Rain, rain

Wow, have we been busy!

Yesterday, we went into the city to visit some of the folks Leigh will be working with for her internship project. It's an exciting time, and she'll be living right in the middle of things. Everyone is so friendly, but also surprised that the "lady from the U.S." is brown-skinned. It's so funny how our perceptions of certain places depend on only our previous experiences and various assumptions. At least twice, while we we waited in a cafe for her meeting, the 2 internship representatives passed us by, thinking we couldn't be the group from the U.S.!! lol
Finally, someone shouted and directed them to our corner. . .

On our way home from the waterfront the other day, the cab driver was absolutely stunned that we three were not from South Africa. He educated us all about his culture (Xhosa) and lecutred me about not knowing the meaning of my first name. (I was able to get by with an explanation of my second name, which does have some significance).

Yet another cab driver was from Ghana, and upon learning that we were from the states said "Welcome home." He even phoned us later that night to make sure we made it home safely. One of the funniest things about this driver (his name is Jesse), is the way he says "you people" in the place of 'you all' or 'ya'll' in certain places. He says, "Have you people seen this?" or "Do you people want to do that?" It's really funny and definitely a part of his local dialect. :)

The weather here has been touch and go. It is the rainy season here in Cape Town, so it is to be expected. On our way to the meeting yesterday, we were caught in quite a downpour . . . perhaps we were not recognizable to the folks at the cafe because of our absolute wetness!

World cup soccer starts Friday, and we are planning to visit the Fan Park where thousands will be gathered to celebrate and watch the opening match. I CAN'T WAIT!

Kelley