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| Alyssa on the top of the bottom of the world |
You will never know what is
on top of any mountain, until you hike it.
What waited for me on top of Table Mountain was more than an
extraordinary view of Cape Town; it was the realization that I could accomplish
any goal. If someone told me a year ago that I would be going to Africa, I
would not believe them. Growing up, I always said I would travel the world. The
farthest I have ever gotten was a failed attempt to flee back to my hometown in
NYC. Today, I am a rebel to my past. I
have finally taken a plane, studied abroad and went to Africa all for the first
time. Not many people in my family can say the same. Actually, no one in my family
can say the same. Everything you do in life has a motive, a reason why you are
taking action. My motive is my family’s lack of opportunity. I did not climb
Table Mountain alone. My grandmother was with me, my mother and my father. Even
when I wanted to give up, they told me to keep going. In my mind, I could hear
their voices saying, “You can do it Alyssa… we can do this”.
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| View of Lion's Head, Signal Hill, Table Bay, and the City Bowlfrom Table Mountain |
The hike started off okay. I said to myself, “You ran 3
years of cross-country in jungles practically; this will be over as quick as
you can eat a slice of Marita’s famous cakes.” Little did I know how wrong I
was. Life is a mountain. It starts off predictable, gets challenging but you do
not give up. It is not until you have reached the top when you finally feel
complete. It took me two hours to hike a 2.5 hour trail. Halfway through, I
even found myself crawling up the mountain; so much for cross-country skills.
In the process however, I found how strong the mind really is. Success is
dependent upon belief. If in your mind you are confident, you are too then
convinced and can do anything.
I am grateful to have a friend.
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| Alyssa & Maeve |
Sometimes I find myself lost in
the true meaning of friendship. A friend is someone who sometimes knows how to
push your gears but in the end will always be there for you. My friend is
Maeve. If it were not for her being right next to me as we both struggled, I do
not know if I would have finished as strong as I did hiking Table Mountain.
Besides the other hikers, Maeve was there to ask me if I were okay the twenty
times I slipped climbing up the mountain. Maeve was the one reciting my
favorite Slim Shady lyrics as a motivation to keep us moving. She is the
adventurous person I took a chance with as we sat on the tip of Table Mountain
on the most exclusive and excluded rock we like to call, “The most Dangerous
Rock on Table Mountain”. Although it took me about five minutes contemplating
whether or not I really wanted to join her on the rock, even resulting to a
minor nervous breakdown, she was my friend who held out her hand for me. On our
journey up with met people from all over the world; we even took pictures with
a stranger by the name of Louie. But hey, we were enjoying ourselves and that
is all that mattered.
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| Alyssa at the top but is only at the beginning of a new adventure! |
The view was amazing and worth
every strain in every bone I endured. In 2 hours I hiked a trail to the top of
Table Mountain in Cape Town, South Africa with a friend and the voices of my
love ones. The fact that I can actually say that makes me so proud. I am on the
top of the bottom of the world and I do not want to leave. From that very
moment I was free and everything I had done in Cape Town was right in my view.
I could see myself at Robin Island or taking a lesson from Lucy at the Slave
Lodge and strolling down Long Street. My journey may have started in Cape Town,
but it did not end there. This is only the beginning of a new adventure!
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