I haven't okayed this with my professor yet, but I think I can cut my internship short :) I mean, already, within the first week I have knocked two big things off of my "Things to do in South Africa" list: surfing and climbing Table Mountain.
This past Thursday I surfed for the first time at Muizenburg with friends I met through the Jubilee Health Centre. The day was beautiful, with small waves good for beginners and a strong warm sun to offset the chill of the ocean. I like to think that you can't keep a good woman down, but I admit sometimes it can be hard to keep her up too! I managed to stand on my board, but I think I will need a round 2 in order to stay up. What a thrill it is when the wave surges underneath and carries you forward!
On Saturday, I climbed Table Mountain with some new friends. We started at 9 am and arrived back at 3 in the afternoon--sweating profusely on the ascent, freezing in the wind and encroaching fog at the top, and pleasantly cool on the way down. The final stretch near the top was particularly steep with mainly stairs, some ladders, and a section of free-styling over the rocks. The view is spectacular!
In between, I volunteered Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday at the Jubilee Health Centre (JHC). So far I have prayed with patients, served them tea and coffee as they wait, tried out some of my string figures with the little kids, and had the opportunity to talk with a diabetic lady and hopefully encourage her from my own experience as a diabetic. I haven't really DONE a lot there, but I have been so blessed to just be there and see God at work in and through the staff there.
In the end, I really don't want to cut my internship short :) I am excited to see the beginning of what this time will be like here, and look forward to wonderful things. My time here is about more than surfing and climbing Table Mountain and doing things (though I wouldn't mind doing either of those things again!), and I am excited to see what will happen over time as I do life here. Not to mention, one learns things here that they wouldn't learn otherwise. Just the other day, two of my new friends were arguing over what was the 'language of God.' The one was sure it was Afrikaans, but the other countered that it was Xhosa until people messed it up!
Also, it is strange and yet good to remain in one place for more than a couple days. I don't know if I can quite describe what it felt like to unpack my bags and put away my suitcases for the time being. I am starting to feel the limitations of my wardrobe, though, when the same people see me for more than a two or three days at a time (fellow GlobeTREKkers don't count :) ).
So am I ready to go home? Not yet!
Week 2--bring it on!
This past Thursday I surfed for the first time at Muizenburg with friends I met through the Jubilee Health Centre. The day was beautiful, with small waves good for beginners and a strong warm sun to offset the chill of the ocean. I like to think that you can't keep a good woman down, but I admit sometimes it can be hard to keep her up too! I managed to stand on my board, but I think I will need a round 2 in order to stay up. What a thrill it is when the wave surges underneath and carries you forward!
On Saturday, I climbed Table Mountain with some new friends. We started at 9 am and arrived back at 3 in the afternoon--sweating profusely on the ascent, freezing in the wind and encroaching fog at the top, and pleasantly cool on the way down. The final stretch near the top was particularly steep with mainly stairs, some ladders, and a section of free-styling over the rocks. The view is spectacular!
In between, I volunteered Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday at the Jubilee Health Centre (JHC). So far I have prayed with patients, served them tea and coffee as they wait, tried out some of my string figures with the little kids, and had the opportunity to talk with a diabetic lady and hopefully encourage her from my own experience as a diabetic. I haven't really DONE a lot there, but I have been so blessed to just be there and see God at work in and through the staff there.
In the end, I really don't want to cut my internship short :) I am excited to see the beginning of what this time will be like here, and look forward to wonderful things. My time here is about more than surfing and climbing Table Mountain and doing things (though I wouldn't mind doing either of those things again!), and I am excited to see what will happen over time as I do life here. Not to mention, one learns things here that they wouldn't learn otherwise. Just the other day, two of my new friends were arguing over what was the 'language of God.' The one was sure it was Afrikaans, but the other countered that it was Xhosa until people messed it up!
Also, it is strange and yet good to remain in one place for more than a couple days. I don't know if I can quite describe what it felt like to unpack my bags and put away my suitcases for the time being. I am starting to feel the limitations of my wardrobe, though, when the same people see me for more than a two or three days at a time (fellow GlobeTREKkers don't count :) ).
So am I ready to go home? Not yet!
Week 2--bring it on!
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