Red, Right, Returning.

I've been home for a month now. Not a day goes by that I don't think of South Africa, and I'm sure that anyone who has studied abroad can relate to that.  I miss the beautiful landscapes, the wildlife at every turn, the incredible cultural experiences, but most of all, I miss the people.  I still have yet to post the blog I've been working on about Walmer Township, but I'm going to try to finish that up in the next week and get it posted.

On a lighter note, some of the American girls I met at Annie's Cove and I have decided to meet up in N.Y.C. for New Year's Eve, and I am thrilled about that.  Until then, it's back up to Oxford in a week to work at the library (for the coming year, at least) and see where to go from here. Grad school? Government program like AmeriCorps? Who knows.

Anyway, one of the things I've done since I've been home is go out on dad's sailboat, "Gypsy Soul." Here are some pictures of our adventure from Pascagoula (on the Escatawpa River) to Sand Island this past Sunday.

Father's Day: Checking on the boat on the way home from the airport

Mom and Dad- Father's Day 2009

The sail on Gypsy Soul

Captain Starr

Sand Island

Sunset over the Escatawpa River

Just in Time: The sun was setting behind the boats just as we pulled into the dock in 'Goula

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I made a trip to Addo Elephant National Park last week with my Wisco friend Jane and her mom who was visiting.  We spotted this handsome lion on a late afternoon game drive; needless to say, we watched The Lion King shortly thereafter.

I have been terrible about updating, but I do have a lot of photos to upload.  The speed of the wireless here just isn't fast enough for my mass amount of photos and severely lacking amount of patience.  Bare with me, though, because I still have a post about Walmer Township I've been sitting on for a few months (with pictures of Homework Club.)  I also have more photos from Addo and other small trips I've taken since Fall Break.

I fly out of P.E. on June 20, putting me in New Orleans on the morning of Father's Day.  See you guys back in the U.S. soon! 

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This is the view from my "bungalow" at Annie's Cove.  I took this photo in February before the clouds rolled in for a quick afternoon shower.

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This photo (of surfers waiting until the tide was just right to swim out to the waves) was taken at Cape St. Francis on Saturday.

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Cape St. Francis (located 100 km from Port Elizabeth) is a coastal resort town, often referred to as "Little Venice" because of the canals that run through it.  The exclusive town consists of white-walled, thatch-roofed houses, and it was developed about 25 years ago by Leighton and Ann Hulett.  

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I took this photo of the Seal Point Lighthouse, located in Cape St. Francis, on Saturday. The lighthouse was installed in 1878, and its engineers included Joseph Flack, a man who was involved in construction on Robben Island. (After he died in 1876, W.B. Hayes took over.)  The small town of Cape St. Francis is known for its beaches and surfing, as well as the Penguin Rescue and Rehabilitation Center and Seal Point Lighthouse.

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Today I ventured out to find the Main Library in Port Elizabeth.  It's located on the Market Square, in an area of town that is being renovated for good reason; the Main Library was erected in 1902, after its terra cotta façade was manufactured in England and shipped to Algoa bay in pieces.

Unfortunately, it has been closed since April 14 for maintenance and restoration.  This is being done, in part, to address the damage caused by flooding which occurs whenever there are heavy rains.