11/21/11 Have you ever seen the movie Invictus? There鈥檚 a beautiful scenery shot of Table Bay, Cape Town, and the breathtaking surrounding mountains. I was watching that movie with some friends last summer and at that scene, one of them looked back, pointed at me, and mouthed, 鈥渢hat鈥檚 going to be YOU!鈥� That seemed surreal.....
Free travel journals
Watching shark week on the Discovery Channel has ruined the ocean for me. I can no longer go in the water without the thought of a shark taking off with my thigh. However, more specifically shark week has given me a fear of the South African coast because this is where all the stories of....
Reflections on Bethulie, love and what we have left behind
10/29/2011 The group left Lesotho on October 23rd bound for Bethulie, South Africa, an Afrikaaner town in the Free State.聽 Some were ready to go, to do something different.聽 I was not one of those people.聽 Lesotho for me had been an eye-opening yet amazing experience, and I missed the village and my host family....
Farewell from our Lesotho community
On Friday, our last full day in our homes, our mothers threw us a large farewell party held at my house. As I was dressing in my Shoeshoewe (traditional Basotho cloth) shirt from Soweto my sister Manapo burst in the door holding a beautiful red Shoeshoewe dress that she insisted I put on. She put....
Conversations on the farm at Mohalis Hoek
October 16 In a society with no Facebook, YouTube, Call of Duty or The Bachelor, it should be no surprise that good conversations will flourish. This past week was no exception to that rule as I found myself growing closer to my peers and my Savior. The whole group had gathered on a farm; hard....
Lesotho, the “mountain kingdom” – My children! You are home!
October 10, 2011 Being an outdoor nature person, I enjoyed our time in Soweto, but was definitely looking forward to the mountains of Lesotho. And let me tell you, they do not disappoint. Since the day we arrived in Lesotho, a group of us had our eyes on Mt. Fuku Fuku, which we were told....
Community and national pride
9-25-11 Hello 91大神! I am in AFRICA! There are so many experiences I have each day, from teaching 1st graders to chatting with my neighbors on the streets of Soweto. I really enjoy the pickup games of soccer we have with the locals here. Sometimes they are organized on a field just a block from....
Thank you, Soweto
Oct. 1, 2011 One of my of host sister鈥檚 concerns when I left Soweto was that she wouldn鈥檛 have anyone to eat her curried chilies with.聽 Anyone who knows me at least a little would assume the departure of my appetite to be a blessing, but not for Dimakatso. I love to eat.聽 I know....
Soweto history tour and Emshukantambo High School
South Africa is a country of boldness and vibrancy, and it鈥檚 hard to believe I have been taking it all in for the past 18 days already! The people here are so welcoming, and I think that their past challenges have truly shaped their relational culture and hospitality.聽 My host mother (Mme Esther) shared a....
Soweto, South Africa
Nervousness, frustration, excitement, joy, loneliness, love, fear鈥� each of these emotions has crossed my mind at least once recently. I may have been on cross-cultural for only two weeks so far, but it is definitely already turning out to be an adventure! Honestly, I still have a hard time believing I am actually in South....