NYC and AFRICA!

I am officially in love. New York City was amazing. Mink, Ben, and I traveled to “The City” (what they call NYC on the E.C.) to stay with Mink’s Aunt Laurie. She lives in a cute little apartment in Manhattan close to just about everything. Mink’s aunt spoiled us to the bone, with everything from delicious meals to personal car service to booking our airport shuttle. She made it such an enjoyable experience! The first evening in The City we visited Central Park…we just missed the thunderstorm that knocked down hundreds of trees in the park! We also walked up Broadway and into Times Square at night to see all of the bright lights. It was just like you see in the movies with crazy cabs drivers everywhere and bustling New Yorkers trying to get somewhere. The next day the three of us plus our UPS buddy Lindsey, who is interning in NYC, took a ferry out to see the Statue of Liberty. Although it was the hottest day of the summer, we managed to survive to see her. We came back to the mainland and walked back up Broadway, stopping along the way multiple times to do touristy things, such as eat New York style pizza and take pictures of pretty churches.
Early the next day we caught a shuttle to JFK to head to Africa! I think the short shuttle ride was a great way to end our little stint in The City…when we got in the whole van was fighting about the air conditioner. While this was all happening I could have sworn that we were going to hit something (cars, pedestrians, dogs, curbs, etc.). Despite the stressful/funny shuttle ride we made it safely to the airport and boarded our plane to Johannesburg.
And now I’m in South Africa! The plane ride was a bit long, but I managed to get quite a bit of sleep. I’m currently trying to stay awake until 9 pm tonight so that I’ll get at least somewhat acclimated to the 9 hour time difference. We are staying in a hostel in Johannesburg for a few days for an orientation. The weather is a bit chilly (about 60 degrees F), so I played some soccer with a little local girl. Ben and I also showed her how to play lacrosse :)