Nike: Just do it

Bungee Jumping off a 216 meter bridge.

Also known as the highest bridge in the world.

Most terrifying and thrilling experience of my entire life.

Words can't describe it.

One of the best most freeing experiences of my entire life hands down.

I still can't think about it without feeling nervous....

wrapping my feet up.. the moment I got terrified 

Moving out towards the edge of the bridge and wanting to chicken out

Practicing how I am supposed to jump

Jumping off the highest bridge in the world feet first, the one thing they tell you to try not to do and I'm the one person who mastered it thee best!

Coming up about to be back on the bridge, so proud I made it!

At least we can say: we came we saw we tried

Here is yet another re-cap of numerous things I've been up to!  For starters listen to this song on youtube as you read, it's one of the theme songs for the world cup and just makes me smile.  I think it's an incredible song to describe our group's experience here and what we want, it talks about wanting to grow ourselves, about how this is our time to shine, and I absolutely love it! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tonAQSILQNY

This past week has had it's ups and downs like crazy.  I felt challenged and left out, happy and excited, anxious and weary, homesick and feeling of dread about leaving, just a whole range of emotions.  Thankfully my parents really helped me through it and reminded me to see Christ everywhere and to take care of myself and to remember I can be happy anywhere and in anything because of the hope I receive through my faith!  So here I am now happy and loving life once again and grateful for the challenges presenting themselves.  I finally felt like myself again this Thursday night....

Emily and I played trash smash with all the boys on our trip.  They had been pumped to play all day because a guy who was on the trip 2 years ago  James is here visiting because he is in the benedictine core doing service for the year in Tanzania had told them all about the game and how intense it is.  Emily and I thought it sounded like fun so decided to show up on the beach to play with the boys.  They thought we were nuts but as soon as we agreed that we could get pushed around and tackled they were game.  Sure enough we got pushed around; Emily lost a chunk of hair and I have the very slight signs of a black eye and it was worth it!!  The game doesn't have much to it except you try and get a ball in a trashcan and anything goes.  So why was this night so incredible for me?  Because as we were playing the sun was setting, it started raining a little bit, a perfect rainbow formed over the ocean, and I was finally able to become totally myself.  Running my hardest in the sand, feeling light sprinkles on my face, and having the taste of the ocean on my tongue was just what I needed (plus my team one all 3 games which made me happy!)  Finally after our 3 games we were sandy and sweaty and it was dark so what better way to cool off than running full speed ahead into the Indian Ocean?!  I can't describe how perfect this experience was.  It's as if the night was planned just for me!

My other incredible experience was Friday night... Elton John under African Skies!  Almost our entire group went to the concert.  My flat made a picnic for the concert, kfc chicken, homemade potato salad and fruit!  We got to the concert 3 hours early so we could make a mad sprint to the front of the stage and it was a success.  I was no more than 30ft away from him as he played the piano all night.  It gets better.  South Africa is in the worst drought in 80 years and I had not seen it pour or thunderstorm until the night of this concert.  As we sat on blankets eating our picnic the sky was doing crazy things there was lighting and thunder and then finally the rains started coming down.  Initially we tried to stay dry but then gave up and started dancing in the rain and it was contagious to all those around us.  How perfect to be outside as this beautiful city finally got the rain it needed.  Then Sir Elton came out and gave a remarkable performance as it rained on and off and we continued to get closer and closer to the stage.  We shared the experience with one another along with another group of international students.  We danced and danced swayed back and forth and were all on cloud 9.  He played tiny dancer and dedicated it to all the "little dancers out there" and I took that as a personal dedication and he ended the night with the Lion King's circle of life.  It honestly was so incredible and I felt so connected to my group and like such a part of this wonderful country!

And finally Saturday night.  Some guys James was good friends with when he was here took us into the townships for a night out.  It was so surreal.  Nothing like I expected.  For the first time in my life I was the total minority.  I think our group were the only white people in the entire township!  People stared, greeted us, asked for money, ignored us, sat down and talked with us, everything!  It was unlike anything I've ever experienced and I'm so grateful for it.  I was able to sit and spend most of my night talking to Jame's good friend Sielo.  He explained to me all about Xhosa traditions, particularly when it comes to dating which made for an interesting story but I was so glad to hear more about the culture and how truly different it is from anything I know.  These guys were so welcoming and so touched that we wanted to experience what they experience and grew up with.  They actually hadn't been into the townships like that for a night out in awhile as they all were able to go to University and are doing very well.  This was another experience I'll always remember.  I'd say it's been a great kick off to spring break!

Now re-cap pics, first of my parents trip to cape town and our time together....

This is the view from Karla and I's hut in Swaziland!

The night of trash smash!

My first ever good tackle

We decided the end of the game called for team and buddy pics

Now I'm about to depart on some of my biggest adventures yet!  I have two weeks off from class and will be leaving PE tomorrow to go bungee jump off the highest bridge in the world.  Then on to Cape Town for a week to climb table mountain and see Robben Island with our group.  Next the second week will be spent with a group of 9 kids in my group and we will be flying to Durban where we will road trip around more of South Africa!  Keep my group in your prayers as we begin our travels!  I can't wait to share more with you all!  I love and miss you!

Kingdom of Swaziland-Long Weekend Adventures

March 18-23 My long weekend adventure in Jo-Berg and Swaziland.  Six of us went with a tour-guide and two other girls!  It was a wonderful weekend!

World of Beer-South Africa's number 1 tourist attraction in 2009.  It was a great tour and not just about brewing beer but about it's importance in all the different tribes in SA and through the Apartheid era.  I really enjoyed it and we were all able to enjoy our chose of an SAB drink at the end.  I have a wild berry brutal fruit :)

Down town Jo-Berg Surprisingly it didn't look too different from home at a distance

Gold Reef City-not what we expected because it was an amusement park, but a blast!  It was themed after mining towns.  The picture of that tall thing is a ride I went on.  It took a 90degree turn straight for the ground it was intense.  From the top we could see the world cup stadium!  This was also cool because there were tons of school groups and it was interesting to see all the uniforms and so much diversity such as a group of Muslim students praying.

This is a real brick of gold! We saw a gold pouring exhibit at Gold Reef City, it was incredible to see the gold brick formed... it was so hot they had the gold in a oven thing that was over 1000 degrees Celsius!  The other picture is the view from the house we stayed in on our way to Swaziland... it was beautiful these were taken right after we got back from our morning jog... perfect morning!

A gold mining city... the clouds were so low over the mountains it was beautiful

A beautiful view on our drive right after crossing the boarder!

View of the sunset from the hut we stayed at on a wild life game park in Mlilwane in Swaziland... it was breathtaking, the pictures don't do it justice.

Acting a tiny bit over excited about our huts that looked cool on the outside but had bugs!  We were a little weary at first but ended up loving it, it felt more cultural!

Friday night we went to a popular place called the "House of Fire" for performances by local Swazi artists and it was insane.  The place was decorated like nothing I've ever seen and I loved it and it was all pretty much outside.  The group went on an hour late and did what we would call 'freestyling' and too be honest I think these people were a little bit loopy and high above the clouds but it was so cool and they were really good!  It was an experience that I can't even explain but we had some good laughs and really enjoyed ourselves!

One of my new favorite animals, impalas, they have M's on their reer ends so they are the McDonalds buck!  They run and jump so quickly and were everywhere on the park we stayed along with, zebra, spring bok, kudu, and wildabeasts!

A shot of the Swazi candle store.  The candles were so beautiful and the store was huge, Swaziland is well known for this specific store and the beautiful crafts the people of the country make, I loved getting to go to all the markets and finally seeing these so highly talked of candles!

One of the markets we went to was just a long row of shop after shop.  The Swazi people were unlike many of the people at markets here in PE.  They were so kind and not so pushy.  I was fully embraced by some for simply taking a look in their shop and was overwhelmed by the gratitude I experienced for offering a piece of gum to two ladies after I made a purchase.  These people really have so little but are so grateful when you buy something, plus things were much more reasonable here.  I could have shopped and shopped.  One of the girls we were with from Switzerland teased me that I was terrible at shopping there because I was so slow and interested to have a conversation with everyone!  Needless to say I loved this market and could have looked and looked!  My Grammy would have loved it but I think she would have had trouble not buying lots and lots!

The name of the tour company we went on is called "kick ass adventures!"  We got tee-shirts... this is before the most kick butt adventure we had... caving!!! 

It was a 45min hike to get to the so called caves and it was intense.  The trees and all the landscape was so different from anything I've ever seen it was beautiful.  We went on what was one of the very first roads in Swaziland that some of the royalty has actually traveled on, it was so cool!

That pile of rocks is the top of the 'cave' we went into.  It was not like a cave we know of at home.  It was very enclosed spaces and to get around we had to squeeze and literally crawl through spaces.  We had headlights to guide us since we were in complete darkness.  We went 100m below the ground and under this mountain is a river and we saw the water rushing beneath us at one point after maneuvering ourselves down lower.  Truthfully I can't believe they allow people to go in those caves, it was probably one of the most thrilling things I've done!  I'm so glad I did it, but man it was scary!

This is only after getting into the cave.  We were filthy at the end we had to slither through so many spaces in this damp dirty cave!  Bats were even running into us, it was hectic!

The pictures aren't clear and look weird but this is an example of a tiny space we slide through, you can see how tiny and steep it was

That is the river rushing beneath the mountain.  It is so weird that there was a river underground like that!

Our view when we woke up and an ostrich that joined us at breakfast!

View from the swimming pool! So relaxing! 

So there is a synapses of my few days in Swaziland.  The country side and the people were so beautiful. There is clearly poverty but it's much different then SA since there were no forced removals.  People are confined to the same small area, however like SA there are always people out everywhere waving and greeting you!  I'm so thankful I was able to do so much.  I'm missing pictures of our last day.  The big adventure that day was mountain biking and seeing animals.  I'm still sore!

I am so glad I got to see more of Africa.  Verdict is in and now I do not only love South Africa but all of Africa from what I've seen.  I'm so blessed to have been able to go on this trip.  I could go on and on about it but I'll save some stories.  One of the very best parts was the relationships I formed.  I went with different people than I'm normally with on a nightly basis and it was a blast.  Our tour guides daughter and a girl they have staying with them from Switzerland both came along which added so much.  They were our age and I got along with them so, so well.  I'm excited to continue to get to know them.  It is really comforting to have formed a relationship with a family from South Africa.  You learn so much more from talking to people who live here and have experienced things!  Plus after talking to Noemi I'm ready to go to Europe next!  All the kids we meet at backpackers and around seem to do this thing called a "gap year" to travel and experience things I think the US needs to start that up!

Ok that's enough for now.  I really could put up pages of pictures and write and write about how great Swaziland is and how happy I am with my weekend!  Homesickness hit again on the drive home because it actually rained and seeing the raindrops race across the car window made me think of driving with my parents and Michael to visit Illinois and Indiana!  It was almost comforting to think of those memories even though it made me miss my family!  How cool that I'm in Swaziland and so happy yet still have so many great memories of the midwest and my family!?  I sure am blessed!

Miss and love you all,

Megan