Jaws

Thursday, April 2^nd

We left Cape Town early on Thursday Morning.  We headed straight for Hermanus.  It was only about a two hour drive, so we got to Hermanus rather early.  We stopped at the hostel, Hermanus Backpackers, and then went for a drive.  We drove through the town and found a little café on the beach to enjoy some hot chocolate.  We walked the beach until it started to sprinkle.  We decided to head back towards the hostel.  We stopped in the town center to shop at the local markets and stores.  I found this funky little shop that I could have spent loads of money in.  I ended buying some things from them, but definitely not as much as I could have!  I went for broke for the second day in the row.  We went back to hostel to relax before dinner.  After going out for dinner, we returned to the hostel.  We knew we had an early morning the next day. I stayed up and played games with a ten year old who was staying with her family at the hostel.  She is from Cape Town and LOVED One Direction.  I heard all about the heartbreaking split of one of the members leaving the band.  I had a great time at Hermanus Backpackers, especially when I got to play with their two cats and one dog.  It was a charming place that I wish I could have had more time at.

Friday, April 3^rd

We had an extremely early morning on Friday.  We had to be in GaansBaai by 7 a.m. and we were about an hour away.  When we got there, early of course, no one was there.  There were a handful of cage shark diving shops all next to each other, and the place we were going was the only one not open quite yet.  Within about ten minutes someone was there to open up.  They fed us a breakfast as the entire group slowly arrived.  They take up to 25 people out each time.  We signed our lives away and waited for the last of the group to come.  We then loaded the boat, and got ready to head out!  It was very surreal as to what we were about to do.  On the boat, they handed out the wet suits.  Chris and I were the first two in the cage.  They put five people in at a time.  The cage is about six or so feet tall.  Most of the cage is underwater, but about one foot or less is left above.  As the tide rocks the boat, the amount of the cage above water, or lack there of, varies.  It was not diving or even snorkeling.  You just hold your breath as you go under water.  I managed to only swallow the ocean water once on the whole excursion.  While we were in the cage the first time, one of the other girls in the cage kept throwing up from sea sickness.  This caused no sharks to come towards the boat.  We did however see some dolphins swim past.  We got out of the cage and sure enough, the sharks came!  I jumped right back in the cage.  I was fumbling with my goggles like crazy.  The sharks would swim right next to the cage.  The water clarity was poor, but they would get close enough that it did not matter.  My emotions were a mess of adrenaline and fear.  I went down one last time, and it was the best time.  The last shark that we saw was fighting to get the bait.  He struggled to pull the whole rope down right in front of the cage.  I do not know how the shark managed not to hit the cage.  Everyone in the cage was screaming.  We were terrifies and excited all at once.  It was the perfect way to end the adventure.  Once on shore we ate lunch and then headed back on the road for the last stop of our road trip journey. 

This picture is self-explanatory.

Robbins Island

Wednesday, April 1^st

On Wednesday, I went to Robbins Island.  The boat left early in the morning from the waterfront in Cape Town.  The ride to the island was chilly but very beautiful.  I saw some penguins and seals swimming on the way there.  Also, right as we approached the island, we came across a large whale.  We had to stop the boat and wait for the whale to pass before we could continue.  I only saw the top of part of the whale, but it was definitely bigger than the boat I was on!  After arriving at the island, the group was guided through the prison by a former prisoner.  He shared his stories and some history about the prison.  He guided us through part of the prison and showed us Nelson Mandela’s former cell.  There was then a bus tour around the island.  The houses and school for the prison guards and their families.  We went to one point on the island where you could see perfectly Cape Town and Table Mountain.  It was amazing.  After returning from Robins Island, I FINALLY had a decent bloody mary at a pub on the water front. After lunch, since it was our last day in Cape Town, we wondered around Green Market Square and Long Street.  We had walked around already, but I hadn't bought anything.  It was very nice, because our hotel was right next to the market.  I could wander around all afternoon until they started closing down their shops.  It was a perfect way to end the Cape Town portion of the trip.

This is a picture looking towards Cape Town from Robbin Island. 

Penguins!

Tuesday, March 31^st

I started the day attempting to go to Robbins Island.  It was an epic fail.  Apparently Robbins Island sells out the day before.  I purchased tickets for the next day and changed our plans.  We did an impromptu drive to the Simons Town and the Cape of Good Hope.  The drive to Simons Town proved excruciating.  I thought construction in the United States was bad.  South Africa road construction never actually ends.  We finally made it to Simons Town.  They have a board walk built to walk around the area with the penguins.  They have built nests for the penguins, and the penguins still build some of their own nests.  It was amazing to see the penguins in their natural environment.  Some were on the shore and hidden in the bushes.  Others were going in and out of the water.  I even saw one recently hatched baby.  The penguin would not let the baby out very far, so I never got a good picture, but the baby was so tiny and fluffy.  It was great to see how they naturally are, not in a zoo.  I could have stayed there all day and just watched the penguins.  Unfortunately, we had to leave to get to the Cape of Good Hope. We hiked up to the cape lighthouse.  The views were spectacular.  The ocean was very clear along the cape’s coastline.  I hiked for a short while around the cape.  Then I enjoyed a nice late lunch overlooking the cape.  The views are spectacular at the cape.  We even saw more baboons at the cape.  We then drove back to the city to call it a day.

If you look carefully you will see the baby. 

Monkeys and Mountains

Monday, March 30th

Still in Cape Town, we joined the hop-on/hop-off bus tour again.  This time we took the bus to World of Birds Wildlife Sanctuary and Monkey Park.  We spent all morning walking around and looking at all of the various birds and monkeys.  It was so fun to see all of the different birds and other animals interacting with each other.  Some were sectioned off to certain areas, while others you could find in almost every room.  The owls would even situate themselves right by the door like they purposely wanted to give everyone a good scare as they walked in/out of the rooms.  We even went into one area where you can sit down and let the monkeys climb on you.  There was an older lady who had been volunteering at the park for over 20 years.  She said when she first started, the monkeys were in a smaller cage.  Now, they have an entire room to climb around freely.  She goes in everyday and makes sure people do not hold the monkeys.  She gets to let monkeys climb on her all day long.  I think I have never been more jealous of somebody in my entire life.  We then had some great fish at the marina for lunch.  After, we returned to the hotel and made our way to Table Mountain.  We spent the entire afternoon walking around the top of the mountain.  The views were spectacular.  We strategically planned on going in the afternoon to catch the sunset.  The sunset was very beautiful from the mountain.  After it got dark, we drove back to the hotel.  

This is a picture from the top of Table Mountain. 

Wine fixes everything

Sunday, March 29th

While still sick from drinking the bad Mossel Bay water, Chris and I decided to do the 'hop-on hop-off'bus tour of Cape Town. Big surprise: we hopped off at the Constantia wine route. We first went to the Groot Constantia wine estate. We did a wine tasting of five wines each, including the award winning chardonnay. We then followed the wine by the winery tour. They showed us part of the estate and the process of making wine. They talked about the differences between red and white wine. The guide even showed and explained the process of making corks. After spending a number of hours there, we went to Eagles' Nest. We enjoyed some more wine tasting and had a snack platter. After we finished at Eagles' Nest, we hopped back on the bus. By the time we had finished at both wineries, it was time to head back to the hotel. Even though we did not accomplish much, we had fun at the wineries, obviously.

This picture is from the sign at Eagles' Nest Winery. Much truth.

Skydive

I disregarded my blog over the holiday. However, I will begin a week (or so) of some recaps. To begin I will talk about my skydive again. 

On Saturday, March 28th, I went skydiving. It was through Tandem Skydive Mossel Bay. I jumped out of the tiniest plane from 10,000 ft. This plane could literally only hold four people and the driver. And that's with us packed together on the floor, and no door. I repeat, there was no door on the plane. We took about a 15 minute plane ride over Mossel Bay. This is one of the most amazing things to do. You could see the mountains, the country side, the city, the ocean. It was breathtaking. I was glad there was no door. I could see everything so clearly. We were above the few clouds that were out. It was unbelievable. Then, I did what I never thought I would ever do, I jumped out (more like fell out) of the plane. We did two or three summer saults during our free fall. I felt like my skin was sliding off my face. Even though I didn't scream the entire time, the wind was so strong that I couldn't close my mouth. Then, once the parachute deployed, I got to help control the chute. We glided over mossel bay for awhile before landing. Skydiving was definitely one of the most exhilarating and CRAZY things I have ever done! 

This picture is shortly before the parachute opened, ending the free fall. Incase I needed any help with my insecurity over my huge earlobes, this picture confirms that my ears do in fact hang low, wobble to and fro, I could tie them in a knot, and I could tie them in a bow. 

Ups and downs

Yesterday morning, Chris and I left for Cape Town. We rented a car and drove to Mossel Bay. We made a pit stop in Port Elizabeth for a GREAT seafood lunch at Ocean Basket. We then made it to Mossel Bay around 6:30 P.M. We stayed at Santos Express Train Lodge. It's a train that's converted into a backpackers lodge now! Every room had a view of the ocean. It was very quaint and cute. Then this morning, I went skydiving! It was very exhilarating, and I would deffintely do it again! I jumped from 10,000 feet and even did summer saults. I have he video and will load poctures later. We then headed out for Cape Town. What I thought was nerves this morning before skydiving, turned into serious sickness on the four hour drive to Cape Town. It took everything in me not to get sick. We arrived to Cape Town about 4:30 and I was white as a sheet. I really just wanted to sleep. We got to the hostel I had booked, and it was everything the movies portrayed: terrible neighborhood, sketchy rooms, gave you the creeps. We decided to leave and find the closest hotel. I was doing everything I could to hold it together. We finally found a Holiday Inn Express, and decided the extra money was well worth it. I've since been cooped up for he night in the hotel room. After puking and napping, I was able to consume some bread and soup broth. I'm now rehydrating myself. The front desk lady says she has heard people say there is bad water in Mossel Bay, and to make sure I keep hydrated now. She is going to send me to a chemist if I still feel sick tomorrow. I feel much better, however, but very thankful for her help! I will no longer be drinking water that I don't know is safe! Now it is time for a much needed good night of sleep before embarking on Cape Town tomorrow! Staying at the hotel does make this feel like more of a vacation! 

Sunday Funday

We had quite the day on Sunday.  We woke up early and went to Inkwenkwezi Private Game Reserve.  Emily and I rode elephants from their elephant sanctuary. My elephant was 17 years old; Emily's elephant was 13 years old. We took an hour ride through part of the reserve. During the ride the guides told us tons of elephant facts. Following the elephant ride, we played with the cheetahs.  Since the cheetahs have grown up at the game reserve, they are very tame and love attention. They had three cheetahs on the reserve, and are planning on releasing them into the wild in the next year. We finished the day by returning to Mpongo Private Game Reserve. We ate from their brunch buffet and watched them feed the two hippos. Sadly, while we were at Mpongo, one of the lion cubs got caught in the electric fence. They got the cub out, but the cub was in serious shock. When we left the cub was still in the office resting. It was very sad to see; the cub was very young. Now I am busy planning the Cape Town Trip that will begin Friday!

This picture is from the elephant ride through Inkwenwezi. 

Celebrations

Thursday was a big day for the agency I am working at here.  They hosted their second Masikhanye Women's Solidarity Conference.  Once a week approximately 80 women show up to CATCH to receive training on a variety of issues (domestic violence, HIV & Aids, etc).  The women also receive a free lunch and a parcel with food and drinks.  Two women (one leader, one assistant) then take the parcel and host a training in their homes.  They train ten or more women from their home cells.  Masikhanye reaches over 400 community women.  This was the second year they invited all of the women to come to one place and celebrate and learn together.  The event was held at a local church in Gonubie.  There was plenty of singing, dancing, and celebrations.  There was were also speakers and representatives from influential places in the community including CMR (a social service agency), the police, and the Victim Empowerment Program (VEP).  Over 300 community women showed up in traditional South African clothing.  The theme this year was domestic violence and violence against children.  The program was very powerful, and the women had an amazing time celebrating what they have accomplished with each other through Masikhanye.

Friday night Emily and I went to my co-worker, Lisa's house for dinner.  She hosted a brai for us.  We had great food and met some more amazing people.  I am still grateful for all of the hospitality that has come from the people we have been blessed to meet on this journey.


This picture is a co-worker from CATCH having dots painted on her face at the solidarity conference.

Sniffles and Sushi

Surprise! I am sick. Typical cold and flu symptoms. Even escaping the Midwest winter can't keep the sickness away from me. However, I will not let this deter me from enjoying my time. I would much rather be sick here in South Africa than sick in Minnesota. Last week we went out for half off sushi and wine and John Dory's with CJ and Lisa, coworkers at CATCH. Then Lisa and her family took Emily and I out Friday night to a nice place in Beacon Bay for dinner and drinks. We met up with CJ and Jason and some other frinds of Lisa's. I stayed up Friday night until 3:30 Saturday morning on FaceTime with my mom. She is in South Carolina with family to celebrate her birthday. It was great to get to see and talk to all of them as well. Saturday was rainy and cloudy, so I caught up on sleep. Then Sunday, Emily and I spent all day at the beach. We had a nice lunch at a cafe and had some much needed beach time. Tonight we plan on eating some more delicious half off sushi and drinking half off wine at one of our favorite places, John Dory's. All of you Midwesterns can rest easy in your Netflix induced commas recovering from spring break knowing that even in South Africa I can catch the cold and flu.  

American Friends and Good Music

This weekend Emily and I made our way back to Port Elizabeth.  We left Thursday afternoon via Greyhound bus and arrived to our hostel late that night. Friday we walked 4.5 miles down to the boardwalk. We have the blisters on our feet to prove it! We FINALLY ate some sushi! We spent two hours at John Dory's eating sushi, calamari, and mussels. We considered moving into the restaurant , but decided to walk to the beach.  We took a nap in the grass, walked through the boardwalk shops, enjoyed a couple of drinks, and headed back for our hostel. We walked to the markets to buy something I spotted earlier, and caught a taxi for the rest of the way back.  We got ready for the night and prepared to return to the boardwalk.  A young German guy joined us for the night out.  We walked around the boardwalk trying to find Sam, and decided to give up and go to Barney's.  Then, WE FOUND SAM!! She was sitting at the bar at Barney's.  We spent the night there enjoying drinks and sharing stories. It was so great to see an American friend again. We then parted ways and said we would see each other again the next night.

On Saturday, Emily an I went to the first ALGOA Live Music Festival.  We fell in love with the first artist, Stuart Reece Band. We both really hope that he comes to the United States!  The rest of the festival was good as well.  We spent the day in the sun, drinking some good South African beer, and relaxing to good music. That night we went for more sushi for dinner. We ate at a fun sushi bar close to our hostel. We then tried to head out for the festival's after party and meet up with Sam again. However, no cabs would answer our calls, the exhaustion got to us, and we fell asleep. I woke up, but no cabs would answer me still. Sam also had trouble getting to the club we planned on going. It was a frustrating evening; I stayed up past 4 in the morning trying to connect to Sam without luck.

Sunday morning we had to catch the bus after 6 am. We sat in the bus station eating our leftover sushi waiting for the bus to arrive. Definitely a good weekend when I get to experience a South African musical festival, eat tons of sushi, and see a friend from home.

Slacking and Adventuring

It's been two weeks since I've updated (OOOOOPS!). 

I've been busy at my placement during the week days. I'm here early morning to late afternoon when the children eat and head home. I enjoy it a lot and it keeps me busy. That means that the time is going by really fast now. The last two weeks have been a flash. 

Friday, February 20th: Spent the day doing office work and homework. I spent Friday night trapping mice. We've known we had some, but finally set a trap. We caught 3 in one trap within 45 minutes. We then caught another one in the same trap within another hour. We now have poison pellets in the storage room upstairs and three traps. We have seen a couple since we have placed the poison and traps, but have failed to catch anymore. 

Saturday, February 21st: Chris had to work all day Saturday. Emily and I were exhausted from staying up with the mouse traps, and I simply could not sleep as they were in and out of my room all Friday night. We decided to still partake in a hike to Bat's Cave at Nahoon Beach. We had a lot of fun. It was a cloudy day which worked best. I only had my long lens on my camera, so I did not get the best pictures, but I will post some of Emily's on my Facebook eventually.  Along the walk, I went down along the water's edge while Emily took the bags and hiked with the other group at the top of the rocks. I got SOAKED. By a couple big waves. I also held a little octopus one of the others found in one of the pools in the rock. The cave was breathtaking and worth going, even while sleep deprived. This is one picture I managed to get with my long lens of the group that was behind me, showing part of the rock. 

Sunday, February 22nd: Due to all of us being exhausted, we spent the day at Nahoon Beach. We laid out, ate fruit, drank wine, and relaxed. A much needed day of relaxation. 

Friday, February 27th: John, Chris, Emily and I left early Friday morning. We spent the day at Addo Elephant National Park. And guess what? We FINALLY saw some elephants! Tons of them! They got almost within reach a couple times. It was a great day, and we saw a lot of animals. Emily and I particularly loved all of the warthogs we saw. We were also not the only ones calling them all Pumba. Lion King has forever branded that name to warthogs. We then had a lovely evening at the Orange Elephant Backpackers. Hard to pick one picture to post, but I really enjoy these two lovey dovey elephants :)

Saturday, February 28th: We left Addo early to go to Tsitsikamma. Emily and I bungy jumped from "the worlds highest bridge bungy". 216 meters. It was an amazing adrenaline rush. We then went ziplining through the trees. We made an impromptu overnight stay in Jeffery's Bay with John's friends due to our longer than expected day. They hosted a delicious braai and we enjoyed the evening with their lovely 5 children and listened to their stories about living in China and California! It was amazing to hear their stories! Obviously I must post my bungy picture :) 

Sunday, March 1st: Being Jeffery's Bay is a surf mecca, we went to the surf shop outlets in the morning, walked along the beach, and finally headed back for home. We had a long and late lunch in Port Elizabeth. Emily, Chris, and I all enjoyed some GREAT fresh yellowtail at a pub. We then got back on the road and finally arrived back home after dark.

Monday, March 2nd: Sadly I have to report the slow, but expected death of my laptop. It's being looked at by the most highly recommended laptop technicians in East London, but they think it is the mother board which they say is not worth replacing. Most likely I will have to buy an entry level computer to last me through this trip for my studies. I dropped it off this morning, but am expected to hear the official bad news by end of the business day today. My computer issues have been a partial reason to my lack of posting, it has been immobile for about a week now, but even becoming a desktop dweller at the house didn't last. :'( I thought the old clunker would get me through until I finished the semster, looks like I will have to spend that money sooner than I thought. 

We have fun things planned for this weekend again! Stay tuned! 

Valentines Day Fun

Molo!

This weekend was another adventurous one to unwind from a long work week. James (John's brother) was nice enough to invite us over to his house for pizza and rugby Friday night. We learned the basics; however, I still prefer football to rugby. We then woke up early on Saturday to one flat tire and another low one. Fixed the two of those, and then we were off to Mpongo. We spent most of the day at Mpongo Private Game Reserve for R50 (about $5) per person, we were able to drive our own car through this BEAUTIFUL game reserve. We saw so many animals along with the scenery. We did not see any elephants or hippos, so we still have to find those. Then, once home, we watched the Lion King movies. Perfect end to an African day. 

This is one picture I took at Mpongo. They were my Valentines <3 

Weekend Shenanigans

Molo! (Hello!)

We had a fun weekend staying in the city.  Saturday we woke up early and spent the better half of the day at Nahoon Beach.  Soaked up tons of sun and got a little sun burnt.  I swam in the Indian Ocean.  We then went home and quickly prepared for the Super Bowl Braai at John’s.  –He kindly recorded the game for us (it aired here live in the middle of the night/early morning).  We watched the game, and even watched some of the commercials his brother downloaded for us from the internet.  The puppy and horse commercial still win.  The game was not terrible; however, Packers should have been playing.  Traveling across the ocean doesn’t heal that loss. 

Sunday we had a full day as well.  We woke up and went to Quigney Beach Front in East London.  We went the flea market.  I bought a MUCH needed backpack.  Then we enjoyed some drinks at Buccaneers.  While they serve ‘bloody marys’ here, they make me miss my bloody marys at home.  We then picked John up, and he took us to a cricket game.  We only went for the second half of the game.  While I will claim to have a general knowledge of the game now, I am still confused.  South Africans think that football is slow to rugby; however, cricket is MUCH slower than baseball.  We also spent time before the game driving through town.  We drove through an informal settlement called Duncan Village.  This is one of the largest settlements and over 100,000 people live there.  Below is a picture of the power lines in Duncan Village.  This shows how much stealing of electricity happens in these villages (some residents in the villages DO pay for electricity).  This is part of the cause behind the load shedding (power cuts).  You also get a good idea in the picture of the structure of the shacks and how close they are to each other.  Entire families live in those 1-2 bedroom informal structures.     

Creatures and Electricity

Yesterday we experienced our first time being "load-shed" two times during one day. It goes out for about two hours at a time. It was out when I left work. Without power, I had no choice but to relax on the beach for a couple of hours ;).  After the beach, I was about ten minutes into an episode of Orange is the New Black, when the power went out (John gave us external hard drives full of tv series and movies). Those two hours were over dinner and getting ready for bed. I ate a wrap that i neglected for lunch, and Emily and I drank wine by candlelight before bed. Then, when our power came back on, John's went out. So he came over and we talked about our practicums and weekend plans. We now have our candlesticks and matches ready!  Also, the other morning I got to see the creature in the picture roaming through our yard. He got scared and ran across the street before I got a picture. He/She is a mongoose. Emily and I want one for the house because they eat mice, rats, and GECKOS! 

Frustration

Internet. Oh how I miss the internet. We had wifi at the house... for one night. My agency finally was able to restore their wireless internet today. We thought we had an unlimited internet connection at our house, we were proved wrong by running out of data in one night. South Africans have NO idea how much internet us Americans use; especially when it is the only way to contact home. I am dealing with withdrawals of not being able to talk with my family regularly. I hopefully will be able to handle these withdrawals by laying out on the beach in the afternoons. I will come home unrecognizable-y tan (or burnt, jury is still out on my heritage letting my skin get tan).

Boring update.

Greetings!

It has been a busy week here in South Africa! I started at my practical Tuesday. I really enjoy it so far! Mostly just training though. After work yesterday I had the opportunity to lay out on the beach for a couple of hours. Today I am in the office all day doing more office work. The program I work for was robbed Sunday night, so their wifi is currently down. The church has been gracious enough to let me work from their office today! No great pictures to share. Kind of a boring post. however, since I am not online nearly as often as I thought I would be, I thought I would post the update still. :)

Love you all back home, and hope you all are enjoying the cold. It is 78 degrees here today. I might never leave!

Lions, a tiger, and cheetahs! Oh my!

Sunday, January 25, 2015

We started the day at John's church. Yes I went to church. You are welcome mother. Following church we went to the lion park! There were tortoises, chickens, ducks, rabbits, alpacas, spring bucks, one tiger that we could find, lions, one cheetah, and lion cubs! We had JUST missed the feeding for the animals. However, the lions were still eating. We payed 10 South African Rand (approximately $1) to sit in the cage and play with the cubs. We were not allowed to pick the cubs up. I was playing with one using the leaf, and the lady instructed me to not lift it above their heads to keep them from jumping. One younger boy got bit on the wrist by a cub before we went in. Amateur with cats, clearly. I enjoyed the cubs, however, the worker informed me we could not keep one. Disappointing. We do have plans to return to the lion park so we can interact with the cheetah. They feed on Sundays and Wednesdays, and are protective of their food and not safe to be with on feeding days. Our luck to visit on one of the off days. We then went to the boardwalk and sat and watched a group of young guys surfing the little waves. Please enjoy this hungry lion, playful cheetah, two adorable pictures of the cub I played with, and one of the surfers falling in a wave. (If you click on the pictures, they will get larger)

3 days in!

Hello all! Just finished my third day here, and it feels like it has been over a week. Current updates: I got sun burnt on the first day, found two geckos in our house on the second day, and went to a braai that was hosted for us today. John, who has been the most amazing and helpful person ever, hosted a braai to officially welcome us to South Africa. He and his wife Emilie made us a delicious meal, and even sent us home with left overs. One of the biggest hurdles we have faced so far is technology. Wifi is not the same as in the states, or even as I experienced in Ireland this past summer. The government owns the internet here, so you pay by the gb of data for internet. So posting on my blog and using various apps to contact home have become difficult. Also, my classes online have become difficult. I will definitely post better stories later. I am committed to keep family and friends updated with posts and pictures. However, pictures are better than words so here are two beautiful scenes for you: 

This first picture is the view from my bedroom window. Also the view from our porch, where we get to sit and relax or eat meals. This view will be hard to leave. 

This picture is the view from John's back porch. One of the many reasons he will never leave South Africa..... And why would he?

I hope these pictures warm all you mid-westerners up!

I've landed!

Sorry for the long delay in posts, but now I'm posting from South Africa! The pictures are terrible because they are on my iPad. However the left is leaving D.C. and the right is leaving Dakar. Thankfully on international flights they provide alcohol which helped me sleep. I am in Johannesburg for the night and fly to East London tomorrow morning. I get to sleep in a real bed at the hotel tonight which is a nice change from the airplane. We were very fortunate to have a plane with empty rows in the back so we were able to stretch out more. Hopefully I will be able to access wifi tomorrow, however, I feel as though it will be at least a few days to a week before our house in East London has wifi. Until then!

11 days! #TBT

11 days, say what?!  Yesterday I disconnected my cell phone.  While I have been without my cell phone before, doing it while in the United States is a lot harder.  I do enjoy not having the responsibility of answering it.  Also, the suspense of leaving a mess at either parents’ house and them not being able to reach me until I return is thrilling. 

In honor of throwback Thursday, I am sharing a beautiful memory from my first real experience abroad (sorry people, but Canada and Mexico do not count).  Egypt may have only been about a week long, but it sparked a lifelong passion to travel elsewhere in the world.  I hope to one day return to this beautiful place.  

Now back to laundry and packing I go. Stay tuned!

Here goes everything!

So I have a blog?  While this is extremely new to me, here goes everything!  I am preparing for my next journey.  In 12 days I will be departing Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport with the final destination as East London, South Africa!  Due to popular demand (and some nagging from family), I will be blogging about my experiences abroad.  While I have gone abroad before, I have never been gone for an entire semester.  These journeys are filled with many ups and downs; however, they always end up enriching my life in ways I never dreamt possible.  Since I want to inform everyone about my trip, I will do my best to keep this regularly updated.  To try to get used to this blogging thing, I will have a twelve day countdown leading up to my departure.  Stay Tuned!