between two oceans.

I saw two oceans in the space of two days.  

Last Sunday afternoon, my host mom, brother and I drove over to our Aunt and Uncle's house, where we all piled into my uncle's bucky (truck) and drove out to their niece's home.  (If that confused you, don't worry, I'm still trying to work out all the family relationships!)  We were driving along, talking and laughing, when all of a sudden a huge body of water was in front of us.  I stared out the window, eyes wide, and asked which ocean I was looking at.  My uncle said it was the Indian Ocean.  As I tried to hold back a giant grin, I told them it was my first time ever seeing the Indian Ocean.  They all looked at me, slightly astonished, and then my uncle proceeded to drive up and down the road that ran next to the ocean, telling me about the different towns and beaches that we passed.  I stared out the window, amazed at the incredible beauty of this place I get to live.

I then spent my 4th of July with two other American interns traveling around the city bowl via giant red bus taking pictures– probably the most American thing we could have done for the holiday. But we had a beautiful day, getting a chance to see the side of Cape Town most visitors see first. We drove partway up Table Mountain, and the view there left me completely convinced that Cape Town has to be one of the most beautiful places in the world. Later in the day, we stood on the beach of the Atlantic Ocean taking pictures and accidentally getting our feet wet, laughing and enjoying a day of relaxation.

One of my favorite musicians (Josh Garrels, look him up), has a new CD out called Love and War and the Sea In Between. I’ve loved listening to his songs since I’ve been here, one, because they’re just really great, and two, because they’ve been speaking so much into what I’ve experienced so far. In Cape Town, it feels like there is no sea between love and war. Both exist so clearly, and they live right next to each other in every day and every space. Here, it’s both Love and War in between the Seas. Clearly, it’s been a few weeks since I wrote the first part of this post, and since then I’ve gotten the chance to see a few more pieces of Cape Town in all its complexity. As cool as it was to see two oceans in the space of two days, it’s been even more powerful to see two worlds in the space of one city. And just like I'm between two oceans, I'm between these two worlds. My prayer is that God would draw them back together again.