So much to tell...

I can't believe I've been here for two weeks already! We've crammed in so many adventures and experiences that I feel as though I've been here a month! All of the girls are still getting along wonderfully and I've definitely made some lifelong friendships. Since there has been so much going on, I think it's easier for me to discuss each event separately...

The A Team. When we first arrived in Cape Town, we were greeted by Corvell, our group leader, and 3 other men who he introduced to us as "The A-Team" since they're the ones who have made our trip possible. They have been an incredible asset to our trip as well as some of the nicest, caring guys I've met. Dayle, (Corvell's son) is the first member of the A-team and one of the drivers for this trip. He literally gave up his entire social life for the past two weeks to drive us from 7 in the morning until 11 (or later!) at night. Jonny, the next member of the A-team is Corvell's brother-in-law and the owner of a taxi service. He has let us borrow two of his company's vans which we've appropriately named 'Casper' (the white van) and 'Clifford' (the red van). He has so wonderfully put up with 17 women in his ear, so for that, we're extremely grateful, because its been a hectic, loud and estrogen-filled trip so far ;) . In fact, both Jonny and Dayle have accompanied us where ever we go to make sure we're never alone or haggled by people we don't know. It has been very comforting to have them around and their patience and kindness is definitely appreciated! The last member of the A-team is Owen, an older man who has various connections with the University of Cape Town and some of the schools that we are now placed at. He's arranged meetings and dinners and we even spent time at his church, St. Andrews, where we took dance lessons from the youth group there.

Hermanus. This past weekend we traveled to Hermanus- a two hour drive south of Cape Town. We arrived at a colorful hostel called "Hermanus Backpackers" and were assigned rooms. We walked down to the very tourist-y city and took beautiful pictures of the Atlantic Ocean with the mountains in the horizon. We shopped in a large flea market and I found some unique African art to bring home. We gathered together and ate a large dinner before we headed back to the hostel. That night we met a girl who had just graduated from the University of Michigan! After talking to her for a bit, we discovered that one of her best friends from the university is actually from Grosse Pointe! It really is a small world...

Agualas. The next morning, we woke up early to drive to the southernmost point of Africa- where the Atlantic and the Indian oceans meet. We ate lunch at a lighthouse right on the beautiful water and took lots of pictures on the rocks. After a long ride back to Durbanville on Sunday night, we arrived at the guest house we've been staying at and packed all of our stuff together to prepare for the next leg of our trip with the host families.

Deo Gratia. We've been really lucky to stay in the Deo Gratia guest house for the first two weeks because it served as a perfect home base, and also allowed all of the girls to really get to know each other. The owners, Paul and Elise, could not have been more accommodating! They (somehow!) enjoyed our (loud!) company every night and convinced us to come back to the Deo Gratia for the final night of our trip. We are already excited about rejoining as a group to stay up all night to discuss our adventures over their house wine :) .

Langa. On Monday morning we finished packing and checked out of the Deo Gratia. After a quick trip to the mall to buy last minute snacks, converters, and yes, a hairdryer(!), we made our way to one of the oldest and poorest townships in Cape Town known as Langa. We were instructed to leave all valuables behind and began a tour of the city by a knowledgeable man who grew up and still lives in Langa. As we began our tour, I was extremely uneasy and nervous because I kept asking myself what made us so mighty to come into this township to take pictures and pitty the people who live there like some arrogant, wealthy tourists. I remained pretty quiet as we viewed the awful housing conditions until we stepped into an extremely small shack where seventeen families live. There were about 4 small rooms- each no bigger than a dorm room. Within each room, 4 or 5 families would reside. There was 1 sink, 1 shower, and 1 tiny kitchen. I couldn't help but get so emotional over the entire situation that I had to walk out out of the house where we were all piled. Seeing I was upset, Corvell came outside and really helped me to conceptualize why we were there and how by touring these cities, not only do we look at things from a new, grateful perspective, but we also are given the responsibility to educate people about what we saw there so that one day change can be made possible. Although this reasoning wasn't entirely satisfying, it did help when Corvell told me to look around and see how happy the people were around me. It was definitely a moment in my life I hope I never forget, because no matter how stressful or unfortunate I think my life may be at times, I must remember Langa and their township, because it truly changes the way you look at life and how your troubles are put into a new perspective. Since many children in Langa aren't used to the visitors walking around, they absolutely ate up the attention we gave them. We got lots of pictures and gave lots of high fives and hugs to them. The tour lasted about two hours and after that, it was time to go meet our host families!

The Keet Family. As we drove to the church where we were about to meet our host families, the uneasiness and nerves were written all over our faces. Many of us, including me, had no idea about what to expect in regards to the family, the housing conditions, the food we were going to eat and the accommodations they might have. Our group arrived first at the church and soon enough the families began to trickle in. It literally looked as though we were picking teams for gym class as one-by-one each girl 'got called' to her family. I finally (and luckily!) recognized my host mother from the small picture Corvell had emailed to me, so I excitedly went over to meet her family. Immediately their cheerful and welcoming personalities told me I was going to be just fine over the next few weeks, and as the talking continued I became less and less uneasy and more and more excited! Their family consists of Marena, (the woman who I will be teaching 6th grade with) Charles, the father, (who we so quickly figured out works for Coca-Cola too!) and Randall, their 19 year old son (who is currently studying law at a local university). They also have a beautiful Siberian husky named Caspa!

I feel so fortunate to have been placed with this family! They know exactly what it is like to travel to a different country and stay with a host family because they did this several years ago when coming to the United States! In fact, when Charlie studied at the University of Kentucky, he had such a good experience with his host family that he vowed to reciprocate that action back in South Africa! I feel so spoiled at their household that I feel obligated to change the name of my blog because Marena has a hairdryer 10 times better than my one at home!

I've eaten several dinners with the Keet Family and have gotten to know them over the past few days. They have so many plans for me and have been so interesting to talk to, that we've been going to bed extremely late and then getting up extremely early to go to school because there is not enough time during the day. Yesterday I found out that Randall is really good at ping pong and that they have a table at their house! We quickly set up the table and played 4 games- he won two and I won two. I have a feeling we're going to be playing a lot while I'm here... :)

Brooklands Primary. The first day at the primary school was really exciting! I first met the principal, Mrs. Linx, who was extremely excited and energetic for me to be there. I arrived in Marena's 6th grade classroom where a large group of smiling and welcoming faces bombarded me with questions. Because I have the accent of the people they watch on TV, they associate me with Hollywood and assume that I come across celebrities everyday back home. The questions were hysterical... "Have you met OPRAH!?" or "Do you know Hannah Montanta!?" or "What is Barack Obama like?!" or "Do you drive a BMW!?" I quickly realized that they associate my accent with these people and assume that I must know them personally. I do have to say however, that the celebrity status I get while I'm there is pretty cool. EACH of the children say hi to me every morning, all of them try to ask me questions, and children literally stop and stare at me as I'm walking down hallways because I not only talk different from them, but my fair skin and blonde hair tell them that I am not from around here. In fact, one of the other 6th grade teachers told me yesterday that the kids in her class were trying to imitate my accent as they were talking to each other.

After the first day of observing, I decided I wanted to jump right into teaching! I searched through the resources I had brought and created a lesson based on the subject in English they were studying. I gave the lesson to two of the three 6th grade classes today and they went amazing. I took lots of pictures and videos too, so I'll try to post them if I get a chance. The school is not as poor as I had envisioned, so before I leave, Marena is taking me to another school where the resources I brought to donate are high in demand.



I have literally learned more in the last two weeks that I have ever learned before because I find the many cultures and this nation's history so interesting. This unique trip has not only allowed me to be a tourist in a foreign country, but it has also presented me with the opportunity to participate and contribute to a specific culture, family and school. :)