It's been a long, long while

Wow, so the last few weeks have been a whirlwind.

Basically, there wasn't any inexpensive, good working internet anywhere so I never got a chance to sit down and type anything out! I don't really remember what I wrote about so I'll just recap...

Grahamstown was amazing. I love the artist world. Also, Grahamstown was tiny, so it was fun because we'd meet some people one night or day and then see them everywhere we went. This included the actors and directors of the shows that we saw. It was kind of silly because I ended up being star struck half the time :) The night life was a little strange. The venues were all very stereotyped. There was a sports bar, a hippie bar, an alternative bar and a night club. The club had black and white nights...which was kind of shocking. We unknowingly went to one of both and then found out that they literally hand out fliers to either white people or black people depending on the night. It was just strange because as Americans we all just wanted to dance regardless of who else would be there!!!! Just a shock at the cultural differences and the "post" apartheid world. We had a TON of work cut out for us that week too, so Katie Ann and I pretty much camped out at this one coffee shop. I think we spent around 4 hours a day there...The weather there was the best we've had. It was sunny and warm which is strange because Grahamstown is supposed to be the coldest place in the country. Anyway, my favorite show that we saw was probably #Untitled it was a very post modern show that didn't really have a plot but was expressing fear and trauma and grief and violence through different movements and stories and sounds and languages. At least half of the show was in Afrikaans so that made it even harder to follow, but from the beginning you knew that it was an exploration on the loss of control. It worked really well. It's pretty hard to describe I guess :)

On our way out of Grahamstown we stopped at a resort and had a safari!! It was the nicest place we've stayed and it was really relaxing. I'm not really into animals, but it was still pretty amazing to be so close to elephants and lions. We were literally 2 yards away from a young male lion at one point and he was just staring us down! There are some funny stories from the safari that I'll have to share later :) The next day our group went and saw snakes and lion cubs, but I stayed back at the resort and lounged around. It was really nice weather and I just took some time to read and write and reflect on the last month and what's left to come!

The bus ride back to Cape Town was an absolute beast. I have never been so ready to get off a bus. We watched terrible movies and people got impatient and I definitely was cranky. But now it's over and we're here!!!!!!!!!! Getting back here was a breath of fresh air. The first night back we met up with some of the Irish from our week at habitat and I was so so overjoyed to see them. Then the next day we finished our school work!!!!!!!!!!! (IT"S OVER!!!!!!!!!!!!) and hopped on a train to this quaint fishing town on the coast. It was really beautiful and exactly what we needed. We ate and walked around, saw fish being caught, saw seals...the whole coastal experience. We also escaped some terrible rain in Cape Town so that was nice. The weather in Cape Town is letting me down...I fear I will never be dry. One of the Irish boys was making fun of me and asking if I shower with my clothes on...

Tomorrow the SPU crew goes home...it's all very strange. I will definitely miss having everyone around, but it will also be nice to not be controlled by a group. I seriously had so much fun with everyone though and am excited to go back to Seattle and have sweet reunions :)

Grant and I checked out the place we'll be living in. It's gorgeous. It's in this fun neighborhood that has all kinds of colored buildings and great architecture. It's all wood and there's roof access so what more could you want right? Also, the boys we're living with have planned a week long road trip, so that should be fun :) We're supposed to be staying at one of their friends houses on a river in the country, so that sounds quite quaint. For the next week Grant and I are going to be tagging along with the second team of Irish people and building a second house in the same township we were in before. I'm pretty excited about this! I get to work with my same leader who I got along with really well so that will be great! I'll also get to go back and see Williem and his house :) I'm really impressed with the way things have been falling into place. I can only hope that it will continue to go so well :)

Again I'm sorry for not posting for so long...Sorry if anyone was worried (Mark...PS I can't seem to email you...it keeps bouncing...)

OH! One major disaster!!! I lost my wallet in Grahamstown!!!! Luckily there wasn't much money in it, but cancelling the card kind of stressed me out. I've worked it out though so everything is fine. I feel like something like that was bound to happen and it was good that it did when I still had adults around to help me figure out how to handle it.

hmmm...I guess that's pretty much it for now. I miss everyone, but am so so glad to be staying here for the rest of the summer. I can't even imagine going home right now. I wouldn't be ready at all. I love this experience so much and can't wait to come back and share my experiences and what I've learned.