Okkie Jooste Camp

Waking up early Saturday morning to make the 9:30am bus was not the best feeling considering it was varsity holiday. Jonkershoek was certainly not first on my list for the holidays but i sucked it up and encouraged myself to enjoy it regardless. With the enthusiasm finally in the air and smiles all-round I saw my friends with bigger bags than me, causing me to smile evens bigger because the thought of me over-packing was glued into my mind. Getting onto the bus was not as easy as it seemed, yep you guessed it we got yet another lecture about how we aren't representing UWC correctly because two people overslept. This was a definitely killing the vibe of everyone until Riaaz started playing trance music. Forcing the back of the bus to start stomping like we were on a dance floor, this definitely made the bus ride quicker than expected and more fun. The "selfies" and laughter was then at a all high, because all I saw where white lights and yellow teeth lol

Finally arriving at Okkie Jooste which was 9km away from Stellenbosch. This camp site was absolutely beautiful, with green grass, amazing views and a clear water pool to dive in on a hot day.
I initially thought the camp will be boring and forcing education down our throats but it was the complete opposite. We had loads of free time! Allowing some of the boys to enjoy a game of rugby until we had an introduction to Jonkershoek and the camp site itself. This was just merely a hour, meaning more free time for us as UWC students to go swimming. The dives were going until you actually felt the water,instantly causing you to get out and dry yourself because of the extremely cold water. Later that day supper was served and it was really good I honestly enjoyed the curry and was fully satisfied with all foods served on the weekend. Night came and the strobes was flashing, did someone say party? A party was held for Zaida because it was her birthday the day before. The Sunday Red Team had to make lunch by braaing loads of chicken and sausage for the entire camp.  The Monday Red team was called because we had to set mammal traps in order to catch small rodents etc. To be honest I thought I was going to catch absolutely nothing besides a cold at night. The mountain of Jonkershoek was then waiting for us and the trails were calling our names.Arriving on top of the mountain, we came across a beautiful view of the grassland of Jonkershoek and we continued to a shady area where we took a break from the heat.

The Monday night was not the best night for me because I was feeling terribly sick but I still kept a smile on my face because I was enjoying myself on the camp and knowing Tuesday was the next day I was extremely happy not because i didn't want to be there but i was missing warm water and my own toilet :). All in all I have enjoy the camp and spending and bonding with different people such as pupils and lecturers.               

My experience at Cape Point Nature Reserve

The time spent at Cape Point Nature Reserve was both informative and fun. The day itself was cold and windy, but it was extremely enjoyable with friends and lecturers. Most of us were extremely excited and worried at the same time about the excursion, because we knew from the weather forecast that it was going to be a cold day.

The buses left UWC approximately nine o’clock and thus our journey began, with laughter, shivering shoulders and big smiles. The journey was long but it was worthwhile driving around the peninsula and observing the sea as we drove past Kalk Bay, all of the students knew we were in for a treat because the drive to Cape Point Nature Reserve was not familiar to all of us.

Once arriving at Cape Point Nature Reserve we observed a beautiful entrance but the drive to the actually site took about ten minutes by bus. The site was amazing because of the different landscape and animals that live in this habitat. The information centre was filled with wildlife pictures, birds and otters. The birds in the information centre were taxidermy specimens and the draws of cupboards were filled with different kinds of ants and wasps. After looking at the animals in the information centre I made my way to the shop where the food and drinks were extremely expensive and ridiculously priced, thanks to our facilitators for warning us to bring our own goodies to indulge.

The bus embarked on another ten minute drive as we made our way to the lighthouse, the place we all waited to see. The first thing that came to my attention was the funicular but the excitement was short lived because we could not use it to arrive on top, but it was good because one had to pay a fee in order to get on the funicular.

The wildlife seen at Cape Point Nature reserve was spectacle, because I have never seen baboons that are so calm and collected although it was not harmed it was still very tranquil and at peace. The birds were not seen much because the weather was not in favour of the birds at Cape Point Nature Reserve. A large type buck was seen close to the seaside it was believed to be a kudu eating grass, the kudu itself was too far to capture due to lack of megapixels on my phone.

Once by the lighthouse one could observe light and dark patterns of water. The view was amazing and beautiful because one could everything from the top; the only thing that was difficult to deal with was the strong wind. One could hear nothing and it was difficult to capture many pictures because the wind would have literally blown you over.

After the lighthouse we went to the seaside of Cape Point Nature Reserves, it is known as Buffels Bay where a man made stairs was seen, this was in order to get up the mountain rock to observe the view.

All in all the excursion was great and enjoyable, because the nature observed with friends and facilitators was an awesome experience.     

                           

Reflective essay: My experiences of Life Sciences 151

My experiences in Life Science is amazing, it is everything I expected and more. The last 8 months was not only a learning curve for me, but I shared unforgettable moments with new friends as well as grow as a person.  

The chapters covered in Life Sciences  151 are great to learn and share with others, because it is a broad module and it allows one to open his/her mind to think logically. The chapters are interesting because it relates to what one eats, how one came about and how one could live life. This module is fun and exciting to study because its too complicated but not too easy as well, so it challenges one to do better and receive better marks in this module.

The best memories I have thus far are the Life Sciences 151 practicals and the the field trip we as students went too, the field trip was based in UWC's very own nature reserve. The task was to collect data, the data being collect were from plants and bushes in the nature reserve. The practicals done in the labs are great because the atmosphere is not too strict or too lenient and it this sorts the working process perfectly. The practicals I enjoyed the most are practical 6 on the 15th of March based on biochemical identification and practical 5 on the 16th august 2013 based on the DNA strand.

Through the course of the year LFS 151 has taught me many things such as why life is how it is and myself living on this earth was not a mistake but a very unique and complicated process that takes place in the body of a woman. This year taught me to appreciate what I have and make the best of what I can not change, because many things in life is just the way they are and should be accepted. This course stimulates one to do better and achieve that which one thought he could not, the experiences I am sharing with my fellow classmates is rare and not easy forgotten.

The most memorable event was and always will be the day I walked into the Life Science lab, it was the very first time I was in a lab and I loved it. It felt as if I was a real scientist, it proved to me that this was the real deal and in order to sustain this feeling I should study hard and  pull up my socks to feed this great feeling.

In conclusion the experience I had in this subject was awesome and I will forever cherish the good moments and the new friends I made will be memories cherished  dearly to me, because I value loyal friends.