END OF BLOG

Lowlight: this blog

Highlight: I have decided to stop this blog because it is to much work to keep up. it was fun at first but no has be come a chore. and it has not served the purpose I have wanted, witch was to cut back on the emails i have ( i mean get) to send out to people. I find that I still am facebooking and emailing people on top of keeping this blog up (witch i am not doing a very good job of). so with that i have decided that my stories can wait till I come back   and i will try to email and message back the people who have wrote me. this also frees up time for my own personal journal righting witch after some thought i have decided would be more benifishel then this blog. I will have to say I will miss finding out how many people have visited my page, from where, and with what device they used to view it. It is a little creepy but kind of cool.  I will let you enjoy the facts as well...

Pageviews by Countries United States 173 Thailand 57 Malaysia 7 Australia 5 Canada 4 Israel 2 Spain 1 Lebanon 1 Taiwan 1 Uganda 1 Pageviews by Browsers Chrome 76 (30%) Internet Explorer 72 (28%) Safari 60 (23%) Firefox 42 (16%) Mobile 2 (<1%) Pageviews by Operating Systems Windows 178 (70%) Macintosh 70 (27%) Other Unix 2 (<1%) iPhone 2 (<1%) I have had a total of 252 visitors to my page. I thank you all for being such a good audience :)

Day 131 a adventurer by our selves

Highlight: today we got out a bit early so Megan, Asa, and I decided to venture out into the city. it was nice to finale be on our own. we figured out how to used the train and when we got off we just started walking threw the city. we did not do much besides walk around. but it was for sure nice to be out and be able to do it all on our own. Tomorrow we also have off and we are going to be headed to a amusement park, a mall, and then to the world cup stadium to watch two soccer games. it will be another long day like all our days here but it will be good. I am exited for it.

Lowlight: I hate school and there is nothing more to it. I love learning but i hate school. if you question how that works we surly have not talked enough but i would love to tell you my strong view on education. or if you cant wait till then you can ask someone you know might talk with me a bit more for i am sure they have heard my rants.

Day 132 some pics from our trip so far

I had the hardest time saying the name of the little girl on my lap. at first she got frustrated with the fact that i could not say her name but after a wile she thought it was so funny. I would try to say her name and she would just laugh at me. I did not think it was so funny but i am glad she could enjoy her self.  the other two ladys with me are students from cornerstone college who have been helping us out with our first month in the country. 

Our oh so happy group. the guy in the orange shirt and the other two girls near him our from corner stone. the girls in the pink, light blue and dark blue tank tops are from Gorge Fox University and the other guy in the pic is from Wheaten. everyone else is from Bethel. 

This is the cap flats and in the picture is another student from corner stone

Day 137-134- first few days

Highlights: I have had my first few days here in south Africa and it has been a lot of fun. I love my team and all the other people helping out with our trip as well. I have moved in to my host family's house. and I am pretty sure I have the best host family :). although after talking to everyone els on the team it seems like they would all say the same team. Our host family is so very nice and welcoming though and have already been so much fun to be around. We have been the out sliders and been seeing all the sites to see. we went up to cap point but it was a fogy day. so there was not much of a view but we got to go to the most southern point of Africa. we also saw South African penguins. Like I said it has been a fun few days and there is so much more to come.

Lowlight: At some point during our first day our leader referred to me as the trouble maker, I don't understand how this tittle follows me everywhere no matter what country I am in. although wants I am given the name, you know, i have to live up to it :). It has been perfect weather here. I am worried though, if I am already a bit chilled in the "hot" then I might not have brought the right close for the Cool. well I am off to bed now and I will try to upload pics a little bit later when it is not past my bed time

Day 136- on the plain

Highlight: I am off to start my advancers In south Africa. The plain ride I have to say turned out to be like nothing I could have imagined. On my second flight I was sitting in front of a family that was seeming to have some kind of problem with seating. Soon the father, who was sitting in front of me, asked me if I spoke Africons or English (first time I have been asked that).  then he explained to me how his family needs to sit together and so he wanted to know if I would be willing to trade seats with his son. His son seat just so happened to be in business class. he wanted to exchange my economy seat that was behind him to a set in business. I told him that I am all for families being together and so I would be willing to make this sacrifice but he would owe me one. It was like nothing I had ever experienced. They gave me free pajamas and free toilet treas. I ordered a mango banana smoothie with my 3 course meal.  I slept comfortably as my chare turned into a bed. I entertained my self by watching movies and TV shows on my personal TV screen and relaxing my body with the massage fetchers in my chare. I do not understand why a family with mostly grown kids would make such a switch but I choice not to ask questions. I was very thank full for my once and a life time experience in business class.

Lowlight: with such a experience like that I cant say there was really any lows. Our plan was delayed slightly but I arrived in south Africa safe, sound, and well rested.

Day 141- out with friends

Highlight: after church some of my friends and I decided to go shopping at the weekend market. the cab ride from church to the market was a true Thai experience. There were 6 of us and so we all pilled in on top of each other. 5 in the back and one up by the driver. Half way threw our trip the cab driver turns to carter (who is sitting in the front) and says “Is he American” pointing to the slightly smaller of the two guys squeezed in the back. When she told him he was the driver was in disbelief. “he is to skinny, Americans are not skinny. I have seen skinny girls but not skinny men. He is to skinny, are you sure he is American? Do they feed him? he needs to eat more. McDonalds, feed him McDonalds then he will get bigger. Or pizza you can get him a big pizza. He is two skinny, it is not hansom, he must eat more.” the cab driver went on and on with such disbelief. It would have been a completely inappropriate conversation to have if we were in America but this was Thailand and commenting on once wait or appearance in this way is appropriate.

Lowlight: latter that day Kristina and I were headed on the sky train to go meet some more people. we had been walking all day and our feet were killing us. So we decided that we really wanted a seat on the train and were going to try hard to get one. when we got on the train there were two open seats in front of us. One for her and one for me. Kristina sat down and as I approached the last empty seat I noticed  had a little blood stain on the seat. Evidently the last person to site there was a lady and it was her time of the month. I paused and thought for a second how gross that was and how I was only going one stop. But I only thought about all this with in that second and then it was back to the goal which was to get a seat. So I continued to site down with my weight skirt. The whole time I could not believe what I had just done. in just a few minuets we reached our stop and as we were getting off the train I looked back at our seats. A lady had sat down on Kristina seat and then noticed the dray blood stain on my seat and stared at it with discussed as 3 other woman gathered around to examine the seat. I know they all thought I had left the stain for who in there right mine would sit in such a seat. Evidently me. 

Day 143 New Years

Highlight: This has been the first new years in a long will that I chose to stay home and not celebrate the new year with my family and not running around the city with my friends. It was fun and very relaxed. We had the servant partner team (the mission my dad is with) over for a bit and played some games. They left to continue there new year celebration in there communities and/or with there pillows. I then watched a movie with my mom and at new years my parents and my youngest brother, Lukas, (Jon was out on the town, he was to cool for us) went out side. We could see 5 different sets of fireworks going off from that one point. It was quite a cool site.

Lowlight: on new years day my family went out for a meal at didomans. One of my favorite restaurants. They bring you row meat that you are to grill your self on the grill that is at your table. when we made our lunch plans we were not aware that it was not just going to be our family at the table. this was a very different didomans and we unknowing decided to bring in the new years at didamons with my mom, my dad, my two younger brothers, my self, and 4 cockroaches. They were quite friendly little guys but we were maybe not as welcoming as they would have liked