There's no place like home, July 29

I miss San Diego weather. The weather in Cape Town is very interesting and unpredictable. It has been extremely windy here for the past three days making me feel a lot like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz. Thankfully, the wind today was warmer, and it is supposed to stop by tomorrow. I plan on going surfing tomorrow after class to take full advantage of the calm conditions. Wish me luck as I go surf Muizenburg (affectionately called “Muzberg”) tomorrow. It should be fun, the guy at the surf shop called it the “fluffiest wave in the world,” which sounds perfect to me!

This morning was rather rough. I am feeling the effects of what I think they call, “culture shock.” I felt very homesick today, and started to question why I am here. I have been trying to look to God in this loneliness, because I know that there is a reason that he brought me here. During the middle of my breakdown, I received a call from someone from the on campus Christian organization inviting me to an event tomorrow. God works in mysterious ways. It was crazy how in a moment when I felt totally lost and alone, he reminded me that he has not left my side.

After receiving that call, I pulled myself together, and decided to go figure out how to get to the med campus to sign up for a volunteer position. After walking for what seemed like miles, and eventually finding the correct bus stop, I was able to find the SHAWCO trailer. SHAWCO is a non-profit organization that was started by medical students to bring medical aid to peoples in the townships. It has since then grown into a fairly large volunteer organization. I met some really friendly people at the SHAWCO trailer and I signed up to volunteer at a pediatric clinic this Saturday. I am super excited for it, and am praying that it goes well!

This evening I went to the dreaded African Dance class. I discovered that lack of rhythm is not so much of the problem as my lack of dancing coordination. But I think I have decided to stick it out (mostly because it is too hard to switch into anything else, and I don’t know what I would want to switch into). So wish me luck! I hope that my coordination skills will improve with time. Thankfully I’m not the only white girl who lacks African dance skills, so I think I’ll be okay…hopefully.