Hi Everyone!!

This is Chrissy Forgione writing to you from an internet cafe in Cape Town, South Africa! It was an early morning for our team today...we all woke up in the Bed and Breakfast in Soweto to Roxanne's door knock at 4:00AM. Everyone hurriedly packed, and crammed into the two transport vans we've taken for the past week. It's amazing how quickly the time is going! We needed to say goodbye to Mike, Melvin, and Gino (our three tour guides) as well as Richard and JJ (our transport drivers). The whole team is in agreement that we'll need to come back again to visit them--they truly are amazing people and lifetime friends.

At around 9:30 AM we landed amidst the thick fog of Cape Town. Luckily, there was no problem with our luggage, and Colleen, our tour guide for the next two weeks, greeted us at the airport. We've hardly had a chance to explore our hostel, but it looks like it is going to be another really nice place to stay. For the rest of the day, we'll be exploring some of Cape Town, doing some laundry, and learning more about Colleen (especially since we're all pretty tired from the early morning wake up!).

This trip has been incredible so far. I find myself continually thanking everyone who helped to send me here. I've taken over 1000 pictures, and a bunch of videos to show all of you when we get home. We've done so much in just a few days. There's been a major emphasis on cultural immersion since we've gotten to South Africa, and it's FAR more interesting than history textbooks make it sound. We've learned some Zulu (one of the 11 African languages) words, gone to four museums (Constitution Hill-->a prison, the Apartheid Museum, Hector Peterson Museum-->the first student killed in the Soweto Uprising, and Nelson Mandela's house), visited local townships, gone to an HIV/AIDS clinic, and observed a presentation on a new effort to prevent the continued pandemic of HIV/AIDS in South Africa. Poverty is extremely prevalent here, and the enormous gap between the rich and the poor is also unbelievable. There are huge shopping centers down the street from shacks that look as if they could collapse at any moment. This experience has definitely opened my eyes to a whole new world, but most importantly, to a culture and vitality that is incredibly inspiring.

My time is almost expired, so I need to finish up and check my ATM card balance, but I'm sure we'll be checking in again soon. Internet is more accessible in Cape Town than Johannesburg. Thank you for checking in!!! I miss you and can't wait to see all of you in two weeks!! Hope everything is going well.