Morgan found a new family in Ocean View

This weekend we had our home stay in Ocean View township. Going into the weekend, I was a little nervous and not sure what to expect. By Sunday, I had a new set of loving parents and siblings, and realized I had nothing to worry about. 

Savannah and I stayed with Auntie Alice and Uncle David, and their daughters Tori and Estelle. Alice runs a crèche (a preschool) out of her house and they also have their own church services on Sunday they run out of their garage. It was cool to see them use their house in so many different ways, despite its small size, and shows that you really don't need a huge fancy house to bring people together. 

On Friday, we helped out at Alice's crèche. I had so much fun playing with all the little children, and they all reminded me of my little cousins back home in the US. Its funny - here in South Africa, we are on the other side of the world, yet kids are still kids. They love to play outside, they love soccer, they love coloring, they love running around, and love being picked up. I think as human beings we are all much more alike than we are different. 

On Friday night, our host sisters Estelle and Tori took us to the Ocean View High Valentine's Day show. I was shocked that a lot of the dance acts were set to songs by artists that are popular in America, like Beyonce and Miley Cyrus. Teenagers here listen to the same music we do at home. I think this shows how the internet is connecting our world together more and more. Also, people criticize Americans for being on our phones all the time and not paying attention to what is around us, but I noticed that so many teenagers were glued to their blackberries and phones at the show. Even my host sister Tori was on her phone all weekend. Maybe America is to blame for influencing this, or maybe people are just drawn to technology in general. Either way, I wonder what this means for our future. Technology is becoming more and more a part of every aspect of daily life, especially in the US, but also here in South Africa. I sometimes worry that we will become a world of people living through technology and social media, not really living at all. I've definitely spent way less time on social media and on my computer here - and I've come to realize how much time I waste at home on the computer. I hope I can carry this with me when I return home. 

Overall, the weekend was great. The people in Ocean View were unbelievably nice to us and great hosts. Savannah and I mentioned on Friday night, just in conversation, how much we love banana bread, and on our way out on Sunday, our host mom Alice handed us a huge handmade loaf. We couldn't believe it. It was so nice to be surrounded by so many warm and caring people this weekend, especially when we are so far from home. 

Morgan & Savannah with Auntie Alice & Uncle David, their host family, at the beach