Where in the World is Emily Barker??

I'm here! I've made it! I have a home and an office and a walk to the train station before work! I have a cabinet and fridge space! And a bed! And two desks, from one of which, I write to you now. Don't forget the comfy purple throw I bought for my bed today! Wanna see some pictures? Ask and you shall receive!!

Let's start with my trip!
That last flight, I didn't quite make and
had to rebook to one that left at 8:15 instead.
It stressed me out, but luckily it was at the end of the trip!

Welcome to my room!!

We have Husker paraphernalia!
(turns out that's the hardest word to spell
in the entire English language. The things
you learn while blogging!)  

This is the view from my desk! A lovely wardrobe and mantel that once had a working fireplace! 

The view from my wardrobe!
That's my desk and laundry and towels!
And yes, I was watching Legally Blonde
at the time this photo was taken. 

And from my door: here's the bed! With some shelving behind it. 

Although the room is a little cramped, I certainly cannot complain! It's warm under my covers (I added a soft purple throw last night that made all the difference) and it's cozy while I'm listening to music and writing! There seems to be plenty of room for the things I brought and I feel that as I go, it'll just get better and better and feel more and more homey! 

On my first official full day in Cape Town I visited the office where I'll be working this year! These are some of the lovely people I work with; I'll try to get everyone else's picture before the year is out! 

Fana! 

Ignatius (We call him Iggy)

Niki! 

Dali and Jenny!

Also on the first day, I went grocery shopping and set myself up for at least another week's worth of meals. Luckily, we have communal lunch at the office every day so I only have to worry about breakfast and dinner. 

The next day, I did the tourist thing and went to the V & A Waterfront downtown. It's still a great place even though it's in the dead of winter here. 

There are a few shopping malls, hotels, museums and craft centres. I went to a super touristy restaurant with absolutely no regrets. It was the best burger ever!! 

You can tell it's touristy because they painted our faces and had us wash our hands in an African bowl before we began eating. 

I've started a collection of fantastic elephants that I've found here, partly inspired by a great friend from Warwick, Haley Gray Plaisted, and a lovely friend from Skidmore, Mallie Buffum. Thanks to these ladies' obsession with all things pachyderm, I've noticed the abundance of elephant sculptures and figurines! I've started taking pictures of all the elephants I see and these are my two favorites so far! 

He's beaded!!

See?

Outside the Nelson Mandela Gateway.

Had to hug this big guy!

I absolutely loved V&A Waterfront and I cannot wait to return when the weather outside is Spring or Summer! Expect some updated Waterfront pictures while you're sipping on hot cocoa and looking at all the fallen leaves in town. 

We left the Waterfront because it became a little bit too chilly to walk around, but we decided quickly that we weren't quite done with our day yet so we drove on up the mountain a small ways to the predominantly Muslim neighborhood of Bo-Kaap! The neighborhood is set right against the edge of downtown Cape Town and next to De Waterkant, a queer friendly neighborhood. I had to jump out of the car to snap a picture of the houses in Bo-Kaap. They're fantastic! 

On this same downtown day, we stopped by Company's Garden, an arboretum in the middle of downtown Cape Town that starts at St. George's Anglican Cathedral. Although I took a few photos of that half hour stop, I'd like to go back when the weather is nicer so I'll save your first impressions of Company's Garden for when it's Spring or Summer!

So those are just some of the many pictures I've taken so far! I may have a running page with just pictures from the trip, we'll have to see if that's possible! Let me know what else you want to see here in Cape Town! It'll be a little tricky to see some things because we're in the middle of winter here, but I'll do my best! 

Miss you all! Keep praying! I'll certainly need prayers during this transition. 

Totsiens,

Emily

PS: As always, continue to check the blog for updates and if you haven't already, please consider giving a small amount to fund the rest of my stay here. I'm only $1,800 away from my $10,000 goal and I couldn't have done it without the continuing support of so many people! You can donate Online (Click Here) or send a check by snail mail to the Diocese of Nebraska. Make sure to write "HOPE Africa" in the memo line and they'll send it to the right place! Their address is 109 N. 18th St. Omaha, NE 68102

PPS: Want to stay in contact while I'm away? Find me on Facebook, shoot me an email, or write to me in Cape Town! My mailing address is 13 Stanley Road, Rondebosch, Cape Town, South Africa: 7700