This place is amazing. The campsite, the campers, the staff, Africa Jam – they all have been such an inspiration to me in the last 4 days. I started my journey having no idea what to expect or what I would encounter and now reflecting on my last day at camp I am filled with love, joy, energy and amazement.
From the very beginning of camp I was thrown into the crazy, loud and energy filled place that is camp. At first I felt very uncomfortable with all the loud voices and sounds that fill just about every second here, but reflecting on my last day at camp I realize I don’t mind it at all. In fact I am going to miss it immensely. I am going to miss the fact that at any moment anyone could break out into song, dance and rhythm. Instead of others trying to get control on the madness people join and encourage them and make the entire room full of life. This place feels comfortable to me and this is not something I thought I would feel thinking back on my first day.
I have been given many opportunities to dance while here in Cape Town and they have ultimately changed my life. At first I was very nervous and not sure exactly how the class would go, but as soon as I started it was clear that this was going to be so inspiring to me and to the others in the class. The amount of love and encouragement the campers have for each other is such a beautiful sight. With the end of every combination it comes with cheers, high fives and words of encouragement.
I am a teaching assistant for a few dance classes back at Gustavus and have taught a few dance classes at my old studio and I have never been as inspired as I am right now to teach youth to dance. The people around me at this camp respect dance so much as an art form, as communication, and as life. While at the dinning hall, campers start a beat or start to sing and the dancing ensues and I feel with every fiber of my being to join in and feel the rhythm with my whole body. Here people affirm me daily and tell me this is what I am supposed to do and that I need to follow my heart and God’s plan.