Ghana: Part 2

Hey everyone!

I hope I still have some readers out there. I should have been more on top of finishing my blog when I got back, but it's been hard to admit that the voyage is actually over. This isn't a blog that I wanted to have to end! However, here is a summary of the last three days of Ghana.

The ship traveled from Takoradi to Tema (Accra) overnight, so I woke up bright and early to catch the shuttle bus into the city. The drive is usually at least one hour, but it can take up to three hours depending on traffic. Our ride there took about an hour and a half.

There wasn't much to do right where the shuttle dropped us off. None of us had very much Ghanaian Cedi left, so we wanted to catch a taxi and go to the Accra mall, where we knew there would be some trustworthy ATM's, before heading out to the market and doing some more exploring. After locating a restroom, which was an adventure of its own, we found a taxi and asked the driver to take us to the mall. None of the taxis in Ghana are metered, so it's important to set a price with them before you get in. It can be hard to find a driver that won't try and rip you off if are a tourist, but we ended up finding a very nice guy!

The ride to the mall took about 25 minutes. Unexpectedly, the mall was actually similar to a mall that you would find in America. After walking around for a bit and grabbing some lunch, we found the ATM's.

Alexa. :) This is actually the only picture I took the entire day.

That didn't go as planned. For some reason, my card wasn't working. Alexa's card also didn't work, and Corrie had left hers back on the ship. We were in the middle of Ghana, about 2 hours away from the ship, with almost no cash and no way to contact our banks or parents. We had no phone service and there was no WiFi anywhere to be found. We didn't have enough money to pay a taxi to take us anywhere. It was one of those moments that you pray is never going to happen. We desperately kept trying to find a place in or around the mall that had WiFi. All of sudden, we heard a voice behind us... "Leave it to you guys to find the mall."

We turned around and TOM JELKE, our Executive Dean, was standing right there! He could tell right away that something was wrong, and we explained the situation to him. Without even giving it a second thought, he pulled the ship phone out of his pocket and told us to use it to call our parents. He is amazing. I still can't believe he was there right at that moment. I was able to get in touch with my parents, and they said they would call the bank right away. Tom then gave us some cash to hold us over until our cards started to work again. Luckily, 20 minutes later, they worked!

After taking a few moments to catch our breath, we grabbed a taxi to the local Makola Market. It was very crowded, busy, smelly and loud, but it was an amazing experience! I'd never seen anything like it before! We spent about 45 minutes looking around, and then grabbed a taxi to a store called Global Mama's.

Global Mama's is a "non-profit and fair trade organization assisting women in Africa to become economically independent." The products they sell are made by the women, and all proceeds go directly to them. If you're interested in learning more, visit their website. I bought a few postcards, a pair of pants and a couple of headbands. It felt great to support this organization!

After Global Mama's, we started to head back to the shuttle bus. On our way back, I ran into the exact same guys that had given me such a hard time back in Takoradi. A lot of the vendors followed the ship. I honestly had a moment of panic when I saw them. Luckily, we were far enough from them to start walking quickly away, but they followed us and yelled the entire way back to the shuttle. I got on that bus very quickly!

It was about dinner time when we arrived back at the ship. We ate dinner on the ship and then went outside to look at all of the vendor's stalls that were set up right outside. I was able to find some gifts for my family! After that, we found Tom, payed him back and thanked him again before heading to bed.

I decided to spend the next day on the ship. I really needed it! I wrote in my journal, did some homework, worked out, slept and watched a movie in bed. :)

On our last day in Ghana, I went on a field program to the City of Refuge. It is a faith-based, grass-roots organization started in 2007 that rescues children in Ghana that have been trafficked, orphaned or abandoned and gives them a safe place to live, learn and grow in their faith. They particularly focus their rescue efforts on the children out on Lake Volta. Thousands of children are sold, often by their mothers, to fishermen out on the lake. They are forced to work 14-hour days with only one meal provided to them. Many of the children are physically and mentally abused, and they often can't swim. If they aren't rescued by the time they are in their early teens, it is very likely that the children themselves will grow up to be fishermen and buy children to work for them. It's all they know. It's a vicious cycle, and it is very important to City of Refuge to be very careful about how they approach the issue. They go into the fishing villages to negotiate for the children to be able to bring them to the home. This is sometimes easy, and sometimes not. Right now, they are working on educating both the sending and receiving communities about child trafficking.

They are in the process of building a church!

City of Refuge is such an incredible place. I had an absolutely wonderful and eye-opening experience volunteering there. Recently, they opened a school on their grounds as well! They had many projects that we could sign up to assist them with. I chose to help in the library with entering grades into their electronic computer system. It actually took quite awhile, but I loved helping out. We also had free time to play with the children, which was, of course, the best part. :) If you're interested in learning more, please visit their website! They are always looking for support and volunteers.

Hallway of the school!

This little cutie stole my glasses. :)

:)

We made it back to the ship in time for dinner, and I had a great time catching up and hearing about the experiences that my friends had in Ghana. Then the ship set sail for Morocco! It was also starting to near finals time, so I spent part of my evening studying before heading to bed.

Thanks!!!

Let's Rewind Back to Ghana for Awhile... :)

Hey everyone! Here is a post about Ghana!

We arrived in Takoradi, Ghana on the morning of April 7. We spent our first two days in Ghana there, and the ship traveled overnight to Accra for the last three days. This post will be about my two days in Takoradi, and I'll do another one about Accra!

On the first morning in Takoradi, I had a field lab with my Music Cultures course. We traveled about five minutes by bus to the beach where we attended an outdoor, traditional drumming and dance workshop led by local instructor Fred Tay. This field lab was actually one of the main reasons that I signed up for the course. To say that I was excited is an understatement! The drums we used were handmade by Fred himself. They were intricately, beautifully designed. We were told beforehand that we would have an opportunity to purchase a drum if we wanted to. I knew going into the day that I wanted to get one to bring home for my brother. :) I felt better about supporting Fred and getting a traditional one-of-a-kind drum instead of buying a mass-produced tourist drum from a souvenir shop.

My lovely friends Ethan and Megan. :)

We started off by first learning how to play the gankogui, which is the bell that sets the basic rhythm for percussion music. The drums we learned how to play were called Kpanlogo drums. Kpanlogo music is frequently used during times of recreation and celebration, such as weddings. There are many different techniques of playing the drum, such as the "slap," "bass" and "mute" hits. It was actually pretty difficult to play them correctly and make all of the different hits sound the way the should. Soon, we started to learn different rhythms and then played along with Fred and his assistants. My favorite part of the day came when they started adding vocal components to the music. I love both instruments and vocals and enjoy listening to them both separately, but I feel like music truly comes alive and gets taken to a whole different level when the two are put together.

A close-up of Fred's handmade drums.

We had such a beautiful, scenic view throughout the day.

Fred Tay!

After taking a break for lunch at great local restaurant, we got right back to it. This time, they introduced the dancing components. Everyone had such an incredible time! We did a little more of sitting in a circle and playing the drums before we had a chance to walk around the beach and choose a drum to purchase if we were interested. I think I did a pretty good job of picking one for my brother. After that, we headed back to the ship! I had such a great day and feel blessed to have had the opportunity to learn about and participate in such an important aspect of Ghanaian culture. It was one of the highlights of the semester for me!

Me and Fred! He was such a nice guy. :)

Since it was still early evening after returning to the ship, me and my friends Ethan and Megan decided to go out and find an ATM so that we could get some Ghanaian cedi. Our ship was docked in a very large port, and it was quite a walk into the town from where we were. As soon as we stepped out of the port gate, we were swarmed by vendors and taxi drivers. I had this problem in previous countries on the voyage, but it was nothing like this.

We had originally planned on taking a taxi into town, but then we decided we would just walk to get away from everyone. However, a group of about five men decided to follow us the entire way. They wouldn't leave us alone and actually started to get very aggressive. One of them forced some of the bracelets he was attempting to sell on my arms and wouldn't take them back. They started to make very rude and even violent comments towards us. It was just a very uncomfortable and slightly frightening situation. We eventually had to pay them off to leave us alone. Ghana is an amazing country filled with incredible and beautiful people, but was hard to not let these experiences slightly influence my opinions. It didn't sit well with me, and I was glad when we finally found an ATM and went back to the ship for the night. 

On our second day in Takoradi, I went on the field program "Castles and Slave Dungeons" where we got to tour, learn about and visit two of the castles and slave dungeons on the east coast of Ghana used during the Atlantic slave trade. The first was Elmina Castle, also known as St. George's Castle, and it was built in 1482 by the Portuguese. The second was Cape Coast Castle. Built in 1653 by the Swedish, it was later taken over by the British.

It is hard to describe the eerie, solemn atmosphere inside the slave dungeons. Although the slave trade occurred hundreds of years ago, what happened there is still very much present. It is hard to believe that something this horrible happened in a such a beautiful place. The view of the ocean and the city from the top of the castles was an absolutely breathtaking. 

We were first taken to the "Room of No Return." This is a small, stone room with no windows for light and no ventilation. Slaves taken into that room were taken there to die. They were not given any food or water, and most died within a few days of being forced in there. We were also shown the men's and women's dungeons. Groups of up to 150 women and 200 men were kept chained together in underground, stone rooms that honestly could have not possibly have fit that many people inside. I cannot even imagine. The dungeons had a sour smell unlike anything I'd ever experienced before. I don't think I truly started to understand the horror of what happened during the slave trade until seeing all of this for myself. Here are some pictures from the day.

It was still early evening after taking the two hour bus ride back to the ship, but "on-ship time" for those that signed up to travel on the ship (and not overland) between the two ports in Ghana was in about two hours. So I just decided to stay on board. I worked out, wrote in my journal and had dinner with some friends. It was a nice, relaxing evening.

I've been looking back at my journal to help me write this blog post, and one thing that I wrote really stuck out to me:

"I feel like I should be slightly more in awe of the fact that I am in Ghana right now. It's like I have just gotten used to waking up and getting off of the ship in a new country. It's become normal. And this is definitely NOT normal. Why am I not appreciating it more than I am? I have talked to some of my friends about this and they have started to feel the same way too, so I'm glad to know that it's not just me. I feel like it's not really going to hit me until I get home and start to process everything. I'm not really sure what my emotional state is going to be when I get home. I guess we'll see."

Wow. If only I knew what I was going to actually feel like when I got home. I have so many thoughts and emotions, some that I don't even understand. But, that's for a different post. :) I'll end with this for now, and I'll have my second Ghana post up soon. 

Thank you!!

Home, Sweet Home!

Hey everyone!

I returned home from Barcelona a week from yesterday. It has been great to see my family and reconnect with friends, but I've also had a rough time transitioning and re-adjusting to being home again for many different reasons. I have literally just traveled around the world. I've met incredible people and made amazing friends that are going to last a lifetime, my outlook and perspectives on life and the world have greatly altered, and I also feel as if I have personally changed a lot because of this experience. I have a lot to process and there are many things I'd like to share with all of you! However, I realize that I still have not made posts about Ghana and Morocco. Those will be my first priority. :) You can expect to see one about my time in Ghana within the next couple of days! Thank you for being patient!

The End of an Incredible Journey

Hey Everyone!

I'm so sorry I haven't updated this blog in the last couple of weeks. With the voyage coming to an end, it was hard to find anytime to sit down and process everything because of how busy we all were! We debarked in Barcelona, Spain, two days ago. Saying goodbye to the ship and to the people that have become like family over these last few months was extremely rough. We just traveled the world together, and I have built some amazing relationships that are going to last a lifetime. I am going to miss them and this semester more than I can even say. It has been incredible and absolutely life-changing journey.

I am staying here in Barcelona with my dad until the 30th and then flying back home to Kansas! When I get back, I will do several posts about the final two ports, the last days on the ship and lessons learned/concluding thoughts from this semester.

Thank you!!!

Plans for Morocco!

Hey everyone!

I still haven't had time to type up the post about Ghana, but I thought I would share a little about what I will be doing in Morocco when we arrive the day after tomorrow. I am signed up for the two-day trip "Marrakech and Ourika Valley - Berber Family Visit." The following description is taken directly from the SAS Field Program Book. I'm very excited!

"Situated at the foot of the tall Atlas Mountain range is the most famous imperial city of Morocco, Marrakech. Upon arrival, proceed on foot into the ancient city, also known as the Medina. Explore the Mosque of the Koutoubia (the booksellers), erected in the XII century. From its imposing and stupendous minaret, a masterpiece of the Hispanic-Moorish art, the muezzin calls the inhabitants of the city every day to prayer.

Next, visit the Majorelle Gardens, home to the late Yves Saint Laurent which today houses a collection of plants from the four corners of the earth, flourishing among elegant ornamental lakes and an Art Deco villa. You will also visit the Medersa Ben Youssef, one of the jewels of Marrakech. The current structure of this Koranic school was built around 1570 and it is the biggest medersa (school) in the whole of the Maghreb (west).

Lunch provides an opportunity to relax and to taste some food typical of the local kitchen. Continue on an inside visit of the Bahia Palace, residence of Ba Ahmed, the chief Vizier to Sultan Moulay El Hassan. Particularly striking are the painted cedar wood ceilings. The Palace is Andalousian in style.

Enjoy an era gone by exploring the colorful and perfumed world of the souks of Marrakech. In the lanes covered with reeds and lanterns a wealth of local handicraft are shown. Finally, arrive at the most famous plaza in Morocco, the Jemaa plaza el Fna, where you will find a cosmopolitan crowd of dancers, cantastorie, snake charmers and monkey trainers. This site was proclaimed a "Masterpiece of the oral and immaterial patrimony of the humanity” by UNESCO in 2001.

The next day, depart on a great day trip from Marrakech to the Ourika Valley which is prime hiking territory in all seasons. Less than 45 minutes out of Marrakech you can see green gorges, sparkling yellow wheat fields at the foot of snowcapped mountains, and the ferocious flow of the Ourika River, where women wash clothes in the spray of waterfalls at the roadside. Look out, too, for traditional flat Berber homes; they are assembled in stacked villages all merged in the same red earth. The only vertical line which breaks the slither of horizontal roofs is that of the village mosque, whose minaret towers above it all.

Spend time with a traditional Berber family where you can observe their way of life. Enjoy lunch with them before the drive back to Casablanca.

Note: Please bring a pair of sturdy walking shoes."

Ghana Post Coming Soon!

Hey everyone!

I'm sorry that I have been absent for quite a while. Finals started right after Ghana, so I have been quite busy and have hardly even had time to sleep these last few days. My post about Ghana might not be as detailed as the others have been, but I will try to get it up soon! I can't believe that there is only about a week left of this semester. It has gone by way too fast!

Emily

Cape Town, South Africa Days 4-6

Hey everyone!

This will be a pretty short one because we arrive in Takoradi, Ghana tomorrow morning and I am running pretty low on energy. I want to be sure to get a good night of sleep. :)

I got back from my homestay around 10:30 a.m. on the fourth morning we were in South Africa. Kaitlyn and I had reserved most of the rest of that day to do some shopping. After we showered and had a quick lunch on the ship, we headed out to find a taxi that would take us to Green Market Square. Our taxi driver told us that actually wasn't the best place to go, so we listened to his advice and let him take us to a place where a lot of the locals shop. It was actually closer to the ship than the market we were planning on going to. On the way there, we passed Hillsong Church and he told us about the Good Friday services they were having there the next morning. Neither of us had really thought about the fact that the next day was Good Friday, but we decided we really wanted to go!

After doing a little bit of shopping, our driver took us back down to the Waterfront where we found some Wifi to do some research for classes and call our families. Then we found a place for dinner and called it an early night so we could head back to the ship and see if we could find anyone that wanted to go to church with us in the morning! We found a couple of other girls to come along, so we woke up early and went to the 8 a.m. service. I had an amazing, life-changing experience there that morning and I just want to say thank you so much to everyone that has been praying for me and supporting me!

After church, I went with my friends Kaitlynn and Cali to Robben Island where Nelson Mandela was held prisoner for 18 of his 27 years behind bars during the apartheid. We had to take a 45 minute ferry ride out to the island. You would think that after being on a ship for three months, I would be used to rocking in the waves a little bit. In my defense, this was much smaller than our big ship! It was like Hawaii to Japan all over again. The waves were awful! I was not feeling too well by the end of it and was really happy when we arrived on the island! (They actually cancelled the rest of the tours after ours because of how bad the waves were.)

Our tour guide had actually been a prisoner there himself for several years during the apartheid. He first took us on a walking tour of the prison and then on a bus tour of the island where we got to see the houses the prison workers used to live in, the school used for the children of the warden and the guards, and a couple of old churches on the island. The school is no longer running, but current Robben Island staff members and their families live in the homes. Here are a few pictures!

This was on the ferry ride over to the island before we started rocking in the waves!

Nelson Mandela's cell.

After our very rocky trip back to the Waterfront, I met up with my friends Gabby and Kaitlynn to go to Two Oceans Aquarium! I love aquariums. :) It wasn't a very big one, but it was still a lot of fun and I got to see penguins! It closed at 6 p.m. and we got there a little before 5 p.m., but still had plenty of time to go through it all.

After the aquarium, I headed back to the ship to get ready for the program I signed up for, "Evening Cape Town Jazz Safari." I was really excited! There were about 15 other people on the trip so it was a pretty small group, but I have found that I actually enjoy trips more when there are less people. We took a short 20 minute drive to one of the townships where we were warmly welcomed into a home and treated to a wonderful dinner and a jazz performance by several local musicians. They were incredible! It was great to relax and enjoy dinner while being in the company of such amazing and talented musicians. I bought their CD before we left. (I've discovered that I really love African music! I bought several different CD's over the course of our six days there and plan on getting more when I get back to the states!) I mainly took videos so I actually don't have very many pictures, but here is one!

We were suposed to continue our evening at a Jazz Club called the Mahogany Room. However, when we arrived we realized there had been a miscommunication with our reservations so there were no seats for us. That was pretty disappointing, but at least the first part of the trip was fantastic!

On the last day, I decided to stay on the ship to catch up on some sleep, write in my journal and reflect on all of the experiences I had in South Africa. It's hard to find alone time on the ship so I like to take advantage of it sometimes. I had the most incredible time in South Africa, and I know I'll be back again someday. I don't know how or when, but I know I will. It is such an amazing place.

We had six days on the ship between South Africa and Ghana. The end of the voyage is starting to come up really quickly, and I have a lot of work to do in my classes for final projects and exams! I will probably have to spend a couple of nights in port on the ship studying because I have three finals right after Ghana. It can be pretty stressful at times! It's hard to believe that the voyage is coming to an end so soon. After Ghana, we have one more stop in Morocco before debarking in Spain. It has gone by way too quickly!

Tomorrow I have a field lab with my Music Cultures class. We are going to a drumming and dance workshop! I can't wait!

Thanks guys!

Happy Birthday, Sister!

I just want to give a quick birthday shout-out to my sister Jessica! Love you and miss you! I hope you've had a wonderful day!

I took this picture on Lions Head Mountain while we were in South Africa. :)

The post on the last three days of South Africa is still coming soon!

Also, when Arch Bishop Desmond Tutu got off of the ship in South Africa... the Prince of Saudi Arabia got on! No, I'm not kidding! :)

Cape Town, South Africa Days 1-3

Hey everyone!

Happy Easter! :) I hope everyone is having a wonderful Easter Sunday!

The morning we arrived in Cape Town, I woke up at 6 a.m. to watch the sunrise over the city and the mountains. It was absolutely gorgeous and definitely worth it! After that, I had breakfast with my friend Corrie who turned 21 that day! Then we all cleared immigration and had a diplomatic briefing in the Union where they gave us some tips on safety and travel in Cape Town. Cape Town is incredibly beautiful, but it also has one of the highest crime rates in the world. I'm glad they took the time to prepare us and make sure we knew how to stay safe. We docked a little later than expected and didn't end up getting off the ship until around 11 a.m.

Corrie, Hayley and I headed straight to the V&A (Victoria and Alfred) Waterfront to find a fun place to eat for Corrie's birthday! Quite a few of our friends had field labs during the day, so we made plans to meet up with everyone later that evening and go out for dinner. The Waterfront is amazing and only a five minute walk from where our ship was docked. I could have literally spent my entire six days there and would not have been bored. There are so many things to do and see including a market, a huge mall, amazing restaurants, a ferris wheel, an entertainment center and some great, live bands/singing groups. Corrie's mom had sent her a list of restaurants at the Waterfront so she picked a place famous for their burgers, Gibson's. It was probably the best burger I have ever had! Our waiter also surprised her with a 21st birthday dessert, which was a lot of fun!

After we ate, we took Hayley back to the ship so she could get on the bus for her field program. Then Corrie and I went to hike Lions Head Mountain. We didn't hike the whole way up because that would have probably taken us about two hours, but we climbed a decent portion and got some great pictures of the amazing view! Then our taxi driver drove us to the top of Signal Hill, which is connected to Lions Head. I think we lucked out with him! He took us on a short city tour after that as well. Here are a few pictures!

As an assignment in one of my courses, I'm supposed to look for and learn about religion in each port. Our driver was very helpful with that! About 87 percent of the people in South Africa are Christians. The majority of them are either Catholic or Protestant. One of the smallest religions is Islam, and our driver took us to a Muslim Mosque on the way down from Lions Head mountain and then to a small Muslim Community known as Bo-Kaap. 100 percent of the people that live there are Muslims. Their homes are painted bright colors to symbolize their freedom from apartheid.

After that, he drove us to St. George's cathedral where Arch Bishop Desmond Tutu is the head Bishop. We told him that he had been sailing with us on the ship, and he didn't believe us. It was pretty funny! I haven't been in too many Catholic cathedrals, but this one was amazing. I wish we would have been able to take pictures inside of it. Here are a couple pictures of the outside.

He drove us to a snack shop after that so we could stock up on a few things, and then we headed back to the ship to get ready for Corrie's birthday dinner! We ended up at the restaurant Mugg and Bean. Our taxi driver recommended it earlier in the day. He said it was where a lot of the locals go and that the prices were very reasonable, so Corrie decided she wanted to try it. It was a great choice! After dinner, we hung out and walked around the Waterfront for a while longer before heading back to the ship.

The next morning, I had to be ready to go on a Safari at 6 a.m. It was another very early morning, but I  wanted to be sure to do a Safari while I was here. I didn't want to pay to go on one of the three or four day trips, so when the opportunity for this one came up, I jumped on it! There were about 20 students and one Lifelong Learner on the trip,  and the ride there took about two hours. Our bus was a little bit late, so we didn't end up leaving until 7:30. It was my only chance to see South Africa outside of Cape Town, so I spent most of that time looking out the window and enjoying the beautiful scenery.

There was a breakfast buffet waiting for us when we arrived, and then we headed off for the two hour, guided Safari. We saw many different animals including springbok (a form of antelope), giraffes, elephants, hippos, rhinos, wildebeests, zebras, ostrich and lions. I've seen all of those animals in zoos before, but seeing them un-caged and out in the wild was an awesome experience! After the safari, we had a late lunch at the resort restaurant there and then had a little free time to look at the shop and walk around before heading back. Here are a few pictures!

We got back around dinner time so me and my friend Cali that was also on the trip found our friends Kaitlynn and Kaitlyn and went down to the Waterfront for dinner. We walked around for a bit first and listened to some of the singing groups that were out there. I loved Khayelitsha United Mambazo and ended up buying one of their CD's. They invited me to take a picture with them while they were singing. :) After that, we went and found Arch Bishop Desmond Tutu's statue in Nobel Square. In my opinion, it didn't really look too much like him, but it was still fun to see and we took a few pictures. We headed back to the ship after eating dinner at a really great Italian restaurant!

The next morning Kaitlynn, Kaitlyn and I woke up early to head down to the Waterfront to do some shopping before our homestay left later that afternoon. We grabbed breakfast at TriBakery and then went to a few stores in the smaller section of the mall. I found a dress in the colors of the South African flag that I absolutely love! I got a few other things too, but most of them are gifts so I have to keep those a secret for now. :) (I am really starting to worry about how in the world I am going to pack all of this stuff up when it's time to get off of the ship in Spain...) Then we went to the market area of the Waterfront that was in a big blue building that we called the "blue barn." For lunch, I took them to Gibson's where I had eaten with Corrie and Hayley on the first day because they really wanted to try the burgers there as well. After a little more shopping around the mall, we headed back to the ship to pack and get ready for our homestay.

Our homestay left at 4 p.m. and went the Tambo Township. Kaitlynn and I had signed up to be roommates and I was really looking forward to it! The drive there was about 20 minutes, and the children were ready and waiting for us when we got off of the bus. Each set of roommates was placed in a different home with their own "mama". We were with Mama Mavis! Her two adorable grandsons, Kuhle and Aluve (ages 6 and 12), came to pick us up and walk her to her home. Her grandsons live about three hours away, but they were on vacation from school and were staying with her for the entire two weeks! We spent the first couple of hours getting to know them, telling them about our trip so far and watching some of their favorite shows on TV. One of Mama Mavis' friends was also there with her young daughter, Sinetema. Kuhle was hilarious and asked the most interesting questions. For example, "Do you like bread?" and then straight into "Do you like dog poo? What about cat poo?" Haha! He was quite entertaining! We found out that one of their favorite TV shows is the Ellen DeGeneres show! Kaitlynn actually brought along several flat Ellen's that she is taking pictures with all around the world, so she gave a couple to them and they loved it! They kept saying "Now we have Ellen!" It was adorable!

Before dinner, Mama Mavis took us on a walk around the township. We had been warned not to take our cameras out, so I didn't get very many pictures. While we were walking around, Mama Mavis said there were some places where it was okay to take pictures so I was able to get a couple. Each week, she attends a prayer meeting at Mama Joyce's house. We happened to be there on the night they have those meetings so she took us with her! Harry, the guy who leads the meetings, comes to the township each week to talk with the group about how God has been working in their lives, read scripture and pray for one another. They also asked us if we'd faced any challenges with our faith and if we've had any opportunities for worship while we've been away. We told him about the weekly services and Bible studies that we have on the ship. Harry is white, and in many of the townships racism is still a problem and it is very uncommon to see people from different races worshiping together. Many times it is even looked down upon. I felt really blessed to be able to be there and have the opportunity to take part in worshiping with them. It was an incredible experience.

After the prayer meeting, we headed back to Mama Mavis' house for dinner. I had my very first taste of goat organs. Yes, goat organs. It definitely wasn't the best meal I've ever had, and it was honestly a bit of a struggle for me and Kaitlynn to make it through that. They also served us bread, so I ate as much of that as I could. :) I learned that goat organs and intestines is actually a very common meal in South Africa. That was definitely the most adventurous that I have been with food so far on this voyage! After dinner we sat around their living room, talked, and watched America's Next Top Model. :) Then Kaitlynn and I headed to bed!

The next morning, we had to be ready to get on our bus and head back by 10 a.m. We woke up early and had breakfast with Mama Mavis and her grandsons and had a little more time to talk and say thank you before heading out. I wish that homestay would have been much longer!

I will do a post about the last few days in Cape Town (Thursday, Friday and Saturday) soon. I have so much to say about this amazing place that I decided to split this into two different posts! Part of the reason I did Semester at Sea was because it stopped in Africa, and I have been looking forward to Cape Town since the beginning of the voyage! For so many different reasons, I felt such a connection there and it is the most incredible place that I have ever been. Thanks guys!