So Blessed!

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Now that I finally have a few free minutes I can write about my week. I experienced my first minor freak out when I realized there is no gym here. Thank God for resistance bands! So I have been waiting up at 5:30 to run outside, climb stairs, hills, do anything that is considered excercise. Unfortunately this altitude is hard to breathe in when I run. There is also a lot of plants so my allergies suck. I went food shopping for the first time and realized there is not much healthy food here. The fruit is delicious! But there is not a lot of whole grain anything.. the only brands I recognized in the store were activia yogurt and special k. So I've been eating yogurt, cereal, pretzels, peanut butter sandwhiches, and thank God I brought about 40 granola bars. We did go out to eat though and paid $13 for wine, soda, dinner, and desert. It was so good!

Last night we ate a traditional meal. It included mutton, sausage, beets, chicken, beans, and pop which is like a huge riceball made of cornmeal... I didn't eat the red meat and I felt rude but I really couldn't. They eat with their hands and pass around a towel to wipe your hands with. It was awsome to be a part of it. Funky, the man whose house we were at is a gym teacher at the school. He said he only allows his family to speak the mother tongue at home. He told us of how he had to pay a bridewealth for his wife in cows. He is from Alexander and is taking us there and to Soweto next weekend.

I was surpised at how candid Funky was when he spoke of apartheid. He told us there were things that would gie us nightmares if he explained the horrors of his life. What he did mention was that the police used to take blacks from their house and drive around while beating them and drinking whiskey. He was used as a punching bag by a white family when he was 6. He mentioned shootings and beatings. I asked what he thought of the Truth and Reconciliation Committee and he said it was a waste of time. But he has forgiven the whites and just wants peace.

He also mentioned racist attitudes at this school and how people high on the ladder are white and the domestic workers are still black. It was great talking to him, he made me see how horrible some people are and how wonderful others can be. He speaks 9 languages, his wife speaks 4. They taught us some Zulu and sang a song in Xhosa.

On another note there are cats here! I found a black and white one that looks like oregano. i fed it milk., my housemates will probably want to kill me because it is going to keep coming to the door. But he's a cutie. Tonight we have TGIF at one of the teacher's houses. Its a bbq. Should be fun!

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