when I get older I will be stronger

Please, if you ever go to developing country, do not be THAT American. One of the only problems I have so far with this amazing place is the people, the American people. There are so many kids here from different places who complain so much I can not believe it. “I don’t have enough internet” “My bed is too stiff” “I cant eat 4 meals a day.” Yes, that is because you are in Africa, it is an amazing place that is developing very fast, but is still Africa.
Besides that I have been very busy writing things for the company to send out to other people. I have heard that I got a promotion! I will no longer be a chaperone but an Assistant Venue Manager, which gives me more opportunities to go to games, more responsibilities, and more authority. It also means I am locked into the Hotel that I wanted to work at, Avianto. It is a Tuscan styled resort in the countryside fully equipped with a five star restaurant which I will eat at for free, gardens to stroll through, and a bar. IT is also only fifteen minutes from the lion and rhino park so I will be playing with more babies!! I have loads of pictures but because of bad internet it is difficult to get them online, me and the other people in my house are thinking of starting a photobucket, it’s a website where you can upload all photos from your camera in bundles instead of one at a time, and just putting them all there. If it happens in the next week I will send the link out.
Mom I am sorry that I was off by a few days but I have been super busy and not much has happened since I last talked to you. There is only 18 days left until the beginning of the games and until then there is not going to be much fun stuff to talk about.
On a good note I don’t think I have ever felt as patriotic than I do now. It is so funny because if I saw someone in America wearing an American flag shirt I would think they are tools but everyone does it here. People will walk around with hats and shirts that have the S.A colors on them and they are so pumped about the world cup. If you have not yet seen the Coca Cola commercial about the dances that players perform after scoring a goal please youtube it, its fantastic. Also the song ‘Wavin Flag’ by an artist named K’naan is huge here and it is also out of this world good.
Ok well Im out of ideas and internet, I miss you all and love you dearly. If you want me to elaborate on anything just ask. Ill try to be more prompt with my blogs.

One week in, I'm hooked

I don't think I want to come home. Just kidding, but really this is a trip of a lifetime. I have been here for a week and a day and my experience; so far has been indescribable, since I last left a post I have done so much that I know will affect me forever. First of all I went to the apartheid museum, and I will never be the same again. The place is the deepest, most emotional museum I have ever attended. For those of you who do not know, Apartheid is the time when south africans were still being oppressed by the white africaaners (that is what white people are called here) who are Dutch and English decent. The south African africaaner government was terrible, if you have ever seen district 9, it was like that, except worse because these were people. They made laws banishing the black south africans to townships, which still to this day are the poorest, most dangerous areas. The saddest part is that apartheid ended only sixteen years ago, that means I was alive while an atrocity like this was occurring. I nearly was in tears walking around this museum surrounded by school kids learning about their history that they were lucky to have missed. The next day we went to soweto. Soweto is the largest township in all of johannesburg, housing near 3 million people alone and it has one of the most historically important streets in the world for it is the only street to have 2 Nobel peace prize winners. Both Nelson Mandela and bishop Desmond Tutu grew up and lived in soweto on the same street, I was lucky enough to be able to visit their houses and then the hector pieterson museum which my foster father built and I will speak more about him later. Hector pieterson was a thirteen year old boy who was shot in the street in Soweto by the police during apartheid, the cops had no reason, hector was simply crossing the road with his brother and sister. His death was captured in a photo which has become very famous, and it threw gasoline on a burning anti- apartheid movement. On Sunday we went to the lion and rhino park, it is exactly what it sounds like. We went to a place where you drive in a windowless truck and look for lions, rhinos, cheetas, wild dogs (not strays, wild), and other animals. It was neat because we arrived just in time to watch them all being fed. Mom, they are not in cages haha. Then I got to play with baby lions and it was so much fun, for three dollars we got to go into the cages and play with cute, fluffy, playful lion cubs.
I found out what I will be doing while I am here this week. For all who do not know, I am on an internship working the 2010 FIFA world cup. I will be working on p.r and hospitality. This is awesome news because I will be writing press releases following each game, this means that for work I have to watch all the games and then write a 200 word blurb about it. Along with this I am doing hospitality,this is also sweet because I will be living in a hotel basically catering to high end clientele, with this I have to escort them to all of the games getting a free ticket in the process.
Ok so back to my foster father, he is incredible. He has done so much for himself and the country of south Africa. He began by selling sandwiches out of the back of a car, and has built himself and his business, he now owns one of the largest sports advertising agency in south Africa. He has a ton of money, and gives a ton of money. He started the DAD fund many years back which is the organization I am working for. It helps orphans by paying for them to go to school all the way through college. In 1998 he was asked by Nelson Mandela himself to renovate his home in soweto and make it into a tourist spot, all proceeds going to the people of the township of course. He then was asked to build the hector pieterson museum, which is basically a museum dedicated to Mandela. Mandela asked him to build this as well.

Ok so I am tired and going to sleep, mom I will send you the address for here to send a camera. I love you all and hope you will have a good week, I know I will.


Word of the week- booboozela ( the horn they blow at soccer games in s.a)

Blogging.

This is my first ever blog, so give me some time before stuff starts getting interesting. I landed in South Africa on Monday the third (happy birthday dad) and have since been here for only one full day. First things first, I am in Johannesburg, it is a big commercialized city with basically everything that we have in the states. The people here are wonderful,it is amazing how nice everyone is. My first experience in the country was a mall to try and exchange currency, walking in there was a roxy, quicksilver, and most all other places you would not expect to find. My second experience was going to my temporary housing, which is with 8 girls and two other guys. The family I am staying with also happens to be my boss on this adventure, and he and his wife have been so amazing and generous. I also went to the casino my first night and already lost 35 bucks ugh, way to go Arielle though for playing for her first time and winning 250 Rand ( 40 bucks approximate). Mom and dad if you are reading this I promise that it won't happen again, I plan on winning next time. All of my roomates are great although I do not get to see them often because they are always working. I do not have a camera at the time, but I plan on using someone else's to post. There is a place right by my house that is a little set of buildingsnthat kind of looks like old style Romeo and juliet setting, it is actually a casino, hotel, and cinema fully equipped with imax. There are a bunch of restaurants and beer is out of this world good, it's called castle and I guess it is the south African national beer. It is like 2.00 for a pint. Tomorrow I will be going to the apartheid museum, I am bringing tissues. I will try to update weekly and get as many pictures as possible.
South African slang of the week: traffic lights are called robots haha.
Ps I am trying to get a cooler background but can't figure it out, Brittany got any ideas?