My First Last

Today was my last day of classes at UWC. It was rather anti-climatic actually; I was thinking about the end of the semester in the States, and I totally don't have that same feeling. Now I wait around until the end of this month to take my exams!

There is a massive train strike that is going to happen on May 10. I am so thankful I am done now having to use the train, but my heart really goes out to all of the South Africans who will be stranded and have no way to get to their work. For my exams, the international advisor at UWC is picking me up, so I have another option...they don't have that :/

Although I am SO happy to not have to take the train or minibuses anymore, I am in a strange way thankful I got that opportunity. I didn't like feeling unsafe or not knowing whether a train would be on time or not show, but I really did get an insight into life of a lot of people here. Whether its the "clicks" of the Xhosa language or seeing the tired, lined faces of laborers, there is a little part of it that will stay with me.

Also, I was thinking over these last 3 months with the minibuses and trains, and how I had gotten so many warnings about being so careful, being a white female. I stuck out like a sore thumb, being the only white person (although that didn't bother me really), but God was incredibly faithful in how I've never got mugged or approached once while doing the public transport thing. That really is a small miracle, given the crime rate in this country, and I'm just so thankful!

This morning as I was getting ready to go, I said to Holly, "This is my first 'last' here. I still have exams, but this is my last day of classes, and in about a month's time, alot of things I do will be my 'last' things." I'm glad my first last is something I didn't really care for; it's still a bit of a weird thing to think about though!

So I have a final on the 12th, then not one until the 24th, then the 25th, then my last on the 31st. Talk about dragging it on...! 59 days left of 169 days here..wow.