I havent written in a really long time. Mostly because I have been very busy.

A couple weekends ago I went to the Weenan Game Reserve with my counselors Ray and Carol. We also went with a girl named Amy who is an ambassadorial student from Houston. (means she's going to University here). Amy and I became pretty close friends and we plan to be travel buddies from now on going different places in South Africa that South Africans think are boring! At the game reserve Amy and I woke up early one morning to look at all the zebras across the (dry) riverbed and were able to get pretty close. We had a lot of fun going on game drives and we were able to see Giraffe, Rhino, Ostritch, more zebra, warthog, and Kudu. Maybe more, i cant remember.

After that weekend school just went back to usual for a couple weeks and then on Friday it was the end of term so we all got out at noon and had the whole next week (this week) off! Friday was the day i got my hair cut. Its very short now, just past my shoulders! After that i came back and me, my host mom and 2 sisters went swimming in our pool all afternoon. Then Joanne and I made plans to go out that night and have fun with friends, so we did and celebrated the end of term.

The next morning was outbound orientation. This was where i met Jaryd, a kid who is outbound to Traverse City in January! It was so exciting. He seems very nice and knows how to snowboard so that will work in his favour. Orientation was pretty boring though, and it was all for outbounds- travel arrangements etc... stuff I've already been through. We (when i say we i mean the 3 americans- Colleen, Anne, and I) sat through the first half, but for the second half Ray and Carol took Colleen and I to the flea market across the street. It was really cool, very much like the beachfront but a little up-market. I didnt get anything except a pair of handmade earrings that were about 5 rand, which is like 80 cents US. After that we went back to orientation and they were just finishing up, and then we had a Braai and I was just able to talk to all the inbounds about what they've been up to.

When we left, Anne came with us, and stayed the night here at my host family's house. We (anne, Jo and I) ended up going to dinner and to see a movie at Pavillion- I am embarrassed to say it was "Bratz!" and then went to milky lane for ice cream. When we got home we went to sleep!

The Next day we went to my "uncle" clive's house for a traditional South African lunch, but i forget what its called. Its like 'pop and sauce' or something. The whole family was there, and Anne and I, so i got to meet Jackie's side of the family. They were all very nice.

We got home at around 5 or so and watched Idols and then Jackie and Dave took Anne home back to Umhlanga, where she lives. Jo and I just watched some Austrailian primetime soap called 'Home and Away' which was actually pretty good.

On monday my host family took me to a place called PheZulu, which is a safari game park. We started by going to the Crocidile park where we saw all the crocidiles, some of them huge and over a hundred years old. They also have a part which is dedicated to snakes so i saw all of them too. Then we went to these little traditional Zulu huts where Zulu people taught us what it was like in the old days when they used to live in tribes together. well, some of them still do, they're called townships, and you see them a lot when you drive out into the country. They also put on a show for us with dancing and singing, and a little skit but it was all in Zulu so i only understood a few words.

When we got home Joanne and I went shopping at Pavillionfor a while and then Dave dropped me off at my friend Tazra's house on the way home. We had a DVD night and I just spent the night there. The next day (yesterday) we didnt do much except download some music of mine onto her computer and watch more DVDs. She made me french toast in the morning and made me eat one peice with ketchup and another with maple syrup and cheddar cheese!! I know it sounds really gross but it was actually good. Then we decided to walk to spar so we could get stuff to make chocolate chip cookies. We came home and made them and watched yet another DVD... Then Jackie came to pick me up and I came home to take a bath before we went out to this concert put on by the westville theatre club. It was pretty good, just a compellation of songs and flashy costumes. We got home late and i went to to bed!

That brings me to today. Today I woke up, ate breakfast, and watched cartoons with my host sister (catherine). We're going to Ushaka Marine world in a few minutes, which is an aquarium that ive never been to. I think that it will be pretty cool.

Thats all for now, so i hope that is a sufficient update, and I'll try to post soon.
~Emma

So I moved from the Olivers to stay with the Horns a week ago today. I started school 6 days ago. So far, I'm liking it a lot. My host family has been really nice to me. I have 2 sisters, Joanne, who is 18, Catherine, who is 7, and a brother, Stephen, who is 16. We all go to different schools. Catherine goes to Westville Junior Primary (the equivelent of elementary school), Jo goes to Maris Stella (a private catholic girls school), and Stephen goes to Maris Brothers (a private catholic boys school). I attend Westville Girls High school, which is a government funded school. Every day I wake up, and put on my uniform. It consists of black shoes, black tights, a navy skirt, white short sleeved blouse, navy sweater, and a blazer. And we have to wear our hair up in a ponytail. We arent allowed to wear jewelry of any kind and our hairtie has to be navy blue. Yeah, It's pretty strict. But considering some of the other uniforms I've seen, it could be worse.

School starts everyday at 7:30. First we have registration, which is the equivalent of homeroom, and the teacher just takes attendance. After that we go to our regular classes. I'm taking English, Math, Biology, Drama, Geography, and I was supposed to be taking Afrikaans but the teacher told me I wouldnt have to write the exam and there was virtually no way I could catch up, so during Afrikaans I can just go to the library, which is where I am right now.

I've made a few friends as well. I met Catherine before I came to school because she is going on a short term exchange to France this summer through Rotary. So i got set up to have all the same classes as her so I wouldnt get lost. Trust me, its a huge school. So since I've been friends with Catherine I've also met all of her friends and they're all really nice to me. We sit together at breaks (which is twice a day for 20 minutes), and they've invited me to a few things this weekend. Hopefully tonight though im going shopping with Jo at Pavillion, the local shopping mall. Its pretty much massive in comparrison to Traverse. I mean, its a real mall with escalators and like 5 floors and bowling and mini-golfing and everything. It's so cool. So yeah i think we're going to go there tonight. Thats all for now but i'll write more later!

When I first stepped off the airplane in Johannesburg everyone was staring at me. That's not to say I wasn't used to it. For the last couple of days, everyone in every airport I had arrived in seemed to be attracted to the pile of metal and plastic attached to the navy blue blazer that I was wearing. These pieces of metal and plastic were, in fact, pins that I had placed in strategic locations around my blazer in order to look the most aesthetically pleasing. apparently it had worked. For those who are not familiar with Rotary Exchange, I'll fill you in: Every student must have a blazer that they wear in the airport and to certain Rotary functions. At the conferences, we exchange pins with the other students, all of whom have their own kind of pin to represent their own homeland. I had planned it out so that the smallest pins were toward the top of the jacket, mostly around the collar, and the larger, more prominent pins were toward the bottom. I also had many different kinds of patches sewn along my left sleeve, and the words "EMMA SMITH- SOUTH AFRICA 07-08" as a banner on the back. I thought that it was quite the masterpiece myself.
That night, I slept in a house that belonged to to an old Afrikaans-speaking couple of Rotarian's. When i say Afrikaans-speaking, i don't mean that they couldn't speak English, i just mean that they didn't really make the effort unless speaking directly to me or Tyler, the other student staying the night there.
Johannesburg was freezing. Which was why, the next morning, i was thrilled to be getting on a plane to Durban, one of the more the coastal, warmer areas of South Africa.
I was greeted in Durban by about 10 people, all of whom were far warmer to me than anyone in Johannesburg had been. They all welcomed me by giving me hugs and helping me with my luggage. It was there that I met my counselors and first host family, Ray and Carol Oliver. They also have a daughter (age 20)named Tarry, who would be my first host sister.
After we got my bags in the "boot" of the car, we drove away from the airport towards Durban, where we would eat some lunch downtown. I must say, driving on the wrong side of the road at speeds higher than most cars in the US dare drive, and on interstates with lanes narrower than a sidewalk, was quite the experience. Not to mention all the homeless black people walking around trying to sell the useless things they find on the ground to anyone and everyone at any and every traffic stop.
Arriving home at the Oliver household was really nice. I met the maid, Gladys, and the Gardener, Philip, right away. since then I've spent many mornings just sitting and talking with Gladys about her life and what it's been like to actually be AFRICAN in South Africa. I assure you it is not the preferred lifestyle.
One of the biggest differences between here and home is that we drink Tea and Coffee CONSTANTLY. I mean before a meal, after a meal, when we get home, before we go to bed, when we watch TV, anytime. Anytime you don't have a cup of something hot is time that has not been well spent in South Africa.
These first few days have been very different, but also very easy. I've already met a few friends that will be in my year of school at Westville Girl's High and who have told me all about it. I move to my next family on Wednesday night and have just bought my uniform today so that I can start school on Thursday. Hopefully everything will go well and I wont get too lost!
That's all for now!