Plettenberg Bay in the sunshine!

Let's see, it's been a few days so I'll start with Monday - our last build day! We headed out to Mfuleni for the last time and arrived on site bubbling with excitement to work on the roof! We gathered in our circle and chanted our morning "war cry" 'Dugga dugga dugga' 'hoi hoi hoi' and set to work hoisting the tresses up to those stationed on the roof. We then began the task of setting them up straight and square while the builders nailed them into place. We worked efficiently and finished that part before tea time (which included more of the delicious bread and jam!) Next we laid out the weather proofing and nailed it into place, no longer will Zamulingisa wake up wet from all the leaks and dew seeping through the thin tin shack. He can rest assured that he'll be warm and dry - so exciting!! We assembled a tile line (which are much lighter to hoist than the bricks!) and moved all of the red tiles to the roof where the rest of our team fastened them into place.

Unfortunately, because of the lost time due to rain, we weren't completely done when the day was over. The internal walls still need to be put in along with the doors, but all in all it's quite amazing what we were able to accomplish in three days! (I promise I'll post pictures when I get back!!) We held the dedication ceremony and shared what am amazing experience it's been and how happy we are for Zamulingisa and his soon-to-be wife! It was bittersweet to leave, we were so happy and proud of our house and Zamulingisa's new beginning, but sad to leave Mfuleni and everyone for the last time.

That evening was a bry (sp?) which is a fancy word for a BBQ (but shhhh, don't tell the South Africans that!!! They are quite proud of their brys :) It was a blast and definitely delicious. Afterwards was the ending ceremony where awards were given out and gifts of appreciation to our amazing leaders! And all week the houses competed for points (by stealing each others flags, participating in the activities, etc etc) so they announced the winning house...ours!! I was so excited and feel so bonded with our crew! We won a vovozella (an amazing South African word for those horns used at football and soccer games) and a keychain! Speaking of amazing Afrikaans lingo I am planning on taking back these words: zap (what they say when someone flips you off...hopefully I won't have to use that much in the US, but still how much better is "Someone zapped me on the interstate" than "someone flipped me off..."?!), lip ice instead of chapstik, sirviettes for napkins and tekkies: for sneakers! It's been so fun learning about each other and trading words, I know a random smattering of Afrikaans words. We ended the ceremony by lighting candles and talking about how six families were living in the dark and we've been able to share our light and bring brightness to their lives. How the Bible tells us not to hide our light under a bushel, but share it with the world. So many friends and great times in Stellenbosch - sad to leave it!

We left early Tuesday morning and started our long drive to Plettenberg Bay by way of the Garden Route. It was six hours of beautiful scenery, mountains and plains - the morning mist rolling in and casting an eerie shadow on the scattered trees. Winding through one of the mountain passes we spotted baboons right of the side of the road!! So crazy to see a baboon just outside your window!! We curved around and when we were out of the mountains the ocean came into view, the beautiful African coast stretching before us. It's sort of like South Africa's version of Hwy 101. So breathtaking!

We arrived in Plet. Bay in time for pizza (which South Africans use bananas as a topping!) then time for more studying and finally bed. Today a few of us are hanging around the town and heading down to the beach for some lazy time in the sun, letting our muscles have a rest after heaving bricks last week! The other half of the group went bungee jumping off of the world's tallest bridge (seeing as how I hyperventilate in line for a roller coaster, the beach sounded much more appealing!)

Another phase of our trip is beginning as we head off to Grahamstown by the end of the week - the theater festival will be wonderful and I know we're going to learn so much and get to see and experience South African theater. Off to enjoy the sunshine as we've been warmed that Grahamstown is FREEZING!