Seeing the Good through the Bad

Saturday was our field trip day through Pietermaritzburg. I woke up from a bad stomach ache and I assumed that it would go away shortly but it didn't. In fact it stayed with me all day : / ... Being healthy for this day would have made it a lot more fun but I tried making the best of it.

On our outing, we went to this bird watching place which was really cool. They had the prettiest to the most ugliest and most unique looking kinds of birds that I have ever seen. I had no idea some birds could look like that. Then there was a Bird show which was so cool! They have trained the birds to fly way out and come back and show off their hunting skills. It was very interesting.







Next, we went to this place where we could see lions. Unfortunately, only a few of us got to see them because this one African lady ended up flipping out at a bunch of us because of safety precautions.. haha. Our bus didn't get to see them but the other one did! So I am crossing my fingers that i'll be able to see a lion in the near future or on our safari that we'll be going on in a few weeks! While at this lion place, I still wasn't feeling up to parr so I was sort of thankful to leave when we did because at this point I just wanted to get back to our campus and sleep.

But this wasn't the end... then we did a tour of the city of Pietermaritzburg. We went to the railroad station where Ghandi was taken. It was really cool. Yet at the same time, I was a debbie downer and just wanted to be in my bed so I can sleep off the pain.

But throughout the day since I sort of outcasted myself from the group a little bit, I was able to have two really deep, meaningful conversations with people whom I was not close with. I am very thankful for the time that I had speaking with each of these individuals. Also, I was so amazed at how loving and caring eveyone was towards me. Everyone want to help me and do whatever they could to make me feel better. It just reminded me of how lucky I am to be surrounded by such great people. This may sound different, but I find that I like to try to see the purpose in all things. So I am thinking that maybe there was a reason for my sickness today because it allowed me to talk and see a different side to people that I normally would not have if I was feeling good? My mind just likes to think that way...

So even though yesterday was a rough day physically and mentally, I believe some good came from it. I also really missed home yesterday. I have not been physically sick in such a long time and to be away from home and from my family during it was not fun and made me homesick. But I was able to skype my mother who made me feel much better : ) Thanks Mom. [Sorry for cutting your mall run short] haha.

Ok well this morning we had church service and a bunch of us went to Reg's church which is called Northhill church. Everyone was so welcoming as soon as we got there. I was surprised to be singing a lot of the same songs as we do back in the states. I really enjoyed the worship and the preaching was different. The pastor preached on Revelations 5:11 which states: "Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!" He said it over and over and gradually increased his volume and repeated until the whole congregation was clapping and applauding for Jesus. It gave me goosebumps and got everyone pumped up. Afterwards, the whole congregation was led out to the open field where they demonstrated all the successes we can have during our life here on earth and on how the things that matter are the only things remaining after it is all burned. He showed this by burning straw and sticks (which were the successes in our life like going to college, being financially successful, having a family, etc but also considered unimportant when it came to judgement day) In other words, It matters more on how you live your life with the success you've been given. The only things that remained after it was burned down was the gold and silver which represented deeper things like serving other people and glorifying God through many different actions. It was a very powerful message and I enjoyed the church.




There are three different options for church services each sunday. I enjoyed this church service but I think I may try another one next weekend just to see if there is another place (as John Bogle puts it) where "I can fill a hole" within that church.

Alright well today my Sunday consists of Homework (mainly for my Life and Teachings class) and then just relaxing before the next school week! I hope you all are doing well!
Mucho amor,
Jamie

Two times is a charm

This morning a bunch of us woke up at 6 a.m. in hopes of seeing the Zebra again! And we did! We got so close to them this morning and all of us girls pretty much had a 15 minute photo shoot with us posing with the zebra in the background. It was priceless. hahaha. It was the perfect way to start the day...!



They feed us so well here! We had eggs, toast, and bacon for breakfast, and then afterwards we had 3.5 hours of Art. Unfortunately Life and Teachings was cancelled today because Reg (The coordinator of APU international) was sick : / . I was actually looking forward to his class because it is so interesting. But the good news is that we were able to replace the class with a mall run :] So no tears were shed. haha. We usually go on mall runs once a week and it is always exciting to go because it is such an intense cultural experience. I don't know, I guess it is just so cool to be the minority for once. Everything is so different here from the money, to the people, to the stores, to the driving on the opposite side of the road, to the many kinds of languages, to the way people dress, and so on. I love to people watch and just observe. It is refreshing to be emerged in a completely different lifestyle.

So it's friday! We completed our first intense academic week. Only five more weeks to go! Tonight, a bunch of us were so tired from the week that about 15 of us gathered in our chalet (where we live) and played catch phrase! It was a good way to spend a low key night with a bunch of tired students. So because it is now the weekend... that means we get to go on some outings. Tomorrow, I believe we are going "bird watching??" and we are going to go see some lions! I am so excited to get out and see more of Pietermaritzburg and all of the beautiful things that make up South Africa.

*Prayer Requests: Help us all to be productive this weekend and focus on our studies for the upcoming week. Also, to help me seek God in all things and pray for the way that he wishes to use me while here. I want to listen and let Him be in full control.

Thank you guys and God bless,
Jamie

Zebra day!

Today was definitely a productive day! It was the first day that I slept in until 6:40 a.m. I am still a little off with the time difference because I usually sleep in a little longer than that. But I really have enjoyed starting my days early... I feel like I am using daylight to it's maximum potential :] I went on a lovely morning walk through the game reserve again this morning. I cannot get enough of that place. There are seriously new things you notice every time you go in there. There are many different trails to take that lead you through different places. It was a refreshing way to start the morning after breakfast.

After breakfast I had a life and teachings seminar and then the whole day was free! But a bunch of us went out on the lawn to do homework... or attempt to do homework. It is so difficult to get stuff done here. I don't know if that is because we are in africa and we are just in awe of everything in our surroundings and that homework does not look as appetizing compared to everything esle. haha. So a Prayer request would definitely be for us all to be able to focus on our studies and devote attention while in our classes.

After dinner a few of us: Bianca, Tanya, Angie and I went on a run/walk through the game reserve in hopes of seeing a Zebra. It was misty out and was getting dark so we weren't so sure if we would see one. As soon as we got to the highest part of the game reserve,in the open field, we saw 3 big Zebra and a baby Zebra staring right at us! We all stopped and stood still for like 5 minutes because we were in shock! They were so beautiful and it felt so good to see them because that has been a goal every time that we walk in the reserve. And we finally have found them! But of coarse it would be when we all don't have our camera's... haha. So trust me when I say that I am not lying! haha....But we didn't want to intrude or impose on them so we just turned around and let them be!

I am so excited that tomorrow is our last day of school for the week and then it's the weekend! I hear on Saturday we will be seeing lions! This is just so surreal and I am just trying to soak up everything about South Africa! Hasta luego!
<3 Jamie

Sawubona! Yebo, Sawubona!

The term "Sawubona" means hello! so Hello friends and family! Wow, I have had a very busy two last days! The academic portion of studying here is very intense! Today I sat in class for at least 12 hours!! I had Art from 8:00 until 1:00 p.m. (with a tea break in between there for 30 min) and from 1:30 - 6:00 p.m. (with another tea break). And after dinner at 6, I had intro to zulu which lasted until 8:00 p.m.! I have not felt this exhausted since the plane ride over here. But my classes are very interesting. I really love learning about their culture and comparing it and contrasting it to our culture and back in Jesus' day. Something that stood out to me about the South African culture is that in some places you find the women carrying the giant heavy buckets of water on their heads and their husbands right beside them carrying nothing. This is just in case there were someone to come and attack them and the man would have his hands free to protect both his wife and himself. This is the same as to why the men in this culture go inside the rooms or doors before the woman, in case of someone being inside who would hurt him or his wife. This is unlike our culture where the men open doors and let woman in first out of being polite. I found this to be very interesting!

So the it rained all day yesterday and when the sun came out today everyone was smiling! Except for the fact that we were inside for classes all day. But none the less, the raining had stopped. Every morning I have been waking up at 6 am to run through the game reserve! I run with my new friend, Corisa, who lives in the room next to me! Every morning usually a few of us go and run up these very tiring hills and find new animals every time. Today, we say antelope again and also ran into a clan of monkey's! It was Corisa, Tanja, and I who were minding our own business until these monkey's were blocking our path. So we were told that monkey's don't like girls and also that they can see that we are more timid than the males. So I tried spooking them off but they didn't move an inch but just continued staring at us and looked upset that we tried to spook them. So as Corissa put it, "the Monkey's owned us." Haha... And we turned around and went a different route back to our campus.

I am looking forward to tomorrow because I only have one class in the morning and the rest of the day free to go out and explore more. Alrightyy I hope you all are doing fine back in the states!
Love, Jamie

First day of being on campus!

This place is seriously amazing! Our classroom is right next to a waterfall... I am still in shock of my surroundings! This morning a bunch of us went for a run at 6am through the game reserve and the residential streets of Pietermaritzburg. It was such a beautiful but HILLY run! We decided to start in early in hopes of seeing an animal and also before the extreme heat. We ended up seeing an antelope run right in front of us! It was a great way to start the morning and have our minds and bodies feeling great for the rest of the day.

Breakfast is at 7:30 am every morning, followed by our History and culture of South Africa which all the students take. After class, it is time for tea at 10:00. Yes, I said tea! haha... We have tea and cookies/muffins twice a day and that is time for us to relax and build in relationships. It is really nice because it allows you to slow down in the middle of your day. Which, as many of us know in the U.S., it is very hard to slow down. So I am anxious to learn how to continue learning this. In south Africa, time is not relevant like it is to us back home. Here, people are much more laid back and not in a hurry. I noticed this the first night when we went to the pub restaurant and waited nearly 30 minutes after our meal to get our check. So this is definitely something I and I am sure everyone else is trying to adapt to and lower our standards and definition of.

After tea, we had free time and so a bunch of us brought blankets and books to the huge lawn in the middle of our campus here. There is a huge African tree that provides shade for all and when the sun got too hot, you could cool off under the tree. It sort of feels like we are at summer camp a little bit! It is fun! The guys are pretty much on one side of the campus, and the girls on the other! And since not everyone know each other, we all are meeting and playing games to get to know everyone.

After laying out on the lawn, we had lunch and went to do a mall run to get necessities and toiletries. Every US dollar is 7.424 Rands I believe. Rands is the African currency and in our case we benefit when it comes to money. After the mall run we came back and had out intercultural communication class which was very interesting! I really like our professor already. His name is Clive and he is all about getting to know one another and developing a deep bond. I am anxious to learn about how different cultures work especially within their country because there are many different races within Africa. I hope to get a lot out of this class and get to know him more too!

After class we had dinner which was meat, potatoes, and steamed vegetables... very good but the meat was a little tough! Especially when you are only using a butter knife to cut it! haha. But we somehow managed. Then after dinner Becca, Alyssa, and I went for a walk through the thick forest behind our campus! There is so many places to explore around here. Anyhoo, I am very exhausted, so I am calling it a night. Enjoy your day family and friends back home : )

Love, Jamie

Getting to know the Mother land

Hi everyone! Ok, so yesterday we toured the whole city of Johannesburg and! It was a jam packed but very interesting day. We took a coach bus and had a South African Tour Guide give us very detailed information about her country. I had no idea how developed some parts may be and in other places, it is very undeveloped Soweto : / ... In some cases on the same street, we saw nice townhouse and subsidies and just a few hundred feet down people were living in shacks and in the dirt. Something that stood out to me though was that these people are not ashamed about what they have or don't have. When we passed by the shacks, their were children dancing for us with huge smiles on their faces. They were happy with where they were. At first I was sad just imagining what it would be like to live there, but after they danced and posed for pictures for us to take, it was clear that they had more joy and happiness than maybe the richest of people with the nicest house. This made my heart happy.

I had no idea South Africans would be so friendly and welcoming! They had the biggest smiles and always were waving at us. They made me want to be that welcoming to strangers/tourists in my own country. We ate at a restaurand (our tourguide's family restaurant) which was in the middle of a neighborhood and it was delicious. Because there were 53 of us, we pretty much took up the entire restaurant, and because of the money we spent at their restaurant, it enabled the family to buy books and supplies needed for their kids' education and necessities for the family. So both sides benefited. : ) After lunch a bunch of us went to play with the kids waiting outside the restaurant for us. They were so friendly and ended up dancing for all of us!

We went to the Apartheid museum as well, which was very interesting. It was a huge museum. By this time of day the jet lag was starting to set in (because we were supposed to be asleep with the rest of the U.S. at this time) so we headed back to the hotel to rest. We woke up early the next morning to catch a flight to Durban to start our academics in Pietermaritzburg!

We arrived at African Enterprise, or in other words, our campus in Pietermaritzburg! I had no idea the campus was going to be as beautiful as it is! Oh my gosh, I kid you not when I say that there is a waterfall outside our windows! There is tons of green everywhere and rivers. I have yet to discover and venture out to all the surroundings!! It is VERY HOT! Oh my goodness, we all were pretty much showering ourselves in sweat. Yes, very disgusting... haha. Good thing there is a watering hole for us to cool off in!! Yes, I said watering hole... like the LION KING! We have a huge place to swim to cool off! Ok, so in these next few journal entries I hear this is the "honeymoon" stage of it all. That means every little thing is going to be amazing to me... haha so just go with me k?

There are monkey's here! But they are kinda vicious.. and they tell us to not to feed them and to always lock our doors! If we corner them, they will poop! So that is not a good route to take! They have bb guns to shoot them! I thought that was pretty cool. Alright well I'm heading to bed cause we all are still exhausted... Classes start tomorrow so I am very anxious to see what they are like!

Tomorrow in the morning, a few of us are going on a run to the game reserve in hopes of seeing a zebra : ) Hopefully we'll see one! Goodnight!!

South Africa Bound!!

We're here safe!! It was definitely a long journey and I am VERY tired! We arrived in Johannesburg around 5:30 pm (which is about 7:30 am in LA I believe.) On the plane I slept a lot, finished reading the AMAZING book, "dear john," and watched a movie with Denzel Washington. The planes were a lot more comfortable than the commercial flight we took to Washington D.C. Every seat had a video screen in front of them and there were tons of movies to watch. They fed us three times and the food was surprisingly good. I had chicken/potatoes for one meal, pancakes for another, and lastly fish/ cous cous. On the plane a few of us met a couple named, Tom and Cindy, and Tom was formally a Youth Pastor in Pennsylvania but they have been living in South Africa for the last four years! They gave great insight on what it is like living there and we shared with them about our group that is going. We were in the air for a total of 14 hours and 43 minutes. That is not including layovers or our stop in Dakar, Senegal! Crazy huh?

When we stepped off the plane it was hot and humid : ) The airport in Johannesburg was so nice and huge. People seem really friendly here and I am anxious to be more immersed in the culture. We hopped on a bus and headed to the hotel that we will be staying at for the next two nights, before we fly to Durban and where we will eventually road trip to Pietermaritzburg (Where we will be taking classes for the next 3 months.)

Tonight we went to a pub/restaurant right next door to the hotel. The people I sat with tonight were all pretty adventurous with our taste buds. My friend Daniele and I tried Snail!! We were more nervous about it than we should have been. It actually didn't taste that bad at all, sort of like shrimp. Our group pretty much took up the whole restaurant and when the manager saw us come in he was in shock that we had about 40 people who were hungry. But it was a fun night but I am so tired. I sort of feel light headed so I think I'm going to go to bed. haha... goodnight everyone! Thanks for the prayers!

Prayer Requests: To help us all catch up on sleep and the time difference. Also, to help adapt to all this change as smoothly as possible.

God chose this group to go not because we all are strong, but because we all are weak.

In just a few more hours we will be loading the buses on the East Campus Trolley stop to LAX! This is surreal. In this moment I am at peace with everything. I cannot tell you how good it feels to have God be in control. I have nothing else to do but just trust in him from this point forward. I want him to use me and mold me whichever way he pleases. I want nothing but to please him and glorify his name and spread His love.

I have to tell you all that I have not felt more love and support ever in my life as I have in these past few days. I could cry just thinking about it... I have been so blessed with all of you, my family, and friends who are praying for me constantly and my entire group... I cannot express in words how much this means to me and it has helped provide so much strength. I feel overflowed with love from all of you and I just want to poor it out to everyone and transport it to South Africa : )

The title of my post is "God chose this group to go not because we all are strong, but because we all are weak." This quote was said to our whole group tonight as we all got together for one last chapel before we left. It stood out to me because it is so true. I have never felt more weak in my life. I feel weak because I don't know what it will be like there. I feel weak because I am out of my comfort zone. I feel weak because it is so far from what I am used to. The reasons are endless. This is all new to me but I am ready to open my eyes and soak up everything (the good and the bad) that is coming ahead.

The whole journey to South Africa is supposedly 29 hours total including layovers!! Daaang! haha...Please pray for safe travel and for all of us not to be cranky with each other through this journey with having very little sleep...haha ; )

Tonight a bunch of us are off to B.J's for pizookies (a delicious "pizza-shaped" cookie with ice cream on top) Our last sugar splurge for a while...!

Alright, well next time i'll be writing in this I will be in South Africa!! ahhhh!!

2. Getting Closer to take off...

Every day I find myself getting more anxious, excited, and nervous all in one. I have been on a roller coaster of emotions these past few days. I find myself being really happy one moment and the next moment, I am crying. I don't know if this is normal, haha... but I guess this is just my way of coping with all of this. I think what I am most nervous about is "the not knowing part." I can only say that I have an idea of what I think it will be like there, or how I want it to be, but that is all I have.

Today, my friends and I had a little "meltdown" I guess you could say... but we sort of ended up laughing at ourselves afterwards. Haha. My roomates and I were re-situating our apartment and storing all of my stuff into closets and underneath beds and I can't help to say that it was bittersweet. It hit me that everything is changing and I am no longer living in my apartment anymore. At one point Daniele (My good friend who is traveling to Africa as well), her twin sister (Nikole, who is staying at APU), and I all looked at eachother and cried. It is definitely going to be different and preparing for this is something I have never gone through.

I finished packing everything in 2 bags and a backpack! I ended up talking with my mom on the phone a few times today and at one point she texted me saying: "Sorry I keep calling. I think i'm getting nervous about not getting to talk to my baby!" This made me smile. And I skyped with my Dad today also and it has been so helpful to talk with them through all of this soon to be change.

Tonight we did one last minute horrah with some of my friends/roomates to one of our favorite Mexican Restaurants: La Tolteca. It was very fun and my friends: Logan, Daniele, and I pumped each other up for our departure! We have a meeting/orientation bright and early for our trip tomorrow morning! It is approaching!!

The crew (left to right-bottom): Marjorie, me, Logan, Nikole, Erica

(left to right- top): Megan, Daniele, Hanna, and VivianMegan,

My roomates: Marjorie and Nikole : )

1. Countdown until departure for South Africa: 3 days

Hey everyone! By now I'm sure you all know I am studying abroad in South Africa for the entire semester of Spring 2010. I am studying abroad through Azusa Pacific University and I will be a traveling with a group of 50 people. It is the biggest group yet that has gone! The most common question I have been asked is, "Why Africa???" And my answer is South Africa has interested me since there was a video preview of this study abroad program that was displayed in one of our chapel services at school at the end of my freshmen year. In the video, it showed students who had previously been on the trip and how much it changed their lives. Something just hit me after watching that video and it amazed me how students had been transformed inside and out by this trip and how God revealed so much to them and it attracted me. I have known that I had wanted to travel abroad somewhere but I figured it would have been something that follows my major, International Business or my minor, Spanish. But things went a different route for me. All summer it was on my mind and I decided to apply and leave it up to God as to whether I would be accepted or not. I remember praying about it and it was constantly on my mind. Next thing you know, I was accepted! So, that's my story of how God opened this door for me.

I created this blog because I want YOU, my family, and friends to be able to follow me on this journey : )... I am so blessed to be going to this amazing place and I want to share every little detail with all of you. If it wasn't for all of your love and support I do not know where I would be. I thank God for placing every single one of you in my life. So I hope you follow my blog, leave comments, questions, etc!

I am currently packing and let me tell you, it is very difficult! Oofta! But this is just the hard part. Wait, I lied. The hardest part and the thing I am dreading most is the plane ride! I believe it is 23+ hours... yikes! But it is all part of the experience, right? That is what I keep telling myself..haha.

For whom it may concern, here is our Itinerary for our trip out there:

United Airlines- Flight 324

Depart LAX- 6:00 AM

Arrive Dulles (Washington D.C.)- 1:55 PM

South African Airways- Flight 208

Depart Dulles- 5:40 PM

Arrive in Johannesburg- 6:20 PM (January 22)

Alright, well I will be leaving posts as often as I can! This is just the beginning everyone!! I cannot wait!!

Prayer Requests:

To prepare my heart and mind and to fully accept this new chapter of my life. Help me to not hold anything back from up to this point.