Safari Saturday!!!

What a great last day at the hospitals! I got to spend my day in neonatal holding tiny tiny babies. I got to participate in the celebration of new life, feeding babies and being a part of keeping them well. It literally was so great and I am so thankful to have been blessed with such an opportunity. I also got to wish my wonderful Daddy a happy birthday :-) Love you Daddy and I'll see you in 12 days! Immediately after that, we got in the van and did this:

Mandela Day

Today is Mandela Day all over the world! Everyone in Cape Town made a never-ending line holding hands in honor of his pledge for peace. The Eiffel Tower in Paris is lit in the colors of the South African flag. People all over the country are devoting 67 minutes of their day to helping others in honor of the time Nelson Mandela served fighting apartheid. And today, I got to do just that by going to Auntie Bettie's. Now, Auntie Bettie's isn't just your typical foster home situation like in the states. This orphanage is the story of a woman who is an incredible woman of the Lord that has completely changed life paths because she felt a calling. Auntie Bettie was originally a nurse in the children's ward of the local hospital, so she spent most of her day taking care of sick children, but one day she came home from work and found three children curled up on her floor in need of care. She said she cried that night, quit her job the next day, and has been taking care of children ever since. Currently, she has 28 children that she cares for in two houses that she has built. They range from newborn all the way to full grown but she cares for, feeds, and houses all of them. My heart literally broke as I was talking to this sweet old woman about how she felt the need to care for these children when no one else was willing. And these children, oh my lanta, they were literally the most precious children I've ever met! As soon as I got out of the car, we started playing and dancing and we did not stop for 4 hours straight. It was raining almost the whole time but that didn't matter. We got dirty and muddy and grassy but that doesn't matter to kids, we played even harder! We walked to the nearby library and I got to read Bible stories to them. We took pictures, made cookies, and even sang "Hallelujah Songs" as they call them in South Africa. It was such a great way to celebrate Mandela Day and this by far, has been one of my favorite days.

Guguletu Homestay

      So we did a home stay last weekend and it was quite the experience. No one in our group really knew what we were stepping in to other than that we wouldn't be alone, which was a huge relief to us all. We were excited yet apprehensive all at the same time! Our pre-homestay instructions included "Meet down the street and don't bring any valuables or money." That's about all we got so we didn't. We got picked up by our travel agency at about 4 o'clock and headed for Tambo Village, the upper class of Guguletu.
      One of our tour guides gave us some instructions on the way about Tambo Village explaining to us that the village has only been there for about 10 years. It started after the people were tired of living in shacks and requested to be relocated by the government and this is where they ended up and with better housing. He also told us that the Mamas were very excited that we were coming and that their economy depends on us coming to visit and that they've been doing home stays every week or so for the past 6 years. He also explained to us that anything and everything our Mamas gave us to eat and drink we had to clean our plates and empty our cups or else it would be seen as disrespectful. We were in for a full weekend!
      Our bus pulled up and all 19 of us piled out only to be welcomed by herds of children waiting to play with us. Immediately we got a rugby game going and it was on for at least an hour and half. We played so much and it was a blast! I could not have enjoyed it any more. I love playing with kids! Then, Mama Nokhaya came to pick me and Anna up and we were off to our new home for the weekend. Let me take a moment to describe Mama- she was a large and in charge woman who had reared three children already. One daughter has a 4 year old son, one son is currently on drugs, and the other daughter lives with her grandmother. Her husband works in the Eastern Cape to keep food on the table for Mama. The house was very nice for a house in South Africa- it had a television and 2 bedrooms. So, we got there and immediately she put us to work peeling potatoes, cutting butternut, and slicing onions. Before we knew it, there were two youngsters standing at the door asking us to come next door and play with them. Mama told us that she would finish up dinner and to go on.
      We went next door to play with a house of nine kids for the next two hours while Mama finished preparing our dinner. Her daughter came to fetch us and when we arrived, there were full plates of chicken, pap, mashed butternut, cabbage, potatoes and onions. It was delicious but we got scolded for trying to use a fork haha. Mama doesn't run her house that way and we proceeded to eat with our God-made utensils! It was quite the experience. Next, Mama had more than a few friends over and we danced the night away until it was time for bed and Anna and I shared a bed.
      The next morning we got up at a reasonable hour and had porridge and tea for breakfast. Porridge is an interesting dish because it's simply pap that isn't finished cooking with sugar in it. But it wasn't too shabby considering we were hungry! After breakfast, we woke Mama and said our goodbyes because we had to go to church at half past nine. She was sad to see us go but we were ready to get on our way. Church was a blast! Definitely the highlight of my home stay. The kids danced all around the church. We got to sing in Xhosa and hear the pastor's testimony that day. It was good to be a part of the body of Christ halfway across the world. So thankful to have been a part of something so special.
      After church, we crossed the railroad tracks to go to a local dive called Mzoli's. It was pretty much just a bar with house music that served us a braai. The only downside was that we waited 3 hours to eat. It was a little rough considering we hadn't eaten since about eight that morning and didn't get to eat until three oclock that afternoon but it was definitely an experience. Some of our group members were not so happy but we did it for the story and apparently you can't go to Guguletu and not eat at Mzoli's.
      Overall, the home stay was short and sweet. I can't say that I would do it again in a heartbeat but I learned a lot about the differences in township culture compared with city culture in South Africa. I'm thankful that I gained some insight into the paternalistic ideals held by a lot of the men in South Africa coupled with a lack of independence in the woman contributes to a substantial amount of the challenges faced by the townships. Here are some pictures I took while in Guguletu:
This was at church that morning:

 This was our plate of meat that we had to finish before we could leave:

JAWS!!!

I think the picture explains it all. That’s me in a cage with sharks swimming around it. Done.

[redefined]

      [redefined] can we just talk about that for a moment? [redefined] is something that we do here at IES. It’s that moment that you realize something has changed forever. Like the first time you found money under your pillow after you lost your first tooth! It’s kinda like that- something awe-inspiring, life-changing, and journey altering. There have been lots of those moments on this trip I feel like for me. There have been so many moments of growth, frustration, and laughter that it’s hard to just pick one but if I had to narrow it down it would be last Saturday.

      When they said we were going up Table Mountain, I was petrified. Did I mention that I literally had peed my pants climbing the much smaller mountain, Lion’s Head, the weekend before? Anyway, I decided that I would just take the cableway up the mountain and enjoy a cup of joe at the top while everyone else hiked. Hah! That is so not what happened. If you know me at all, you know that I am not one to just sit on the sidelines and watch- that is terrible. So, I put on my letters and started up the mountain! Ten minutes in and I was already ready to come back down the mountain but the girls were not gonna let me quit. I struggle bussed all the way up Table Mountain stopping at least every fifteen minutes for a break! It was rough. But with a little encouragement and a lot of push, I made it to the top and enjoyed the best ostrich stew yet. It literally was so delicious!

      After Table Mountain, we came back to the apartment and immediately had to get ready to go to supposedly one of the biggest sporting events in South Africa at the time…a rugby game. I know, pretty anticlimactic but it was a great experience! I learned the game, got yelled at by a local, and got to eat peri-peri chips, who wouldn’t thoroughly enjoy that?! Overall, my Saturday got [redefined] in every aspect. The words table and mountain will never mean the same thing ever again in my book. They have been totally, completely 100% [redefined] in my life.

Can it get any better?

Will the real Cape Townian please stand up? Yeah, that's right. It's official. I'm one of them now. On Friday (June 28, 2013), I got on a train with some of my friends (for 17R I might add) and went to Cape Town. We didn't really know where to go once we got off haha but all we knew was to get off at the last stop and walk straight out of the station and not to talk to anywhere or go down the stairs. So that's what we did! When we got out of the station we walked straight into town and started exploring the city all on our own. It was so lively! I was a little frightened at first, but I held on to my straps and kept walking. We walked all through St. George's Mall looking at all the hand crafted figures, trinkets, and so much more. Next, we headed to Long Street in search of Mama Africa. Now Mama Africa is a very well known place when it comes to nommin on some good ol' traditional african cuisine. And it was so delicious! I tried three different meats that day- springbok, kudu, and crocodile. Now the springbok was okay and tasted more like venison. The kudu tasted like a delicious sirloin! But the croc, oh the croc, was terrible! EW EW EW! It was like a fatty cross between fish and pork. It was gross. Never again. But I'm glad I tried it because now I know. Next, I ordered Mama's botovie as my main course which was pretty much their version of meatloaf that has egg and sweet sauce on top, served with two different kinds of rice, a banana, and a pico de gallo mixture. To die for! Loved it and ate until I couldn't anymore. Now, it was off to Green Market Square for some gift shopping for those back home. Now usually people get overcharged and powned when buying for people back home, but I went in on a mission with a goal in mind. As we walked up to the market, I heard singing and I knew we were in for a great surprise when I saw children. They were wearing loin cloths made out of animal skin and had attached the tops of coke cans to their crocs to make noise as they danced and sang. It was the most beautiful music to my ears and sight to my eyes! It was almost too much for my heart to handle as I began to fall more and more with the culture here in the Cape. I had to walk away onto the shops. I met these shop owners with a fire in my eye and bartered my way through. I walked out with a backpack full of gifts and was well pleased with my afternoon. As we walked back from the market, guess what we found? A little place called crush that serves only vegan and gluten free items! Ah beauty. I could not have asked for a better afternoon as I munched on a gluten free brownie and sipped on a berry bliss smoothie. Needless to say, I had a blast this Friday as I embraced Cape Town on my own with those in my community!