June 7, Rose Memorial

Friday we woke up, went to work, and did the usual. At lunch, Boyd and I went to The Deli, which is where we went the first day of work for lunch. When I say that the food has gotten better each day that I have been here, I truly mean it. I got a chicken pie and it came with three different types of salad. The chicken pie was just like a pot pie but extremely fresh and filled with all kinds of vegetables. After work, our driver picked us up and decided to take us with him to go get everyone else. This would be my first time out in the townships. As we drove to pick up Jenny and Allison I got a feel of what the townships looked like from the outside. Kids were running everywhere and people were selling stuff in the middle and sides of the road. The homes were TINY and it was almost unbelievable that a whole huge family could live in them. There was trash everywhere and you could tell it just wasn't the ideal living situation by any means. We picked up the girls from their NGO and went on our way to pick up the other boys, Chris and Matt. Their NGO was in the middle of a township, so we got to drive through the township to pick them up. It was a different world inside. The houses were pilled on top of eachother with no yards and only dirt for the kids to play in. All of the people were so excited to see us, especially the women and children. They all waved and were extremely kind. It made me sad that such wonderful people have to live in such a horrible area.

After Chris and Matt arrived, we left and went on our way to get Jasmine. Her work was closer to our house so it was in a nicer area. After getting Jasmine, we dropped our stuff off and headed up the mountain a little to see the University and Rose Memorial. The University was absolutely beautiful! It reminded me of something I would see in the Mediterranean. The roofs were red and the buildings had large columns and red and green ivy growning on the walls. The view from the University was beautiful since it overlooked the city. It was so amazing that I honestly contemplated why I wasn't going there (I love UK way too much).

We headed up the mountain a little more and came to a park with paths that led all the way up to the top of the mountain. We walked over toward this big building and as we walked around the corner we came to the front of Rose Memorial. OH MY GOD! It was breathtaking. I will try to explain what I saw the best way I can but it's almost impossible, and pictures don't even do it justice. As you walk down the huge stone steps there are statues on either side of you. You are looking forward and see the amazing city. On one side is the Indian Ocean, and on the other, the Atlantic Ocean. There are mountains behind you and mountains far in the distance in front of you. The sky was as blue as could be. There was someone paragliding in the distance. It was picturesque and serenity. I have heard many people say that they think this Earth is Hell. Let me tell you, after looking at that I could never believe that theory. Whether you believe in God or not, this Earth is too beautiful to be anything other than a Heaven. I will forever have that image in my head and I hope that each one of you will someday be able to go stand at the edge of Rose Memorial and see what I saw.

After Rose Memorial our driver, Waldon, took us to a private club. The club was amazing of course, but I felt a little out of place in my jeans and sweater. We went to the bar and got some wine, then went back out to the courtyard to talk for awhile. Once it started to get dark we went into the restaurant for dinner. It's quite funny how the food seemed to be expensive for people who live in Cape Town, but a steak or burger was about R70-R80 which is like $7-$8, and delicious. Dinner left us exhausted and ready for a good nights sleep. We watched a few movies and went to bed, ready for our next day and to see what it would bring us.

xoxo,

Alexandra