It has been an interesting journey since I have been here, a struggle, a period of growth, God is stretching me here and I am finally FINALLY starting to find my place here. It is days like these that remind me of what I am here for, for the little things, the beauty of a smile, the brightness of the sun God shines here, the comfort of a new friend, and a church that breathes authenticity, passion, and strong love for Christ.
Every day here is whatever I make of it, I’ve realized. So far every day has been an adventure, never knowing what person I am going to meet, what new places I’m going to explore, when God is going to speak to me or I to Him, what new foods I will be tasting, or new facts to be learned in the lecture halls. Everyday is an adventure. After classes ended on Thursday, my friend Anna and I decided to take a hike up to Rhodes Memorial, as neither of us had been there yet. We took the jammie to the north stop hopped off, and decided to find our own way. Climbing up hills scattered with trees, and the sun peacefully peeking through the branches, I knew this was going to be an adventure that God leads. Eventually Anna and I made it, and it was the most incredible view. The whole city was laid out right in front of us at this beautiful memorial, and seeing so may houses, the view of the ocean, the mountains, and the people who seemed so little, opened up a world of imagination and led to such a bonding conversation. Anna is the type of person who I feel entirely comfortable to talk to about anything, and although she is in a homestay and I don’t get to see her often, it is always a treasure to get to spend time with her. That night we took a cab to the Waterfront and found the place best known for their half off sushi, and it was definitely worth more then we paid for it because it was so delicious. We ended the night with gelato filled ice-cream cones and laughter that filled our bellies to the brim.
Friday after the end of classes I took the train to the beach with my friends Anna and Annie. We stopped by Anna’s house and it almost made me sad that I didn’t choose to do a home stay, although I am so thankful to have been introduced to an amazing family, I was reminded of the importance of family and how connecting with a family here would be highly beneficial to me. We hopped back on the train and went to Muizenburg beach, napping in the sun and skipping through the waves. Right before we were leaving the shark siren went off, and the shark flag was changed from red (meaning high risk for sharks) to white (meaning a shark has been seen by one of the shark spotters located up the mountain). It was interesting to see all of the surfers mozy their ways to shore, not entirely concerned with the fact that a shark was in the water but hey…T.I.A (This is Africa). After the beach we all got cleaned up, and walked over to my friend Sarah’s house who was hosting us for a tea party, which was quite lovely with finger foods laid out for all of us we had a good time.
Saturday everyone in our house woke up early in order to have our first CAP (Community action plan) where we journeyed to Bo-Kaap. Bo-Kaap is known for their colorfully painted houses and the people who lived in the area. We did a walking tour of the town and then were broken up into small groups and invited into the homes of some of the people who lived in the area. We all then got to participate in cooking some Malay food which was absolutely delicious. We made samosas, and bread that looked like pita bread. We also learned how to make these little balls of curry by putting a bunch of ingredients and spices into a blender and then putting them in a pot to be fried with vegetable oil. It was an amazing time to talk with the woman who was hosting us, and I got to learn about what a little bit of her life is like as a muslim, a woman, and an amazing cook. She made us all dessert and invited us to the towns craft market that is coming up in just a few weeks.
After getting back home I spent the day lounging around and deciding I needed to talk to all of you great folks from home. It had been a long day and I was in a very strange mood, so I walked to Coco Wah Wah, to have a smoothie and a night alone. Coco Wah Wah is one of my favorite places not only because their iced crushes and desserts are my favorite, but the people who work there are always friendly and comforting to see. Some of the people working there have gotten to know my name and I was delighted to see that Comfort, a man who lives up to his name, was working that night. He offered to buy me a meal of pasta, because it was half of pasta that night, but I was so full from lunch that I politely declined and instead we talked for a bit and I got to get online ☺ Sorry everyone for not e-mailing or replying to e-mails, or having to sign off quickly, it’s just the way things are here, and really only Americans are on their computers here more than anyone else. I was happy to see as I looked up my friend Thembie who sat with me for dinner. He noticed I was my happy bubbly self, as I was taking in all that I have experienced here so far, it was so nice of him to notice, he even bought me my favorite smoothie and we sat and talked for a while. It wasn’t a very long conversation, but it was the kind of conversation that was filling for my heart and soul. It was lovely, and because it was late he walked me back to my house, where I spent the rest of the night playing cards with my housemates. Unexpected friends here is probably the greatest gift I have found so far, and I am oh so thankful for deep conversations, laughter, good food, and knowing that everything is going to be ok.
Today I decided to try out a new church, that had been recommended by my friend Whitney. It is a church called His People, and my friend Erin and took the short walk over to see what it was all about. It was such a huge blessing to be welcomed into this family of God and before I left the woman next to me, and I prayed together, and I immediately went to sign up for a connect group. Now I am already part of a small group through a church I’ve been going to here called church on main, and we had small group yesterday for two hours. It was lovely and wonderful and I am so blessed with all of the girls as we are all on different walks with God, walking at different paces, I am learning so much from them. I love the small group, but at Church on Main I didn’t get the shivers of my spine, pure joy kind of feeling like I felt at His People. I am not sure where God is leading me, but I think His People is a place God has brought me to…Currently I am content and sitting on our porch, enjoying the occasional breeze, and the smell of fresh food in the kitchen as people prepare for our Harry Potter themed braii we are having tonight, and of course, I am going to be Ron Weasley, refusing to accept the Hufflepuff status that people place on me..haha…Laura I hope you read this….anyways internet should be better by Friday, so I will have more regular blog updates and e-mails I promise! I love you all so so much!
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