A Travellerspoint blog

Pictures finally up

My pictures are finally up for my last two weeks in Africa. I went to a tribal village with my friends for one week, then Victoria Falls in Zambia and safaris in Botswana with my dad for the last week. I just got home last week and I am still writing my last two blog posts about those two weeks. I have a lot to write because those last two weeks were amazing and I have lots of stories and adventures to share! But I did post all my pictures for everyone to look at and will be posting my blog entries by the end of the week.

Posted by blacklg 05:25 Archived in South Africa Comments (0)

The end is almost near..except for my last few adventures!!

I know it has been a few weeks since I haven't written a blog entry but for the last two weeks or so I have been doing nothing but school work. I have had so many papers to write and so many tests its crazy! But now its all over and I only have 3 weeks left. Last week was my last week with all my kids from my classroom as well my kids from my girls soccer team (look at my new pictures, the kids are so cute!). It was really hard to say goodbye to all my kids especially since I know I will NEVER see any of them again. It really puts life into perspective whenever I think of all my kids. After saying goodbye to them and finishing up my last papers, yesterday my friends and I went deep sea kayaking! It was quite an experience. First I drove a hour and half to get to the town where we do it. Driving on the other side of the rode is easier then you think but its still really hard especially when I'm turning corners. Once we got there we got into our kayaks and went into the ocean. It was gorgeous out and so fun to just be out in the middle of the ocean. First we saw penguins and they just same right next to our kayaks. They were so cute! Then we saw WHALES!!! They were close but not too close and it was amazing! They come really close to the bay so we didn't have to go out very far to see them. Kayaking with whales is something I will never forget. Then for lunch we of course had the best sea food ever! (Ironic i know :) ) After that long day we came home and just watched a movie. Today we just hung out with our friends and had to start saying goodbye. One of my roommates left today and it was really weird! Tomorrow I have to say goodbye to my other roommate and that will be even harder since we got really close. Luckily I won't just be sitting around my apartment thinking about how sad I am because I'm going on a trip along the coast with 4 of my other friends! We leave tomorrow and were gone for a week. Were taking a 13 hour bus ride (miserable I know) and then were staying with a trip for a few days then staying at Coffee Bay for a few days. Both places have amazing reputations and since were taking the bus, the trip is going to be really cheap. I'm really blessed to be able to go on it!! Right when I get back from this trip, my dad comes the very next day! The following day we leave on ANOTHER trip!! My dad and I are going to Victoria Falls which is in Zambia. Its one of the seven wonders of the world and will be unbelievable!! Not only will we be seeing Victoria Falls but we will be riding elephants and playing with lions! We are also going to Botswana for a day to go on a safari. Even though I will be living out of a book bag for two weeks straight, it will be worth it!! It will be the best two weeks ever! Then I'll show my dad around Cape Town and Stellenbosch and then I'll be back home in no time. Time really does fly! Treasure every moment and live life to the absolute fullest. I am anyways :)

Posted by blacklg 12:59 Archived in South Africa Comments (0)

Easter Break!

This week I am on Easter Break (yes another week off) and I have had a few more adventures to share. On Friday my friends and I decided to take the train and go to Cape Town. We booked a hostel for the night (which is a cheap hotel for students or travelers where you sleep in bunk beds and share a bathroom with your friends. Some of them are really nice thought and you can get a private room and bathroom but we all shared). We stayed right on Long Street which is where all the clubs and restaurants are so it was really fun. For dinner we went to this famous restaurant called Mama Africa and it was real traditional African food. For dinner I had crocodile, which was REALLY good, and I tried a bite of warthog which is what my friends ordered for dinner. The Warthog was Ok but it was just like chewy steak. I preferred the crocodile :) After dinner we all went out and danced the night away. It was a really fun night because we didn't have to worry about spending money on a taxi or worrying about getting back to campus since we were staying in Cape Town for the night. The next morning we woke up early and went shopping. We went to all these really cool markets and I bought a lot of cool African things! Eventually we took the train back and all went to bed early because we were exhausted. The next morning was Easter Sunday so my two friends and I decided to wake up early and walk around town in search for a church. We eventually found on that was about to start so we walked in and sat down. After a few minutes of sitting there my friends and I all looked at each other because we realized that the service was going be all spoken in Afrikaans and it was too late to get up and leave. So... after a hour of sitting there listening to a service in an entirely different language and not knowing a single word, it ended and we went out to breakfast. I will never forget this Easter! The next day (Monday) we decided to rent a car and drive to all these different towns that we usually can't get to on the train. This was quite an experience since the steering wheel was on the other side and we had to drive on the left side of the rode. My two friends drove around most of the time and they did a really good job. First we drove to the town where Cape Town University is and saw the campus and their college town. The campus was just gorgeous! But since it is in the city their college town was kind of a long walk away and not as safe at night. In the end I'm really glad I came to Stellenbosch! Then we drove to another town called Simons Town and Kulk Bay where we went into all these cute shops and ate lunch at this cute cafe. It was right along the beach and we had so much fun. Once we got back to Stellenbosch, I decided that I wanted to drive. I drove my to the grocery store and all around town! It was really scary at first because everything is opposite but for some reason I just knew how to do it. The next morning we still had to car so we drove to get a breakfast buffet outside of town. I drove again and I did fine except when I was turning I accidentally went to close to the curb and we kind of fell into a canal (they have canals everywhere on the sides of the rode like in Europe) but I just kept driving and played it off like nothing happen haha It was so nice to have a car and to just drive around where every wanted. It was so convenient and gave us much more freedom. Thats one thing that I miss about America is its convenience. The next day we were supposed to go deep sea kayaking with whales but it got canceled because the waves were too high :( But don't worry I will be going that in a few weeks!! The weather the last week has been so cold and rainy but hopefully we will get one last good weekend to go kayaking. But one thing that is for sure is that I am NOT liking this new weather! I liked it when it was hot, hot and even hotter. The next two weeks will be nothing but school work.. yes I am actually in school.. because its the last two weeks of classes. I can't believe I only have a month and one week left in South Africa!! These last few months have flown by!! Before you know it I will be back in America seeing everyone...Well that is after I get done with my last month of new adventures :)

Posted by blacklg 07:50 Archived in South Africa Comments (0)

Surfing, the Waterfront and gifts.

I had such a fun weekend! On Saturday my friends and I woke up and went to the beach for our surfing lessons. Our instructor showed us the moves and then we got right out there and tried them ourselves. Since we had wet suits on, we just jumped right into the ocean and tried our new surf moves! First I had to sit there and wait for a good wave. Then when one was coming, I would jump on my board (laying on my stomach) and paddle really fast. Even though I paddled really fast, I felt like I was going no where. But when the wave finally got to me I rode on my stomach for a minute then tried to jump onto my feet. This was the really hard part. I first would jump up onto my knees but when I tried to jump to my feet I would just fall over and wipe out. Finally after wiping out over and over again, I got to my feet and rode the wave all the way in!! It was the best feeling ever and I couldn't believe that I did it! After riding that wave, I was really eager to get back out there and try it again. I got up on my feet about 4 or 5 times and it was incredible! Not to toot my own horn, but I felt like I was a natural and all my friends couldn't believe that I got up so many times. I wanted to stay out there all day and try more and more but eventually our lesson was over. Now I want to get up every Saturday morning and go surfing! After our lesson, my friends and I got lunch on the beach and then laid out for a few hours. The weather was so nice this weekend and were trying to soak up all the sun before the weather starts to get cold. Unfortunately, winter in South Africa is slowly approaching. After we came home from the beach, we all started a huge fire and had a grill out. In South Africa grill outs are called braais. They are really big here and a lot of the locals braai meat almost every night. After dinner I went to bed early because the next morning we woke up early again but this time we caught the train to Cape Town. When we got to Cape Town we took a mini bus to the Waterfront. The Waterfront is a really nice area right on the water with lots of boats and docks. It has a lot of nice restaurants and shops and there's a really big shopping mall. My friends and I went straight for a sea food place for lunch. Nothing like fried calamari while overlooking the water on a gorgeous day! Then we shopped around at all these cute shops and a crafts market. Finally we took the train back home. I slept well last night!
Not only did I have a great weekend but I also got two surprise packages in the mail this week! I first got a big box full of bags of cheese its, granola bars, peanut butter crackers, Milano cookies, movies and a few other things. Right away I opened up a bag a cheese its and cherished every cracker. It was like America in a bag. Having food from back home is such an amazing treat! Thanks Grandma and Grandpa! American food is one of the things I miss the most, along with TV and my family. Not only did I get that box, but I also got another box that was full of Ellen's homemade chocolate chip cookies!! If you know who Ellen is or if you have had her cookies then you know how much of a treat this really is! I also got a really cute Valentine's heart decoration that is now hanging over my desk, a cute notepad, some ice tea packets and a card. It was such a great surprise. Thank you Ellen, Kate, Claire and Elizabeth! The only hard thing is trying to make those cookies last me at least a week!! I have also gotten some great cards from my aunt Shelley and Jan, Sitoo and Pap, Maria, and a few other people. I feel so loved :) I am so blessed to have so many people waiting and thinking about me back home! Seeing so many children and teenagers with basically no family and hearing so many stories from my people who have lost parents or friends makes me cherish everyone I have in my life. I am one lucky and blessed girl :)
Also, check out my surf pictures that I put up. There are only a few since we couldn't get any action shots. If you don't see them to the left then click on: more photos... (something is wrong and I can't figure out how to fix it).

Posted by blacklg 13:33 Archived in South Africa Comments (2)

Volunteering Commercial: Girls and Football

Check out this commercial on you tube (Copy and Paste the website into your URL):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNmJz6HBDZw

Nations United and Girls & Football SA Commercial:

This is a commercial that the head coach of girls soccer team that I volunteer with in the local township created to raise awareness and donations. I volunteer with the soccer team every Wednesday and I love playing and hanging with the girls. I am only showing you this commercial to show you another place that I volunteer at and a little insight on a township in South Africa. I am not showing you this so that you can donate so please don't feel the pressure to do so. Also, the reason I am not in the video is because I was not volunteering at the time that the video was filmed.

Posted by blacklg 13:20 Archived in South Africa Comments (0)

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