Pre-South Africa

It's Tuesday - I'll be leaving in less than 2 days! Crazy! I'll be flying from Minneapolis to Johannesburg, with a layover in Atlanta. Our flight from Atlanta to Jburg is ~16 hrs, but about 7 of us are on the same flight and have seats near each other. So many people ask me if I'm nervous or scared, but I'm just excited! I know it will be an amazing experience and I'll learn so much. Just doing some pre-departure reading has given me so much insight on South Africa itself. 

South Africa seems like such an industrialized country, and yet there are still regions where people have no running water or electricity. They have the highest amount of deaths due to AIDS/HIV in the world. The average life expectancy for all South Africans is approximately 49 years. Although the Apartheid ended nearly 20 years ago, there is still so much inequality.
(The apartheid was a period of approximately 50 years where 10% of the population (people who were white) dominated the other 90% (people who were black, asian, or of mixed race) through racial segregation.) 

We'll be traveling a lot while we're in the country, and therefore I'm limited to one suitcase and one backpack. Although I'll be able to buy pretty much everything in South Africa when I get there, I still have so much to pack! I've been continuously weighing my suitcase to ensure it doesn't go over 50 lbs. :-S But so far, I haven't gone over. 


For the people who are reading this, I am excited to be able to share my experiences with you :-) One thing to note is that I've posted all my blogs in their time, so 8 hours ahead of WI. I unfortunately will not be able to post pictures during the trip due to the slower internet connections, but I'm sure I'll have hundreds to share when I get back. Next time I write, I'll be in South Africa! Hambe Kahle!