Entry 13.

Finally, the blog you've all been waiting for! The mural is complete and gracing its permanent home!

This is pre-install. The container sits at the edge of the Monte Christo Ministry's Sports fields. It is used as the dressing room/game plan study site for the city's soccer team : Paarl United.
Installing this work was no easy task. It took four men to hold the weight of each board.
This is Jos, my installation professional. I literally thought I might be sick and had to walk away when they started drilling holes through all our hard work. BUT, in the end, Jos took his work seriously, measured everything beautifully, and hung each piece to perfection.

"From Paarl United to Bafana Bafana." That is the name of the mural. It shows a progression of kids playing street ball, wearing the local team's logo, to a youth practicing her skills in front of the South African flag...

... and ends with fans cheering on the professional S. African soccer team, Bafana Bafana (in the yellow). You can see the Table Mountain landscape on the far right, which of course includes Cape Town Stadium.

Ursula and I - view from the main road that runs by the fields.
So proud of the final product! I hope it inspires kids here to dream big and work hard towards their goals.

A HUGE thank-you to all of you who helped my dream become reality. Thanks to Matt, for encouraging me to buy the expensive plane ticket, take on a new challenge, and earn a pin on our map that's all my own. Thanks to my parents for happily taking Avery for 2 weeks of Camp OmaOpa, so that I could have time to enjoy my art again and regain the adventurous part of me that had been all but lost in mommyhood. Thanks to my small group ladies for contributing the funds for the supplies. Your generosity not only covered all the mural necessities, but also paid for the repainting of the entire container, the KFC dinner blessing for Ursula's family, and a small gift of art supplies to keep that young woman motivated to use her God-given talents to better her world. Thank you to the Hellings for housing me, feeding me, being my tour guides, my taxi drivers, my friends, my source of laughter and wisdom while in S. Africa. And thanks to all of you reading... it has been wonderful sharing my experiences with you. But don't tune out yet! I have 3 more days here and a few more fascinating things to share...

Entry 12.

Mr. Ostrich, out for his morning stroll.

Road trip! We spent the day driving along the waterline and through the adorable coastal towns of the Western Cape.

Penguins are native here. This little guy was pondering life with a long walk on the beach.

Their official name used to be 'Jackass Penguins', but apparently the penguins took offense to that. It was recently changed to the 'African Penguin' - boring! In San Diego you have Seal Beach. Here they have Penguin Beach.

The Cape of Good Hope's fearsome reputation is justified by the abundance of ships that met their end here. As early back as the 1400's the sailors of large trade vessels most feared traversing this point of Africa. The waters just off the cape are extremely treacherous, with an estimated 450 wrecks lying at the bottom of the ocean. Most famous is the legend of the Flying Dutchman; thought to be based upon the 1641 sinking of a Dutch ship just off the cape. It is said the captain, not ready to die, shouted into the gail "I will round this Cape even if I sail until doomsday!" Since then, many people have reported sightings of a phantom ghost ship while sailing in these waters - even in the 20th century, the crew of a German WWII submarine saw the ship, as did sunbathers on the beach in 1942.

This desolate, rugged area is now a National Park. We decided to take the hiking trail to the end...

When I dressed this morning, I didn't realize we would be hiking here and was ill-prepared in the footwear department. Determined to get to the end of Africa, I managed the 3 mile hike over some tough terrain in these flats. Ouch.

Standing at the tip of the Cape of Good Hope, the end of Africa. Nothing but ocean between me and Antarctica. There is some debate as to where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet. Some say it is at the geographic southernmost point of Africa, Cape Agulhas. Other science-types contest that it is here, where the two unique currents mesh.

The clear blue sky and warm sunshine were magnificent today. I honestly think God is hookin' me up with some spectacular weather. These pictures don't do the views justice.

That hike worked up our appetites. If I wasn't going to see the Flying Dutchman in person, I figured a drink by the same name was the second best thing. It also helped to numb my aching feet!

With my cocktail lunch and a couple bandaids from the first aid station for my blisters, I was ready to head up the other hill to the lighthouse.

A picture perfect day.

Entry 11.

Paarl and the surrounding cities are the South African equivalent of California's Napa Valley wine region. Hillside after hillside, vineyards litter the landscape - some dating back to the 17th century. Sky scraping mountains tower over endless green acres... simply awe-inspiring scenery. Although I do not drink wine, we enjoyed lunch overlooking this view. And I learned a few things about wine culture from my (self-proclaimed) wine snob friends!
Calla lilies grow wild in the fields all over the countryside.

(Thanks Gary for the risky pull-off a busy highway so I could get this shot!)
Today just keeps getting better! Next we visited with the local wildlife at the Birds of Prey Encounter. Love their gorgeous amber eyes... Instead of being fenced in, all the birds were tethered so you could get very close. Much more exciting than an American zoo.

Even at the Cheetah Outreach Center, the fences are easier to see through. This beauty walked right up to us.
It's not every day that you get to pet a cheetah. Nice kitty!

Entry 10.

We FINISHED the mural today!!!

But you don't get to see it yet. That harsh 90 degree angle doesn't do the artwork justice. You will have to wait until Monday when we install it in it's permanent home.

Instead, tonight I am going to tell you about Kitty Kitty. He is a gorgeous jet black cat with lime green eyes that has adopted Gary & Marnelle. Talk about a dog in a cat's body. He comes when called, begs at the table for scraps, and waits at the door to be let out. He even tolerates smushy baby-talk right in the face. This morning he welcomed me on the porch, very proud of the utterly decimated bird in the front yard. Ew.

Entry 9.

Ok, now I officially miss Avery. Spending my morning volunteering at the Butterfly House preschool program kicked me right back into mom-mode (in a good way). Back to wiping little noses, encouraging kids to share, building with legos and kicking a ball around in the sunshine. At home, Avery is obsessed with tracing her hands with her crayons. These kids liked taking turns: me tracing their hands and them tracing mine.

Just as graham crackers or goldfish are typical American preschool snacks, these kids look forward to porridge mixed with milk and sugar.
Serious cuteness. The only reason they sat long enough for a picture is because they all wanted to see themselves on the camera display afterwards!

As much as this morning reminded me of home, it also brought to light the harsh realities of this life. One of the sweetest little angels there was sold to strangers by her mother for 400 rand ($53), so that her mom could have money to buy booze. There has been many a day in my mothering career that I would hypothetically consider trading a screaming baby for a nice fruity cocktail, but to actually sell your child?! Fortunately, her grandparents got wind of the transaction and rescued the girl. Unfortunately, her grandfather passed away this week and her grandmother is not physically able to care for her.

Matt, can we adopt an adorable African toddler? Pleeeease!

As if entertaining 9 children for a couple hours wasn't enough work, we had a mural to finish. Aren't these colors downright delicious? Reminds me of something... hmm... jellybeans maybe? *wink* Can you tell I am going through Jelly Belly withdrawls?

Not entirely complete, but all the color is done! Tomorrow we finish it off with black.

Entry 8.

You know it is going to be a wonderful day, when your sunrise looks like this!
Still cold in the AM. Marnelle lent me her ratty gloves and they really helped. In case you haven't noticed, I've been faithfully representing Matt's favorite team - Go RAIDERS! Unfortunately, no one here cares about American football.

We are very close to having the color completed. Black outlines and fill will finish it off maybe tomorrow or Friday, at the latest. A photographer from the Paarl Post newspaper came today... it sounds like we may make next week's edition. I'm flattered they find this newsworthy!
Tonight was particularly special. Ursula invited us to her home to have dinner with her family. As a gesture of gratitude for all her help, I brought the food - KFC. Nothing says an American "thank you" like a bucket of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and Coca-cola. Ursula lives in this 3 room home (living room, kitchen & 1 bedroom) with her 2 aunts, 1 uncle and 2 cousins. Don't you love the color of her house?
In general, Americans tend to define poverty by amount of monetary wealth or lack thereof. But rarely do we get a first-hand experience with the type of truly modest living that is common throughout Africa. I have heard it said that even the poorest American is wildly rich when compared to most of the world. But being a part of this community for only a week has deeply challenged my definition of "rich." In Ursula's neighborhood, everyone knows everyone. I don't even know my own neighbor's names. The entire community is in the streets talking, shuffling cards, and watching kids play tag. American suburb sidewalks are empty - everyone holed up alone in their oversized homes, playing in their privacy-fenced yards. Here they don't own much, but they are richer in relationship.

After dinner, we pushed the tables aside and began dancing!

What a blessing to be welcomed into this home and to share my time with people who have known sorrow, but remain joyful because they can rely on one another.

Hebrews 13:5

Keep your life free from the love of money and be content with what you have.

Entry 7.

Another day, painting away... Ursie doing a fine job.
These are my food center buddies, Rodney and Alicia. They run the operations of the place, making sure all the meals get to their proper locations. You can see the food supplies behind us... Rodney is the resident comedian and Alicia has been so gracious in lending us her space and her kind heart.

Each of these cookers makes enough soup to feed 1,000 children. That's some serious soup!
I clearly underestimated the quantity of jellybeans necessary to facilitate 192 square feet of art!
Can you tell what we're painting yet?!

I will leave you with a few more English/Afrikaans translations:

- french fries ( pomme fritz )

- an autobody shop ( a panelbeater centre )

- Firehouse & Fireman ( Fire apartment & Burningman )

Entry 6.

I am not going to lie to you. Winter in South Africa is cold. Not deep-fridgid Alaska or Montana cold, but definitely dipping-into-the-low-30's-at-night cold, easily-see-your-breathe-in-the-morning cold, wear-your-scarf-hat-and-gloves cold. And the difference between Montana and Paarl, is that there is no central heating here. None. So you do not simply go inside to warm yourself up. Even the radiant space heater that has been cranking in my flat ALL day is just barely keeping the chill off. As I write this at 10pm it's about 45 degrees outside and I am indoors wearing a long sleeve shirt, a sweatshirt, a scarf, a winter hat, jeans, socks and sneakers.

My fingers are almost popsicles. Must keep... typing... to keep... fingers... warm...

Other than fighting the nippy warehouse air all morning, it was a fairly successful mural day. With my trusty sidekick cranking out the green paint and myself working on endless skintone details, we powered through 8 hours of painting. It may not look much different from our last session, but cold air prolongs the drying time and the ability to re-coat colors quickly. Overall, I am satisfied with the progress.

Entry 5.

(click the photo to enlarge it!)

The neighborhood dogs finally roused me from my slumber at 11am this morning. Hey, it's Sunday - the day of rest - and I am on vacation! A bowl of yogurt and muesli got my engines running and then it was off to Cape Town to be a tourist. Driving through the city, I get a warm familiar feeling. The downtown buildings, waterfront shopping, winding scenic roads and sailboats in the bay are strikingly similar to San Diego. The steep grades and beautiful rows of urban homes that line the streets up to Table Mountain remind me very much of San Francisco. And then there's the mountains. They are what make this view unique. Seeing Table Mountain (the flattop one in the panorama above) and Cape Town stadium (where they held 17 World Cup games) in person is wonderful, as this landscape is an element in the mural. This area isn't technically the southernmost tip of Africa, but pretty darn close.

South African money is called Rand. 1 US dollar equals about 7.5 rand. I love that they've adorned their bills with native animals rather than famous faces. Great colors too! I think we should petition our government for bills with new hues. Wouldn't Lincoln look great in fuschia?!

The vendors at the market were incredibly friendly and pleasant to talk with. This is my new friend Jeff. He immigrated to South Africa from Kenya and was proud to share that he belongs to the same tribe as President Obama's father. In fact, he saw Obama in Kenya about 6 years ago. He was seriously rockin' the Members Only jacket.

Try before you buy.... VUVUZELA!!!

My last purchase... ready for chips and dip - zebra style.

Entry 4.

Today was über-productive! Ursula, my main helper, is a 20-yr-old gal who lives here in Paarl. Her first language is Afrikaans, but she does quite well with English. She is very interested in painting and one day dreams of attending college for an art degree. From 11am - 6pm we worked on the mural - 3 coats of white paint, a full sketch, and the beginning of color. It is difficult to see the faint blue sketch from this photo, but perhaps it will be more interesting to watch it unfold this way. Waiting for coats of paint to dry we jammed to American hip hop on the radio and she even began teaching me a "sequence" (organized dance moves). Somewhere between my San Mateo cheerleading days and present day I have lost my knack for gracefully executing a dance routine.

A quick South African culture lesson - there are three ethnic groups of people here : White Afrikaners (decedents of the Dutch settlers), Coloureds (mixed race, medium-toned skin with a lot of Malaysian heritage), and Blacks (dark black skin with indigenous African roots). While coloured is a term considered offensive in the U.S. it is simply a word used by the people here to identify themselves. For the most part each group lives in neighborhoods exclusively of their own ethnicity. White Afrikaners and Coloureds speak primarily Afrikaans. Blacks in the Cape Town area speak Xhosa (pronounced 'Kosa'). English is a second language for most.

The reason I explained that is because I am learning sometimes humorous differences between the Afrikaans language and English.

English (Afrikaans)

- I will give you a call ( I will give you a tinkle )

- an elevator ( a lift )

- a stoplight ( a robot )

- an extension cord ( a lead )

- You rained on my parade ( You pee pee on my battery )