Wednesday, January 12, 2005
Day 10 A-Gas
12 January 2005
Lazily the twenty of us awoke at our own pace this morning. After such a luxuriously long night we had the pleasure of not having to be ready for anything mandatory until 10:30AM, which was Kaelyn's rousing speech on industry and sanctions in South Africa.
We then left for a tour and braais at A Gas which was wonderful, hot, and educational. First they gave us a tour of A Gas and showed us a bit of what they did. Summarizing it up for you folks back home I'll just say they take gas from a big imported tank, make sure it's all good, repackage it into smaller and much smaller containers, and then sell a more manageable quantity of it for profit. One fact I found interesting was if they miss a shipment to one of the mines, it can take up to two whole months to cool it back down so people can start working again. Yikes! That would be one serious mistake. Following the tour was our braais which I'm guessing Danielle told you about what that was in yesterday's posting. It was delicious, and even if parts of it wasn't we wouldn't tell them that. The main difference from yesterday's supper and today's lunch was today we ate on top of boxed-up gasses and yesterday we just ate at picnic tables. As we finished up lunch, Rob (the owner) stood up and introduced us to Grahame who was a WASP (White Anglo Saxon Protestant) guy who grew up during apartheid, knew English, and played cricket. He brought us through his life and where he is today. Even ventured a guess as to where he would be in the future and how he felt on all the political movements as they happened. Next we were introduced to a black man named Lulamani who told us about his experiences and culture. He is engaged and told us of wedding preparations including how he must pay for his bride through cows. To me, I'd think just providing for her would be enough, especially in a country with so much need. But tradition is tradition. Not something to be disposed of. That was about it at the gas factory, and after our inquisitive group put our hosts through a gauntlet of difficult questions, we parted ways.
A small lesson we learned today, and I shall pass onto you is the great gift of hospitality. That is what we indirectly studied at A Gas. They not only allowed us to tour their place, but they also framed our college logo and put it in their lobby, paid for and made our lunches, prepared and rehearsed what was going to be said, let most of their workers have that part of the day off to help us, and then to top it off gave US a nice South African book to say thanks for coming. Yeah, not so much of that happens from where I come from.
Back here at the home, several of us wandered about doing whatever contented our hearts while the shoppers and cookers got to work. Supper was served, then two hours later, supper was served again.
Our friend Emmanuel who accompanies us most places we go made us mass quantities of food. We had already eaten, but it was good, and who can say no to such hospitality? Not us, so we ate up. Had our meeting over at his house, and most people are still over there (almost midnight). That's that, and the countdown continues. This was the second to last full day here in beautiful Capetown.
On a small side note Joe Byker has chosen today of all days to part with his beard of three years. Yes, this is true and here's the proof.
-Janae Stout
Blog Update
Some quick notes about the South Africa interim blog:
First, thank you all for checking in. We are extremely excited by the response we have recieved to the log of our trip!
Second, pictures from the first couple days of our trip have been added so feel free to take a look at some of our early events.
Third, we will be leaving from our lovely home in Cape Town to go to Jo-burg on Friday. As such, we can’t promise we will have consistent internet access. If the blog isn’t updated for a while it is likely because we weren’t able to so please be patient.
Thanks!
~Scott Admiraal (the “blog czar”)
Tuesday, January 11, 2005
Day 9 Cape of Good Hope
11 January 2005
We awoke to another beautiful day, filled with bright blue skies and a warm, shining sun. The only foreign ingredient was the ever-present strong south-easter winds. These winds are frequent during a Cape Tonian summer [the North American winter], keeping away red tide problems and bringing summer rains to Johannesburg. Our pictures evidence these winds-just look for our hair flying in every direction!
After a more leisurely start to the morning, we heard Margaret?s presentation on HIV/AIDS in South Africa. The devastation is HUGE; in 1991, the prevalence rate was 0.7%, and today it is over 20% in adults. The country has the most individuals with HIV/AIDS in the world, at around 5 million infected. Everywhere we've been, we haven't been able to escape the devastation? it touches so many lives. We discussed what's being done, offered ideas about what could be done, and listened to Emmanuel's African perspective on the issue.
After packing my standard SA lunch of a peanut butter sandwich on wheat and a granny smith apple, we headed out to explore the Cape Peninsula. As we drove through the affluent white suburb of Constantia, I felt uneasy knowing all of the poverty that existed right in these residents' backyards. We passed many vets, which was another eerie contrast, as we heard just heard from Margaret that many drugs and treatments for HIV and AIDS are in short supply, and here we are passing by hospitals for animals. It truly is a land of contrasts.
We stopped at an inlet beach to eat our lunch, while trying to avoid inhaling mouthfuls of sand as the wind was whipping it at our faces. The white sand had a golden sparkle, the water a vibrant turquoise hue, with small, cold waves licking at our feet as we strolled down the beach. I cannot get over the amazing natural beauty of this place--the sun, the mountains, and the beach all make for an incredible landscape.
We headed for the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Point, driving on a windy mountain road right on the coast. Cameras were continuously snapping as we ooh-ed and ahh-ed at the sites in front of us. The water looked so tropical and inviting, but Matt assured us it was freezing and had intense undertow. We began to see signs reading, "Baboons are dangerous and attracted by food", and got very excited. After we entered the National Park, we had our first sighting, accompanied by squeals and many clicks of the camera. We were soon to become disenchanted.
As we got out at the Cape of Good Hope to climb the rocks and inhale the beauty, Grandma Alice stayed down below to take in the sights. Thirsty, she was taking a few sips of water while standing in the car door. All of a sudden, a baboon slipped behind her and grabbed our mesh bag of snacks. Grandma saw him grasp the two handles, but the bag must have gotten caught on something in the car, because he then proceeded to pull the chips out of the bag and run off. A tour bus driver observed the interaction, and pulled out his slingshot as the baboon went on his merry way. Neil was not impressed that the baboon had stolen his Sweet Chili Pepper Doritos.
Next, we went to Cape Point and climbed up to the lighthouse at the top. We officially decided we should receive PE credit for this interim with all the hiking that is involved! The winds whipped around, but the view was truly breathtaking.
We moseyed back to our cars, quick to avoid the conniving baboons. Christine was not so lucky in this attempt. Having just purchased an ice cream, Christine saw a greedy baboon charging towards her. Tracy ran to the van to open it, but the baboon was determined. Despite Christine?s shouts of ?No, no, no!?, the baboon persisted. Defending herself, she whacked the baboon on his head. He then reached out and grabbed at her stomach!!!! At this, she threw her ice cream treat into the bushes and the baboon scampered away after it. Christine even has a baboon print on her shirt to prove this fiasco!
We headed home, and Kaelyn finally felt safe enough to eat her orange with the baboons left behind. Our hungry stomachs eagerly anticipated the Braai that awaited us back at Cornerstone. A Braai is a South African Barbecue, and it was put on for us by some members of the Cornerstone Community. We enjoyed fellowship over boerwurst [sausage] cooked over the fire, a fired vegetable stew, pap, a cornmeal-ish hash, and salad. Our conversations were temporarily interrupted by runaway plates picked up by gusts of wind. To escape the wind, we headed to the game room where games of pool and ping pong were enjoyed. We brought out ice cream floats, to add an American flavor to the evening.
A great day-capped by a sad event. Upon moving in, Allison and I discovered a near-dead bird in our room. We moved it to our balcony, hoping a bird would come take care of it. Sure enough, the next morning, we found a pigeon nestling with the baby bird. We did not think he would even survive the night, but he began to look healthier as the week went on. When we returned from our exploration, Allison went to go show the Dean's daughter how our bird was progressing. Sadly, he was found lying on his back, with a broken leg or back. So we provided him a proper burial in the dark of the night--all attendees brought a spoon to dig his grave. The gate guard must have thought we were NUTS as we processed by him in a line, with our spoons raised.
I went to bed tired, with great memories, photos, and the promise of sleeping in floating in my head.
- Danielle Plug
Monday, January 10, 2005
Day 8 Pariliament, Stellenbosch, and Delair
10 January 2005
Hi Everyone,
I hope you have all enjoyed reading the blog as much as everyone here has enjoyed sharing it. It’s hard to imagine we have passed the week mark in our trip to South Africa. The general consensus is that with all the amazing things we have done it feels longer but time has certainly raced by.
Today started as every other by preparing a lunch bag and having a quick breakfast. From there we headed to downtown Cape Town. It is worth noting that the drive into Cape Town (DeWaal Dr.), which we have taken many times now, is quite breathtaking. We see an expansive overview of the city, Table Mountain, the harbor, and much of the Cape Flats (the large surronding area of dense population outside the city).
We piled out of the vans across from the city hall, guarded by tall palm trees, and walked a couple blocks to the South African Parliament. Because it is summer here most people are on “holiday,” including the MPs (members of parliament), so unfortunately we couldn’t meet face to face with any, but the tour was intersting nonetheless. The tour guide walked us through the wondefully archeticted building and explained the history of South Africa’s parliament and its modern form. Originally, South Africa had a tricameral parliament divided by race: one for the whites, one for the coloureds, and one for the Indians. The Bantu, or black Africans, could not participate in government. As a result the building has three major chambers. Under the current system there are two houses: a national house and a municipal (provincial) house. I’m sorry if I go into too much detail but I think its worth sharing some of the background as well as some of the events our trip.
The first chamber we saw was the oldest - dating back to the early 1900s if I recall correctly - and is currently only used for caucus meetings. From their we proceeded to the NCOP or provincial congress chamber. The final destination was the chambers of national congress. A large marble entry stairway surronded by South African flags led to the doors of the chamber. The interior was under renovation so it was filled with carpet rolls and torn out seats but we could all appreciate the location. (FYI, no photos were allowed in chambers so none are posted here).
After our tour, we went to a wonderful park behind the parliament building and sat down for lunch in the shade at Company Gardens. The presidential mansion is directly adjecent and while it was guarded by a fence it was possible to get a close view. After a brief walk back through the market, we left for Stellenbosch.
After arriving at Stellenbosh University, a primiraly Afrikaner language institution, we were met by Amanda Gouws who is chair of the political science department and friend of Matt and Tracy. She gave a striking lecture on South Africa’s transistion to democracy and the problems that remain. While I can’t cover it all here, some of the key points involve the massive problem of AIDS in Africa, rape/gender violence, the danger of one party domination to SA democracy (the African National Congress/ANC holds 70% of seats) and President Mbeki’s stifeling of criticism. Our group never shys away from discussion so these topics led to a lot questions and conversation. It was a lot to absorb but absolutely worthwhile.
With a half hour of free time we milled about the college town of Stellenbosch. Some of us had the interesting experience of being trapped in the arts building for some time (most of the doors were locked from the inside as while as out creating an academic prison). The town was pretty small and quaint and quite obviously centered around the college.
The night culminated with what I consider one of the best dinners I’ve ever had. We drove about 10 min. away to the Delair Winery nestled among hills and mountains. Words don’t do justice to the rolling vineyard and beatiful view of the moutains against the dusk light. We walked around the property for a while (and sampled a few grapes off the vine) and sat down for an outdoor dinner overlooking the scenery.
Everyone’s food was absolutely delicious and beautifully presented. The dinner choices in the group included stuffed chicken, veal, stir-fry, pasta, and a game plate. For dessert some had an ice-cream waffle. Amazingly, the main dish only cost an average of 60-70 Rand or about $10-$15 which is probably a quarter of what you’d pay for the same experience in the States. After walking around and enjoying the stars, we enjoyed a fun hour-long drive back to Cornerstone. No meeting tonight, just some time to play cards and head to sleep.
Best wishes for everyone at home.
~Scott Admiraal
Sunday, January 09, 2005
Day 7 Worship and Boulder Beach
9 January 2005
Wow! What a day! We started out this morning as usual. Waking up and kind of groggy then moving on to making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, followed by eating Rice Krispies for breakfast. Almost all of us had the pleasant surprise of not being sore from our trek up Table Mountain yesterday, so that helped a lot today.
Then, we loaded up and went to church in Guguletu. Guguletu is one of the townships where blacks were forced to live during apartheid. Today it is a very large shack town and is very poor. The church we went to was very nice. I did not expect the church to be near as nice as it was. The pastor took our group on a tour of the trip and explained how the church was at the very forefront of combating AIDS and developing community. They even won the President?s Award from Nelson Mandela himself for developing community. We looked around the church for a while and then the service began.
This was the third week the sanctuary had been used, and the pastor said they were still figuring out the acoustics in the building. To me, it sounded like they had mastered the acoustics. The singing was phenomenal! It echoed throughout the sanctuary, and although they were singing in a foreign tongue, it was beautiful. It sounded like angels singing. Then a group that had performed at the waterfront a few days prior in a jazz festival performed for us. One man stood up, about 5' 10" not weighing a hint over 120 lbs. And sung. I was expecting some type of hip-hop or regae, but, he sung like he was in an opera. It was amazing, like a counterpart to Charlotte Church or Josh Groban. After the singing, we moved on to the sermon, it was half in English and half in Zulu, I think. He spoke about how we need to be active agents, sounds like a good Calvin sermon, in stopping HIV/AIDS.
After the church service, we met in the foyer and talked with one of the interns at the church for awhile. He told a little of the history and what the church was doing now. He then tried to take us to a market, but we wound up not going so we went back to Cornerstone for a little while.
While at Cornerstone, I personally took a nap for an hour, so I do not know what everyone else did. After the nap, we headed out to the beach. After the last windy beach experience, we were looking for a more secluded spot, so we went to Boulders Beach.
As we approached the beach, we were all surprised to see 5-7 foot waves pounding the beach. The wind was hurling sand all over the road. We were all thinking about how sandy our things were going to get at the beach but we continued on. We finally arrived at the beach after 30 minutes of beautiful coastline and seeing the whole South African Navy (which was not very big), to see penguins everywhere.
These were fearless African penguins. Being a photographer, I took about 130 pictures of them. Everyone else had gone swimming while I was taking pictures, so I did not get to swim, but that's ok. Then we all sat around the beach and talked for awhile. We talked about how we were getting sunburn down here and how there had been 8 inches of snow in Grand Rapids 2 days ago, not to rub it in too much. We also talked to a man from Johannesburg for about an hour, and that was very interesting. The beach was very aptly named because there were huge boulders all over the place to sit on and climb.
At about 6 we left to go back to Cornerstone, and lounge around while 3 people cooked for us.
From there we had devotions and played games before we hit the hay.
God bless!!
-Joe Byker
Saturday, January 08, 2005
Day 6 Table Mountain
8 January 2005
The predicted rain never came and the swift Cape winds were absent. In the shadow of Table Mountain we disembarked our chariots (a.k.a. the VW Minibuses and Toyota Tazz) and stood, but for a moment, humbled at the task that lay before us. There were hushed whispers of what strange wonders might await; Rumors of wild baboons, treacherous chasms, and storms of wind and rain to make even the most stout of heart quiver with despair could be heard floating amongst our intrepid fellowship, as we tightened our laces and secured our packs. Ah, but on that morning, with the cape winds but a light breeze against our sunburned necks, our confidence soured, and we felt strong enough to overcome anything. And so it was that we began our ascent.
It wasn't long before our company entered skeleton gorge. Harsh and unforgiving, the gorge endeavored to hinder our progress which each turn. By an arsenal of goliath boulders, vertical walls of stone, and inclines to challenge the nimblest of fauna, we were assaulted. But through shear determination driven by the promise of the untold beauty and wonder of the majestic vistas that awaited we persevered. And so we climbed. Laboring under a canopy of green, we climbed, overcoming boulders with grace, stone walls with ladders, and the steep table mountain inclines with shear will power; We climbed.
Breaking free from the clutches of the gorge we bid farewell also to the trees witch had protected us from the sun. The wind blew cooler now, for we had ascended several hundred feet. But the coolness only invigorated us and the lessening of the incline gave hope for lesser challenges and greater rewards. Indeed, glimpses of the city below us had already gladdened our hearts, and more impressive vistas awaited. We climbed
Crossing a stream we beheld the rear Red Disa, a brilliant orchid found in few places on earth. Not long afterwards, our company crested the final ridge and found ourselves on the top of Table Mountain. Kings and Queens we were, on the top of the world, crowned with the very clouds themselves. In joyful exuberance while feasting upon lunches of PB&J one of our company suggested we declare our victory with a ceremonial casting away of food off the edge of the cliffs around us. Equipped with only half an Oreo he would have done it, had it not been for the less than enthusiastic support of some. However, not completely without allies, a stick was cast from the mountain; We rejoiced and then journeyed on.
We trekked across the top of the mountain, across fields populated only by the most rugged of plants, able to endure the high winds of the mountain, and century old stones that have stood the test of time. With the Indian Ocean to the east, and the Atlantic to the west, the whole southern cape was ours for the viewing, and we feasted upon the sight.
Our decent was brisk. The cable car that was our steed sped us down the slopes, mocking our efforts of the morning. In no more than three and one half minutes we had descended from top to bottom, from dizzying heights back to the mountain foot. Having accomplished that which we were most proud to do, we returned to the sanctuary of our surrogate collage, to rest our weary bodies, and anticipate with eager delight the adventures yet to come.
~Matt Ooms
Friday, January 07, 2005
Day 5 Amy Biehl Foundation and Swimming
7 Jan 2005
Sylvee Harris writing to you from Cape Town. I know mom that you will be relieved to read this. Don't be embarrassed if there are any mistakes. The consensus here is that it's hard to believe we've only been here three days, but today was probably the best so far.
We started off early this morning with an eight o?clock departure time (bad news for some) and headed to the Amy Biehl Foundation headquarters in downtown Cape Town. Amy Biehl was a Fulbright Scholar who was killed in a township in 1993. Her parents started this foundation in her honor. We were given a brief orientation there and then headed out to the Guguletu facility, the township where Amy was killed. We had our faces rocked off by performances given to us by the children in the music program. They could dance and sing like nobody's business.
They were all under the age of 14, but they seemed so much more adult than any of us. Mom, you?ll be impressed to hear this, but we also received a fine performance from a group of recorder players. The repertoire included Amazing Grace and Titanic, among others. But by far that part was our favorite.
Then we went golfing, well at least Margaret and Dawn did. The rest of us were kind of struggling. The Biehl's have started a driving range and are working on a nine hole course not far down the road from the township. They are doing it in an effort to bring sport and recreation to a people who've had no opportunity for things like that before.
We stopped by the place where Amy was killed.
They have a rough memorial dedicated to her. We got to see first hand how much has been given to this community because of her death. It is one more example of seeing God's hand working through tragedy.
Around 2:30, we headed out to the beach. We dipped out toes into the cold waters of the Indian Ocean, but it warmed up after a while. The coast was so beautiful and we had such a good time frying in the South African sun.
I forgot to tell you about the extra member of the group that we picked up. Immanuel is a student at Cornerstone and is working at the college and we've invited him to come along with us on our excursions. We really enjoy his company and his unique perspective on things we are learning about.
We ate dinner down at the waterfront where we were yesterday. People went all over, but mostly we ate at places that were pretty American. Sorry that we copped out. But it was fun walking around the harbor and listening to the jazz music.
Today was a good day and we're looking forward to climbing to the top of table mountain tomorrow. Check y'all 'round.
Sylvia Harris
p.s. word up dad and ben.
Thursday, January 06, 2005
Day 4 Robben Island and Waterfront
6 January 2005
Today we visited Robben Island. We barely made it to the Victoria and Alfred waterfront in time for our 10 AM boat ride to the island. But we did. The Robben Island Museum folks almost gave our tickets away to another set of students from Caroll (Carrol?) College, because the names sound similar in a noisy room
The island is famous because Nelson Mandela was imprisoned there for political "crimes." Now, the entire island is a museum. And, former prisoners are the tour guides, providing a first-hand account of life on the island. Because we are an educational group and because we requested it, we walked around the island instead of taking a bus as the tourists do.
Here is the group going into the prison.
Here is a picture of a prison cell.
Our tour guides were Lionel Davis, a former political prisoner, and his daughter Sandra Davis. One of the highlights was a walk to the limestone quarry where Mandela and the others mined limestone without a purpose. While working in the quarry, the limestone dust got in their eyes, and the glare from the sun was blinding. Many of the ex-prisoners have had recent eye surgeries and wear dark glasses. The next picture shows us in the quarry.
After visiting Robben Island, we did some shopping at the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront. The first-world shops, harbor atmosphere, and music provided an enjoyable mix.
We're having a great time and everyone is safe. Tomorrow we visit the Amy Biehl Foundation and intend to hit the beach in the afternoon.
Thanks for checking in on us!
Matthew Heun
Day 3 Langa and Athlone
5 January 2005
The past day and a half we have been enjoying good food and sleeping. Our travels have not extended too far and it didn't really seem like we were really in Africa. However, today we certainly realized we weren't in the United States anymore. Today's events really threw us into the culture and history of South Africa. We started at the District 6 museum that commemorated the 60,000 people that were forced to leave their homes so that it could become a white area. The buildings were demolished and former residents only had their memories of their former home. On a cloth that displayed messages from former residents one person wrote, "Happy days. District Six. Living was cheap. Life Precious. Now in Hanover Park, living's expensive and life is cheap." It was signed 29 De Korte Staat, Distrik Ses, Ronnie Cloete. Her quote speaks of the uniqueness of the area and the tragedy that was to come after District Six.
After our visit there we went to visit an old black township, Langa, which is still unofficially a black township today. We started the tour at the cemetery which was full of fresh graves of people in their late 40s and early 50s. The guide said the cemetery had filled up in the last ten years due to the AIDS epidemic. From there we moved to another sad sight, an orphanage where most of the children have physical disabilities and mental impairments. These children have been found in drains and dropped off on the doorstep. A new child arrives almost everyday and now there are 62 children and a 16 person staff. For the most part, the children die in the orphanage, before the age of 18. Not far down the road we visited a place with a little more hope. It was an organization called Love Life and it is a place for young people to hang out and get educated about AIDS prevention.
Finally we drove though the townships that were essentially shacks and we witnessed an appalling level of poverty, up close and personal. The conditions were slightly better in the colored area, for people of mixed descent. For our journal today were asked where we would live in Cape Town and it seems like the only answer is a white area. Though official laws are no longer in place about where one can live, unwritten rules seem to apply.
Today was eye opening and leaves us with many questions to be answered in the next couple of weeks. We are very much enjoying the weather and many of us got our first taste of sunburn. We discovered that the oven does not work. And we are getting used to driving on the left side of the road as well as recovering from jet lag. All is well here and we hope all is well at home as well. Thanks for checking up on us.
~Kaelyn Sullivan
Days 1 & 2 Arrival
3-4 January 2005
Professor Heun told us during our first meeting to expect the unexpected in South Africa. Man was he right. However, when he told us that, I figured the unexpected would be waiting for us in South Africa-not calling us at roughly 10:45pm (when we were still in Meijer buying things for the trip) telling us that we would be leaving by bus at 1 AM from Calvin instead of by plane at 5:30 AM. Our flight had been canceled because our crew was sick, so we were off to Detroit to catch a plane about the same time as our flight in GR that would take us to Atlanta. That was a crazy night, especially for us non-Michiganders who had just gotten in and were still not packed yet!
Regardless of the earlier departure we were on the road to Detroit by 1:20 AM and we even arrived a bit early for our flight. Next we were off to Atlanta to meet up with 3 people who were flying directly there to catch our connecting flight to Africa.
From Atlanta we embarked on our journey across the Atlantic Ocean to Cape Town, South Africa with a stop on Sal Island in Cape Verde and Johannesburg for refueling, drop off and pick up. During this two-day adventure, we entertained ourselves by watching movies, listening to music, and playing games on the interactive TV screen that was attached to the back of each seat.
We finally arrived at Cape Town about 2pm on Tuesday the 4th. After picking up our luggage and going through customs we waited for our vans to arrive so we could go unpack and shower at Cornerstone University. However, once the vans got there we realized that there weren't enough seats in these two vans, so we had to wait for a complementary car to show up.
A while later it showed up and the next adventure was watching the drivers learn how to drive backward sticks since South Africa drives on the left side of the road instead of the right side like us. That was a good time. J When we arrived at Cornerstone we all took showers and got ready to go eat at The Africa Cafe in downtown Cape Town. This was a very interesting experience. There was no need to order because everyone ate the same thing?everything. The feast was made up of dishes from all over Africa and if you liked something you could order as much of it as you would like?however there were so many dishes to get through you were pretty much stuffed by the time the last dish. The food was great, but the entertainment was the best.
While dessert was being served the staff sang and danced for us and even sang Happy Birthday to me (it was my 21st birthday!) in two different languages and gave me a really cool hand-painted candlestick. That was an unforgettable birthday! By the time we left the restaurant it was about 10 PM, so we headed back to where we were staying and went to bed, because it had been almost 2 days since we had any real sleep. Well I am off to go experience more of the South African culture and I hope you all keep checking in and keeping up to date with our travels and adventures. I miss you all and can't wait to see you all when I get back!
Love Ya Lots~
Audra Groenendal
Safe and Sound
Greetings everyone! We made it safely to Cape Town. We’ve had sproadic internet connection, so we’re only now just posting. More to come in a few minutes.
Friday, December 31, 2004
Not on 747
Well, unfortunately, we won’t be traveling on a 747. It looks like we’ll be on an Airbus 300 or 400, per information from Witte Travel. Hopefully we’ll get a 747 on the way home.
Thursday, December 30, 2004
Ready to Roll
We’re almost ready to roll. After months of preparations, we leave on Monday 3 Jan 2005 at 5:30 AM (yelp!) Michigan time. We’ll travel on a plane that will be similar to the Boeing 747-300 shown in the picture.
We’ll see everyone on Monday morning.