#1 Matt Lowe
01 January 2013 // Fremont, California
Got to reunite with Daniel Santos for the first time in months, then got to reunite with Matt in Fremont en route to Sacramento.
#2 Jelly Belly Factory
02 January 2013 // Fairfield, California
Spent the morning taking a tour of the Jelly Belly factory and sampling the beans. Also, their fudge.
#4 Downtown Sac
04 January 2013 // Sacramento, California
Before leaving on our drive back down to Santa Barbara, Deanna and I went into Downtown Sacramento for coffee at Broadstreet. Reminded me a lot of Portland.
#5 The Dargan's Text Messaging Festival
05 January 2013 // Santa Barbara, California
My first full day back in Santa Barbara was reunion filled. This is what going to a bar will be like in 2013.
#7 Return to Isla Vista
07 January 2013 // Isla Vista, California
Spent the day catching up with a TON of people. Best way to visit. Also spent the morning out by these cliffs. Miss doing that every morning.
#8 It's Gabe!
08 January 2013 // Goleta, California
Spent the afternoon catching up with Gabe and loitering around KMart a couple times. 'Twas a good day loaded with catch up sessions.
#9 The Burger Bus
09 January 2013 // Goleta, California
Before leaving Santa Barbara for Bakersfield, I got to finally catch the Burger Bus and had lunch withDaniel.
#10 The Bakersfield Canals
10 January 2013 // Bakersfield, California
I got to wander through Bakersfield a bit whileDeanna was in class today. Discovered this little area.
#11 Cafe Crêpes
11 January 2013 // Bakersfield, California
Deanna showed me one of her favourite Bakersfield secrets, this tucked away crêpes restaurant. We got to have lunch with Meaghan Lingo!
#12 Sequoia Subaru Picnic
12 January 2013 // Sequoia National Forest, California
Dee and I spent part of our day together in Bakersfield by venturing far out into the Sequoia National Forest for a picnic. It was chilly out, so the picnic went down inside her Subaru.
#14 South Africa Packed
14 January 2013 // San Diego, California
Spent the day running last minute errands and getting everything all packed up for South Africa. Rand, malaria pills, and a whole lotta reading.
#15 Pomegranate with Ivy
15 January 2013 // San Diego, California
On my last night in the U.S., I went with Ivy to a Russian-Georgian restaurant with a poetic menu, a spicy chocolate sauce, and flecks of pomegranate in everything.
#16 Boarding at JFK
16 January 2013 // Jamaica, New York
It's pretty dark and cold out in New York. Fortunately, I never had to leave the airport.
#17 Amsterdam Layover
17 January 2013 // Amsterdam, Netherlands
While I didn't have enough time on my layover to get out and actually see Amsterdam, the airport is odd and interesting enough to keep me occupied for a while.
#18 First Day at the Centre
18 January 2013 // Johannesburg, South Africa
My first full day at the centre was a slow and quiet one. Everybody expected me to be pretty much resting after two full days of traveling, so I took them up on the offer.
#19 Rainy at Rosebank
19 January 2013 // Johannesburg, South Africa
I went to the mall to get some groceries and other supplies. So far, it's been all rain while I've been in Joburg.
#20 HCC Beat
20 January 2013 // Johannesburg, South Africa
I went to church at Hillbrow Christian Church, which conveniently shares its initials with Hope Community-Church Santa Barbara. One slight difference, though, is that some of the worship is in Zulu.
#21 Football at 5Cees
21 January 2013 // Johannesburg, South Africa
Some of the kids invited me to play football with them at the centre. I hope they thought I was letting them win. I wasn't.
#22 Mitchell Street
22 January 2013 // Johannesburg, South Africa
Atop the teenage boys' dormitory at the centre, you can get a pretty good view of Mitchell St. One of my favourite perches for people watching.
#23 Pap for Dinner
23 January 2013 // Johannesburg, South Africa
Although I've had pap a few times now and am pretty used to it, the kids can't resist asking me if I've ever had it before and if I eat it every time.
#24 Afrikaans Study
24 January 2013 // Johannesburg, South Africa
Bonani asked me for help with his Afrikaans homework. While I'm not really qualified due to my not-speaking-Afrikaans-at-all, we figured out how to write out sentences, use the words you know, dictionary the rest, and rearrange for grammar.
#25 Kids in the Hall
25 January 2013 // Johannesburg, South Africa
These kids are absolutely fascinated with whatever it is I do. They're also constantly playing in the hallway outside my door, so every trip to and from my room consists of interacting with my Zulu fan club.
#26 The Great African Steps
26 January 2013 // Johannesburg, South Africa
Elias and I went on a walk around Hillbrow, and went all the way to Constitution Hill. I got to look at the Great African Steps on the back.
#27 Johannesburg
27 January 2013 // Johannesburg, South Africa
Neo and I went on a walk to Killarney Mall, and on the way stopped by The Views, a nature reserve named after this panoramic it provides.
#28 The Kresh
28 January 2013 // Johannesburg, South Africa
I swung by the Kresh (preschool) yesterday to help Teacher Magret move some books to the library. The kids were a mix of happy and confused to see me there.
#29 Olwethu
29 January 2013 // Johannesburg, South Africa
Olwethu is three-and-a-half. She's one of the newest girls at the centre. I got to take her portrait, and several of the other new kids' yesterday.
#31 Letters to South Africa 2.0
31 January 2013 // Johannesburg, South Africa
You guys! More letters keep coming in. I have the kindest friends. Thank you Sean Ferry and Carolina Maldonado, as well as Catherine Lieu, whose card I just received. These mean so much to me!