Just a little update

I know its been forever since I've posted, but things have just been so busy! It's strange to not be in Gugulethu still, and it's been difficult to adjust to regular life again. Overall I think it's going well- I'm trying to keep a fresh perspective yet still assimilate to a certain extent to "normal" life in Cape Town.

First, a little run-down on what we've been doing since we got back...

Friday night we came back and everyone needed to blow off some steam. I know that personally I was emotionally drained, and needed to just get my mind off of everything we'd been exposed to that week. We headed downtown, doing a little bar hopping and just enjoying each others company. Two of our South African friends, Anjeth and Allan came with, which is always fun. Again- it was hard to go from life in Gugs to the posh, almost ignorant Cape Town lifestyle, but I think a lot of us needed to just re-group ourselves.


Saturday we had another excursion, a wine lands tour. It was a good day- we got to learn how wine was made, about different types and how to tell whether one is good or not. Again, it was sometimes a little difficult to be in places where people spent money so frivolously right after we had been exposed to such extreme poverty, but I had to remind myself that the world is full of injustices. I can't be mad at people who have the funds to go to or live in nice places, whether it's fair or not. Just one of many things I've been pondering lately.


Sunday was a free day, which was much needed I think. A group went shark diving, while me, Aaron, Hilary, Maryam and Jesse had another endeavor, which we all promised not to reveal publicly until we got home (curious?). Things didn't work out as planned, and we ended up at a little bar on Long Street enjoying a cocktail and talking basically about life. It ended up being EXACTLY what I had needed to do. We talked for close to two hours- evaluating what we had experienced that last week, and how it would affect us in the future. I'm so very thankful for our talk, it really helped me sort through some of the complicated things that I'd been struggling with. It confirms my belief that it's so very important to surround yourself with people who understand and support you. I've learned so much about relationships this trip, and I hope that I come back a better daughter, sister, and friend because of it.

This week is now going by in a flash, and I cannot believe that in 48 hours I'll be on a plane coming home. For a while a group of us had been trying to make arrangements to stay 5 days later- Interstudy had found us free housing, and we were almost sure that we could get a cheap flight. Almost... all the flights from JFK to Mpls were full :( Unfortunate, yet I'm sure that even if we did stay it would be just as hard to leave as it will be on Friday.

Tomorrow I'm going to try to put up a few more blogs about my time in Gugulethu. I need to talk to you all about a woman named Priscilla that we met- a woman who has taken in 9 orphaned children in addition to her 2 own. A moving story, and a cause that our group is going to be trying to raise money for when we get home. If you're at all moved by her story, I encourage you to get involved with our fundraiser in a few weeks. I also want to discuss Thembelethu- a school for physically disabled children where we spent our time on Friday. Look for that soon. :)

Wishing you all love, and challenging you to find an experience that will teach you as much as this has taught me.