It has been quite some time now since I last posted on here (so sorry).... About two months, but I am alive and doing well!
In May I celebrated my 21st birthday, which happened to fall on hump day(Wednesday), so we went camel riding. It was a lot of fun and my camel was the only one who didn't stop to pee. Thanks to everyone who wished me a happy birthday!
I'm about 6 months into my trip now and I've got about 6 months left to go. Work has been going fine, but it's gotten to be much different than what I had expected. We've reached our winter months so there aren't many campers coming through to work with. This really bums me out because that's what I was hoping/expecting to be doing rather than the landscaping and other odd jobs we keep occupied with when we don't have any camps. Anyway, when I go out to see some of the new friends I have made on the weekends it usually brightens my spirit enough to get through the week of no campers... Trying to stay positive on that front.
We had a conference out in Jeffery's Bay which is on the Eastern Cape... about a 10 hour drive. It was very cool. It was a conference for all of the christian campsites throughout southern Africa and there were people from many countries. It was sort of like a think tank for campsites.
I've spent a few weekends at Longstreet Backpackers (Shout out LSB) and have met so many amazing people from all over the world. It's such a lively environment and I feel like I relate much more with the other travelers that I've met there. I've gone to a couple music festivals the past two months. South Africa hosts some terrific parties. There are a lot of great people around too. This last weekend a few of us went camping out like 2 1/2 hours outside of Cape Town at this amazing venue out in the middle of nowhere in the forest. It was absolutely stunning. And on Sunday the sun came out and it was so warm out so we got to enjoy the heat for a bit before it got cold again.
It has been quite cold lately and our house doesn't have insulation or heat, so if it's 45 outside it's 45 inside too. There was even snow on the tops of the mountains! Who knew that South Africa could be so cold?! I have learned what a hot water bottle is. I've also learned that you cannot microwave a hot water bottle.... It explodes. I've become a professional in layering clothes, and I am very happy that I packed my over-sized sweaters.
I'm getting pretty anxious to come back home and see familiar faces again. I think I'm beginning to realize how long I've been gone because I don't speak to my family and friends quite as often anymore, and I don't really know what's going on in their lives all that much. Sometimes I wish I could fly home for a weekend, but I will see them all soon enough. And I know that once I get home I will just want to come right back here.
I am so so so excited to see my friends Kelsey and Heidi in Europe in December. I just wish time would move faster! Now that I have made friends who will be in Europe when I go to visit I am even more excited to go. Only a couple hundred more days until I am home!
Hope you're all enjoying your summer!
Xo.
