“Difficult in the beginning but it gets easier with time.”
At EC Cape Town, we encourage our students to do more than sit in classrooms, read books and study grammar. So, hikes are always on offer whether it’s up Table Mountain or Lion’s Head. It allows our students to experiment with the language in a natural setting, exposing them to all cultures, levels of competence and personalities. Below, we discover what makes it an EC Cape Town hiking experience worth remembering.
My first EC Cape Town hiking experience
By Abdullah Balbaid
I am Abdullah, one of EC Cape Town’s students, I am from Yemen and living in Jeddah which is in the west of Saudi Arabia. Hiking is one of my fears in life, before I approached this trip I was very frightened yet excited at the same time. So I decided to go hiking up the tallest mountain in Cape Town with my favourite teacher and my friends.
The weather was very cold at the beginning of this experience but as soon as we started going up the weather changed to hot weather. It wasn’t very easy for me or for my teacher because the route was full of rocks and it was uncomfortable.
When things became difficult, we waited for each other so it took a very long time. I felt happy and full of opportunities to learn English.
On top of the mountain I took a lot of photos and we stayed there to eat and have a rest. I ate pizza, it was delicious. The landscape was breathtaking but the problem was that we sat for only half an hour. I wish I could have stayed longer.
We started to make a way down and we used a different route. It wasn’t easy because the route was steep and full of rocks. We had to be very careful because you may slip down and fall. I finished my water and then I had to drink water from the river, the colour of it was yellow but it tasted good.
After 6 hours, we finally reached the bottom! I was exhausted but felt very happy because I conquered my fear I will definitely do it again. I suggest everyone should do it.
Hiking up Table Mountain
By Yahya Karsoum
I went hiking up Table Mountain with my teacher and some of my friends. A few days before this activity we agreed to meet on Saturday at EC school at 7:30am.
So, a day before I’d asked my friend Ali who went hiking before what I needed to bring with me. He told me that I must take a lot of water and some food, and have breakfast to gain some energy, which was very useful advice.
When we met in the morning, the teacher gave us some important advice to avoid anything bad from happening. When we started our trip, the weather was cold and after a short time it became breezy.
We saw a lot of beautiful views like mountains and beaches. The climbing was difficult in the beginning but it got easier with time. We also took some breaks on the way to eat some snacks.
The most beautiful moment was when we arrived at the top of Table Mountain and saw the view, that was really amazing. We stopped to have lunch and to see the place, after that we decided to hike back down.
When we finished this beautiful trip, I was very happy and glad because I really enjoyed it. We spent seven hours there, hiking and talking to each other. I got a chance to practice my English. It was the most beautiful trip I have ever done.
So, thank you EC school, my teacher and my friends for this brilliant activity.
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