WOW… I feel like every blog I start I’m apologizing for my late posts... I’m terribly sorry that I have not kept all of you up to date. Let me recap for ya!

After Christmas from the 27th- 1st I went with the Stroebels to Kei Mouth. It’s a place where the Kei River Meets the Indian Ocean. It’s also the border between the Transkei and Ciskei. They are the historic black homelands during the Apartheid era. It was such a blast! We stayed in a big beach home with many family friends of the Stroebels. The home we stayed in was right on the beach... You walk out the sliding glass doors and you’re directly on the Indian Ocean!!! The home owner is my current principal! Haha and I have to admit it’s very weird how normal she actually is! There were tons of fun activities to do over the four days. Jurgen and I were constantly swimming, skiing, tubing, and in the evenings going into the town (which consists of a pub, a bottle store, a small grocery store and a gas station). It was such a mission to try to learn to swim in the ocean... if you don’t know what you’re doing it can be a very scary experience that leaves you feeling like you’ve swallowed half of the Indian Ocean! (Yes, I only know this from experiencing it). Thankfully, Jurgen and Michelle (my principal’s daughter) taught me how to dodge the horrible waves and enjoy the nice waves… It’s lekker fun!! Water Skiing was my favorite… We went skiing on the coldest, rainiest, cloudiest day in Kei Mouth. The water in the river was FREEZING!!! But, that did not stop me! I have Minnesota weather to thank for that! : P I went skiing... and got up on my very first try!!! It was lots of fun… My new year was also very nice. I had a nice late dinner and then celebrated the New Year with what felt like my closest family and friends. Oh and fireworks to bring in the New Year, of course!!

Just after New Year, I stayed with the Stroebels and went to Knysna with them. You can all see photos of knysna on my face book… It is one beautiful little city surrounded by stunning mountains, and known for the “Heads”. The “Heads” are basically like the mouth of the river meeting the ocean… and at the place where they meet there are two gorgeous mountains on both sides of the mouth. So when you look down at this sight... you see the ocean crashing, and smashing into the rocks all over the place…surrounded by these huge mountains that are absolutely stunning against the big blue sky…and the who time you hear the waves..Birds... and smell the nice salty air…Ahhhh… amazing!

In Knysna we stayed at the Waterfront… It is like a harbor where ships come in and go out, and also a place where they build accommodation because of the shopping and activities available at the Waterfront.

I had such a good time in Knysna!! We were busy with lots of activities and fun things all the time! We went swimming in the sea (and when Jurgen wasn’t tackling me in the water, I enjoyed it!), jet skiing in the ocean, we drove quad bikes through a course (I nearly crashed a few times... and also got lost from the group once...or twice…hahaha), a hike through the Knysna Heads… (But I was too sick to do it…haha and trust me you don’t want any more info than that!!) :( We touched and fed and played with elephants!!!! That was amazing. They are huge, gentle, sweet animals that could kill us with one hit of their trunk… and I learned how to say elephant in Afrikaans…Olifant!!! I’m getting good now!! One of the funniest things that happened was…In our little house we were renting there were two kayaking paddles. Outside our house was a public boating dock with two kayaks on the dock…so Jurgen and I assumed the kayaks belonged to the house we were staying at. After the laughs of trying to get into one of those wobbly things...and the fun races through the little harbor... we soon discovered the kyaks were not ours to use… OOPS!! Haha!! Let’s just say the neighbor a few doors down were not impressed... haha! But it was so worth it. If his kayaks meant so much to him... why keep them on a public boat landing? Nobody knows…

Another funny time…

There’s one thing about South Africa that you can’t possible understand until you’ve driven here. The pedestrians walk whenever and wherever they want at all times! So, as a driver you have to be quite forward and just go if you want to stop the people. (My dad could tell you how scary this actually is!) Haha sorry it makes me laugh…. So we were driving home from four wheeling... and Rohan nearly ran into this young couple. (Which is normal to get close to the people BECAUSE THEY ALWAYS WALK IN FRONT OF CARS!!!?) It drives me nuts! So, we got close to them... and then the very possessive oober controlling boyfriend (obviously...haha) tapped on Rohan’s car window... then he rolled down the window and the young oak stared swearing and shouting and using bad hand gestures toward us.. Haha and saying how we nearly killed his girlfriend... blah blah blah… it was so funny. Sorry it is probably one of those “you had to be there” moments… :)

Anyways... knysna was so great! And on the way home…

I BUNGY JUMPED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I knew I was going to do it, I mean going into this year I told myself I have to do everything I can… what the heck.. Jumping off a bridge with elastic around you ankles... pshh no big deal! (Yeah right) I was debating... I could not decide if I wanted to do it. The bridge is in between Knysna and Grahamstown, and on the way to knysna... I said no to jumping… but on the way home... I ended up saying yes. I was texting my dad... asking him if I should or shouldn’t do it... (I knew what my mom’s answer would’ve been) And my dad was very encouraging and positive... like he always is... so I took his words in... And decided I’d jump 316km! Why not?! You only live once... and now that it’s ticked off my bucket list I never have to do it again! :P I also planned it right. If you’re going to bungee once in your life you might as well do it off the highest bridge in the world and do it properly. So, I did! I’M SOOO HAPPY I DID IT!!! I phoned my parents right away to tell them I was alive. Haha!! It’s the most amazing feeling in the world. Everyone thinks it’s so hard on your body, but you don’t really feel a thing, and it’s over in 3 minutes! Absolutely amazing. After all I could do was smile… :) The perfect ending to a fantastic holiday…

Then when I got home (to the Benyons) it was nearly time for school to start and for me to move. On the 17th of January 2010, I moved from the Benyons to Larry and Sharon McGillewie. They are two very hardworking people around my parent’s age. They have a lovely home with a pool, two dogs(Bagoo and Cleo), and a cat called Ginger shit. Haha! They own a printing business in Grahamstown, and run a small flying school at the Grahamstown air field. They were so kind to host my parents when they came over, and they are very nice people. It was nice living there, but because they were so busy with work.. And I was home alone a lot, there was a mutual agreement that I should move.

But to back up:

MY PARENTS CAME TO SOUTH AFRICA!

Wow, it was so great to have them here. I’m not going to lie.. It was hard at times. They relied on me to tell them where to go, how to get there ect.. But in saying that, it was nice to know what feels like MY town.. :) Our week and a half was filled with meeting people, seeing places, and just enjoying each other. It was very hard to see them leave.. I was homesick and knowing what it’s like with my parents here..It was even better than being here alone.. I can’t describe it to you, but it was difficult to say goodbye again. But knowing that I will see them soon helps a lot!!

So, I moved from Sharon and Larry’s home to the Stroebel’s home. It’s so fun to have Jurgen to hang out with, and Vivienne and Rohan are the best! Sometimes I have no idea what they are saying.. But it’s still great!! Jurgen and I cook one night a week.. Which is so fun? I don’t know why my mom hates it..Haha! And we’ve been baking.. It’s actually really fun!! Cupcake fights, wii tennis matches, swimming, and cooking has all been so much fun!

Let’s see… Some exciting things coming up..

April 17th is my Matric Farewell (aka prom)

April 23rd- 27th we are all going to knysna for a Stroebel family reunion

And sometime early may I move to the Smuts’ home.

Hope you’re all doing great.. I’m so excited to see you all around the end of June.. The 18th ish… :)

Missing you!

With love and hugs from Sunny South Africa-

Alison

Loads to update you on!!

I left for the most fantastic two weeks of my life on October 30th. I flew to Durban, and started my Cape tour with all the other exchange students in South Africa. I met students from all over the world. Students from Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, New Zealand, Sweden, Switzerland, and USA. I get emotional when I write about this trip- I got some of the best and worst news of my life in a period of two weeks.
We started the tour on Saturday, October 31st. We met in Durban and traveled to Ficksburg. We stayed in the homes of Rotarians in the Ficksburg Rotary Club. It was very kind of them to let us all crash in their homes! But that’s how rotary works, there are kind people willing to help whenever, wherever, and with whatever they can. It’s so great! :)
Then we continued on our journey to Cape Town. Our next stop was Oudsthoorn. We stayed in Oudsthoorn and Visited Cango Caves, Cango Wildlife Ranch, and Cango Ostrich Farm. Cango Caves was beautiful! We went on a tour deeper and deeper into the caves... These caves were unique because there was not an opening at the end- only the beginning. So as we hiked, crawled, and seriously squished through these tiny spaces- the humidity got higher and higher. It eventually got to 95%! I wouldn’t choose to do that tour again... but it was cool to do once! The wildlife ranch was basically like a zoo... After seeing animals in their natural habitat in Kruger... I’m not too crazy about zoos anymore. The animals look sad... I did get the opportunity to pet and play with a young cheetah cub- which was awesome! The fur is wiry and the sweet animal was purring the whole time! Very cool… can we get one Mom?!?! :) Last but not least... The ostrich farm... OH BOY! I held a baby ostrich, kissed a grown up ostrich, and RODE AN OSTRICH!! When I kissed the thing... It took a nice chunk out of my upper lip (just my luck)... Leaving me with a bit of a bloody mess... Literally. I would not recommend riding an ostrich. It was quite gross. I made the mistake to wear shorts... So as I got off of the animal I had really funky sticky white and light brown ostrich goo on my bare legs… not so enjoyable!!! Hahaa!! Even though I make this sound a bit negative- I don’t mean it to be at all! I came on this adventure to do everything I could. And I have so far. No looking back- and do everything I can!! I’m doing it. Some things are just a bit nicer than others… :)
The next day, we arrived in Cape Town! It is absolutely gorgeous. There is a very nice relaxed vibe in Cape Town. I enjoyed it very much! In Cape Town we went to Robben Island, V&A Waterfront, Table Mountain, Cape Point, Aquarium, and the Greenmarket Square. I know that I have to come back to Cape Town someday to go up Table Mountain again. We went up and all we could see was fog. It was really too bad, but I’ll see the proper view sometime in the future.
Just before we left Cape Town I got some terrible news from home. I was sitting on my bed in Flora Bay Resort in Hout Bay listening to the ocean crashing against the rocks just below my room. I called home to tell my parents about Table Mountain and Cape Point. I was so excited to hear their voices. The moment I heard my dad on the phone- I knew something was wrong. My Dad told me that my Auntie Jill was sick. She had gotten sick very fast and was in hospital. I had no idea how serious this was or what state she was in... But I knew it wasn’t good. I was shocked. I actually don’t have words for how I felt. I felt like I had so many unanswered questions… and my parents just wanted to get off of the phone. After I hung up, I phoned my brother Glenn. He told me more of the details. I’m not sure if that was good or bad. I found out from him that Jill was unconscious and fighting for her life. I felt like I got the wind knocked out of me. This news was terrible. My favorite aunt. The one who was always there for me... I couldn’t be there for her. It absolutely wrenched my heart. After I got this news- I was one huge puddle of tears. God was and is in control- He put the right people by my side and me and my dear friend Amanda from Brazil prayed and prayed. That’s all we could do.
The next day we were traveling out of Cape Town. We stayed a night in Hartenbos in Mossel Bay. Then the following morning we traveled to Jeffery’s Bay. On the way we stopped to visit Monkey land and Birds of Eden. We also got to make a quick stop at Storms River which is where the world’s highest bungee jumping bridge is. Sadly, we weren’t allowed to jump but we did get a chance to view others jumping…I know most of us were really bleak about that…
We stayed in Jeffery’s bay for two nights. These were my last two nights because I got off of the tour in Grahamstown (where I live). While we were in J-Bay; we shopped, and surfed, and shopped some more. It was perfect. I don’t want to brag… but not only did I find amazing bargains on clothes... but I also was voted by the surfing instructor as the best female surfer!! I don’t really know why... because I fell and fell and fell some more... but I always got back up with a smile on my face! I managed to get up onto my board twice. :)
Then reality slapped me hard in the face that night with another phone call home. Jill was really not well. I was so angry that my parents kept sugar coating the situation but not I understand that they were just trying to stay positive. I was not aware of how bad things were. It was difficult for me to imagine my lovely Auntie very sick in hospital.
After J-Bay we went to the African Music Center in G-Town. After that I had to say goodbye’s and go home. It was really swak having to say goodbye. :’(
It is amazing how close I got to so many kids in a period of two weeks. You all have such a huge thing in common and you just click together right away. The relationships are so special. I will remember each and every one of those awesome kids for a very long time.
I was sad to leave tour and feared the future for Jill. When I got back to the Benyon’s I started unpacking and crying. I finally felt “at home” and comfortable… so I could let out all my worries and stressors... Shame, now that I think about it; I don’t know what I’d have done without them. They are very special people. With me through the happy and the sad, and always there for support.
About 3 hours after I arrived home the phone rang. I was sitting quiet in my room and over heard Rob say, “Hello Janey”. My heart sank right into my tummy. I knew this was not going to be a happy phone call. Rob knocked on my door, handed me the phone, and waited by my bed as my mom told me the news that Jill had passed away. I just remember repeating the word no. No no no no no. I have never experienced such a deep pain before. Rob was right there for support. To this day I can’t get my head around the fact that she is no longer alive. It’s so crazy and such a terrible thing. It leaves me speechless with tears in my eyes.
I stayed in South Africa and I know Jill would’ve been angry if I went home. I wasn’t really given the option by my parents to go or stay. Everyone felt so strongly that I must stay, so it just kind of worked out. I don’t believe I was in the right frame of mind to make a decision like that. It was better that they made it. Now I’m glad I’m still here. I’m finishing out this year in memory of one of my most favorite people. I do feel guilty for not being there, I’m sad I couldn’t say goodbye. But I’m also lucky to be one of the only people in the family to have such a positive image of Jill left as a memory. I’m sorry- I can’t bring myself to type anything more about this...

As the days went by, I wrote my thoughts down, communicated home regularly, and just tried to grasp everything that happened. I was surrounded by happiness, and that gets contagious. So I have good days and bad, but most are good. I’ve had many happy times and during all of those times I think of Jill. I’m able to enjoy my year knowing she is happy and in a good place. I will deal with more grieving when I’m home and don’t see her. I can’t think about that right now..
My December was awesome! The first weekend.. Dec. 5th-6th there was an outbound/inbound rotary youth exchange orientation. It was so exciting to meet all the girls (oddly they were all female) that were going to be exchange students in 2010! They were all so nervous and excited, and it was very interesting to be one the other end of things. Knowing what they were feeling and giving them advice. It was awesome.
Then December 12th-15th, Rob, Kate, Jessica, Paula, and I went to Cape St. Francis to soak up some sun! It was a great little holiday with nice weather and fun boogie boarding!! I even got a few lemons to squeeze into my hair to get it to go blond... Now Rob won’t stop giving me crap!! Every time he sees me he greets me with a “Your hair is really getting blond...” or some odd little remark... haha! It did work well though!
Then, right after we got home, Rob and Kate went away to Thailand for a week! The girls and I stayed with David and Ilva Benyon. (Rob’s parents) We got to swim in the Kingswood (a nice private school in Grahamstown) pool and have lots of giggles and good times with them. They are very sweet people.
It was the day before Christmas Eve when Rob and Kate got home. To me, it did not feel like Christmas at all at first. As the holiday progressed, it just kept on getting more and more special. We had some of Rob’s family over for Christmas Eve dinner and it puts a warm feeling through my body just telling you about it! I chose to make this holiday enjoyable. To not think about the negative and focus on the family and friends that I had with me at the time. I loved my South African Christmas. I did it, survived it… but I do have to admit that American’s do have a much more festive Christmas season. That night Jessica, Paula, and I had a “sleepover” in Jess’ room! Haha it was so cute. The girls were very giddy and super excited for Father Christmas to come. We all woke up at 5am to rip open gifts. It was so nice to have such excited girls to be with!! Then later that morning after I went back to bed and woke up for the second time... We all headed to Rob’s brother Grant’s beach house for a nice Christmas lunch.

I hope everyone is well...
Sending lots of love from sunny South Africa!
Alison

big oops..

Backing up all the way to October…
I made a big mistake- felt like (at the time) the biggest of my life. I tried to take a top from a store. I’ve never done it before; I don’t know why I did it. It was completely idiotic! It was humiliating, embarrassing, and so scary. I had to go through a Sunday afternoon and evening in a police station, and without God on my side I wouldn’t be in South Africa today. As most of you know, I am surrounded by love and support here. It was the worst time ever- waiting for the decision to be made if I was going to be sent home, or be able to finish my year. I can’t even put into words how amazing my rotary club, my parents, my host parents, my friends—everyone was just so supportive. I made an impression on all these special people, and when I needed them most, they were all right behind me. God is so amazing. He puts special people in our lives for very specific reasons. I can’t thank my rotary club enough for backing me and fighting to keep me here. I love these people.
So, I made a huge mistake. I’m not perfect. But I think what is most important right now is proving that what my rotary club did for me was valid. I need to be me, and show how I can rise above the mistake I made.
I’m sorry that I put stress on everyone. This experience has been a dream of my since I was in 8th grade, and I refuse to let a dumb thing that I did compromise my whole year. I have made a decision to go up from here.
In the middle of this big mess, I turned 17. The Benyon’s really made my birthday special. And I feel terrible because I was a poor sport on my birthday. I didn’t feel like I deserved to have fun and I was probably the worst company ever. I really didn’t want any attention, but they were all so sweet and did so many special things for me. They are amazing people.
Also, everyone back home- thanks so so much for all the wonderful birthday cards!! They are so special to me. I appreciate your thoughtfulness. It means a lot!
Since this has all settled lots has been happening..