Saturday, 29 September (Night time athletics meet))

     Yesterday, King's College high school athletics team went out to UJ (University of Johannesburg) to an athletics meeting held there by Helpmahcraw - I am butchering the spelling of that name, but that's probably because I butcher the pronunciation of it.  They are an Afrikaans school who is top of the A league and wins nearly every race.  We're B-league, so we don't really compete against them, but they are amazing to watch.
     Most of our meets, on Saturdays, take place from 9am to 1pm, but this meet lasted from 3pm to 8pm.  At the moment, the sun sets around 6pm, which meant that for the last couple hours of the meeting, we ran under spotlight.  I enjoyed running under spotlight much more than running during day, under the sun; it was cool, but not cold, and bright enough to see, but not so bright that you're blinded, unless you looked directly into the spotlights.
     As well as running under spotlight, we ran on a rubber track instead of a grass and dirt one.  The rubber track is more durable, and more profesional, but it can also give blisters, so athletes either wear shoes while running, or tape the soles of their feet.  I got the chance to try out spikes, shoes built for traction and speed, and found spikes to be nicer to sprint in, although I still prefer to wear running sneakers for the longer distances.  Spikes can also be a potential danger because they're so spiky.  Getting stepped on would not be fun.

Monday, 26 September (Girlfriends!)

These are my friends at school whom I eat lunch with.  Top row, left to right, the names which I know: __, me, Nicola, Charlotte, __, Jade, Christine. Bottom row: Kim, Jessica P, Jessica O, Claudia, Megan (Megs), and Wendy.  

Saturday, 24 September (Athletics Meetings)

     Track meets again today!  I left at 7:15 this morning for Bealieu College and ran in the 800m, the 100m, the 200m, the relay race, and jumped long jump.  I know I came sixth in the 800m, and our team came third in relay, but I don't know how I placed in the other events.  Overall, our school came third out of all the schools competing.
The top picture is our school, in track uniform and suits, waiting for races to start. The bottom picture is me in the 'set' (on your mark, get set, go!) position, before running the relay.  At the moment, I've very sore, now experiencing 'shin splints' for the first time ever.

     Teresa ran and won hurdles at her athletics meeting, and her team also won relay.  Jonathon ran the 1200m, and did well, although he's not sure what place he was; Becca placed fourth in hurdles, and sixth in both 1200m and long jump.  Esther placed second in 100m, 150m, 200m, and relay.  

Friday, 23 September (Little things, big things)

     Certain things around here - like fruits and veggies - are much smaller than what we're used to in America.  However, that doesn't mean everything is small.  Take this building for instance; the first few times we drove past it, I assumed it was a shopping center, or an office building housing many businesses.  Nope - inside are two banks, FNB and another one, and they take up the whole building.  The bottom picture is an advertisement that we saw alongside the road.  Not only the advertisement itself quite large, that's not an actual building it's posted on.  The 'building' is cloth, part of the advertisement itself.

Thursday, 22 September

     This is the our new table, that we bought from the Newsomes.  Back home, we have the really big octagonal table.  In any other house, that table would be difficult to place.  We knew we would need a big table here - big family! - but I sure didn't expect one this big.  Just over three meters, we struggled to get it in the truck, and then into the storage unit, and, until two nights ago, to get it in the house!  We ended up putting it in what we had planned to the family room, and moved the boxes into the original dining room. It takes up a good bit of space, but it works.

Tuesday, 20 September (Card Reader Found!)

I found my card reader! So now I'll post some make up photos.

Friday night I went to the NCCB youth group which takes place at the King's College, and this is a picture of the fountain in the high school courtyard.  I have been warned many times to never, EVER touch the water in the fountain, it is so disgusting.  But it makes for a cool picture at night.






Saturday was move-in day, and our house was filled with boxes and

paper and general mess.

My siblings are absolutely insane.  It is spring here, and although it may be warmer than spring back home, it's still not warm enough for swimming.  I think.  That doesn't seem to stop them, though.

This picture is the back of our Fresh Friday t-shirt.  Fresh Fridays, we can wear these shirts and jeans and white takkies (sneakers).  The shirt says ISAIAH 

40:31 

THE KINGS COLLEGE & PREP 

RISE UP ON WINGS OF EAGLES

Isaiah 40:31 says: "But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Sunday, 18 September (More Unpacking)

     So yesterday I promised an extra picture because I was too tired to post one last night.  Howehhhhhver, I can't find the card reader :).  It's somewhere in the house... I think?  I'm sure I'll find it soon, or we'll purchase a new one, and then I'll add photos.  Today was a day spent unpacking.  The whole morning I worked on pulling out kitchenware, and the afternoon I put away clothes and stuff in my room.  It was so much fun, surprisingly, to unpack the kitchen; finding apricot blueberry basil jam, and salmonberry preserves, and apple butter, and chewy raisins, and then all of our personalized bowls and Mom's ceramic bowls.  Unpacking my room was boring, I only pulled out clothes because we don't have bookshelves for my books and knickknacks, but that'll come soon.  School again tomorrow, and then more unpacking in the afternoon.  In a couple of weeks, we'll be all settled in!