Things I love.

So oddly enough, I am about halfway through my time in South Africa. Before I go travel over holiday, I thought I would do a fun little post to round off the last few months. Below are a series of photos of things I love. Many of them are silly. Most of them are poor quality (go camera phones). Some of them were stolen from online. But this series of photos is a better look into my day to day life here than any post I could write. Enjoy!

I LOVE:

Game parks you can drive yourself through and still have elephants walk that close to your car

The energy from 1,600 students singing at morning assembly 

This book! That somehow manages to do an equal job of humoring the stereotypes of each racial/ethnic group in South Africa

The fact that a "wine pour" and a "beer pour" are synonymous in this country... fill it to the rim! 

Our view

My roommate! The girl who I spent almost every breathing second with, yet still can't go 10 minutes apart without finding something to text her about. The girl I cook with, bike with, teach with, vent with, plan with- she keeps me absolutely sane. 

The fact that I have a South African running license! Almost essential to run races in this country, but also makes me feel like a real resident!

The fact that this is the name of the Christian bookstore here...

My American friends here! As wonderful as it is to befriend the locals, it has been wonderful to have a group of fellow Americans close by as well

Banana and bacon pizza. Yep, a normal combo here. They're on to something...

Apology letters from our students Alice assigned after they were disrespectful. Especially when they give you a nickname halfway through the letter... 

This flag! So colorful. And a whole lot better than their last flag (see below). The black, yellow, and green of the flag represent the colors of the ANC (the current ruling party), while the red, white, and blue represent the flag of the United Kingdom (former ruling party).  

The old flag of South Africa... No, this is not a joke. 

Trail runs that end at Bridge Street Brewery

Baby lions I can pet.

The fact that Alice and I take pictures of most of the food we cook. Above: a butternut, goat cheese, caramelized onion, and rocket pizza drizzled with balsamic reduction. 

Our prefects! The group of grade 10, 11, and 12s that work in the library, speak English fluently enough not only to chat with us, but understand our sarcasm and make fun of us (and know us well enough to do so). An incredible group of young adults. 

Stanley street! An awesome block of restaurants, bars, and shops.

Excited waiters on Stanley Street. Go America!

Rugby. (As close as I can get to American football here). And owning my own Sprinboks jersey.

These grade 8 boys: this picture says it all

Did I mention I loved our view? Normal sunset out my bedroom window..