AFRICA IS NOT FOR SISSY's!!!

Much seems to happen in two days. It's been great getting to know my fellow workers as well as the kids at Capricorn (kids club) better. I've been keeping a notebook with all the Afrikaans words that I've been learning. My favorites thus far have been lekker (very good/sweet) and kwai (cool).

Yesterday, there were about 5 of us volunteers who were cacooned into a meeting room surrounded by towers of cardboard to once again...work on the armour of God. There we sat with box cutters trying to form little swords and shields, amassing only two casualties...but all in all, we survived with the thoughts of the gleaming faces pushing us forward. Around four our time of blacksmithing was caput and we walked back to our comfy teamhouse.

I sat in my room trying to collect my thoughts, grateful for the exciting start to my time here in Cape Town, when all of a sudden my friend Josh bangs on my door and asks me to accompany to go pick up the car that we and two others were going to rent. Initially, we were thinking that this would be an hour-ish affair...get the car, bring it back...etc. haha!! nay nay, we were picked up by one of the company drivers at 4:30 and drove an hour to get to RENT A BEET (a beetle car rental service). When we arrived we were...umm... a little suprised with the little darling piece of poop car that awaited us in a very sketchy part of town. Litterally, this teeny Bug was about to fall apart, one of the side mirrors was missing, the bumper had fallen off, and you have to slam the side door in a manner that pretty much tears your shoulder from its socket. But hey! we needed the transportation. So, we paid the money asked for a map (because Josh and I have only been here for, oh, a week?) to return home since we were miles away from anything familiar-ish. After some "practice driving" with one of the mechanics, we set off to find our way back. Did I mention that A. people here drive on the left side of the road...and B. the car had stick shift. C. the car is 55 years old and puttered to a start. Much praying was said and off we went. I, being the navigator, started singing Beyonce's "to the left...to the left" as a reminder for Josh to not veer to the right lane. Before long we'd taken a wrong turn, the sun had long returned to its slumber and we'd stalled out a couple times (once while merging onto the Freeway). Thankfully the Lord was watching over us and after a 4 hour excursion we returned to shouts of "You're back!!! we thought you guys had died or were robbed or something!" And that was my Friday.

SATURDAY June 4th

Today, 6 of us volunteers were left to our own devices. We decided to do a little bit sight-seeing in a place called Simon's Town (right by the shore). After cramming ourselves into the Beetle (now christened Big Old Betty) we rolled into a classy little shopping area. It was a glorious day of shopping about and sitting in a little restaurant by the wharf (I tried a calamari burger...quite yummy acutally). It's been amazing getting to know my other teammates a little more and hearing how God led them to South Africa. In one conversation, we talked about how Cape Town was one city where the separation between the extremely wealthy and the unbelievably poor is very evident. You'll see these gloriously decked out houses sitting next to a strip of slums with people living in what seems like a giant tin can. I really feel as though this place is taking a pull on my heart. Let's see what the rest of the week will hold.

umm...yeah...this would be a pic of dear Betty. the previous owners where apparently great adventurers and had a strange sense of humor since they'd left "sexy time" painted all over the doors...pish.