starting over again

well, welcome to cape town - a bustling city of 5 million and me somewhere amongst it all.
Cape Town has been quite the emotional roller coaster since I have arrived. Days go by where I am happy as can be and then end up feeling depressed later on. Cape Town has not been easy or anything like Namibia so far - but I'm sure after time I will adjust.
Leaving Namibia was very difficult - I don't know if I have ever been that consistently happy before - so coming some place new it is impossible to not compare it.
I spend the first 10 days with my CGE group. We did some amazing things, met great speakers, saw a lot and overall it was good. But we were all emotional about the program ending and I am anxious about my new adventure starting so it was hard to be as excited about everything as I would have been if it had just been a vacation and we all return to Namibia afterwards. They all left a week ago and that was very difficult - I keep thinking about all of you and what you would say or do in certain instances - miss you!
After the 10 days a couple good friends stuck behind for a week and we did some travelling together, some bumming around Cape Town and in the middle I started to move in and get adjusted. One of the highlights was going on an overnight trip and we went to the southern most point of Africa! It also happens to be where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet – I have now touched the Indian Ocean – new experience for me J
Cape Town is a little overwhelming and I think I have been experiencing some culture shock - it is much more developed and westernized than Namibia. And I don't like it at all when people say Cape Town (or South Africa for that matter) aren't real Africa - it's all Africa my friends - but it is unlike the Africa I fell in love with. I think if I had come straight from the States to Cape Town I would be in love with the city and be so happy to be here - its extremely diverse, lots to do and see, and heck I'm surrounded by mountains and ocean - but since I'm coming from Namibia its different. However, I know once I get settled in and meet more people I will love it here as well.
I think my internship is going to be great! SHADE seems like an organization that fits with my views wonderfully and does a lot of good. I am working with a lot of Democratic of the Republic of Congo (and living with) refugees so I am sure I will learn a lot from them - not to mention get in a little french practice. They already have ideas and projects for me to work on which is a great feeling after my time at Beautiful Gate. SHADE has a program called Sister 2 Sister which empowers women to start grass-roots programs all over sub-saharan Africa and they are supporting 28 projects in 20 different countries! I can't wait to learn about all of them.
So despite my struggles and adjustments and moments of feeling lonely - I know this will be another positive experience and I will learn to love it here and learn so much. Here's a few pics of some I've done so far.

Here's what I get to look at on a daily basis - Table Mountain - symbol of the city and yes I climbed that beast - oh to rub it in a little more, when I look the other direction there is the ocean
Some of my girls that I will miss dearly - Shani, Courtney, Chantal, Jess, Kesem - love you all!
One day we went to Cape Point - beautiful, really breath taking.

Here's me at Cape Point soaking up all of the beauty around me
Here's a place right outside of town that we went to after visiting an old township. All these houses are brand new - built after apartheid ended - government housing essentially.
We went to District 6 museum - very interesting. District 6 was a mixed community but in the 1960s the government evicted 60,000 people and forced them to the outer townships and Cape Flats because they didn't want a mixed community anymore and made it a whites only area. So many sad stories of families and friends being seperated from eachother and their homes and their way of life.
We went to a wine farm one afternoon - it was very beautiful. South Africa has some very famous wineries.
Here's a view from Table Mountain - seriously one of the most difficult hikes - imagine 95 minutes (just on the way up) on a stairmaster and you might get an idea of what it was like

well that's it for now - hope you all are doing well.

saying goodbye

two days left in namibia, I can't believe it, nor do I want to. I have had such an amazing time here and have fallen in love with the country. I remember when I was in South Africa I was sad to leave it for Namibia, and now I am sad to leave Namibia for South Africa. The landscape and scenery here are beautiful but the people are even more so. I cannot begin to explain what I have learned and how I have changed, just know that it is immensely. I will never be the same, nor do I want to be. I hope never to forget my experiences and the people here. I have met so many kind and giving people. I have seen so much pain and poverty yet I have also experienced much hope and love. I will pray everyday for this country and hope that it will live up to its enormous potential and bring justice to all its people. Here are some pictures from my internship at Beautiful Gate. I did not gain the internship experience that I had anticipated, but I tried to make the best of it. The people made all the difference, they have such big hearts for their work and each other, and even made a little room for me.

The quietest boy whose name I didn't learn and then there is Roland who made it a daily ritual to sit on my lap or have me watch him perform some kind of "trick" aka "look teacher"
quinton
Juma - funniest kid - from the Democratic Republic of Congo - a little bully at times but sometimes he'll surprise you with his complete kindness

my beautiful Elizabeta - I was probably closest to her - always sat on my lap and swung around

Kristolina!! sweet girl who always braided my hair and made fun of the way I said nice

Edward - love this boy - he was definitely a trouble maker but could also be the sweetest boy you will ever meet - will definitely miss him
Nevell - this boy wins the funniest kid award - he has so much personality - he has a eye sight and walking problem but he takes it in stride and makes life fun regardless
Alina - she ran the kitchen -she always made sure I had something to do or to talk to - she definitely took care of me and I learned so much from her
Amilia - she's been working at beautiful gate for 4 years now and was fun to talk with
Oh how I love Pauline - she is the sweetest lady who has so much strength and love - always trying to grow as a person and always showing love to everyone indiscriminately

Sadly I don't have a picture of Sarah - probably the person who I got closest to at Beautiful Gate - she spent some extra time with me and was so much fun and welcoming - one of the people I will miss the most in Namibia

Saying goodbye was hard but amazing. I went in friday morning to drop off some grant stuff I had been working on and to say goodbye. Sarah had made me a card that everyone had signed and then all the kids sang to me and blessed me and so many hugs and tears. Beautiful Gate was a struggle at times but overall it is so filled with love that you can't help but enjoy yourself.

So now I am heading to Cape Town. It is a bizarre feeling knowing I am only half way done while everyone else is headed home, but I am glad of my decision to stay. For those of you who don't know I will be spending the next 3 months (exactly) in Cape Town, South Africa. The first 10 days I will still be with the program then a few days of traveling with Kim and Courtney then I will start my internship with SHADE - www.shade.org.za - I'm sure it will be an amazing experience as well. I am sad to leave Namibia (and maybe I'll come back sometime before I head back to the states) but I need to be grateful for what I've experienced and I'm sure the future will be incredible as well.