Giraffes and Rhinos and Poombas OH MY!

So finals ended for me this Wednesday, so come Thursday, I had a free day and spontaneously a small group of us decided to go to a game reserve today! It was called Weenen's Game Reserve and it was AMAZING!! We saw so many cool animals like Rhinos, Giraffes, these antelope things with really cool twisty horns, zebras, ostrich and poombas aka wild pigs! It was so much fun!! Our driver, Phillip who is from South Africa, was such a trooper and drove us both ways (2 hours each) and was so patient with us American tourists who had never seen such animals in our life except on the discovery channel! haha! We spent the whole afternoon taking pictures and just soaking in all of what we were seeing. We also cranked up the jams in the Bus when we were driving through the reserve and broke out dancing with the door of our bus open! HAHA I laugh just thinking about it. I think I can speak for everyone when I say we were experiencing an "African High" and were definitely showing it!

It was so refreshing to be in a small group also because it allowed me to have some very deep conversations with people and hear some of their testimonies and how each of us ended up in South Africa! I love getting to know people in this way. I had one conversation with my friend, Rob, who both him and I agreed that being here has really showed us a new appreciation and desire to grow deeper than just surface level with people. By understanding the way we each grew up and how or if we are stilly trying to find out who this God is and what He is capable of is really exciting. I find I am able to discover new realizations when I have these conversations with others!! So that was definitely a highlight of my already splendid day.

After we were fully satisfied with our exotic views for the day, we all were VERY hungry and so we let "Baba Phillip", which means Papa Phillip (That's what we call him :D) choose his favorite restaurant to eat at and that we would treat him to because he was so nice to spend his day driving us to and throughout the reserve. So he chose this meat restaurant called, "The Butch Shop"... lol.. And I was skeptical at first cause usually all the meat here is NASTY!, but I gave it a go anyways and ordered the best hamburger I have had in my life!! And as if the night couldn't get any better, it was ladies night so we got half off! Dinner was such a treat and throughout the whole dinner we all ended up dying in laugh attacks...I kidd you not. Thank God no one else was in the restaurant or they would have thrown something at us we were being so loud! Anyhow, I really enjoyed being with the company I had all day today and this has probably got to be one of my favorite days ever since being here!! I cannot believe that we are living in the "Lion King!!"



(The Giraffes were so beautiful and graceful!! One of my new favorite animals EVER!!) We got out of the bus (Even though we were advised not to because of the Black Rhino... Apparently they are more dangerous than buffalo because when they feel threatened they charge not once, but repeatedly at their target. So since they were in the game reserve, leaving the vehicle was at your own risk! But hey, TIA! ;) ) And we could not bypass looking at these animals through a tiny bus window now could we?? But we would ask for Phillip's advice and we knew that if he thought it wasn't safe we would not get out. (I added that part for all the parents reading this HA) Well this was how I celebrated being finished with two of my classes! I love and miss you all!! Tomorrow morning we leave early for a history/battlefield's tour which will inform us all about the history of Africa! I should be pretty interesting! So until then, mucho amor and take care everyone!!
love, Jamie