On our last day in Cape Town we went to a township called Extension 4 in Mfuleni to work with Habitat for Humanity on building a house for one of the families there. we had 14 people in our group, 12 students and the two of us. We were shocked to see the living conditions in the township. There were shacks, made of any material they could find, for miles and miles. The difference between the extremely rich and the extremely poor is most evident in Cape Town. On t...

We have been very busy for the past three days. On Wednesday the 6th, we spent some time gathering things we needed at the mall that is right on the waterfront. We were supposed to attend a rehearsal of Lucia di Lammermoor, but it was canceled. So, instead, we took part in one of the ultimate tourist activities: we rode the double-decker topless bus around the city. It was actually very nice and we got to see so much more of the outskirts of the city as well ...

This is going to have to be a long blog because we have been on SAFARI and haven't had internet access for three days. So hang in there! Yesterday, we returned from Kariega Game Reserve where we spent three days and two nights. We were the first ones off the ship so that we could catch a bus to the Cape Town airport and fly to Port Elizabeth. From Port Elizabeth it was about a 1 ½ hour drive to the reserve. We arrived at reception and were given a key to our ...

Today was such a special day: our Global Studies lecture was given by Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Global Studies is the one course on the ship that everyone is required to take. It begins everyday A and B day at 9:20am. When the students and faculty heard that Arch was going to be giving the lecture on a combined class day, they started sitting outside in the hallway about an hour in advance to make sure they got a good seat. I guess we have to tell you that we were...

Secret Agent Man (and Woman)!!! A few nights ago we had a Career Seminar with Mary and Jim Davidson (Mary is our Community Resource Officer, Jim is her husband) where they talked about their lives in the Secret Service (where they met). It was fascinating to hear about their careers and their lives. Jim has protected 8 different presidents in his career and Mary has protected 4 (I think that is what she said). Mary was the 20th woman to become an agent for the S...