Class, Zipline, RA & Community Work!

Lots of updates for a few days! Seems like that's how it always is here. We do so much in a day!

First, I am happy to say I have been reading a lot here! So far: The Shack, parts of The Bible (gotta throw that in so you all still think I'm Christian ;)), Redeeming Love (for the 2nd time), and now I am starting on The Time Traveler's Wife. Now that I'm done with classes I will have more time for reading. Such a luxury, really. I never seem to have the time to read!

Friday, Saturday and Monday I had my loooong classes. I'm not going to lie: it was pretty frustrating to have to sit through so many hours of lecture when it was so hard to understand our awesome professor. He's seriously the NICEST guy! But class is over and now we have that class (Which is "Principles of Community Engagement") on Fridays. So Fridays will be long days too. But now WE can contribute to the discussion with the work we are doing in our sites and the experience we're getting so hopefully that helps!



On Sunday I slept about... 13 hours. Dog tired. I don't think I've slept more than 6 or 7 since I've been here so I was so shocked when I woke up at noon! I had TOTALLY forgotten about our Canopy Tour (aka zipline adventure!) and was about to sleep through the day until dinner when my roommate Amanda asked me if I was going! So I got ready and headed out for that surprise! It was GREAT! Definitely felt a little language barrier as they explained the instructions for each segment of the trip and didn't fully understand or we would ask for clarification and they would say something that, to us, sounded different. These guys were totally qualified, just hard to get across what exactly they meant! But we had a great time. Honestly the most breathtaking views. I couldn't describe it in words! In our group was me, Shauna, Grant, Adam (aka "Papa"), our awesome driver Phillip and his 10 year old son Musa. We had a great time :)


Yesterday was the big day for the 11 of us here who applied for RA (that's 1/3 of the group!) waited for the results. With the time change we had to wait until after dinner for even the possibility of finding out... but about 11 o'clock we knew it was getting close. Everyone at school had already found out, the staff meeting we heard the ResLife Coordinators were in should have been over and our emails were GOING TO BE SENT! A girl found out from a friend back home that we would be finding out within that hour. Anticipation built...

...and the internet died. Left. Peaced. Spaced. Ran away. Hid.

As you can imagine we were all really bummed. FINALLY we find out (fyi I had interviewed Dec 1st so it's been a WHILE!) and now we have to wait an indefinite amount of time. So we all hung on to the hope of it coming on. I honestly don't think anyone slept the whole night. I had woken up so many times I ended up having to fall asleep with my laptop on my bed at about 4am just to have some peace of mind in knowing the internet was STILL down. The story is a little bit more dramatic than that- but I'll let you fill in the details.

So we all had to go to our service sites today not knowing if we did or did not get the position. Which made me frustrated until I remembered MY service site is a business! Thus: COMPUTERS! I didn't check right away but when my friend Lauren and I got a chance we went on alone and both found out we got alternate. She was super bummed because for her this is her 2nd time being put on alternate. I had reallllllly prepared for not getting it so I wasn't as bummed. But still, it's no fun not getting the job you applied for!

Overall though I am SO EXCITED for how God can use me in different ways next semester! RA is an obvious opportunity to be in leadership but there are SO many things on campus and positions I can apply for, ministry teams I can be on, etc. It will be fun to see what new things/relationships God wants me to develop instead. And there is the chance that I may get chosen for the position if someone turns down their spot, but I'm not leaning on that. And I honestly feel SUCH a peace! So I am STOKED for my grrreat friends: Elli Cramer who gets to be with freshmen in Trinity, Becca Magnuson (my old roomie!) who gets to be with freshmen in Engstrom, Laura Jane who is also in Engstrom, Jess Lucia who will be in the Mods, and the list goes on...

So that's my week thus far! Oh gosh I forgot the biggest thing....

Today we started community work! And can I tell you my experience couldn't have been better. Project Gateway knows what they're doing. They're organized, efficient, loving, and everything a type A person would love! :) We got a more detailed tour and can I tell you this place is AMAZING! So it used to be a prison until 1989 and up until then it housed some of the most prominent Freedom Fighters (those who fought against segregation/apartheid and rights for ALL) including Gandhi and his wife! All the documents were destroyed as to who was housed there, what happened specifically, but it is amazing to see pictures and walk on the same path that such inspirational people did. I went into Cell Block 3 where Gandhi was supposedly held overnight. I saw a gallow, two torture rooms... and now ALL of this is used for GOD'S GLORY! What was once a place of evil has been turned into a place where God is glorified!

Project Gateway has a ton of things it does, so instead of going into all of those I'll just tell you what I get to be a part of: an escape house for women in refuge, hiding from husbands or boyfriends, and bringing their children. (I got to hold BABIES!:):):)) Feeding Scheme which I will do every Wednesday. Going into a township and working with a church to provide food for the community. A Christian grade school for underprivileged children. Different tasks around to help with maintenance. We are given a lot of freedom in leading the women and setting up projects, activities, community building stuff, etc. for them. All to say I had a wonderful day and was so happily surprised as to how the day went!!

That's all.
Missing home & Jeremy! I know I don't mention that much because I don't want to dwell on it too much. Tomorrow it will be SEVEN weeks! So close.

With love from Africa,
Paige