WHAT a day!

Now I can believe I'm in South Africa. I couldn't see anything when I got in last night and even if I had, it really takes seeing the landscape and meeting some people for your mind to recognize that you're somewhere else. We toured Cape Town's Western Coast today. We left around 9am and made our way about an hour out of the city to a national park on the coast. The spring wildflowers are in full bloom and the whales are mating so there was a lot to look at and take pics of. The coast was stunning. The tide was just coming in so the water was creating small pools in the rocks. The waves were huge and I got some good shots of them crashing on the rocks as well. We went to an ostrich farm on our way back to Cape Town. We had a really nice meal there and I got to feed, touch and SIT on an ostrich. I was hysterical the whole time. HUGE me on an ostrich. Of course I was the first person to do it and everyone was cracking up. I'll try to post some pics from today soon. Only photos will do all these words justice.

After the ostrich farm we passed one of the "townships" like the one I'll be volunteering at. Although I was seeing it from a passing car, I got a pretty solid impression of the deplorable conditions some people live in here. I know this will only strengthen over time. For those that have seen the film "The Constant Gardener", imagine the slums in that film. Kibera in Kenya, although it is the largest slum in Africa, is an accurate representation of where I'll be. Some of the girls on my shift told me some details about what to expect when I'm on "shift". I'll wait until I experience it myself to tell you but it's going to be rough. I appreciate these day trips to the coast and seeing the beauty of this country but I also look forward to experiencing firsthand the ugliness of this country as well. Without one I don't believe you can fully appreciate the other.

Until next time...keep in touch.