Ok, time for a real update. It’s so hard to decide what to write. There’s so much and it’s overwhelming to try to figure out what to say. Sometimes I stop and wonder if I’m really here. I’ve wanted to come for so long, it almost seems unreal.

Our water was fixed! I have to admit that I’ve learned to highly (emphasis!) value hot showers! When you take your hot shower tonight or tomorrow morning, really enjoy it and remember what a precious gift it is.

Here in South Africa, it’s winter. The nights and mornings are freezing cold, but it tends to warm up nicely by the middle of the day. (Although, the South Africans will tell you it’s still cold.) The sky here is amazing! I wish you could see it! At night, the sky is so dark and deep and the stars are so bright! And during the day, the sky just seems so big and so high and so very blue! It’s absolutely beautiful. The land reminds me of California a little bit. (Which makes me so happy!) There’s dirt, and brush that is brown and deep green, and I can’t feel any humidity. I love it!

Ok, so for my adventure at The Glen. It was nice. It looked similar to an American mall, except it was like all the types of stores you can think of in one place. There were clothing stores, fast food and nice restaurants, grocery stores, and a bank. The prices were very affordable. There were definitely some South African brands of various products. My favorite thing to do when shopping in an ethnic grocery store is to find something that is so unfamiliar that I can’t even guess what it is, except that I can eat it. I didn’t do that this time since we were in a rush, but I definitely saw some things that I’ll probably check out next time.

Saturday I got pretty sick. I was throwing up all day. I ended up taking a few hours off just to lay down… and throw up some more. Definately NOT my favorite day ever. But it lasted only a day and I felt like myself again on Sunday.

Today another girl and I had to go to the police station to sign some papers. On the way back, we stopped at McDonalds. It felt really good to have something so familiar.

Those are all my adventures for the moment. Wednesday is my next day off and I would like to see if I can find any nearby flea markets...

Poe Family, there's two things I've been saving to tell you all about. :) First, we’ve had pop twice since I’ve been here! It made me think of you all. I was so happy!

Mrs. Poe and Eli, remember when you showed me the cereal in the shape of bars? Well I went into the kitchen on Friday to get something to eat and I saw them and thought they were granola bars. I bit into it and felt so silly! Haha!

Laura