reminded me a lot of California and Vancouver in one.)

These are the mamas that went to the Sub-Sahara Africa Homeschool Conference in Cape Town. From left to right top: Marci, Dawnya, Robyn, Amy, Rita, Mary, and Traci.

Bottom: Amy and Joy

Here is who we left behind. The daddies and children of the Baptist Mission of Zambia. They had a great time and the dads FANTASTIC while the mamas were away!

The Team House where we stayed in Cape Town.

The beach was about 400 meters from our back porch. It was a majestic place to have a meeting!

The Waterfront in Cape Town with Table Mountain in the background. It is a beautiful place with many restaurants and a mall. The beauty was breathtaking.

Amy took this picture and told me that this sea gull told her that he was paid to sit on this ledge for people to take pictures of him. Can you believe that for a minute I actually believed her?!

My sweet friend, Michelle, who serves in Malawi. She always brings a smile to my face! What a great time we had!

My new friend, Torie who is a mother to 3 boys and has a little girl on the way!

The group of Sub-Saharan Africa homeschooling moms enjoying our day of site seeing!

The South African penguins in their natural habitat. As Amy was taking this picture, this penguin walked up to me and was telling me all about it!

Amy, me, and Marci, I am blessed to have these two awesome women in my life. We made memories and laughed a lot on this trip!

Cape of Good Hope

My good friend, Amy and I at Cape Point.

Cape of Good Hope (Cape Point).

Amy and me at the direction post at the upper lighthouse.

Two oceans colide at this point. On the right side is the Atlantic Ocean and on the left is the Indian Ocean. When I asked our guide about the way that they could tell that this is where the oceans met, he told me that the dirt and sand from the two different oceans is a great indicator and the temperature difference in the two oceans as well.

There are two lighthouses at Cape Point. One is lower to the coast line and one is up on top of the mountain. The reason there are two lighthouses is because the fog can get so thick that the sailors cannot see the lighthouse, therefore, there are two of them. This is the upper lighthouse constructed in the early 1900s. Its light shines over 63 kilometers (38 miles) out into the Indian Ocean.

Chapman's Peak

A scenic drive from Chapman's Peak to Table Mountain.

When the clouds blow over the top of Table Mountain, it is called the 'Tablecloth'. I thought that was a cool name. The wind was so strong that evening that there was a constant tablecloth! Table Mountain is 1,085 meters (3,599 feet) above sea level. Table Mountain is in the running to be included in the New 7 Wonders of the World! How cool would it be to say that I have been to a NEW 7th Wonder World?!

Before we went up to the top of Table Mountain, they warned us of the high winds on top...we knew they weren't kidding when our cable car began to sway to and fro and when we had to hold onto everything we had to keep it from blowing away! Me, Amy, and Marci trying to stay warm and not blow away on Table Mountain!

The wind was insane. My hair was not in a ponytail, but this picture makes it seem that way!

Looking down onto the coast from Table Mountain.

The wind was blowing so much and it was so cold that our ears were throbbing. I have not had an earache like that in a long time!

View from Table Mountain. To the far left you can see Robben Island, on the coast diagonally from Robben is the Cape Town World Cup stadium. The stadium looks like a small doughnut in this picture.

Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was held. This is the Alcatraz of South Africa.

A palm tree in Camps Bay.

I can't wait to get back to Cape Town! If you ever want a beautiful vacation in Southern Africa, it is the place to go!