1st Homestay

I'm currently in Orlanda West, Soweto, in South Africa. Yesterday, we took a beautiful bike tour of Soweto. We stopped at various locations during the tour and tried local cow jaw! We also ate a Kota, which is a sandwich filled with french fries. Our group loved seeing 8 different townships yesterday, and the children along the street would always come up and give us high fives as we rode. We also saw the house of Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela. Right now I am staying with my first homestay family, and it's wonderful! Hillary and I are staying with a family of five, (1 16-year-old girl, and two younger boys), and they're so loving and generous. They made us a typical meal last night of beef, pap (kind of like grits), beets, and spinach mix, as we sat around their living room and learned SO much about their life and culture. Today, they took us to a butchery, which was full of so much raw meat! We walked around town and visited a local soccer stadium (We saw Soccer City Stadium the day before). We also went to a Maponya Mall and bought groceries for tonight' family barbecue. Time is not an issue here, and everyone lives very much in the moment. This homestay has been my favorite part so far, mostly because our family is SO kind! We're going to church with them tomorrow, as well as climbing the two Soweto towers. I can't wait :)
            Love. Mel