Note from Rachel in South Africa
Hey guys,
Everything is great. The plane ride was not so bad. We hit some turbulance though. Got a little upset but made out ok. It is beautiful here. The beach and coastline are amazing.
7/21/07- Went on a tour of Port Elizabeth. Drove through the town and townships. The townships are so sad. They basically live in shacks. They have running water and electricity but use a local wash room for baths. Then we drove up the coastline. Ryan would love the waves. The coast line is rocky in some places and has beautiful greenery.
7/22/07-Today we went to a lion park. We viewed lions but they were in cages. It was almost like visiting a zoo. We were able to hold a baby lion. It was only 2 months old. I held it like I hold Jersey. I was scared though. After that we visited a game reserve. We drove around in a Jeep, it was very up close and personal with the animals. I was able to get great pictures. We saw several animals most I can’t remember the name but they were all native to South Africa. I especially loved the giraffes. We also went into a fenced in area (it reminded me of Jurassic Park) to see cheetas. I was really scared then. We were only about 15-20 feet away inside the Jeep.
7/23/07- Today we had our orientation to the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University. The University was much bigger than I thought it would be. Everyone there seems to be very nice and helpful. The campus is not much different than a US campus would be. We also visited a local shopping mall. I was very surprised that it is similar to a mall in the US. (so Mom I got to do some shopping, not like we do though) Then we got an opportunity to ride public transportation (the bus) back to our lodging. Not too bad, just awful hot. That was an experience. The rest of the afternoon we have off. Very happy for that. I been sleeping ok once I get to sleep, but having trouble falling a sleep. Looking forward to resting the rest of the afternoon.
I miss everyone. Give Jersey kisses for me. I hope to try and send pictures soon.
Love you,
Rachel