I Swear, If I Had Wings, I Would Have Flown

This week I had two life-changing experiences. The first was when I went to the top of Table Mountain and the second was in a township church.


Before I left for my trip, I wrote a poem called "Fly The Beloved Country", which expressed my feelings about finally being able to travel to Africa and about finding myself here. Up until now, I had been having an amazing experience, but none of which was spiritual... until I reached the top of Table Mountain. I stood on a cliff, which had no safety features, no barriers to protect me, and glanced at the city and ocean below. I literally lost my breath. It was then that I was filled with great happiness and understanding that this was where the earth, and mankind, began. It has been a theory of mine that the earth and man began in South Africa. There has been scientific evidence of bones discovered and people's DNA being closely related to Africans to back this theory up. It makes complete sense, in my mind, that this is the land Adam and Eve walked. Adam and Eve, the first humans who evolved from apes, of course. My beliefs felt confirmed as I stood cliff-side. I felt so free and connected with the earth and with God. I swear, if I had wings, I would have flown off the side of the mountain. My body felt weightless and I felt like I could have floated down to the earth life a feather. Leaving that spot was difficult- I crave to be there again. Remnants of those celestial feelings are still with me though, and I feel confirmed in my beliefs and closer to God.

I thought those feelings would return someday. I had them before when I was at the Omega Institute sanctuary years ago and knew since then, throughout my life, God would continue to send rays of knowledge and hope to me.

Who knew if would come just three days later.

My homestay at a Khayelitsha, the same township Baphumelele is located in, started as an uneventful trip. I was ushered in and out of the house on different excursions and felt like I really didn't get to experience township life since most of my time was spent at a BBQ place called Mzoli's or on a bus tour. On Sunday morning, my last day there, I decided to accompany my homestay mother, Eunice, to church to spend time with her. The prayers, in true African style, were sung with drumming and dancing. Hearing these older black women sing their praises in Xhosa, while drumming on their Bibles, filled me with the same ecstasy and understanding that I had experienced on Table Mountain. I felt the connection again. My thoughts went back to my Judaism and, even though I was in a church, I felt even more connected to my religion.

Table Mountain and the Khaylitsha church have changed me. I'm so thankful for those experiences and overjoyed that I felt the connection I was craving so much recently.