back at home!

Hi guys!! I just got my first chance to get on the internet. we have been busy!

travelling was great other than getting stopped in customs in south africa for too much yarn. luckily, a rep from monte christo was there to come explain. they finally got tired of us and sent us on our way. we were welcomed to south africa by rain on and off until monday evening.

our guesthouse that we are staying in is so nice and cozy. we are the only ones there and the family who owns it lives upstairs. they are a lovely family and make us feel welcome and like we have been transported to some amazing world with their hospitality and cooking!

so far, we taught--well let me rephrase, tried to control chaos in the schools. the teachers were on strike so the school was in chaos. my team went to orleansvale, a school i've worked in before. i walked into the room and was delighted to see former students from 2 years ago! the sad part...those sweet little boys are now the menaces of the class. to say the kids were wild and crazy is an understatement!!!! i had no control and leave defeated. our school is in the roughest part of that community. the team that hit the other school had a better experience. we were supposed to go back wed but were reassigned. instead, we swept the streets of paarl with the homeless ministry. and no....they don't have street sweepers like the states. i literally swept the streets with a broom and homemade dustpan. i was tired and sore all over by the end.

this afternoon i'm meeting the teacher and headmaster of the autism school here and picking out paint to paint their classrooms. we'll be doing that tomorrow as well as doing a craft with them.

it was nice to see everyone again -- especially the kids that i still have permanently etched in my mind!! SA 2008 team, i saw our 2nd graders--dulan the one who sang like an angel and a few others. no worries..he is still sweet. =) he is now in 6th grade. he found me on the playground.

the team is doing well. we have all been exhausted in the evenings and have gone to bed at 9:00! we'll update the team blog as we can and i'll email as often as i can.

Team's LA adventure

Hi supporter family! I wanted to tell you about a recent “adventure” embarked upon by the South Africa team.

On July 11, the team went on a surprise “adventure.” Because we will not know what we will be doing in South Africa until we arrive (and even then plans change often) the social planner and I wanted to plan an event that would best simulate this experience locally.

Come on the adventure with us through this recap!

Most of us attended the 9am service at NewSong together and carpooled to our “initial destination.” The team, most of which had no idea what was planned, was instructed to meet at the following address at 10:45 sharp: 15215 Barranca Parkway, Irvine. Upon arrival, the Amtrak station was revealed.

Roundtrip Amtrak tickets were purchased to Union Station, LA. The Amtrak was 30 minutes late leaving so we sat around and chatted to pass the time. Once we were en route to LA, the ride was really comfortable and fun!

At Union Station, we bought day passes for the metro so we could ride the train or bus.

From Union Station, we took the metro link train to Wilshire/Normandie at which location we caught the bus to Fairfax.

From there, we walked to our final destination:

Addis Ethiopian Restaurant in the Little Ethiopia community of Los Angeles

www.addisla.com

By the time we arrived, we were starving! This was all of our first times having Ethiopian food. We had an extra air of excitement in the restaurant because the staff and patrons were watching the final of the World Cup hosted by South Africa.

The waitress was nice but was not the most helpful in introducing us to the food or recommending some of the popular dishes so we blindly chose entrees that sounded interesting. When our food arrived, the owner quickly read our “confused but trying to look cool” facial expressions and taught us how to “properly” eat our food. A plate comes covered with injera, a flat spongy bread. The stew, or entrée you choose, is poured over the injera, and then pieces of the injera bread are taken from the bread baskets in which they are served, and portions of the entrée are “pinched” up and eaten by hand. No utensils are used. I had the “awaze tibbs” which is sautéed pieces of beef, onions, and jalapenos in a spicy awaze sauce. We loved the food!

After we ate, we headed back to Orange County via the reversed route. When we got to Union Station, it took us a while to figure out where our Amtrak rail was supposed to be. We then found out that it was delayed with no known departure time. We would up waiting about 2 hours at a very busy Union Station. This is the time when the novelty of the adventure could wear off. We were tired and had spent the day out of our normal Sunday routines and for some, out of our comfort zones altogether. However, this is when the true simulation begins. I wondered:

Knowing that a few team members had places they needed to be when we got back home, how would the team react when at the mercy of public transportation with no control over our schedules?

How we would we respond to each other when we were tired and uncomfortable after spending the entire day together?

I’m proud to say that while we were all disappointed with the delays, no one complained. The team really took this part in stride and found ways to pass the time—celebrity magazine shopping and swapping, playing games, reading, chatting, and walking around. No one was visibly irritated. It was the best experience we could have hoped for!

This is only a small scenario of what life is like on missions. Most of us like to plan and be somewhat in control of our schedule (especially me) in our daily lives including what time we do things, what we eat, etc.

On a larger scale while in Africa:

• We will have no idea what our schedules will be until we arrive; hence, no planning and mentally preparing for what we may say or do and no practicing
• Many of us will be placed in activities in which we feel we are not using our “skill set” and face immediate feelings of inadequacy as we struggle to use our perceived “weaknesses”
• Even if we plan the best activities and show up at a destination, that doesn’t mean that the Africans will be there on time or at all. As Francisco, one of the South African Monte Christo staff members, once said to us: “A schedule is not worth the paper its printed on.”
• Being affected by fatigue, emotions, and hunger is easy which further diminishes any patience we may have been trying to reserve!
• We will not always be able to choose what we eat or when we eat it. When we do eat, certain communities may have different customs like the Ethiopians who eat with their hands. Some find it more difficult to try new foods or handle certain textures.

I can’t wait to introduce the team to my 3^rd home (My 1st is Mississippi and my 2^nd is California) in less than 2 weeks! I know that through the previously mentioned points, I have learned so much over the past 3 years from travelling there including being less structured and more “go with the flow” (if you think I haven’t improved, you should have seen me 3 years ago), being more open minded with customs and foods, and spending more time with and focused on people in lieu of the schedule at hand.

We can’t wait to share with you our experiences—the good, the bad, and the trying, all of which we know will help us grow into the people we are intended to be.

Until next time….Much love, blessings, and appreciation to you & yours,

Danielle

Reminder:

Departure: August 6 arriving in South Africa August 8

Arrival in LA (team): departing South Africa August 21 arriving in LA August 22

Arrival in LA (Danielle): departing South Africa August 28 arriving in LA August 29