Who I am? What’s going on?!

Go, go, go... I feel as though lately I have been sprinting full speed in 8 million directions.  Today, we hiked Lion’s Head at sun rise and I was so high on life all day. While on top of the mountain I read Jesus Calling for the day and was really confronted with the topic of no matter what I was going through that God was always with me.  Even in the times when I felt really bogged down (HELLO NOW!) “I am continually with you: you hold my right hand” Psalm 73:23. Tonight at small group we were discussing the topic of how God guides and someone randomly started speaking about Psalm 73 and as I was listening I realized, HELLO!, I read that this morning on the mountain! Today I also really felt the need to shop.  I wanted so badly to just go to University Park and browse through Anthro.  (SIKE.) Can’t even do that on the world wide web because no stores besides Nordstrom ship to SA. Instead, I went to Long Street for a little adventure and mindless wandering.  I happened into a little home decor shop and this wooden block caught my eye.  There was a picture of Mandela’s face and a quote.  “We ask ourselves: Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world.  We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.  It is not just in some of us, it is in everyone.” ... Well said Madiba!!!  I needed to hear those words today!!! 

Ha since coming to Cape Town, I have been more aware than ever of my imperfections.  I have turned into possibly the clumsiest me ever.  I have managed to do a barrel roll into the street after I tripped on the pavement.  I have most definitely busted on the stairs leading up to the gym, breaking the glass bottle I was carrying. I constantly spill stuff at restaurants. And let’s not forget the time I carelessly left my debit card in the ATM only for the machine to suck it back in to protect from theft, which meant the card had to be canceled!! ... all of these things are silly in the grand scheme of life but it’s the small things that stretch you beyond your comfort zone and that is really what I have found here in Africa.  In the short month I’ve been here I have learned so much about myself and hopefully have changed for the good in some ways. 

After being in the Townships and even just reading and thinking about Macon Garden Village (where I am going to be doing several projects...deets to come later! I will need your help!) you realize that life isn’t about the monetary objects you have here on Earth.  It is about the relationships you build and how you invest in the lives of others while giving the glory to God.  I fully believe He has a plan and purpose for my life and right now I am for sure in South Africa; Western Cape Provence; Cape Town; Rosebank for a reason.  I also found out this week that the next leg of my journey is for sure going to be in London.  Such an answer to prayer, because I was struggling with what the future was going to entail.  Funny how when you become content with letting God handle things and stop trying to plan to make a plan and have 3 “what if” back up plans, things tend to work out. 

I really am so thankful for this small group that I have been able to get involved in.  It reminds me a lot of RUF leadership team and the community I left behind at school.  There is no Ryan or Kelly but there is a Kyle and a Tessa.  Both are equally as great and it’s been cool to get to hear bits and pieces of everyone’s stories.  They are all fascinated with the fact that I am from Texas and have been full of questions.  It is amazing to me how similar our lives and childhoods have been even though I grew up on an entirely different continent. I really look forward to continuing life with my new Captonian friends!

Forgive me for not posting Sunday. I was too busy swimming with penguins! HA how cool is that?! I really had no idea what we were in for.  Someone said let’s go to Simon’s Town and Boulder Beach Sunday and I was down.  At first you pay 45 rand to walk out on a board walk and look at all the penguins with a bunch of Asian tourists.  Thankfully, it got more eventful than that.  We found Boulder Beach and it was full of families having fun in the sun.  The boulders block the waves from hitting the shore so it is essentially a huge still pool of clear ocean water. And better yet, you don’t have to view the penguins from a dock, THEY ARE RIGHT NEXT TO YOU! It was an incredible way to spend our Sunday and I am very thankful to have had that experience. There will definitely be more boulder beach days in the future.  

For the most part, besides the penguins, last week was pretty low key.  It was nice to finally figure out a routine.  The highlights include:

Monday - African Instruments and Skyping with Ang. 

Tuesday - SHAWCO. I was in the 4th-5th grade class room and it was a pretty rowdy time.  (This week I had 8th-9th graders and enjoyed it much more!) 

Wednesday - Homemade Parkhill! ...I’m having with drawls...(Chicken salad/croissant and soup!) and small group for the first time! 

Thursday - I picked up Veggie Lasagna from The Melissa’s Food Shop (my favorite place here!) and we all feasted for dinner. 

Friday - After class we went to the beach and treated ourselves to chocolate croissants at “Knead.” Then we loaded the bus to go to the “Yacht Club Party.” Being a semester study abroad student we get to join three free clubs/societies.  The Yacht Club is what a lot of people joined because you can take free sailing/wind surfing lessons out on a lake.  So with minimal information about the party we set off on a great adventure. Before we had even left campus the song “Thrift Shop” was being sang by the entire bus...(Ha what a glimpse of the night to come!) Our final destination was the UCT Yacht Club, which is a building on a lake in the middle of no where.  It was kind of ghetto, but very “college.” There were lots of Americans, but I met a decent amount of Africans as well.  Needless to say it was a great impulse decision and we all made lots of memories.   

Thoughts/Reflections/Real Life Confessions!

All in all I am loving life in The Mother City.  Like I said earlier, I feel like I have really been more attuned to me, my actions, and how they affect others.  Culture shock has definitely set in.  I realized that about a week ago when I was so frustrated with everything.  To deal with missing home (family and friends) I have become quite the baker.  Last semester I was really bummed I didn’t get to bake more while I was at Kappa.  HA, I’ve baked enough here for an entire year! Just appreciating each day and trying to make the most of it has been my goal.  My roommates all had did their home-stay this last weekend and I had the whole flat to myself.  It was nice to just internally reflect and process this whole adventure by my lonesome. Know that I love you all and miss you greatly! 

Have a Happy Thursday! 

Lift off?! 

They swim like ducks on top of the water and are speedy fast under the water. 

Penguins on a rock. For up close and personal pics see my facebook page. 

View from "dock!" 

4:30 a.m. Lion's Head Crew

Magical view of the city blanketed with clouds

SUNRISE!

"On Top of the World" - Imagine Dragons

Afternoon treat at Yours Truly 

Genius. 

First Week of Classes

Oh my, my, MY! What a week it has been.  

Monday was the first day of class. I wanted to jump off of a bridge.  It was the first time I was pushed to the limit and extremely frustrated since being here.  My whole schedule changed and I waited in a “queue” (line) half of the day with questions that never got answered!!! It’s funny though how worked up we (or at least I) get about merely the little things.  Here, no one really sweats the small stuff they just live life and take what comes their way.  That is definitely a mentality I’m having to adapt to. In the end, everything worked out beautifully and I have a more than ideal schedule.  I’m only taking three classes at UCT and then my IES class.  I have “Organizational Behavior and Employee Relations” Monday-Wednesday from 9:00-9:45; “African Instruments” Mondays from 3:00-5:30; and then “Afrikaans” Tuesdays-Friday from 11:00-11:45.  I love all of my classes and am definitely going to be learning a lot! 

Tuesday was better.  Everything from Monday was resolved and I felt like things were under control and I was on the right track!  I started my morning off at upper campus in the shade of a huge tree.  It was super peaceful and a great way to just reflect and refocus.  After class that day I took a mini bus to “Cavendish Mall” in Claremont.  It’s a really nice mall, but it is pretty cramped and the quality of clothes here is much different than the US. I ended up finding some new shoes in Wolly’s (Wolsworths) and made it home in time to go to a workout class at the gym! In honor of Mardi Gras we grilled out downstairs. The boys went together and bought a grill for 180R (less than 20 USD) and it was definitely worth the money.  Good food, good friends, good night. Like everything here it was trial and error.  They cooked chicken, kabobs with pineapple, sausage, garlic bread and asparagus. I contributed make shift kings cakes in the form of cupcakes and the baby was replaced by an “M&M.” 

Wet and Wild Wednesday was such a hit.  After class we took the train to Muizenberg and beached all afternoon.  The weather was just right and while I wasn’t cat napping, I enjoyed watching the little kids taking surf lessons.  I came home to Caitlin cooking crepes in the kitchen! Everyone came up and socialized and then we went to Stones in OBS.  It was good to see some of the people I met during orientation and catch up with them.  

I blogged about my morning Thursday and that was about as exciting as the day got. Haley and I went to a workout class and I went to bed by 9:30! Happy Valentine’s Day to all! 

Friday was an adventure. We had high hopes of going to the beach but there was a chilly wind so we vetoed that idea.  Instead, we took a mini bus to the city and mini bused to the Waterfront.  The mall is very nice.  Being in that area is practically like being in America.  After scoping out all the stores we went to see “Zero Dark Thirty.” Fun fact, the reason South Africans are so fit is because they don’t believe in butter on their movie theater popcorn!!!!! Total letdown, but the fact that I paid 50R for my ticket and 43R for “Combo 2” (Medium popcorn, coke, and Whispers...basically Whopers) made up for it! The whole movie outing was about $10, talk about BARGIN! My boy Wilfred picked us up and 9 of us crammed into his cab.  The best purchase of the day was a book that is an illustrated poem about CapeTown! See picture below!

Saturday, Saturday, Saturday.  Ha, what a day full of life.  We were up and at’em by 8:30 for SHAWCO training.  SHAWCO is the oldest campus organization and the education sector provides opportunities for students to go invest in the lives of kids in the different townships.  The project I am going to be working on is called “STAR” and I will be in Manenberg every Tuesday afternoon. We will play sports with the kids for the first half of the afternoon and then sit down and read with them the second part.  This project is all about promoting literacy and the kids are Afrikaans/English speakers.  I am really looking forward to jumping in and making new little friends! WooHoo can’t wait for Tuesday! 

After the training we all hurried home to finish up last minute details before we left for our home-stay.  Over Christmas, Bethany and I made “Sand Art Brownies” in a mason jar to give to my host family as a gift.  However, this IES EcoJustice class has opened my eyes to how people in the townships have to sparingly use electricity and what not so I decided I’d go ahead and whip up the brownies before I left, because what if they didn’t even have a stove?!  Muzzoro picked us up from ShopRite and took all of us to Mama Nook’s where we got to play with all the kids on the street while we waited on our Mama’s to pick us up.  Cassie and I stayed with Mama Titi.  She is an awesome Godly woman who was extremely hospitable.  She has a 5 year old grand daughter named Naledi and Naledi’s 18 year old cousin Moipone (Pony) is also living with them at the moment.  Our evening was spent outside with all the neighborhood kids.  We jumped rope, played “how low can you go” and then did some old-school street races! The girls loved playing with our hair so we also had about a 30 minute salon sesh before Mama called us to dinner. DINNER. Ahhh it was the best meal I’ve had in Africa, serious. She made us chicken with potatoes and broth, pop (it’s white and looks like mashed potatoes but it’s got a sticky(ish) texture), fresh spinach and onions, and steamed sweet potatoes. My may me. This girl filled her plate AND had seconds!! The food reminded me a lot of Mrs. Jo’s and that made my heart happy! A little slice of home with a new African twist!! The most uncomfortable part of the whole thing was that we ate it with our hands.  That really blew my mind but when in Africa... The rest of the night we just spent chatting with Mama Titi and asking questions.  She had amazing stories about the Apartied times and it was so interesting to hear about her life.  Crazy enough when I was looking through her book of who all has stayed with her, there had been a guy from Abilene! (Small world?!) 

This morning we all went to church and it was really cool to see everyone worship in a different language.  It was rather exhausting sitting in the heat, being hungry, and trying to concentrate on the english interpretation.  The gist of the sermon was that there is power in prayer and I am extremely glad I had the opportunity to go. I think I will have to go back to visit Mama Titi and go to church in Langa with her next time! 

After church we headed to the infamous Mzolizs. HA, WHAT AN EXPERIENCE. Basically it is a restaurant in a township that serves meat, meat and more meat.  I didn’t really know what to expect, but I was blown away.  It is a huge patio? thing...It is all covered with tents and there is boooooming loud music and dancing.  Monica and I had gone to get drinks and when we came back to the table there was a HUGE bucket of meat on meat and everyone was digging in.  Again, we resorted back to our primal instincts and ate only using our fingers. NOM. It was such a laughable afternoon and we made memories that we will never forget. We made it home safe and sound and a couple pounds heavier!  This week is going to be yet another busy one! We’ve made a list of all the fun must does from my illustrated poem book and are looking to check a couple off in the next few days.  

Thoughts/Reflections

As you can tell this is unlike any first week of school I’ve ever had!!! I’ve definitely come to terms with the second stage of culture shock and realize everything here isn’t magical.  However, like I said earlier it’s all about perspective and realizing that we are truly blessed to live in the States and be able to come “live” here for a temporary time.  There are certain things about home I really miss and today “Sweet Sammies” was high on the list! The home-stay was really eye opening and it was cool to see the way the people we interact with every day do life.  I think the head SHAWCO guy really hit it dead on when he said that the people in the townships should not be pitied. That’s not what they need. They need positive energy and hope.  At this point there really is no one cure fix all thing anyone can do to make everyone’s situation better, however by simply conversing and challenging their ways of thinking you can shine a new light on something they can do to help themselves. I am also very thankful for the people in my program.  Doing life with them the past four weeks has been great.  There are times when we all get crabby, grouchy and need band aids, but I couldn’t imagine having this experience without them.  

Have a greet week!

Did someone call for a jungle gym?

Meet Naledi (my sister) 

Sidewalk Stylin' 

Where we stayed

Sunset view 

Mami Titi and Family! 

Mr. Mzoli himself

Savin' some for later... 

Cheers 

High on Life

Happy Valentine’s Day to all! I have much to share this week, but I couldn't resist posting this now! 

Mira 

Haley and I decided that since it’s a day of love we should pamper ourselves and get massages.  We were planning to do it yesterday, but the scheduling did not work out so instead I made an appointment for a pedicure this morning at 8 a.m. for only me ... Hadn’t really planned on it but it just felt right. I got up this morning feeling guilty because I really still needed to nail down my research topic for the EcoJustice class I have this afternoon,  but I figured I’d just go with it and try to make the best of everything. The morning was beautiful. It rained over night and so it was damp and cool. All the kids were walking to school and it was so peaceful.  I made it to Newlands (where the Spa is) in plenty of time so I went to my new FAVORITE “Melissa’s Food Shop” for a coffee. It is a tiny place (literally 2 isles) , but it’s the closest thing to “Central Market” as far as fresh/whole food and cool atmosphere.  I made a little list of things that I would come back and buy and then went for my pedicure. (Side note...Pedicures here are a little different, instead of sitting in a chair, you lay/sit on a massage table and they bring a bowl to put your feet in!) The therapist was from California!  She married a South African two years ago and moved here. Believe it or not, she majored in Communication Studies with an emphasis on Organizational Psychology! (WHAT ARE THE ODDS?!) (she went to school to become a therapist here though because she is still a temporary resident  and will be for the next three years) She was absolutely such a blessing to talk to. Hearing her take on things and coming from the same background, she was very honest, blunt and refreshing.  All of the frustrations I have felt thus far she could relate to. She gave me tips on where to go for what things and made some really eye opening comments about life in general here. For example, yes everything is very inexpensive for the most part but you are with out a doubt getting what you pay for.  To live what I would consider a comfortable lifestyle (like what we have at home) is much more expensive here.  Luxury electronics, cars, petrol, even clothes/shoes really are higher priced here. We also visited about the townships and I was explaining my class and research topic to her.  The TCU mission statement is “to build ethical leaders in a global community.” News flash. These people have NO idea what a global community is. Everyone is concerned about only their specific thing.  Even in the grocery store you can ask a guy in produce, where the cereal is and he will not know because it’s not his job to be informed on a larger scale.  That same thing happens in their homes as well.  When we went to Macon Garden Village, Saturday we literally dug in the dirt to find a woman’s water meter and taught her how to check it. Knowledge is power and these people have no one teaching them. I’m still not exactly sure, what my research topic is going to be but it was so helpful to be able to think through some things this morning.  

William

Crazy thing number two.  So after meeting Mira, I was so amped up and I went back to Melissa’s to buy my goodies.  On my walk back to main road I ran into a guy getting into his car and I said “WILLIAM?!” That’s right folks. The same man whose home I was in on Saturday in MGV. He works for the City of Cape Town and reads water meters. I was so intrigued by him on Saturday and asked about a million and one questions and had every intention of talking to him more, and there he was standing on the sidewalk!!! He asked if we had gone to tour the water facility yet and gave me his number to call him when we do go.  

With my head spinning with all sorts awe and wonder as to how I had so many intentional conversations all before I’ve even been to class, I hopped on a mini bus and headed home.  Like I said, I’m not sure where this whole “water research/EcoJustice” thing is headed but it’s got the potential to be really cool. 

xoxo

Goeiedag! (Good day in Afrikaans) 

TABLE MOUNTAIN

Today I climbed one of the newly added wonders of the world. Table Mountain.  Six of us started our journey around noon and as we set off up hill.  It took about 1hr 30min to make it to the top and whew, it was a LOT for this girl to handle.  I chose to be the grandma who took her time, while the other five scaled/sprinted ahead. To pass the time and get our mind off of “the burn in the buns” we played 20 questions which was quite amusing. Making it to the top was definitely worth it.  It was sooo pretty.  It was an overcast day so at the top we were completely surrounded by clouds.  While eating our peanut butter sandwiches on a ledge, we noticed Asian tourists nonchalantly taking pictures of us. Before we knew it though a woman was sitting next to me having her picture taken and throwing up the peace sign. The best part was as they were leaving I said “Mam, where are you from?!” and her response was “thank you!” ...Laughable... Local celeb?! The descent only took us about 45 mins and when we were almost to the bottom the guy that was leading us spotted a sweet, long, nicely round, black and yellow snake basking in the sun. AHHHH!!! It slithered into the bushes though, and we made it down safe and sound. 

Common Ground

Haley and I showered and had a quick bite to eat before we went to church with our RA and another guy from our program.  The sermon tonight was on wisdom and making it a priority to pray for that instead of obsessing/fretting over decisions. I really love the worship, it is a great mix of hymns and contemporary songs. After the service we went for the free coffee and brownies and I had a great conversation with a guy who is teaching here.  Apparently while your in college in South Africa you can do programs during the “holiday” period which for them is Nov-Feb.  So what happens is the exchange program finds jobs in the States for those months and the students can work/travel. Usually when people ask where I am from in Texas, I’ve just been saying Fort Worth because that is a lot easier for people to grasp than trying to explain “small town/Wichita Falls...” but for some reason my response to his question was “around the Wichita Falls area” and get out of town, he has actually been there?! What are the odds? ...He worked in Grapevine at the Gaylord duringt the Shrek ICE show on his work program last year and his girl friend’s last name was “Jolly” so they drove to the truck stop for a picture! (SMALL WORLD) 

CapeTown “Redefined”

Yesterday was glorious. It rained all morning and was a much needed change of pace. My IES class took a field trip to Macon Garden Village in the morning and learned about the energy and water usage in the different households.  When we came home we ordered pizza and proceeded to watch two movies back to back on our sweet 15” lap top screen. After the second movie ended the sun had finally come out and we went to the park next to our apartment complex and played soccer in the mud.  Our night ended at Cocowahwah (our 2nd home because of the free wifi) as everyone enjoyed the pasta special. 

Life of Luxury. 

This past week has been yet another wild one.  It was our last few days of “holiday” so we tried to make the most of it. Monday night we went to our first rugby game. Go IKEY TIGERS! Ha what an experience. The game was really more about what the cheerleaders were doing and then dancing to “Shake them thunder thighs” which is my African theme song. YouTube it. 

Tuesday, our dear friend Riaan (tour guide) picked us up in a chariot and we went to Stellenbosch for the night. The wine “farms”, as they call them, were soooo pretty. At the first farm we went on a cellar tour, the second we did a cheese tasting, had lunch and then went to two more farms before calling it quits. That evening we had dinner at “Ginos” with Riaan and then he showed us around his old stopping grounds. He lives in Stelly and also went to “Varsity” there. Our hostel for the evening was also an experience in itself. The girls room had some type of bug in it? One girl woke up in the middle of the night and her face was swelling.  We went downstairs and got her an antihistamine, but the rest of us only had what appeared to be lots of itchy bites.  We had a great breakfast the following morning before making the 30 minute drive back to the City.  Stelly definitely is way more “Fort Worth” where Cape Town is very “Austin/Dallas.” It was funny just driving through the University of Stellenbosch’s campus because it is small, very uniformed, divided down the middle, and the street is lined with oak trees...sound familiar?! 

Wednesday and Thursday everyone played catch up and did last minute things for school.  My IES class also had another field trip.  We went to Kirstenbosch Gardens, which is the Botanical Garden here, and also where we went to the out door concert.  It was very cool to walk around during the day. There are only 7 floral kingdoms in the entire world and 1 of those is located here in Cape Town which is cRaZy.  So much biodiversity... Our class took water samples that day from 4 different rives to measure the clarity, the bacteria and the pH. Surprisingly everything was very clean. 

Friday was my first day of class. I only had two and they were both really interesting.  It’s funny that I am in freshman classes because this was their first day of college ever and they were all so nervous! It was also crazy to me that this is such a big campus and with so many kids, but I kept running into familiar faces all day! 

Thoughts/Reflections

I can not believe I’ve almost been here a month. It feels like I’ve lived here 3 because we are constantly on the go, but ha I haven’t even really started school! Friday I did have two classes and they were both great. Everyday I am so thankful that I have the opportunity to be in this fantastic place. Everything here is so beautiful and I’m constantly surrounded by such great scenery that it’s been easy to become numb to the extreme beauty that is at my finger tips.  Today, as I was poking down below the group looking up at the mountain it was so mind blowing to think that even the same God made both this beautiful place and the wide open fields of home!  Tomorrow is the first day of real life... Yippeee I’ll finally have a routine!!! 

Wishing everyone a great week!

Kirstenbosch Summer Concerts - Freshly Ground -Feb 3

Stellenbosch Crew 

Our classroom 

Channeling the inner child

Bouncer on Long Street...Represent 

Clouds on Clouds 

View from the top 

DV 2/34

The guy in the middle says it all...

Conquered!!!

Greetings to all!

God is so good! 

Even in the little things and the smallest of details it’s so reassuring to know that God is always with me and definitely has his hand on this whole adventure.  Here are a few examples worth sharing. 

1.) During UCT orientation we were dived up into small groups.  I started talking to this girl and we just really hit it off. (We would definitely be friends in real life...) During one of our breaks she walked with me to the laundry lady and said I love that there are so many fleur del lis here! ... Turns out she is a Kappa... What are the odds?! 

2.) Yesterday morning I was feeling a little home sick as we were driving down the road when out of no where there was a sign for the “Dickies” clothing store... Again such a small coincidence but it made me think of the Williamson’s and eased the longing for home! 

3.) Today we went to church at Common Ground and it is incredible.  I told Haley when we were getting ready that I was excited to go, but really just wished I was going to Christ Chapel because I didn’t want to have to do the “culture shock” wow this is different, better get used to it type thing... Turns out it wasn’t like that at all! The church is so nice and very comparable to CCBC. They have a coffee bar after the service and we met the nicest people.  They were so hospitable and extremely welcoming.  It was exactly what I needed and so refreshing to know that I will have that much needed community for the next five months! 

Garden Route

The Garden Route was beyond beautiful.  Unfortunately the stomach bug was going around and at one point there were 6 of us under the weather... The first day of the journey we went to an ostrich farm and then explored the congo caves. I titled the ostrich riding event the ostrich rodeo, because that was exactly what it was. HA 2 men would go grab and blind fold the bird, bring it to a little chute and then the rider would mount and hold on as long as possible. It was HILARIOUS! I however, didn’t get the chance to make an 8 second ride, I jus got to sit on one instead! The caves were probably the coolest part of the day though.  It was absolutely fascinating to see God’s handiwork even on the inside of a mountain.  So many colors, textures, and one of a kind rock formations. 

The next day I was dead to the world... Everyone else kayaked that morning and then did an excursion of choice in the afternoon. I made it a little while in the “African cat tour” before I died once agin... The biggest upset of being sick was not being able to bungy jump off the highest bridge in the world. It was awesome to watch the group do it and I will definitely be going back. 

Day three I felt like a new woman and we hiked a mountain at a national park and then hung out on the beach the rest of the day.  We also went on a boat ride and were able to go up into a gorge. GORGEOUS. (So sad I didn’t have my camera in the boat) Being on top of the mountain that day was such a humbling experience.  Looking out into the wide blue yonder and hearing the huge wave crash against the rocks...soooo cool, it was such a great reminder yet again as to how small we as humans really are.  *highlight wave watching was seeing a group of dolphins! eeeek! 

People

My favorite thing to do is people watch.  Cape Town has such a huge gap between the extremely wealthy and the poor and it’s been so interesting to be able to experience both ways of life. We have eaten like queens at the WaterFront a couple of times and have also walked around in the poorest “informal settlement” here. I feel like it is important to remember that at the end of the day, we are all human and all just trying to get by.  Some of the most joyful people have been the ones we met in the the township and it’s so neat to hear their stories.

I’m here for school?! 

I’m taking four classes through UCT and then an IES class that is more hands on/service learning.  My UCT classes are 1.) Intro to Theater and Performance 2.) African Instruments 3.) Afrikaans (native language) 4.) The Emergence of Modernity (it’s an art class) ... ha sooo that is all pretty laughable.  But I do hope to learn some really cool things! Signing up and registering was a whole new experience in itself.  I had to get pre-approved by the department heads for each subject and then wait in a line to formally register and an even LONGER line to get my student I.D. But after all the waiting I’m officially official and classes begin Feb. 11.  

Food Food Food

Eating has been a huge to do these past two weeks! So far I’ve tried both mexican food places, each equally delicious. The Fat Cactus is my new favorite place though, the environment is really fun and it is only about a mile from our apartment.  The coffee shops are also great! Long Street which is famous for the night life and comparable to 6th Street has tons of great whole in the wall cafes and cool shops.  Haley and I spent a whole afternoon popping in and out of boutiques and making a list of all the places locals say we “HAVE TO GO!” 

Transportation

In two short weeks I feel like we have mastered every form of transportation.  Each time it is an adventure.  We have mastered the train, Jammie, taxis, mini busses, and even the tuk tuks! I think I wrote about this before but it is something that is such a part of life that it’s hard not to consider it as a talking point. 

Thoughts/Reflections

It really is hard to believe I’ve only lived here fifteen days. It feels like 3 months already. There is always so much going on it has been hard to really process things internally because we are always with people.  As nerdy as it sounds, I am looking forward to school starting.  I am excited to actually be in a routine and to see what classes have in store.  The lack of internet is a big downfall.  I feel soooo disconnected to all of my friends from home because of the 8 hour time difference and the overwhelming feeling of when I actually have internet who to talk to and what to tell them. Ha I really have never been so happy to get all the random TCU emails/Kappa daily to have a ballpark idea of what is going on at home. All in all I really do love life here.  It is definitely going to be about finding a balance and hopefully I will master that soon!

Cheers for now and Happy Sunday to All!