No Guts, No Glory

Last weekend Helen and Edwin, the house parents of Tuks Dorp, took 30 of us exchange students to Clarens, which is a tiny little town in the mountains in the Free State [which is a province of South Africa for those of you that do not understand what I’m talking about because you know nothing about South Africa, which is fine]. When we got there it was chilly, well really it was quite cold for Africa, but we were in the mountains so it’s understandable. Well my bag was in the trailer that Edwin was bringing later with the people that had class on Friday and needed to leave later. I was very cold and had no jacket or anything so Thomas gave me his sweater because he had a long sleeved shirt on and I had short sleeves. Those of us who were on the earlier vans all split up for dinner, I went to a pizza place with a group of people and had an amazing pizza. We were eating outside next to a fire pit and it was very cozy, if it wasn’t so chilly. But we all had some hot chocolate which was probably the best hot chocolate I’ve ever had. Then we all met back up at Friends bar where there was live music. There were also a few really drunk girls that were completely obnoxious. One of them kept taking the microphone from the guitarist/singer and screaming the song into the mike. It was her way of singing I think, but it was screaming none the less! But thankfully they eventually left. The rest of the group arrived looking like they needed a good night of dancing, which they got. Lora Lay and I met a group of guys from Pretoria who were in Clarens for the weekend celebrating one of their birthdays which was on Sunday. We played a game with them called pluck the chicken. It’s another one of those Big Booty kind of games if you know what I’m talking about, but definitely not as cool as Big Booty, so I guess I’ll have to teach them all how to play! The group tried to get me to sing, but I wasn’t really in the mood and couldn’t really think of any song that I knew well enough to sing that the guitarist would know as well. I finally thought of “Lucky” by Jason Mraz and Colbie Calliet, but I needed a guy to sing it with me. Kim asked Luc if he knew it on guitar so he could play it and possibly sing but he didn’t know it. Niels is the other singer in our group, but he wouldn’t sing and didn’t know it. Then we talked to a guy that sang earlier and had a pretty good voice. He knew it and was willing to sing. Now we just needed to get the band in on it. Kim asked if the guitarist knew it and he said no but he could listen to it during the next break and possibly play it. Well there was no next break so I didn’t sing, that was fine with me.
We left Friends around 2:00 and went back to the backpackers. Some people still wanted to stay up and hang out but it would be too loud to stay outside of our rooms and people were sleeping in the rooms so we all went into mine and Caitlin’s room [the honeymoon suite!

Because there was an overflow of girls] I was ready for bed when they all came in but it was fine, I could stay up a while longer. There was some interesting conversation that really didn’t go anywhere because some people had no idea what they were talking about and would not remember any of it in the morning. But a few of us had fun just being goofy and taking goofy pictures [Luc and Jeff].

Then everyone finally headed to bed around 4:00 so Caitlin and I had our pillow talk =] and went to sleep.
The next morning was white water rafting. EXCITED!!! I was with Luc, Niels, Jeff, Julian, and Caitlin in a raft and our guide was Andre. The other raft had Edwin, Nathan, Paul, Iris, Yvette, and Marie and their guide was Kennedy.

The water was freezing but we didn’t care, we were having too much fun to care about the water. They measure rapids 1-6 and we went down two level 4 rapids! They were a lot of fun. The first 4 that we went down we stopped for a bit of a break after it and most groups went down a second time. We asked our guide, Andre, if we could go down a second time but he said no because he didn’t want to carry the raft up again, and that we had to stay with the rest of the group. Well the rest of the group went down a third time while we watched them carry their raft up, go down and have a great time. We watched all this from our raft, on land!!! Not happy about this! So Andre kind of pissed Caitlin and me off with this. But that wasn’t going to ruin our time. We started splashing fights with other rafts and at one point the other UP raft attacked us jumping onto our raft and throwing us in the water. Well this was fine with me so long as I took them in with me. Soon enough everyone was in the water! Which was cold!!! But too much fun to care! Then Kennedy, the other guide, started a back flipping contest. So we were all doing back flips off the fronts of the rafts! Great fun!!!!! Caitlin and I showed off our amazing yellow jackets when we finished

and we of course got an America picture, but we seemed to coordinate our clothing to fit Africa more!!! =]

We all sang a song that Jeff made up that goes like this, “In the back of a Bakkie in the Free State” That’s it! But we all sang it on the ride back to where we started because we were riding in the back of a bakkie in the Free State.
When we got back everyone was hungry so we went to Highlander’s restaurant for lunch. Caitlin, Luc, Jeff and I got Foccacia bread for a starter and then Caitlin and I shared a pizza and for dessert we shared a slice of cheesecake. Sharing is most definitely caring here in South Africa. If one person orders something, everyone has to have a taste!! But it’s all good because then I get to taste their food as well!!! The lunch took over 2.5 hours but all that for only R50 [which would be just over $7] was well worth it, and it was really good food, it just took a long time to get it on the table! But as I’ve been hearing since I’ve arrived, “Welcome to South Africa”. Then everyone was full to the brim so we all laid down in the grass outside the Beerfest that was going on in the city center. After we were all rested up, yes some of us fell asleep there we went into the beerfest. Earlier there was a beer tasting where you bought a glass and walked around to taste all of the different kinds of beer, such as chocolate beer, coffee beer, honey beer, and so on and so on. But we missed that. Now you got a cup free and paid R15 for a ticket for a drink. I of course did not partake, beer=bleh grossness. But it was interesting to talk to the people there. There were bikers and gypsies and college students and older couples and all ages and walks of life! Crazy! And it was the most white people I have been around in a long time. I talked to Niels, one of the guides from rafting for a while, as well as the guys from Pretoria that we met the night before. We met some new people as well. One guy, who was completely drunk and high, did the famous matrix move and it was really good. I’m surprised that he could do something like that in general let alone in the state that he was in! =]
Saturday night we had a Braai for all of the exchange students at the backpakers. I had some great conversation with Havard who really really enjoyed the chocolate beer [which Thomas brought a cup of it back so we passed it around so everyone could have a sip to taste. I didn’t taste anything close to chocolate in the taste]. I also had great conversation with Helen and Edwin who are amazing people really they are! They are doing great things for children here in South Africa who are really quite bright but do not have the funds to act upon their talents. That’s where Helen and Edwin step in. They take over many of the financial difficulties that these kids face into their own hands and into their own wallets! All because when Edwin was in the US someone there helped him, so he’s passing it on to these kids here! After the Braai we started a bonfire in the backpackers and we all sat around the fire telling jokes and having a great time.
The next day was horseback riding. Kyra you will not believe me when I you read this, if you read this, but I have 14 witnesses that can tell you that I galloped on the trail ride and had no fear!!! I’m serious we were trotting and I was telling people how to post because they were all complaining of the pain from trotting and then we took of galloping and I loved it! You’ll have to take me riding when I get back I don’t know what’s up, maybe it’s the air here but I have some guts!!! I’m not a big scardy cat! Maybe it’s Christian giving me some guts and letting me live my life here to the fullest, Thanks buddy! But yes we were riding and Caitlin was scared of horses from past experiences with them, but she was having a great time. When we would start to trot you could hear her in the back just cackling away, laughing her head off! We were all laughing at her. It was great to watch and hear! She really had a great time which I’m happy for because she didn’t want to ride but I as well as everyone else kind of talked her into it.

We stopped at the top of the mountain to give the horses a break and to take some pictures and such. Then we hopped back on and went down. When we got to the bottom and got off the horses I reached in my pocket to get my camera but it wasn’t there. It wasn’t in my other pocket either, but I know that I had it at the top of the mountain so it fell out sometime on the way down. I told Edwin and he talked to the guides. One of them went to get the bikes to take me back up but the person with the keys to the bikes wasn’t around so the guide and I mounted horses again and went back up. This was the best part because it was just the two of us and he let me gallop a lot more than before when we were all together! It truly takes your breath away moving like that! We found the camera not far up the path and it was fine. It still works perfectly!!!
When we got back from the horses we had leftovers from the Braai for lunch and headed out to Golden Gate national park to go hiking. We chose a path and started hiking.

When we got to the end of the trail we took some pictures of the amazing view.

Then some of us went off the path and started venturing off. At a few points we were no longer hiking but literally rock climbing completely vertical walls of rock with no harnesses or proper shoes. This was exhilarating! I really don’t know what’s going on with me but I still wasn’t scared at any point! I was climbing up a freaking rock wall with no safety equipment [and it wasn’t the safest place to climb] and I was the confident one telling others that it was fine and that it was safe!!! Mom I’m changing and I’m loving it!!! When we got to the top it was the most freeing feeling to know and see what I just climbed with no fear!

Now I’m totally pumped to bungee jump and sky dive and anything else South Africa throws my way! After some celebration and view catching we went back down and chilled at the bottom until the vans came to pick us up. Nathan and I decided that when we get back to America we are going to go on a hiking trip to Colorado together. Anyone else welcome to join but you have to be up for the challenge!!! We’re serious hikers/climbers now! =]
After a stop at the top of one of the mountains for a group picture, after which Caitlin and I took our own picture

After a stop at the top of a mountain with an amazing view for a group picture, afther which Caitlin and I took our own picture

we headed back to Tuks Dorp, what we are now all used to calling, dare I say it, "HOME" The ride home was pretty chill. Most people slept here and there. I walked with Havard. He’s a great listener. It was good to talk to him. He let me talk about Christian and how I miss him and how it’s difficult to be here knowing that he was here and he did all these things and not be able to talk to him about it. There are so many things here that remind me of him. Clarens was completely amazing and when you all come to visit I will take you there and we will do all these things again!!! =] So come visit because I want to go back! [but we can do without the drunk girls screaming into the microphone].

Peace, Love, and Jesus