Jammer?

..that means "sorry!" in Afrikaans.

What am I apologizing for? Well, it has been a long time since I posted and a lot has happened.

Six days ago I was waiting in the sterile airport terminal in Chicago, waiting for my flight to La Guardia. Typically before I go on a trip, I indulge in Starbucks, Red Mango, or something else delicious in the terminal. This was not the case. During the few days leading up to my departure, I became very nervous. When I mean nervous, I mean almost at the point of becoming sick. It's very unnerving to leave your home and culture for six months, and to resume life in a completely different one. That aside, I had a safe journey to my orientation in New York. During my time there AFS gave the other student and me the rundown on how to act appropriately on exchange. We even got to go to a South African restaurant in Brooklyn–it was delicious!

Friday, we arrived in Johannesburg. First, I want to thank South African Airways for its outstanding service. There were always flight attendants coming down with coffee, tea, food, and anything else to make the arduous journey easier. Once we arrived in Johannesburg I became rather alarmed. There was no AFS representative present as promised. Instead, I asked the police to make an announcement on our behalf. I was told nothing can be done. That statement became an indication of the attitude many South Africans have, which is "sorry, not my problem". Eventually, we met the rep and we went to the arrival camp. At the arrival camp there were students from various countries and we did activities that helped us familiarize ourselves with South African culture.

Saturday, I arrived in George and met my host family and new friends at the airport! It was so great to finally meet them after talking on facebook and email! I really like my family; they're very nice. We went to meet Mindi, my host sister who lives with her husband on a farm. After that, we went to the mall in George to have a bite to eat and do a little shopping. I tried Bobtie, a traditional South African dish, for the first time, it's lekker(good)!

Sunday, my host sister Bea and I went down to the beach here in Mossel Bay. It's really nice and only a kilometer or two away from home. We also went to the point, which is a dramatic cliff/rocky area a little bit further down the road, which was equally spectacular.

Today was the first day of school. I don't think that North Shore Country Day could be any more different than Hoerskool Punt. School starts at 7:40 and only lasts until 1:50. There are no free blocks, class meetings, advisory, or community gatherings at this school. There isn't even a lunch period! You have seven classes with two 20 minute breaks during the day, and you eat your sack lunch then. There are no such things as off-campuses. I had a hard time explaining the oddities of North Shore to my peers at my new school. The uniform is...well a uniform. I'm not the biggest fan of it but at least you don't have to worry about what to wear in the morning! My classes are in "English" but the ones with Afrikaans students tend to be taught more in Afrikaans. Afrikaans, by the way, is probably the most difficult language to learn. My host family speaks it and I honestly have no clue what they're saying. I shall learn soon enough!

Now I'm going to sit outside on the patio that overlooks the ocean and do some schoolwork.

Bye!

Five Days

I'm leaving in five days. Every time I stop and think about it I freak out a little bit. In my last post, I talked about how hard it was to say goodbye. Now I am focusing on starting the next chapter, and saying "hello" to what is coming up. Also, I've begun to have begun to think about organizing myself both literally and figuratively for my exchange. I ask myself, "do I need ...?, what about ...?, can I bring ...?" and other related questions. Preparing to leave for six months takes more thought than I initially realized.

I just heard today that I am now ready to pick up my visa. THANK GOD. My mom and I (mostly my mom) have been worrying about this for quite some time. Our combined efforts have paid off! My mom deserves a strong drink once I'm on that plane and left; she deserves it.

Right now I'm in Ohio visiting my grandparents and my friend Morgan. I'm glad to spend the last few days I have with people that mean a lot to me. I feel very privileged. However, it's a little strange to be distant from the home I am about to leave. Perhaps this speaks to the scope of my travels and the distance between the people who matter to me and myself.

I noticed that I have 82 hits on my blog! Thanks all you readers, I really appreciate it!

Saying Goodbye

In my last post, I was very flustered. There was a great deal of uncertainty last week. Now, however, there is a lot that has come together in the last few days.

I have a new host family, and it's official! I'll be living in Mossel Bay, Western Cape. It looks like an awesome place to live. The ocean is a short walk from my house and there's a lot to do outdoors. I can't wait to live there! Compared to my gloomy surroundings in Chicago, it looks like paradise.

Over the past week or so I've started to say goodbye to people. Let me say this, it's much harder than one would think. All of my peers will do this in a matter of months when they leave for college. You think to yourself that it will be easy but the reality of it all sets in quickly. I'm not just saying "see you later". I'm concluding a chapter of my life. High school was a roller coaster of an experience, but I wouldn't change it for anything. The people I've met along the way have shaped who I am and have supported me through this endeavor. I want to say thank you to all of the people who've helped me along the way with my AFS exchange. Your efforts should not go unmentioned!

I wish my classmates at North Shore and my friends from other high schools all the best with the remainder of their senior year. Senioritis honestly sucks I'm sure, but you all will get through it soon enough!  The American high school experience has concluded for me, but the journey has only just begun!

2 weeks. What??

I cannot believe that I (ostensibly) will be leaving for my exchange in two weeks! It feels like yesterday I decided to do this–study abroad with AFS. This experience will be unlike anything I have ever done and I am forever grateful to have this opportunity.

This past week has been quite an emotional roller coaster. AFS told me that I had a family in Mossel Bay. However, on Friday I got news that they decided to withdraw from hosting me. Needless to say, I was devastated. This evening I got some good news. AFS is in the process of finalizing my new placement. Luckily, it will be in the same community, Mossel Bay. I've already been in contact with the other AFS student living in the house with the host family. Her name is Bea and she is from Germany. Fingers crossed, this arrangement should work out.

The other complication that I (along with AFS) face is getting the visa in time. I still need a lot of documentation in order to apply for my visa, and once submitted it will take 10 days to obtain. If you're counting, that doesn't leave me much time at all. I'm hoping that it will all be done by the time I get on the plane in New York. Otherwise, I may have a delayed departure. This is all theoretical. Confusing, no?

This week is passing at a painfully slow pace. I honestly haven't done much of anything other than catching up on my shows, reading a new book, and just relaxing. It's nice to have this down time but I'm ready to go to Africa! Hurry up!

19 days

Now that the number of days that remain is in the teens, I think that it's becoming more "real" that I'm leaving. I keep mentioning that it hasn't sunk in yet. It's true! I think I'll finally "get" that I'll be living in a different hemisphere for six months when I board the airplane to Johannesburg.

I found out that I'll be living in Mossel Bay. I googled it and it sounds awesome. It's a resort town on the beach. What's not to like?

Here's a timeline of what's going on for the next 19 days. I know many of you wonder what I've been doing with my time since I'm done with school.

• Remainder of this week: Finish my senior service project at Oak Terrace School. I really enjoy working with the kids everyday!

• Weekend: friends, family, oh and the superbowl (not that I care). 

• Next Week: Go downtown to apply for the visa, get things I need before I leave, various doctors appointments (YAY SHOTS!!!), and lots of catching up on some shows. Yes, this is the dedicated "vacation" week. I think it's fair because I won't be back until August and I won't have much of a summer vacation. 

• Following week: Run more errands, see more friends and family, and a little rendezvous to the ever so exciting metropolis of Dayton, Ohio to see my grandparents. I'm also seeing my friend Morgan who's at school in Dayton, so that'll be fun. 

• The week after that: (hopefully I haven't completely lost your interest) I'M LEAVING FOR SOUTH AFRICA!!! First I'm going to New York for an AFS orientation. After that I'm hopping on a 15 hour flight to Joburg!