Arrival to South Africa

Day One: January 10th, 2014

This was my homestay. 6 Zenith Drive, Vanguard Estate, Athone South Africa. It became a home away from home. Cedric was the only one home when we arrived to the house for the first time. Barbara was at work and was expected home around 5. Cedric took Barbara to and from work, they share one small car. From the moment we stepped in the doorway, Cedric was welcoming and very relaxed. He gave me a set of keys for the house and front gate in order to have access for the next two weeks. He made it very clear that we had free rein of the house during our stay. He was laid back and easy to talk to, and wise beyond his years! He had such a positive outlook on life and was inspiring to talk with.   

The far right window was the window to the bedroom Brooke and I shared. We each got a twin size bed and cabinet space for our belongings. Hayley was in her own room in the back of the house because she preferred the darker bedroom! It all worked out really well with the rooming situations! There was no air conditioning or fans in the house and we survived just fine! Day in and day out, there was a delightful breeze making the heat seem a lot less extreme. The daily temperatures ranged from mid 80s to low 90s, with a breeze every single day. There was no humidity like the muggy summers in Maryland. Each day started with brisk morning air and gradually became a clear, breezy, perfectly warm day. The weather conditions were seamless every single day! We were told it rained the entire week before we arrived to South Africa, and the weather forecast called for rain the day after we left. Fortunately during our stay, we were blessed with sunshine day in and day out without a single drop of rain! 

This girl couldn't complain!  

This is the view from the end of the street we lived on. This is the back of Table Mountain which is one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature. We lived in a community known as Vanguard Estate off of Vanguard Drive. This large highway you see here is Vanguard Drive. They drive on the opposite side of the road which was very stressful! I got used to it pretty quickly, but it was terrifying to watch the driver turn the opposite way at first! 

This was the sign above the peep hole. It reminded me of my own grandparents! I asked Barbara who got the sign for them, and she said it was Cedric's idea! He is a big jokester! Cedric isn't a grumpy old man at all, but he definitely would let you know if you did something wrong! Speaking of...since I became the "key holder" Cedric called me out on locking the gate wrong! I had been living there for a whole week already thinking I was doing it all right, come to find out the way I was locking the gate wasn't right and you 

could easily open the gate with the lock on it! He got a big kick out of it and continued to pick on me endlessly for the next few days! At least it was the outside gate and not the front door lock! Ooops, I apologized and had a good laugh over that one!

These are the two other girls that were staying with  me in the house! The girl with the dog is Hayley

  and the other girl is Brooke. We found that cute little doggie on the first day, and didn't see her again. We think the owner kept her under close watch because a bunch of Americans came and stole the puppy! 

Braai: 

From here we went over to one of the CFHI coordinators homes to begin orientation to the program and to have a welcome Braai! I believe I explained the Braai in a previous post, but it is a South African style BBQ, and this is where the food was cooked! 

I knew my father would be jealous when he saw a picture of the stove! He loves fire and is always the "grill master" at all the family gatherings! Love ya Dad, maybe I'll build you one some day!

We started off with some cheese and crackers! They have a beverage called Ginger Beer here which is pretty much a more extreme flavored ginger ale. It was delicious!

These little fried triangles are called Samosas (Sa-mow-sa). They are a common finger food and are typically filled with curry chicken or beef. Yum! They are delicious! 

This is a few of my fellow students in Avril's backyard (one of the CFHI coordinators). 

This is Avril's backyard. Isn't it amazing? I fell in love with all the plants in South Africa, and her backyard was just the beginning of it! I was too busy eating all the food to take a picture of if, but man was it yummy! It was a nice opportunity to get to know the coordinators and fellow students along on the trip! 

GRAND WEST

Grand West is a casino in South Africa. When we arrived home from the Braai, we met Barbara and gave the two of them the presents we brought as house warming presents! Barbara loves magnets and Cedric loves calendars and we got two magnets and a calendar among other presents! Barbara was so excited she wanted to show us around the town and decided to take us to the casino. We were all beat and exhausted but we were excited to spend time with our family and experience something new! So off we went...

Within the Casino we realized it was not just for gambling. Grand West is an all-encompassing facility full of all sorts of entertainment! There is an arcade room, ice skating rink, movie theater, bowling ally, amusement park (as pictured above), sports bar, restaurants with live music on the weekend, clubs, and then of course there is the gambling portion. It was a really amazing place and full of fun for all! 

My roommates/sisters: 

Brooke Price, Chelsea Stigile, Hayley Freemon

xoxo

Chelsea