The Rainbow Nation

I find myself waking up everyday by 6:30 am; I think it's because I don't want to waste a single second of my time in this beautiful country. I spent this weekend hanging out with family friends, who I was fortunate to meet through relatives in the States. Gary, Lucy and Jade, have truly become family for me here, in such a short time. I'm so glad the family/village that I have lived my whole life in, has carried clear across the ocean.  On...

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About My Host Family

I met my host mom, Mildred; my host dad, Tseko Patrick; and my youngest host sister, Lerato Mkobeko Ayanda, who goes by Katie (pronounced Cat-ee who is in the picture with me), on Saturday, September 14th. When I got to my new home I met my other host sister, Mwanja Patricia, who we call Patricia. She is my host mom's niece, but in my host family we don't use the term cousin. Aunts are called "mom", and nieces are "daughter". This is an aspect...

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Culture

Pretoria, South Africa  I am in awe of the cultural and physical differences here. The first thing I noticed when I arrived, was the lack of green grass here. There is none! You have some sidewalks, but mostly dirt paths. The roads are all paved, but that is it. I live in a city, so we walk around everywhere, even though we have a car. Resources here are a big deal, so even though my family isn't poor, they conserve their resources....

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School

I finally started school today, which I had been very eager and nervous about. School here is very different than at home. When we walk into a classroom we stand until we greet the teacher. The classrooms are individual buildings outside, placed on top of dirt. The classrooms are surprisingly bug free, but are very dusty because the school does not have AC, so the windows are open and the school sits on a dirt plain. I was so hot today. I wore...

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Food in South Africa!

The first day I met my host family, my sister, Patricia, cooked cow intestines in a thick stew. Needless to say, it was very different; so I didn't eat much of it, but I was willing to try it. The next day we went to McDonald's. McDonald's is so different here. They have a pop called McFizz, with either watermelon flavour or Lychee flavour. I haven't tried it yet but I cannot wait to taste it! Patricia and my mom made chicken, rice, and spinach...

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My Last Night In The US

On my last night before leaving for New York, my little brother was feeling stressed about me leaving, so we decided to have a sleepover in my room. After going to bed well after midnight, I woke up at 4 am and could not fall back to sleep. Maybe it was nerves mixed with excitement, keeping me from my beauty rest; or maybe it was the fact that my little brother slept diagonally in my bed with his feet in my back. Either way, I could not...

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South Africa Here I Come!

I leave in 4 days and I am so anxious! The journey from Chicago, to Johannesburg, to Pretoria, seems like it will take forever, but I know the time will pass quickly, and I will soon be meeting my host family for the very first time! Today, I picked up my Visa and spent my last bit of time in downtown Chicago, until next July! I felt a little saddened knowing that it would be my last time seeing that incomparable skyline, and being in midst...

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