a broad abroad

Hi friends and family! I don't have any pictures at all to share from today, but we had a super busy day. This morning we headed to a lower-middle-class township to play with kids in a daycare.  Working with children in disadvantaged areas is very moving.  Although these kids all seemed to have clean clothes, fresh haircuts, and lunch boxes with food in them, many of the kids came from single-parent homes. Many of the parents had drug and alcohol problems, were unemployed, or left their children in the daycare so as to not have to deal with them during the daytime.   The kids could all speak English and Afrikaans. Many were interracial. They were age 4 and younger.  They sang us songs like the itsy-bitsy spider and that silly "I love you, you love me" Barney song.  They said the Lord's Prayer. When it was snack time, the kids all willingly broke their sandwiches in half and shared with other kids who did not have lunch that day.  It was so fascinating to wa...

Here are some more pictures from yesterday's hikes!! Seal island See the baboon by the flag? Seriously, they'll eat you!! Clouds encroaching a mountain Climbing cliffs!!! View from the top Life at the edge.... It's a long way down! On to the cape of good hope! It was sooooo windy!!! Lotsa penguins! Today was a more relaxed day. In the morning we visited with FutureGrowth, an investment firm that works to encourage social justice.  It was an interesting insight into the mind of a businessman. Women are historically underrepresented in business, and even more so in South Africa, but companies like this one work to change that.  After a morning that made our heads spin with economics concepts, we headed out to spend the rest of the day touring winelands in Stellenbosch. I'd never been to a winery, and it was a really lovely afternoon. The area was so cute, and i hope I can make it back there before I leave.  We had lunch outside and toured the grounds of the vineyards. Red...

Yesterday was amazing!!! Every day brings more unbelievable sights than the last. I can't believe this scenery is real. I don't have much to talk about for yesterday, but I do have loads of pictures.  We spent the whole day touring the cape, from Three Anchor Bay up north near Cape Town all the way to the cape of good hope (the southernmost point on the continent). It was a really clear day and we could see so far out that at the end of our line of vision, the ocean blended in with the sky in a blue haze. Everything is brighter here... All of these pics are no-filter :) Our first stop was a boat ride to seal island, where loads of seals go to sunbathe all day. What a life. Also, it is completely different to see wild seals than it is to see them at the zoo. They are fascinating and I wish I could post the videos I took of them showing off! On the way back from seal island, I admired the scenery and then I felt a moment where everything seemed kind of different. Brighter, maybe....

Last night we ended up getting dinner at an amazing traditional African cafe. The dishes were all served family style again and were from different countries throughout Africa. The food was amazing, the ambience and company were good, and the servers danced and sang. I wish I could post a video of their beautiful music. They looked like they were having so much fun, and they were so proud of their heritage. It was such a fun night. We danced too! This morning, we took a cable car up to the top of Table Mountain.  Table Mountain is actually one of the seven wonders of the world! One down, six to go.  The mountain was under the ocean 900 million years ago.  Today, it is about three miles high. There were wild animals on the mountain, including hyraxes, which are the elephant's closest DNA relative.  Hyrax! The view was amazing... Mountain air has a totally different smell than regular old air.  It's hard to describe. It is much more invigorating. We couldn't have ...