In the Mountains of South Africa

Hi everyone! So this is my first blog post since arriving in South Africa and I don't even know where to begin. So far I guess the biggest thing we've done besides just getting oriented to the city and the sun is the Educo Africa retreat, which we lovingly called "bush camp." On our way out of the city to the mountains we were able to tour several communities in the townships, which was eye opening. Up until that point we had only seen the 1st world side of South Africa; this was a short glimpse into the 3rd world side. We start our service learning in Delft township later this week, and it was nice to get a peek at the community we will be working with. The drive into the mountains took three hours, but guess who got carsick only an hour in? That would be yours truly. Unfortunately the motion sickness combined with jet lag, exhaustion, and dehydration left me feeling pretty crappy, so I missed out on the about the first 24 hours of the retreat. While everyone else went hiking and swimming, I napped. Luckily I recovered and was able to participate in the last half of the retreat. Educo was a really great experience that really helped our group get to know each other and really begin to trust each other. It was a time for us really just to reflect. One of my personal favorite experiences was just sitting on a rock and watching the sun set in the mountains. It was beautiful, and probably a once in a lifetime experience.