Howzit! (common South African greeting)
I think it finally just hit me today! This morning when I went outside to eat my apple and piece of toast! The sun was shining, there was a cool breeze, and I was staring at the giant mountain right in front of me. It didn't look real; it should have been in a painting. At that moment when I opened the gate to the street and looked both ways and saw life happening all around me...it got real. I am on a completely different continent across the world from where I learned everything about me and my life from. My world is upside down, and I love seeing it from the view I have here. I haven't even been here 24 hours! South Africa is a 3rd world country and in the next 3 weeks, I am privileged enough to live comfortably and see the immense gap between the rich and poor. I will be in both worlds at different times and experience each. I get to see...learn...feel...experience. I can't explain how ready I am to take it all in with an open mind and grow. I was standing on the opposite side of the road from my group waiting to go grocery shopping when a homeless old man came up and started talking to me. He was too poor to even live in a metal shack. I see homelessness in the United States even on the block I live in the cities, but this was different. It was desperation...and it was heartbreaking. I haven't even gone into the townships yet. I have so much to learn a head of me. When I got into the grocery store, nothing was familiar. Taxis and cabs are 2 different things here. Taxis are mini buses that drive crazy and holler out the window at you to see if they can give you a ride! I will take that ride at some point, but it is recommended to take a cab after 7pm for safety. They drive on the opposite side of the rode and car. Every shop is unique....I haven't even been downtown Cape Town yet. Well friends, it's that time to get ready to go out to eat somewhere for a friends 21 birthday! I will write as much as I can while I am here for those of you that want to live vicariously through me while I am this journey. Tomorrow, I will be going on a retreat for 3 days...when I return I will write all about it! Ta-ta for now!
Love Shauna <3
Shauna Fenske: December 2011 Archives
My reasons for going on this life-changing adventure are simple and complex. I want to get to know myself and learn from others in the world. I want to expand my cultural perspective and deepen my capacity to be human. I want to live in the moment and change for the future. I know it will not be easy, but I am ready. Building up to the trip, I haven't been overly thinking about it. I am nervous, excited, anxious, and everything else right now. My heart feels flooded with emotions, good and not so good. So to avoid over analyzing like I usually do...I am just going with it. I don't want to be pre-occupied with thoughts of what it is going to be like. What it IS like while I am there is what is important to me. I hope that all of my reasons for going are fulfilled. I believe they will be plus many more. I hope to make new friends, connections, and memories that last a life time. I hope to cherish every second while I am there. I hope to be challenged but to take the challenges as opportunities to learn. This trip will be my sweet escape. An escape from my mind into a place of new perspective, growth, and valuable tools for my future.
