Wrapping up!

I wanted to give you an update on what I have been doing the past few days!  I know I just posted a considerable amount of updates not long ago (remember the update sampler?), but I just have a few more to add...

I got to go to the zoo on Friday!!  We saw elephants, tigers, flamingos, lions, alligators, giraffes, hippos, and such.  It was just Melissa, Katlyn, and me that got to go.  The girl who has been taking us to church on Sundays, Janine, was able to take us there and drop us off.  Janine is awesome, we met her when she was dropping off donations at the house a few weeks ago.  She is about 27 and is a lawyer, she is the sweetest girl around!  It has been her mission to get us out, actually see South Africa, and meet “authentic” South Africans.  She took us to Boma the other night and to see the Nelson Mandella bridge as well!  (Its famous in Jo’burg.)  Hopefully we will get to see a lot more of her this week!  Aka I leave in less than a week!  Gosh...

A real live elephantttt!! :) 

Me and Melissa with the amazingly huge giraffe.

This is Janine!  Ah I'm going to miss this girl.

Seriously I felt so loved the other day.  I got three letters from Molly, Meredith, and my Aunt Margie (okay- 3 M’s) and a package from my roommate Catherine!  You guys are the best, you have no idea how excited I got!  Mail is so much fun.  I read them all out loud to everyone, hope you don’t mind.  And Catherine- I read the whole travel guide and I have been listening to the CD a lot!  I make the kids listen to it and dance with me every now and then as well :)  The other volunteers have gotten some really embarrassing videos of me trying to african dance with the kids with your music blasting.  But it has made some great memories!

In the past week, I have gone to two very african restaurants.  One was called Boma, it was a buffet so it was great to try a whole ton of random african foods!  I ate some stuff you guys would think its pretty sick.  I don’t have the courage to share what it was with you... The other restaurant was called Moyo, it was so fun!  It was on this amazing lake and had the cutest decorations!  They also go around and paint everyone’s faces with just a little african-looking design, usually including dots and flowers.  (That's me and Sarah on the left)  I loved it though!  The food at both of the places was amazing.  It was really fun to hang out with the volunteers, especially Katlyn and Melissa because Katlyn left on Sunday!  Super sad.

Also, we had a mid-winter Christmas this past weekend!  Since Christmas in South Africa is always so hot since its in the middle of summer, they always love mid-winter Christmas because then its cold for them and they can eat the typical Christmas meal they see in movies.  All the volunteers made a treat- we made cinnamon rolls!- and then we went to one of their houses to eat, mingle, and then watch ELF!  (of COURSE!)  It is the best holiday movie ever!  Gosh I loved it so much.  Too bad I left my amazing Christmas sweater at home and I didn’t have any holiday gear to dress up in!  It was a lot of fun though :)

Merry Christmas!

Me and Rahel all bundled up!


I have worked the past three days, I’m off today and tomorrow, and then I only work Friday and I’m done!!  I was supposed to work Saturday as well but we are going to get to go to the lion park, so I got off.  But I can’t believe my time with these kids is coming to an end.  I am in 100% denial.  I won’t be able to leave them!  Especially little Shaddy and Sheppy.  I love each one of these kids so much!  I have learned so much about them, they are all such beautiful children.  I wish they left me during my trip instead of me leaving them next week because I so badly want them each to have a loving family aSAP.  I will have to write a post in the next few days (or maybe on Monday) about all that I have learned and more about the kids.  I’m going to wait though because I know I am going to cry and I don’t feel like crying now.

Sooooo, I’m going to wrap this one up then.  Ah!  I only have one post left in South Africa until I am headed home!  Goodness gracious.

But thanks again for reading my post and thanks for all of your thoughts and prayers for me throughout this trip!

Mucho love,

Kelley

 P.S. In my past three days of work I changed 72 nappies.  Yep, I’m now a diaper changing PRO.