Coming Home

Well we finally have internet... and we leave tomorrow. Sorry for not keeping up since service sites, Blogspot didn't work at the Bible Institute (The place we were staying in Kalk Bay, Cape Town)
To give you a fill in on the past couple months-ish. We finished service sites, which was really such a blessing. Then I took my Zulu exam and packed up to leave. We took 5 days to drive to Cape Town via the Garden Route (the scenic way) During that time we went bungy-jumping and did all sorts of other fun things. Eventually we got to Cape Town. 1/2 of us started our stay in Oceanview, a colored community (that's the term used in South Africa). My new roommate, Megan Harris (from Zulu class) was an incredible blessing! We stayed with Mrs. Nelson who was basically a colored version of Mrs. Clause :) she was wonderful.
We stayed there for a little over a week and then moved into the Bible Institute in Kalk Bay for a little over a week. During those 3 weeks we got to explore Cape Town City Center, go to Robben Island, take a tour of the Peninsula, hang out with penguins, and a bunch of other things. I also got to go Shark Cage Diving (thanks mom and dad for the early Christmas present)
The 3 weeks was great, and on the 14th, everyone from our semester except for Calvin, Kristina, (2 other students) Adam, and I. We rented a car for 4 days and had a great time Wine Tasting, going to the beach, going on sunset drives, eating great food, hiking, and exploring more of Cape Town. We stayed at 3 wonderful places that were gracious to house and sometimes feed us poor college students!
Kristina left the 20th & Calvin the 21st (today) so Adam and I were able to spend our last day together. What a day it was! It was one of my most favorite days I've had in my whole life!!It consisted of train rides, taxis, visiting to the Waterfront, the Aquarium, a long walk on Long St, a Sushi Lunch, a showing at the Planetarium, a walk through Company Garden, South Africa sweatshirts, Milkshakes, another long walk, and ended with a "Sunset Champagne Cruise" around the harbor. Everything was perfect, and it was the perfect ending to an unforgettable semester.
This whole semester has been... words can't even describe. All I know is that I feel very blessed to have met the people I have met and to have experienced the things I have experienced. I feel double blessed that I was able to do all of that together with Adam :)
Thanks for all of your prayers for the past 4 months! And thank you Lord for literally everything.
I can't wait to see you all soon hopefully, because after everything I've experienced, I'm ready to come home.

Service Sites

About a week and a half ago Joanie and I started service sites at our two different locations. I finished my first three classes (ecology, life and teachings of Jesus, and intercultural communication), and Joanie is still going strong on her Zulu course. We both started our community engagement course now that we work at the sevice sites. Its like a class that is mostly out in the field. Joanie works with an institution called iThemba (which means hope in Zulu) and they minister to a town called Sweetwater, and I go to a town called Mpophomeni and work with a group called ithembeni (place of hope). There are 5 or so groups that the students are split into and they all go to different sites. All the sites are very different, where Joanie's probably has the most structure and mine has the least and we have to plan to do things on our own.

For my service site, we have been fixing things around the family care center (a place where abandoned youth and other youth being mentored can come to get free food and classes). We have also been going on home visits to various impoverished homes throughout the city, delivering food and providing Christian fellowship. It has been awesome as I have been paired up with a social worker (as has everyone else on my team) and he is a way cool local guy about 25 years old.

Today I went to his house with another guy from my team for the express purpose of killing a chicken and eating it haha. So that's what I did. I caught a chicken after chasing it around in the coop and then cut its head of with a knife haha. We then boiled it for 2 hours and ate it. I gave the Zulu family their first experience with guacamole and they absolutely loved that. It was a great day all in all. Pictures soon to follow

Adam

Amblypygid aka Whip Spider :(

Today Adam found the grossest/creepiest creature alive: an Amblypygid aka whip spider aka tailess whip scorpion. You can even wikipedia that... Anyways it was gross and resembled a tri-brid between a spider, scorpion, and crab. It made me want to cry even though it was dead. My favorite part was when he kept it in his lunch box...
Here it is:

Yes, it is as long as a piece of paper, lengthwise...

Pretty sure this rose straight out of hell

Ew, Ew, Ewwwww...

Adam Enjoyed dissecting it :p

Silly pic of my praire girl

I found this picture of Joanie at the Zulu village. Thought I'd share it with the world haha.

-Adam

Still Sick :(

I am sick Day #2.5 :(
My throat hurts and my body is achy... It was a beautiful day out today though. Adam woke me up with an apple, peanut butter & jelly toast, and a Gatorade to rehydrate me. We sat in the morning sun tying to soak up some Vitamin-D. I felt very blessed this morning.
In the afternoon we were able to do this thing called "Talking Drums" where we all got to play drums (and other various rhythm instruments) in a circle of 50 people. It was really fun all trying to play one song together. Adam was pretty funny and thought he was so good that did his own thing the entire time...
Adam's next to me right now working on a paper while one of the kitties from the campus is curled up in a ball sleeping on the other side. It's a pretty good remedy for being sick.
<3 you all!

Kitty and I!

Tigger curled up next to me

Durban Marken Round 2 & Sharks Semi-Final Rugby Game!!

We went to the Durban Market (Victoria Square market) for a second time. After getting a lot of wonderful things that Adam and I are very excited to share with you all we went to a Rugby match. It was the semi-finals of the whole country, so it was a big game!! The Sharks (the team from Kwa-Zulu Natal, the province that we are staying in, are black 'n white) played the Blue Bulls... and WON! They then went on to the Finals and won and are now the champions of the country!

The center of the Durban Market, I loved the Zebra Skin hanging over the railing

Shops all around

Adam and I in the Market Square

One of the soccer stadiums where the World Cup was played!

A cool building in Durban

People getting really excited about the Sharks

Adam and I in front of the soccer stadium (I was wearing Sharks colors)
All of us "Sharks Babes"
Emily N, Emily G, Megan F, Rachel, Kristina, Brittany, Carrie, & Me

The ticket to the semi-final game- R170.00 ($25)

Christina and I in front of the Bread Basket Stadium (I think that's what they call it)

Inside the Rugby Stadium

It was HUGE, and pretty packed

The weather started off beautifully

The jacarandas were in full bloom across from where we were sitting

Right before the game started there was an attack of bees so serious they had to delay the game for 30 minutes and tried to smoke them out

Finally, the two teams facing off

Adam and I enjoying the game

Our whole APU group!

Adam W. going all out

The mascot "Sharky"

Adam made a paper airplane from his free poster and shot it into the crowd :)

Suddenly after half time the weather got trecherous

It was raining really hard and turned freezing cold

After the game there was water flooding the stadium!
(But we won so everyone was happy!)

Slip 'n Slide

Once Upon a Time... there was a thunder & lightning storm in South Africa at 11pm. Instead of staying inside and doing homework, everyone decided to go outside and bring out a slip 'n slide!!
and everyone lived happily ever after... The End :)

Me going down the slip 'n slide

The group of slip 'n sliders

Group shower afterward in my chalet!
(I'm hiding in the steam)