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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!