First Impressions

I'm in South Africa!!! It's been two full days, and in no particular order, here are some of my first observations:

I haven’t taken any pictures yet, but I can’t get over how beautiful it is here. We’re in wine country, near the mountains, and the flowers have started to bloom because of all the rain. If the weather were any better, I’d sit outside all day and read. I hope we put a hammock up somewhere soon.

People go out of their way to care for one another. The academy staff will walk over to personally invite me to dinner, and this morning one of them brought muffins for us. At the Retreat Centre, Bill often calls Debbie his “lovely bride,” even now that they’re at the age of having grandchildren. There is meekness and sincerity in the way people speak. Kindness, joy, and love are noticeable. I hope this rubs off on me.

Other fun tidbits:

1. "marrows" = zucchini; "cellophane" = saran wrap.

2. The government takes pride in the fact that SA's roads are immaculately paved.

3. At the supermarket, fruit should be weighed at the fruit weighing station, not at the checkout. They will look at you like you're an idiot and make you go back if you do it wrong.

4. The meat of choice for lions is human flesh. They like the salty flavor.

5. Celsius. Liters. Meters. Grams. Rand. Everything is measured differently.

More soon - hopefully pictures!

Pray for:

-A good night’s rest.

-The team-building activities I’ll lead tomorrow.