July 10, 2005
a few of my favorite things
-Coffee Bay
-Cape Town: Table Mountain and Kirstenbosch Gardens; Green Market
-the phrase "is it?"--used instead of "really?" ie: (Person 1) "We want to volunteer in the Peace Corps." (Person 2) "Is it?" Sorry if I use this on you!
-the word "dodgey"--means "seedy" ie: "That dark, dank alley way looks pretty dodgey."
-Milk Tarts and Koeksisters!
-Rusks (kind of like biscottis)
-cheap food
-7th graders :)
-my church
-Crazy Concordians
-Dutch people and South Africans
-learning to blow fire and walking on hot coals
-the big rope swing
-the Garden Route
-etc., etc.
home again!
Hey guys! After a 23-hour plane flight (including layovers) I'm finally back on American soil! I arrived Friday around 8:00 am. I have to say, it's good to be back in my home country! Actually, at the moment I'm at a Panara Bread Co. in Denver, CO. What a beautiful state! It reminds me of South Africa in a way--the mountains are gorgeous. It took us another 25 hours to drive here (with some friends from Portland Studios and Ben and Stephanie Young). The jet lag isn't as bad as it could be :).
I loved every minute of South Africa and I hope to visit again someday soon. You should visit--everyone must go to Cape Town sometime in their lifetime. But, you don't have to take my word for it ;-).
July 04, 2005
almost the end
Hey guys! Last week in Hermanus with the kiddies was awesome! I had a group of 6th and 7th grade girls I was in charge of teaching the story of Jonah to. They were so cool--right at the age of starting to think about things critically. I would love to teach that age...
Over the weekend I stayed with my friend Helen and her family in Cape Town. Her mom was once a tour guide of South Africa so she took me to the Kirstenbosch Gardens (beautiful!! one of the prettiest places I've ever seen) and the Cecil Rhodes memorial which overlooks the city. Boy howdy, there's too much to do in Cape Town.
Helen had a birthday party that night, so we sokkied till the wee hours of the morning. Now I'm back in Stellenbosch doing errands, like closing my student account, selling back my bike, getting my luggage, etc.
Can't wait to see you when I get home! Though I'll HOPEFULLY be going to Colorado the day after I get back (new resolution: travel within America as much as possible). More adventures--yay!
June 27, 2005
Holiday Club
I'm having a wonderful time with my church college group doing a kid's Holiday Club in Hermanus - a big whale-watching city (I haven't seen any yet)... Kids are so fun!
The last two weeks of travelling down the coast were really magical! I met some great people and saw some amazing sights! I wish you could all be here with me! Some activities we did include blowing fire, walking on fire, chilling on the beach, surfing (fun!!), hiking, and learning bits of the local languages. I can see how people get addicted to travelling. BTW, did you konw you can get an around-the-world flight ticket for 1,100 pounds? You have about a year to use it up, and you have a certain limit of miles: that's it. I think that might be cheaper than my ticket to South Africa! Man!
June 10, 2005
Last minute
I'm about to leave for the Cape Town airport, so I thought I'd write one last note before I go on my journey to Swaziland, etc.! I'm going to miss Stellenbosch incredibly, but I've learned so much here and now I have to travel the world to meet up with my wonderful friends from Sweden, the Netherlands, Germany, the US, Canada, Mexico, etc. Yesterday I got together with Marc, the exchange student from Stellenbosch going to Clemson next year! Samantha, the exchange coordinator here, says he's the luckiest of all Stellenbosch students--I thought that was sweet! Yeah, I do miss Clemson, and Greenville. Less than a month and I'll be home sweet home. I want to be three people: one still in Stellenbosch with friends here, one travelling to Swazi, and one back home with you guys!
Me and Marc at Pappa's Bistro
Can't WAIT to see you guys soon!
June 03, 2005
The Scoop Down South
Sorry I've been so negligent in writing! We finished classes last Friday and have exams this week and next week. I leave the 10th to travel around South Africa, then leave the country the 7th of July. Next Friday I'm planning on flying to Johannesburg and taking the Baz Bus (a backpackers' transport system) down to Swaziland, maybe to Lesotho (pr. "Les-oo-too), down the Wild Coast, and finally the Garden Route, which I still haven't done! I'm meeting my church in Hermanus for a week-long mission trip. Hermanus is one of the big whale-watching sites of South Africa. We'll be leading children's Bible clubs (VBS) there. The day after that ends (July 2) I'm hoping to go river rafting on the Orange River and get my passport stamped with "Namibia." I've heard it's a fun trip. I love rafting, too. And hiking. This trip's full of both of them! So, basically, I need to pack for a four-week long trip, plus pack up EVERYTHING from Concordia before I leave because I won't be coming back here! That's a lot to do in a little bit of time . . . on top of studying for my exams! I've already started packing. I'm really excited to come home and see you guys.
A room with a view: looking at the sunrise from Concordia
The girls after a pot-luck dinner. Why didn't we think of this earlier?
May 08, 2005
Happy Mother's Day!
Emily, Evis and I made Lebanese food last weekend. It was amazing! Honestly, it may have been the nicest meal I've ever taken part in making, including Thanksgiving. Wow! Middle Eastern food is the BOMB! I miss the Pita House in G-Vegas!
This is from Evis' balcony. I just liked it :-).
We had a going-away party for Catharina, an awesome Italian-German law student.She's coming back here for second semester, but most of us will be gone by then. We'll miss her! She's one of the most vibrant people I've met; I've heard Italians are that way ;-). I thought this picture was funny!
Last Monday was another public holiday (Worker's Day) so some friends and I went to Cape Town, then to Gordon's Bay. It is NICE to have friends who have cars! Buying a car is like buying your freedom here. Stellenbosch is GREAT and all, but sometimes you just need to get away. Know what I'm saying? By the way, Anna and Jason, I heard about your new puppy "Stella" for "Stellenbosch"! I can't wait to meet her!!!
Jillian, me, Melanie, and Emily at Gordon's Bay. Our driver (Rod) is on the other side of the camera :-).
At Kayamandi last Friday we made picture frames for Mother's Day! The kids had a blast. We took photos of them last week and let them glue them on their "frames" then decorate. It's always a messy job, but such fun. I made drawings of the kids who didn't have pictures of themselves.
We had a girls-only makeover night (not like guys would want to come). I got my hair straightened by some Tennessee girls :-). I feel like I look like a politician in this photo.
Vote for Cate!!!!
PS--If you are just itching to e-mail me, which I know you are, please do! My e-mail is [email protected] (really easy, right?) or [email protected]. Sorry if I don't get back right away. I'm working on it ;-)! Really! But I'd love to hear from you guys! Snail mail is GRRRR-8, too.
