get your fix

it has officially been a week since i left home. it doesn't really feel like it but sometimes it does. our days are jam-packed with adventures that it's hard to find time to sit around and be home sick...but i usually find a few minutes in the van to do so.

i just wanted to start this BLOG off by telling everyone how truly happy i am here. the people on the trip are great. my roommate is great (we all know how my luck was with the LAST one). my job is great. everything is going so well it's scary. we're living in the moment and that's semi-new to me. i'm a fairly structured person, i didn't get an alarm clock until today (did i tell you the only clock in the house is on the microwave?!) and of course i have always been stubborn when it comes to change...among other things, as my father will be the first to tell you. all of this aside, i have not had a moment yet where i feel unhappy. it's a weird feeling. in the course of a week you would expect at least one unhappy moment. i have felt sad and disappointed and angry but never unhappy. i like it.

i mean, yesterday we went to Oudekraal (oh-duh-crawl) Beach. meredith and i brought our bathing suits and after shell & sea glass hunting (yes carolyn, i will share. there's enough to go around and there are more beaches to visit) we decided to get in the water! it was pretty cold but after walking around the beach and climbing up the rocks our feet were pretty numb so it didn't matter. we grabbed each others hands and ran out to a rock, dunked under the water and ran back...after freaking out when the huge kelp limbs hit our legs and we weren't sure it was kelp... but anyway. we ran back laughing because we just swam in the atlantic ocean in SOUTH AFRICA. how many of our friends can say that? i can only think of one now.

we've done so much and i feel so bad (but not unhappy) that i can't update you all every hour! it makes me so excited to know you're excited about reading "the next installment". a little nervous too because most of you are teachers...any bad grammar or spelling can always be blamed on fatigue.

tomorrow is the big day. our first REAL work day at Fezeka.

(on a side note, i just wanted to clarify that i will be working at a high school. the children in the picture below are from Stepping Stones. it's like a pre-school. 3 other girls work there but we got to visit and check out the site last week. i'll show you pictures of my school as soon as i take some.)

i am so stoked about working in the computer lab. who knew? my mom's comment about how she never thought i would be a computer wiz was completely true. the thing is, i'm not really a wiz but the basic skills i have are far beyond what they have. by no means am i superior to them because of my privilege and experience but it really does blow me away that in the grand scheme of things they just need to know how to block websites, build a school website and develop some core computer literacy skills. that's my goal in these next two weeks. two weeks....i want to stay longer already, but my parents wont let me. i miss my dogs too.

i digress. (haha, mom knows why that's funny)

we went to another beach today and it was a local beach and as soon as we pulled up and looked out the window, well when i sat up from a short nap, there were surfers CRAWLING all over the beach. girls, guys, kids, dogs. it was out of a movie. meredith and i were the first ones to bust out of the van and head towards the beach. we kicked off our flip flops and didn't care if they got stolen because we wanted to get to the water as soon as we could. luckily some of the other girls stayed where our flip flops were. it would have been a long day shoeless, and i really like my reefs. we walked down to the water and just stood there. neither of us said anything at first. then we looked at each other and almost simultaneously said "we're staying!". dr. fish came down and saw how we were glowing and told us if we really wanted to stay we could and they would pick us up on the way back. we seriously thought about it and even walked over to the nearest surf shop to see how much board and wetsuit rentals were. yes dad, you read that correctly. it is 200 rand to rent a board and suit all day. CHEAP. so we discussed our options with dr. fish (jen) and we came to the conclusion that we would find some way to fit a surf day in our schedule over the next two weeks! jen wants to try it and so do it. the area is a protected "bay", that means NO SHARKS. so of course i was game. meredith surfs so we don't have to pay for a lesson. we didn't have our suits with us today or we would have done it. so hopefully next weekend you will be reading about my very first surf outing. my first time surfing will potentially be in SOUTH AFRICA. again, how many people can say that....

here is the beach where we will be hanging ten.

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i know my parents have their mouths wide open right now and are probably contacting the embassy to report a 'missing person' and wondering what happened to their daughter but i promise it's really me. i'd be crazy to pass up the chance to go surfing in south africa. come on dad, you know that :) ...and the no shark thing doesn't hurt.

well, it's almost time for the cafe to close. i'm finally getting used to these keyboards so i haven't had to waste as much time going back and fixing things.

as of this afternoon there are new pictures on photobucket. i created a URL so it's easier to get to/remember.... www.photobucket.com/katieelder

....you're welcome :p


oh! almost forgot to tell you! at the beach we saw seals! krystal has a great video of them. i'm sorry but i'll have to wait til i get home to share it. they were so cute! robbie and rose. after the beach we went to another beach and saw the penguins! i do have a picture of them....

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ok, we got the 10 minute warning. i hope this entry will hold you over until the next one!


i love you!

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some steps in an alley we found that led up to a bead shop where we met a girl from baltimore. small world. i like it though.