My first day in South Africa was nothing short of frightening. We arrived at the dorms after two very hectic days of traveling, and it finally hit me that I was going to be living in a foreign country for six months. I didn't know anyone, I didn't know the language, heck, I didn't even know what classes I was going to take. After carrying Free Willy (the name my family has given my suitcase..real funny, guys) up two flights of stairs and plopping the big ol' gal down in the living room, I reached in my purse and found a slip of paper. This isn't uncommon, considering 1. I am the messiest person alive, and 2. I jot down notes on random pieces of paper all day, just to cram them in the nearest bag and completely forget what I had written (kind of defeats the purpose, doesn't it?).
Anyways, this piece of paper was a bit more special. Ya see, last semester I was having a particularly rough day in College Station (I had probably just gotten back an Anatomy test), was laying in my bed contemplating the meaning of life or world hunger or something else deep and meaningful, and rolled over to see my Bible sitting on my bedside table. I'm not going to say divine intervention put it there, but I don't remember moving it. I opened it up and just started reading. Philippians is a particular favorite of mine, so I decided to start there. I'm a bit of an ADD reader and usually find myself jumping from line to line, not really reading complete sentences until I find a word I like and then I hang out there for a while. On this particular day I came across Philippians 4:6-7, fell in love, and immediately wrote it down on the nearest piece of paper I could find. Thankfully, I didn't have to search far because my room looked like Hurricane Katrina's debris junk yard. I jammed the paper in my purse, and went about my day with new-found optimism. It wasn't until the day I arrived in my flat in Africa that I found it again, and it brought me immediate comfort.
The point of the story is this: sometimes the tiniest event can happen and you don't realize how meaningful it is until four months down the road when you're stranded in a foreign country, feeling like the loneliest person who has ever lived, and wondering what the heck made you want to move to Africa. Upon finding the paper, and more importantly, the verse, in my bag I suddenly didn't feel so alone after all. The thing is, you don't have to constantly be surrounded by a ton of people to be content. Sometimes all you need is a piece of paper...
And what kind of blogger would I be without actually showing you the verse?
Philippians 4:6-7
6 Don't worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Can I get an "amen"?
This verse got me through not only the first few days, but also the past few, that I have spent here in Africa. I will never complain about being here, because I know that I am living out the opportunity of a lifetime and am fortunate enough to be doing something that many only dream of, but at the same time, I want all of my friends and family at home to know that I care about you and value your friendship and companionship dearly. I love all of you.
See you soon! XOXO
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Monday, February 21, 2011
Workin' For The Weekend
Many of my friends like to tell me I am "the most ridiculous person" they've ever met, and I always wonder what they mean..until now.
Today Sam and I went to lunch, had a few drinks, and decided it was time to be "working women." We rushed to the library, typed up a quick resume, and headed downtown to pass them out. The first place we stopped in is a really cute pizzeria and italian restaurant, Col 'Cacchio. It has a huge courtyard full of bustling tables, cobblestone floors, and cute waiters. Basically, it's the definition of precious.
Sam and I waltzed right in and asked to speak to the manager, and after a few failed attempts at conversations, we ended up with the right woman..
Me: Excuse me, I was wondering if I could drop this resume off just in case you guys would be hiring any time soon.
Manager: (takes the resume from me and literally does not look at it once) Hm. Well, when can you start?
Me: Whenever you need me to :)
Manager: Come in Friday.
That's it. No mention of a time, what to wear, anything. At this point Sam gets angry because it was her idea to go on a job search anyways, so she buts in to the conversation..
Sam: Well, I was wanting to drop off my resume too, but I forgot it at home.
Manager: Oh, okay. You can come in on Friday, too.
And just like that, we have jobs. Getting a job is a piece of cake! Or pizza...depending on where you work.
Today Sam and I went to lunch, had a few drinks, and decided it was time to be "working women." We rushed to the library, typed up a quick resume, and headed downtown to pass them out. The first place we stopped in is a really cute pizzeria and italian restaurant, Col 'Cacchio. It has a huge courtyard full of bustling tables, cobblestone floors, and cute waiters. Basically, it's the definition of precious.
Sam and I waltzed right in and asked to speak to the manager, and after a few failed attempts at conversations, we ended up with the right woman..
Me: Excuse me, I was wondering if I could drop this resume off just in case you guys would be hiring any time soon.
Manager: (takes the resume from me and literally does not look at it once) Hm. Well, when can you start?
Me: Whenever you need me to :)
Manager: Come in Friday.
That's it. No mention of a time, what to wear, anything. At this point Sam gets angry because it was her idea to go on a job search anyways, so she buts in to the conversation..
Sam: Well, I was wanting to drop off my resume too, but I forgot it at home.
Manager: Oh, okay. You can come in on Friday, too.
And just like that, we have jobs. Getting a job is a piece of cake! Or pizza...depending on where you work.
Cederberg Mountains: Baboons Are No Joke
A few weekends ago our entire program went on a weekend long trip to the Cederberg Mountains, which are about 4 hours North West of Stellenbosch. The car ride was anything but entertaining, so Sam and I decided to make our own fun, a bit at the expense of the other passengers in the van. Sorry guys, but I can't be blamed for the radio playing my favorite song the entire way there. (If you know me, you know I love a good dance party).
Friday
That afternoon, we arrived at the mountains for a weekend of campfires, hiking, and no cell phone reception (dun dun dunnn). You can already guess what we were all the most scared of. At night we had a good ol' fashioned Braai, which is basically South Africa's version of a barbeque. The food was so good that Sam decided to stop being a vegetarian.
After dinner we went for a late night hike (when I say hike, I mean five minute walk at a slight incline) with Rachel's star chart to try to do some star gazing, but it really just turned into us filming a ton of videos about our love of NEATure. After our "hike" we had a sleepover that rivals 7th grade cheerleading slumber parties. At first the room situation was myself, Sam, Rachel and Kenzie in one room of the cabin and Lo and Christa in the other. BUT, a wild, ravenous, african spider was spotted in Lo and Christa's room, and we're not here to kill defenseless creatures (or, more precisely, we don't have the guts to get close enough), so we decided moving their beds in our room would be a better idea. The end result? A room with absolutely no walking space and a ton of giggling until three in the morning.
Saturday
We woke up at the crack of 7:00 to hike the mountain. It's no secret that I'm not a morning person in any way, shape, or form, but my roommates and I managed to climb out of bed and make it to the vans in time. I don't think any of us knew exactly what we were getting ourselves in to when we signed up for the hike, but upon arrival to the mountain we were all dumbfounded at how huge it was. The only way to go was up, so that's what we did!
On the way down the mountain all of us were so exhausted we could barely walk. If anyone stopped for even a few seconds their legs would shake uncontrollably, it was actually pretty crazy to watch!
When we arrived at our cabins we realized that the wild baboons we were told about earlier in the day were up to no good during our hike. Apparently, they can open doors, which I think is just about the creepiest thing I've ever heard. So, while we were gone, they made themselves at home in every cabin but ours, thank goodness! Some of the baboons even took the liberty of going to the bathroom on peoples beds. Umm..sleep tight?
After getting over the trauma of primates invading the campsite, we all made our way to the local winery for a wine tasting! The vineyards were so gorgeous, and so was the winery manager, so the girls and I were having a great time. After sampling about ten wines it was time to make our purchases. I bought a bottle of this awesome wine called Cederberger, which is a blend of 50% Merlot, 30% Pinotage and 20% Shiraz. I'm not sure if my math is correct, but I believe that adds up to 100% awesome. Mom and Mrs. Ferguson, get ready because there is a bottle headed your way as well!
Monday, February 14, 2011
Happy Valentine's Day!
Isn't it funny how people can make your day, even from two continents away? Two awesome things happened today: (is it just me, or did all of that rhyme?)
1. My mom sent me the cutest text message ever, and even though I'm probably one of the least sappy people alive, I felt the need to share it:
Hey babe, I put $__ in your account. HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY! Buy something nice and memorable from me to you. I wish I was there to give it to you. Send me a picture of what you get and take your time to pick it out. I love you, mom.
She is the best mom ever!
2. Wyatt is officially coming to visit me over his spring break! I'm so excited! I've already started planning a ton of fun stuff for us to do and I only found out 15 minutes ago.
Love you both :) and HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY to everyone else!
P.S. I'll type up a huge post about this past weekend in Cederberg soon.
1. My mom sent me the cutest text message ever, and even though I'm probably one of the least sappy people alive, I felt the need to share it:
Hey babe, I put $__ in your account. HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY! Buy something nice and memorable from me to you. I wish I was there to give it to you. Send me a picture of what you get and take your time to pick it out. I love you, mom.
She is the best mom ever!
Love you (and your stellar fashion sense) mommy!
This picture is perfection. Can't wait to see (and embarrass) you soon!
Love you both :) and HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY to everyone else!
P.S. I'll type up a huge post about this past weekend in Cederberg soon.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Abe Had it Right
Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be. -Abraham Lincoln
Can I get an "amen?" Today was my first day of the Kayamandi Project and it was such an eye opening experience. These kids have absolutely nothing and are the happiest little bunch I've ever seen. I-love-them.
It's not all fun and games though. The beginning of the day started out a bit rough. Last night my roommate and I decided to start our laundry at 12:30, so we didn't finish until 3:00 in the morning. (Now you know why I never do laundry). Anyways, I had to be dressed and ready to go by 8:00 this morning and that's no easy feat for me even after an entire season of hibernation, much less a night of my least favorite activity ever. But, I survived and made it to the bus with plenty of time. There are 15 girls doing the pre-primary school program and about half of us are here with AIFS so it was nice to see some familiar faces. We arrived at the school, unloaded the bus, and were immediately assigned our classrooms we would be helping in for the semester.
My teacher's name was Vitika and she's amazing. She has to be the most patient woman I've ever met, considering she handles a classroom of over 30 pre-K students on a daily basis. And don't even get me started on the kids. As soon as we walked in they were smiling, waving, and blowing kisses in our direction. Obviously I was eating this up big time. And oh my goodness they are all so precious. They have to wear uniforms, and nothing gets me like well dressed children. I don't understand how they do it, though. It was well over 90 degrees outside, there is no air conditioning in all of Kayamandi, and they were all prancing around in slacks and sweater vests. Goodness, I loved it.
Recess was the most fun I've had since, well, since pre-K! It was a bit difficult to interact with them at first because of the language barrier (they speak isiXhosa, the language with the clicking) but after a while we all figured out how to communicate without having to speak. I even taught some of them how to play patty cake..in English! At one point there was a line of about 40 kids (I'm actually not overexaggerating for once) waiting to do the flip game. Now, some of you might not have a super cool Uncle Danny who played the flip game with you when you were little, so let me explain. You face each other, hold hands, and the kid runs up your stomach and does a flip. I got the arm workout of a lifetime today. Seriously, I'm struggling to type. At one point a rather...well fed....little boy ran up to me with a toothless grin and said "NEXT! NEXT!" I was actually terrified.
OH! And probably the most worthwhile thing I've done since I've been in Africa happened today. We were all inside the classroom and the kids were playing with legos, baby dolls, and toy cars. One of the boys came up to me with the proudest grin and said "teecha, look!" He was holding a machine gun made out of legos. Really. It was gigantic. I wouldn't be surprised if it actually worked. On one hand, the kid definitely has a future in engineering, but I didn't think he was channeling his "talent" in the right way so I decided to help. I took the gun and said "this isn't nice!" with the saddest looking face I could make. Just as I was about to take it apart to make something else I realized something: I have no idea how to make anything cool out of legos. What the heck was I supposed to make this boy that's cooler than a machine gun? So naturally I started to wing it and ended up with a pretty sweet looking plane. I showed him how to make it fly and before you know it I had 30 lego machine guns thrown at me and all the boys were chanting "Plane! Plane! Plane!" I got super into it and, don't tell anyone, but I started sneaking the cooler looking legos from the girls so I could make even bigger, better jets. The kids loved it, and I feel good about them not playing with guns now!
Don't worry Africa, my work here isn't done.
Can I get an "amen?" Today was my first day of the Kayamandi Project and it was such an eye opening experience. These kids have absolutely nothing and are the happiest little bunch I've ever seen. I-love-them.
It's not all fun and games though. The beginning of the day started out a bit rough. Last night my roommate and I decided to start our laundry at 12:30, so we didn't finish until 3:00 in the morning. (Now you know why I never do laundry). Anyways, I had to be dressed and ready to go by 8:00 this morning and that's no easy feat for me even after an entire season of hibernation, much less a night of my least favorite activity ever. But, I survived and made it to the bus with plenty of time. There are 15 girls doing the pre-primary school program and about half of us are here with AIFS so it was nice to see some familiar faces. We arrived at the school, unloaded the bus, and were immediately assigned our classrooms we would be helping in for the semester.
My teacher's name was Vitika and she's amazing. She has to be the most patient woman I've ever met, considering she handles a classroom of over 30 pre-K students on a daily basis. And don't even get me started on the kids. As soon as we walked in they were smiling, waving, and blowing kisses in our direction. Obviously I was eating this up big time. And oh my goodness they are all so precious. They have to wear uniforms, and nothing gets me like well dressed children. I don't understand how they do it, though. It was well over 90 degrees outside, there is no air conditioning in all of Kayamandi, and they were all prancing around in slacks and sweater vests. Goodness, I loved it.
Recess was the most fun I've had since, well, since pre-K! It was a bit difficult to interact with them at first because of the language barrier (they speak isiXhosa, the language with the clicking) but after a while we all figured out how to communicate without having to speak. I even taught some of them how to play patty cake..in English! At one point there was a line of about 40 kids (I'm actually not overexaggerating for once) waiting to do the flip game. Now, some of you might not have a super cool Uncle Danny who played the flip game with you when you were little, so let me explain. You face each other, hold hands, and the kid runs up your stomach and does a flip. I got the arm workout of a lifetime today. Seriously, I'm struggling to type. At one point a rather...well fed....little boy ran up to me with a toothless grin and said "NEXT! NEXT!" I was actually terrified.
OH! And probably the most worthwhile thing I've done since I've been in Africa happened today. We were all inside the classroom and the kids were playing with legos, baby dolls, and toy cars. One of the boys came up to me with the proudest grin and said "teecha, look!" He was holding a machine gun made out of legos. Really. It was gigantic. I wouldn't be surprised if it actually worked. On one hand, the kid definitely has a future in engineering, but I didn't think he was channeling his "talent" in the right way so I decided to help. I took the gun and said "this isn't nice!" with the saddest looking face I could make. Just as I was about to take it apart to make something else I realized something: I have no idea how to make anything cool out of legos. What the heck was I supposed to make this boy that's cooler than a machine gun? So naturally I started to wing it and ended up with a pretty sweet looking plane. I showed him how to make it fly and before you know it I had 30 lego machine guns thrown at me and all the boys were chanting "Plane! Plane! Plane!" I got super into it and, don't tell anyone, but I started sneaking the cooler looking legos from the girls so I could make even bigger, better jets. The kids loved it, and I feel good about them not playing with guns now!
Don't worry Africa, my work here isn't done.
A Creature of Habit
I hate to admit it, but I am a creature of habit. Don't get me wrong, this in no way means I'm organized. Actually, it's quite the opposite. For example, I have developed the habit of never, ever, ever doing my laundry. By this I mean, last semester I did laundry twice. It's actually a pretty vicious cycle. Ya see, blonde girl logic (as I like to call it) tells me that if I just buy more clothes I'll never have to wash the others and will always be in style. WIN-WIN! The only problem is, eventually you have to get the job done and then it takes two weeks, $50 of laundry detergent, and a lot of yelling from my moms side of the house. Woops! Anyways, I also have a habit of going to the same restaurant every day for like, two months. Just ask Alyssa or Alex, they both got dragged to Los Cucos last semester more times than I can remember. (I can't turn down a $2 margarita, it's sinful). Now that I've been living in South Africa for a while I figured it was about time I started a routine here as well, and thankfully I found a little cafe that makes the job pretty easy.
Sam and I stumbled upon Nook one day when we were dying of hunger (not because we were hungry, but because we're overdramatic), and needed a place stat. We walked in, faked English accents (mine actually worked, hers failed within 30 seconds) and fell in LOVE. Now it's gotten to the point where the owner just nods at us when we walk in and brings us our usual pitcher of water with lemon. Check out how adorable this place is:
Sam and I stumbled upon Nook one day when we were dying of hunger (not because we were hungry, but because we're overdramatic), and needed a place stat. We walked in, faked English accents (mine actually worked, hers failed within 30 seconds) and fell in LOVE. Now it's gotten to the point where the owner just nods at us when we walk in and brings us our usual pitcher of water with lemon. Check out how adorable this place is:
The best part is, it's owned by the most precious twenty-something couple in the entire world. And, if I don't gain 50 pounds from the chocolate croissants it will be a metabolic miracle.
Whatever, I think I'll go get one now...
Best News Ever Times Two!
As if I wasn't excited enough already that two of my favorite people on Earth, Katie and Keith, are getting married, today Katie asked me to be a bridesmaid! I'm so honored and excited it's out of control. My favorite part of their engagement is that the exact night that it happened, Wyatt and I were out at dinner talking about how perfect Keith and Katie are together. I'm not saying I'm the next Mrs. Cleo, but I'm not denying it either.
And speaking of Wyatt, he might come visit for spring break! It's a pretty big, fat "might," but I'm optimistic!
The beautiful couple!
And speaking of Wyatt, he might come visit for spring break! It's a pretty big, fat "might," but I'm optimistic!
20 Minute Hikes Don't Exist
As per usual, I haven't updated in forever and now have about 200 things to talk about. Because of my laziness, this post will probably take me roughly four hours to write. SCORE! Andddd away we go...
Mt. Stellenbosch: Consider Yourself Hiked
I finished my last post just as we were about to go to yoga and Mt. Stellenbosch. Well, yoga was a joke. Literally. Sam and I laughed the entire time. We were totally "those people" that are still immature about everything. The fact that the instructor didn't kick us out is a miracle.
The mountain was a lot more challenging than we expected, but it ended up being a ton of fun and a really good bonding experience!
Cliff Jumping: How NOT To Do It
The girls and I woke up one bright and shiny afternoon (catch a pattern here with our sleep habits?) to a text message from some South African guy friends of ours that they were going cliff jumping and thought we should join. Well, why the heck not, right? Here's the deal about cliff jumping where I'm from. The boys, and any brave girls, all stand at the top of a cliff that is easily accessible by car and jump while their less gutsy friends stand and watch in awe. Well, we're not in Kansas anymore, Toto. We arrived at the beach in frilly sundresses, bikinis, flip flops, and headaches from studying too late the night before (HA!). The boys said it was a, and I quote, "20 minute walk to where we jump." Okay, 20 minutes? Not too shabby. I mean, we're 21 year old semi athletic girls, this is do-able. SIKE! After about 45 minutes of intense hiking we realized we were either A. being kidnapped or B. being completely stupid to believe boys knew what they were talking about. I'm still here, so I think we all know what the outcome was. Even though I nearly passed out, Sam broke her flip flops, and Christa almost fell to hear death a few times, the site we ended up at was nothing short of breathtaking. I hope these pictures do it any bit of justice.
Kayamandi: How I Almost Adopted 50 Children
Oh. My. Goodness. If you know me at all you know I'm basically obsessed with little kids. Not in a creepy, don't let me babysit, kind of way. I just think they're the best! I wrote earlier about how I would be volunteering at Kayamandi this semester, and last Friday we had a tour of the township to familiarize ourselves before our first day. First of all, I can guarantee you that you haven't seen poverty like this. Sam and I got off the bus and I grabbed her hand and whispered "umm, are we safe?" Her reply? "I have no idea." As we walked around we realized the people there are actually really nice, but I'm a paranoid American and not afraid to admit it.
Mt. Stellenbosch: Consider Yourself Hiked
I finished my last post just as we were about to go to yoga and Mt. Stellenbosch. Well, yoga was a joke. Literally. Sam and I laughed the entire time. We were totally "those people" that are still immature about everything. The fact that the instructor didn't kick us out is a miracle.
The mountain was a lot more challenging than we expected, but it ended up being a ton of fun and a really good bonding experience!
The mountain, pre hike.
Sam and Rachel leading the wolf pack.
Rachel, me and Christa ready to go!
Just enjoying the view!
The view from the top was gorgeous! We decided we're definitely doing this hike again soon.
Cliff Jumping: How NOT To Do It
The girls and I woke up one bright and shiny afternoon (catch a pattern here with our sleep habits?) to a text message from some South African guy friends of ours that they were going cliff jumping and thought we should join. Well, why the heck not, right? Here's the deal about cliff jumping where I'm from. The boys, and any brave girls, all stand at the top of a cliff that is easily accessible by car and jump while their less gutsy friends stand and watch in awe. Well, we're not in Kansas anymore, Toto. We arrived at the beach in frilly sundresses, bikinis, flip flops, and headaches from studying too late the night before (HA!). The boys said it was a, and I quote, "20 minute walk to where we jump." Okay, 20 minutes? Not too shabby. I mean, we're 21 year old semi athletic girls, this is do-able. SIKE! After about 45 minutes of intense hiking we realized we were either A. being kidnapped or B. being completely stupid to believe boys knew what they were talking about. I'm still here, so I think we all know what the outcome was. Even though I nearly passed out, Sam broke her flip flops, and Christa almost fell to hear death a few times, the site we ended up at was nothing short of breathtaking. I hope these pictures do it any bit of justice.
Note to self: if it looks like it takes more than 20 minutes to hike, it takes more than 20 minutes to hike.
Most gorgeous place ever! We swam out to this rock to sunbathe and rest for a while.
Standard. Apparently boys everywhere have to show off.
Leon, Rachel and I taking a break from swimming.
Totally worth it!
Kayamandi: How I Almost Adopted 50 Children
Oh. My. Goodness. If you know me at all you know I'm basically obsessed with little kids. Not in a creepy, don't let me babysit, kind of way. I just think they're the best! I wrote earlier about how I would be volunteering at Kayamandi this semester, and last Friday we had a tour of the township to familiarize ourselves before our first day. First of all, I can guarantee you that you haven't seen poverty like this. Sam and I got off the bus and I grabbed her hand and whispered "umm, are we safe?" Her reply? "I have no idea." As we walked around we realized the people there are actually really nice, but I'm a paranoid American and not afraid to admit it.
The homes that they live in.
Where everybody knows your name?
An orphanage in Kayamandi that a local church opened a few years ago.
These toilets are all shared by over 10 houses, which means over 50 people could use the same toilet every day. Sure makes you appreciate what you have, eh?
These kiddos were all so excited to get their picture taken!
All of the kids rushed up to us after they got out of school to take pictures, talk, and hug us. One little girl was holding my hand and trying to not let me walk away and I literally almost started crying. Why can't I just help all of them?
He was running up to us, tripped, and started crying. I felt so bad! And he didn't know how to tie his shoes so I helped him out. They're all so adorable and sweet!
I start at Kayamandi tomorrow morning and I'm SO excited! I'll be working in a Pre-K class from 8:00-12:00 so it should be quite interesting!
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