10K and Montagu

On Sunday the 15^th I ran my first ever 10K and it was hard but really fun. I did it with Pieter’s mom and one of his friends. By the end my legs were not too happy with me but I am really glad I was able to do it. I definitely did not train enough so the next two days I was really really sore but overall it was great!

Montagu is a farming town that is about 2 and a half hours away from Cape Town. Pieter, Shannan, Caleb and I left on Sunday afternoon to go camping there. The campground was about 5 miles out of town on one of Pieter’s friend’s family’s farm. It was absolutely gorgeous and we had a blast. It was really neat since we were there Sunday through Wednesday there was no one there but us. So it was like we had our own campground. It was also a really nice place really it was amazing. On Monday we toured the town of Montagu enjoying some local food and then went for a drive to some of the local vineyards. And on Tuesday we went for a drive to another local small town and then came back and enjoyed the beauty of our campground. Overall it was a good time with great people and it was hard to leave. On Thursday I head out to the Eastern Cape for 10 days of fun and vacation. I will post when I get back!!!

Children's Home

This was an awesome experience and I loved this week. It was really neat in the way that the home was actually a home for these kids. It did not feel like an orphange and you could tell that they all loved living there. There were 11 boys and 4 girls that live in the home with 3 Sisses (age 25-35) and one Mama. The Sisses and the Mama take care of the kids and they really are a family. It was also different that the kids were well behaved, yes hey could be naughty but they weren't like the troubled kids you often find in our foster system in America. These kids behaved like any other would in a family structure. I could really tell that they each now have a future and a hopeful future because of the children's home. They don't like pictures to be posted of the kids online so I won't post any but if I have any of the home I will post them on my facebook when I get a chance. What I did while I was there was helped paint three rooms and then helped run activities for them after school. I really enjoyed the experience and hope I can go back again before I leave.

I wanted to let you all know that I will out of internet reach for awhile. I leave on Sunday to go camping with Pieter, Shannan and Caleb till Wednesday and then I leave for Eastern Cape till the 29th. So until then you probably won't hear from me but if I can I will post.

Long overdue Update!!!

I am very sorry for the long hiatus on my blog. I got extremely busy with finals at the end of March and then haven’t had too much consistent internet access for the last week an a half. To recap on the last month:

At the end of March I finished up the school course section of my stay here. I had a bit of a struggle with the different grading system here but I think I did well in all my classes. I am still waiting to hear my final grades but will figure that out soon. Overall I really enjoyed the courses that I took here and I believe that the experience was invaluable. I know that I learned things that have really changed my outlook on the world and Africa as a whole, especially the country of South Africa.

As some of you know I got engaged on April fools (it was posted on facebook), I got some people but overall it was a fun joke that Pieter and I appreciated playing on family and friends. I think the best part was the people that came up to Pieter’s mom in church and congratulated her. After our short engagement I started my service-learning course. The first week (last week) was an emersion experience where we lived and worked in the township. Townships are settlements inside the Cape Town area that were created during apartheid that are generally still racially segregated. They aren’t exactly slums or the ghetto but they are the poorest areas of Cape Town. We didn’t live in shacks, which make up the most of township, but instead stayed in homes that were built by the government post-apartheid in order to combat poverty and increase the standard of living. My friend Shannan and I lived with a black Xhosa (the X is actually a click sound, next time you see me ask me to pronounce it for you and I will!) South African family. During the day we painted a house for an elderly woman in the church we were working through and also laid a concrete ramp for a disabled man. You can check out photos on my facebook. It was definitely a tough challenge and I was exhausted and the end of every day but it was also very rewarding. I also really enjoyed being able to spend time with my Xhosa family and the community atmosphere of the township. Townships are notorious for being dangerous but at no time was I scared and instead I felt really safe where I was. I think it is another experience here that I will treasure.

We left the township on Good Friday and I spent Easter weekend with Pieter and his family. It is not that bit of a deal here as far as the candy side of things as it is in the States but it was still a good weekend. This week we are working in a children’s home, which is a place for abandoned, neglected, or orphaned children. Tuesday was our first day and I already know I am really going to enjoy this experience. The kids are great but I will hopefully write something at the end of this week and tell you more about the home.

I can’t believe that I have been here for over 3 months. It is really crazy to think of how many things I have done and how much I have learned. I feel like this has already been such a life changing experience and I still have a month and a half left. I don’t have as consistent connection to the internet now as I did before but I will try to be better with updates on my life.

For now my schedule for April looks like:

April 10-13 Work at Children’s home

April 15 I am running/walking a 10k with Pieter and his friend

April 15-18 Either Camping or Beach House getaway with Pieter and Shannan and Caleb

April 19-28 Vacation trip with other Americans to another Provence of SA (Eastern Cape)