New Photos!

I know that it has been awhile since I last updated. Life is over in South Africa and now I am in England for a month. It has been great thus far and South Africa was amazing. Here are some links to my pictures.

All new South Africa Pictures
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2246763&id=36620508&l=6e0f14c13b

New pics mixed in with first trip pics from London

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2221170&id=36620508&l=40dd8ba8d1

For the Love of Surfing...

Today was a great day! The beach that my friend Saara and I go to to surf most often, Muizenburg, held an international surf event today. We managed to sign up for a free surf lesson from the Roxy Surf School, which was awesome! Our instructor was very nice and encouraging. She thought we were ready to start turning and controlling the speed of our boards so she told us how to ride the wave sideways ect... It was really nice for someone to notice our practice and tell us that we should go up a level in our surfing. The main event was the best thing though. It was Earthwave 2009. That is where countries try to beat the Guiness record for most people surfing a single wave. The record holder last year was Brazil with 100...the verdict is still out but at last count it appeared our location had one wave with at least 103.. It was quite an experience. There were probably over 500 surfers registered for the event and everyone was paddling out and lining up at the same distance. The pictures the photographers were taking are probably ridiculous. It was inevitable that people would run into and/or over each other, but everyone was game, and that was cool. I managed to ride one out with a count for 91 people on the same wave. The feeling was amazing. I was basically sharing a board with the guy beside me, since everyone was so close and trying to stay up. Though I am not South African, I had a lot of pride for the country today, and am crossing my fingers that SA regained the title and that I was apart of history today.

Long Over-Due Update

As many can tell, life has gotten hectic around here. Since the last update a lot of things have happened. First, there was spring break. It was AMAZING. Matt came in for a little over 2 weeks and we did a little bit of everything. We spent 2 days at the Game Lodge on the Garden Route and then went for a 4 Day canoeing/camping trip down the Orange River into Namibia. That was a great experience. Nothing but necessitites and the beautiful star painted African sky. The scenery was breath taking. The canoeing was intense. Between that and our evening of hiking and exploring the new campsite we definitely got our exercise. The people on the trip were also pretty awesome. Everyone clicked very well. After that we managed to juggle my class schedule and the Kayamandi after-school program with hiking, surfing,Robben Island, Cape Point, and the Penguins. Robben Island was such a great site to learn South African history. There was a bus tour of the island and then a guided tour of the prison. They pointed out Nelson Mandela's old cell and allowed us to take pictures. Both tours were guided by ex-prisoners. Their personal insight really made a difference. When I ask our guide from the prison how he could be contained there for so many years and then come back to work in it every day, reliving the memories of his time there. His response was that, first it was difficult but then it became like therapy. It was very interesting to see a place of such torment turn into such an agent of healing. It allowed me to see a practical application to things we are learning in my Transitional Justice class. Justice and Reconciliation comes in many different forms. Employing past prisoners allows them to deal with the psychological damage along with employing many people who may find themselves jobless otherwise.
My new passion is surfing. I am still doing the ballroom dancing but have also picked up surfing. We took a lesson during break and now me and some friends go at least once a week to rent boards and suits and practice. Last time we went I manged to get up a lot so I felt pretty good. My friend Saara and I have made a deal that after our 10th time out we are going to buy matching roxy surf shirts(rash vests) to keep as a memento of all our trips out to the beach.
My last big advancement is I have started an internship at a human rights office in Cape Town. Today was my first day and it was great. The office deals a lot with refugees and displaced persons. The stories of many of these people are heartbreaking. Just reading through the cases today made me feel so lucky to just have the most basic of things. I feel like this will give me much needed insight to my future. I hope to make some kind of impact in my short amount of time. It is very new and very exciting. Updates will surely be in order.
It feels as if time here is just fleeing. Once I blink it will all be over and I will just be left with the memories and the person I have became because of it. I know now that I will greatly miss this place,but feel as if I have done a lot during my stay. So for now there is only school work to overcome and crossing off the last have-tos off my list. Tomorrow is my first real exam so I am going to study and begin all my final papers and projects. Plenty more updates before this chapter is completely closed.

A Break from the Papers

The coolest thing happened today. I was coming out of a nap and felt as if I was back in Charlotte. Its a hard thing to try and explain but it was as if I was at home and just waking up after a far too long of a nap, as I did quite often last semester. I felt comfortable as if this area was mine. I guess its just reiterating last weeks blog about the world being my home. This week, especially today, makes me feel like I have made this place a little piece of me. It is one thing to be in an area and enjoy and learn what it has for you, but then to let it be a part of you....that is soo much more. The feelings and longings I have when I return home for this place has completely shifted to so much more now that that transformation has occurred.
I have finally broken free of a "group", and it feels quite great. I find myself alone a lot more than before, but in a liberating, not lonely, sort of way. I find myself walking down the street actually knowing people. It is also a great relief that those people are not international students....a good majority are South African.
This past weekend I actually went wine tasting. Realized for the most part I really still dont like wine....found 2 that I liked, but im pretty sure if I'm not going to fall in love with it here, Im not going to anywhere else in the world. The day and conversation were both very nice. The following day I actually went back to the same place to look at the cheetah and eagle/owl preserves. You could pay to hold/pet them, but I didnt have any cash so I will probably return sometime this semester to do it. The weekend coming up there is a penguin excursion so I will get my feel of animals for awhile,especially after break.
Nothing else really. I have been connecting with my roommates quite a lot lately, which I find great. They are all VERY Godly, and have something special about each one. Maybe through their teachings I will leave here knowing how to semi-cook.... Also one of my roommates are Xhosa...We have been having a lot of cultural conversations lately. Its great to learn traditions and reasoning behind certain actions, ect. I also find that the girls at the Kayamandi Primary School also want to teach us about their language and culture. I learned the words for hat and pot today, and also received a drawing that said love. Slowly I am starting to remember all of their names and they are starting to call out ours. I believe it to be signs of a beginning of a good, yet too short, relationship with the kids.
I do not believe learning enough here will be a problem. The classes are quite complex and writing the papers have turned into a bigger problem than I expected. Most of it because I find it hard to concentrate until its about 11pm and the sun is far away from my eye. By the end of the week I will (hopefully) be able to say I have finished 3 papers on complex issues (about 10 US pages each...)

So that I can actually accomplish that I am going to cut the blog short and update probably right before break.

Hopefully pictures will be coming soon.

The world is my home

This is what some would call crunch time. Though school hasn't even started back home, we are headed into our semester break in just over a week. I have 3 papers I need to start typing up and what not. The weather here has been quite rainy and cold, but soon it will pass and give way to the awesome sunshine and good tanning weather :). Im pretty sure God decided to make it crappy weather this last week to make me stay inside and do research so that I dont have a complete heart attack come paper deadlines. Not too much new besides planning a 4 day Orange river canoe/camping trip and then a trip to a game lodge on the garden route for break and keeping up with school work and then also Kayamandi after-school program.

This week I had 7 girls at my table and until the last 20mins or so was on my own. It has been my favorite day so far. I feel like I really connected with them. I had to teach and ask questions about performing arts. The one thing that kept the communication lines open was High School Musical....if they didn't understand a point I was trying to make or a question I was trying to get out of them I just made a reference to High School Musical and all of a sudden it made sense. At the end of the day we played charades and I really feel like they came out of their shells and became less shy. It warmed my heart when some of them gave me their papers so that I could read over the answers they had given (what is your favorite type of performing art, if you could do any what would it be and why... ect). It was like they wanted me to be proud of them/ wanted my approval.
I have heard from a guy in one of my classes that he helps teach ballroom to some kids in the same township so I am hoping that maybe I can help him out and do that too. It would be soo exciting to be able to dance with the kids. Share a common passion and know that what little I can teach them they can take throughout their life to do positive things.

Another common thing I keep hearing lately is people being homesick. I don't really feel it. I am not sure why. Maybe I am just use to having people I love spread throughout the world or not really having a concrete "home" in the same sense as a lot of those who are starting to miss it. The way I look at it is I am a citizen of the world and should feel at home no matter where I go, because no matter where I am I am the same person and can contact most the people I care about and find comfort in the things I hold dear. I must admit I am starting to miss buffalo sauce and people, but I dont really feel like that is homesickness because it occurs when I am at "home". Skype makes a big difference I think too. Weekly chats with my dad and grandparents and then daily chats with matt and tonight I actually got to see most my family in Florida. My nephews are getting so big and it made me so happy to see and talk to them.
Far too soon will I be back in the States reminiscing on my travels here. I just hope to make the most of it. I plan to stay involved in dance and try and get into the habitat for humanity chapter and then tomorrow there is a date auction (I am just supporting friends crazy enough to put themselves up there) to raise funds for the after-school program and then Saturday there is a trip to see the Penguins! Which is soo weird to think that this time last year I was arguing with someone that penguins did not live in Africa...NO WAY....then google disproved me....and now a year later I am experiencing them first hand.... so until my next adventure! Hope this disorganized and choppy blog holds you over :)

Pictures will be coming soon. I have to get my explorer fixed because it fails every time I have attempted. So everyone cross your fingers!!!

Since My Last Post

There has been sooo many things that have happened since my last update. The more I get into school the more I realize how much work it is actually going to be. The semester only spans from the end of july til the end of october. I have 3 papers due around september 3rd, all around 10 pages a piece.

The major thing that I have been working on since my last update has been the Intervarsity Ballroom Dance Competition. At first glance, I didn't think the dance society would be something I was going to take part of while I was here. Feeling like I hadn't given it the chance it deserved I went back. I am glad I did, because all the thoughts that I had from the first meeting were completely washed away with good ones. In one week I managed to get a partner, go through dance bootcamp, and then two practices for the competition. The following Sunday I got to take part in South Africa's National Ballroom and Latin Dance Competition. My partner and I did quite well for our circumstances. For the division we were in we ended up getting 3rd for ballroom, 5th for latin and then a 6th for open mambo. The placement failed in comparison to the overall experience though. I felt I became a true Matie (that is the people that go to stellenbosch). We sang chants and cheered and just bonded on so many levels. I am very blessed to have the partner that I did. He was very excited and we actually had a connection and fun dancing with each other, which is something I have not had since my very first dance partner. Our team ended up taking home the spirit cup and placed 2nd in overall scoring. There was a moment that melted my heart when one of the handicapped dancers came to me and said she liked me and made a friendship with me. For a 1/2 hour we just sat on the sidelines laughing and watching the dancers and then sometimes dancing on the sidelines together. She was sooo loving and couldnt get enough hugs and giggles. The excitement in her face when the jive music came on was very inspirational. It reminded me that dance is not just how technically correct you can move your feet, but how the music makes you move inside. Until that moment I think that is a truth I had lost somewhere along my way.

On a not so high note, I had to confront a far too real stereotype of South Africa this week. While practicing for the competition my Ipod was taken out of the bottom of my bag. It was tucked away and set along the safest wall of the room, but somehow managed to get gone. When I was coming over here that is all people would say to me. South Africa=crime. I would always fight against it and say that it is probably just as bad as Charlotte or New York. I feel that this experience has given those people validation that they were correct. I don't believe that to be so. I must realize there is some truth, but that for the most part, the ideas people have of South Africa are still quite exaggerated.

The more time I spend here the more I feel myself growing. I am still continuing to cook and broaden my horizons of healthy food and drink alternatives. I actually had a request for my teriyaki chicken stir fry!!! That has to be the first time someone has actually wanted a particular food I have made. Felt sorta cool.

Today was day 2 at Kayamandi Primary. The task still proves to be a challenge, but most definitely a learning experience for both parties. The learners english skills are not very good so sometimes trying to get interaction or help with homework can become quite the obstacle. Then again, working with kids who come from your own background still poses lots of challenges.

The next few weeks I am cutting down the social life and hitting the books. Hopefully I will get everything done before the sunshine comes in and takes all my work ethic away. That is all I have for now, so goodnight to all those who actually read all the way through this :)

First Day of Kayamandi

Today was our first actual day at Kayamandi Primary. We have already went on a walk through and toured both the town and the school, but today was our first real interaction day. I am pretty sure that this will be the most rewarding experience I get while I am here. We started off with a greeting game just to get to know one another, and then went into homework help, and then finishing the day with snacks and physical activities. The girls at my table all had the same electricity homework. I was so confused at how that was one of the things they were taught, but sure enough we went all the way from things not to do with electricity to the different types of currents ect.

Most of, if not all, of the student's mother tongue is Xhosa. This is the African language where for the x,c,and q are all different types of clicks. So we will be doing the homework in english, but when they interact with each other or do not understand particular english phrases yet they start speaking to each other in this very native African language. Its quite surreal. This is especially so when right outside our door the dance team is practicing their chants and sooo awesome dance moves.

I can see that this volunteer program will not be easy, there will be struggles. Whether it be with kids just being kids, or just understanding the language or cultural barriers that sometimes exist. Regardless of all that I feel like I will grow so much from just the 3 hours a week I spend with these kids. They will teach me just as much, if not more, than whatever I manage to impress on them.