This is the first time I have written in my blog in what seems like forever but I will try to cover everything that has happened since my last post. This last month for me has been incredible but also really hard at points. I have now gotten pretty severe tonsillitis twice and both times I have been in tremendous pain and have been extremely miserable. I have now gone through two antibiotic prescriptions and who knows how many pain meds and get to look forward to probably getting my tonsils snipped out on my return to the States. But I can now say, being as carefully optimistic as possible, that I am feeling so much better and it seems that the tonsillitis has gone away for now. But other than sickness my time over the past month has been incredible. There have been so many adventures that I have been apart of and so many stories that I will be able to carry with me and tell for the rest of my life. My time here in South Africa, both the amazing and the hard, has taught me a lot. There has been one word that has seemed to stick with me since the first couple days in this country. That word is forgiveness. When I first got to South Africa and learned more and more about the terrible ways in which the people of this country were treated and oppressed it amazes me that the country is in the shape that it is. Only 20 years ago, if you were not white in this country you were thought of as a second class citizen. And now this “rainbow nation”, as Nelson Mandela calls it, is thriving with whites, blacks, and coloureds living together in peace. The forgiveness that had to take place and is still taking place every day in order for this to be possible is incredible. Sometimes I try to put myself in the stories of how people were treated so poorly and though I would like to think I would forgive the people who did terrible things to me I know that I probably wouldn’t have. This fact gives me so much respect for the people here. They are truly incredible. This idea has stuck with me so much and I am planning on getting a tattoo, which represents this. Now I’m not sure if my parents read this so hopefully they aren’t freaking out but the benefit of what I just said is if my mom and dad do in fact read this how can they say no to an idea that has so much meaning to me. Oh the benefits of blogging. We have also now started our work at service sites. I am working at a place called Walk in the Light, which works with the community of Hannival, which is a township outside of Pietermaritzburg. We will be working with the community members and helping them in their homes, fixing things up at the site, and just being available to talk with the people even if its in the little Zulu that I know. I know I have left out a lot of things that have happened but those are basically the major things that have been going on in my mind since recently. It’s hard to believe that our time in Pietermaritzburg is almost up and that we are going to be heading to Cape Town soon. I am so excited for the time we still have here in this country and can’t wait for all the adventures to come!
