Around the world

As unbelievable as it may seem, I'm writing this note tonight from the far side of the world. As the other students and I sit around the living room trading stories and laughing with new friends, it's crazy to think how far we all have traveled to be here. There's five students from Northern Ireland, one from the opposite side of South Africa, and Nate and I from the US. It was a grueling 40-hour trip from Seattle with little sleep and lots of time spent wandering around airports, but everything went as smoothly as possible. Despite the blizzard-like weather, we made it in and out of London Heathrow with only a few hours delay, and while our plane was late leaving Johanessburg, we made it safely will all our luggage intake.Here we are checking in at SeaTac airport before our first flight:

Since being here, we've gotten a chance to tour around the town of George and spend some quality time getting to know the other students and directors. It's a beautiful town, similar in a number of ways to Southern California. It sits atop ocean cliffs and is shadowed by a range of green, almost tropical mountains. It's summer here, and the air is warm and humid. There's wild peacocks, giant totuses, and monkeys running around the yard, and extra large bugs crawling across the walls.

George, while surrounded by natural beauty, is also a town divided. Seperate communities of Blacks, Coloureds, and Whites border each other across the town. Gorgeous three story dutch colonial homes sit across the street from overcrowded townships filled with tin and cardboard huts. The longer we're here, the more our eyes are opened to the overwhelming need.

Tomorrow morning is our orientation meeting where we'll learn about our classes and our service ministries. It's truly amazing to be here after so many months of preparation. Everyday is a new adventure and we feel so blessed to be able to participate.