Greetings from Down Under!

(Note: This was yesterday's blog but we couldn't get online. So here it is. I'll have another blog from today posted soon. Or not so soon, depending on when I fall asleep). DrG.

HOWDY HOWDY HOWDY!!! from the Southern Hemisphere.

To start off, we’re still trying to figure out the currency. For instance, Dana tipped a bar tender .05 rand cents which is .007 cents in US currency. Yep, he was impressed. But Dana then struck up a conversation with him and thankfully avoided an international incident.

In other breaking news, Emma and Maura have decided to stay in SA and live in a shanty town. It seems a bit odd, but these young kids are adventurous. No worries, they have a stolen airplane blanket and will be living near the ocean for showers. If they don’t make it, please send money. (Just their parents, not other parents).

Well we’re currently at a farm, waiting for a fish dinner braai (BBQ). We had another fun day. Here’s what we did: Wheat Museum tour followed by a trip to the farm we’ll stay at tonight. We had an nice (lekkar in Afrikaans) lamb lunch. Then it was off to a potato farm. Now you may think of all these the most boring would be a potato farm. You would be wrong again, parents. The kids voted this most fun yet. That’s because we were out doors and off-roading, packed into the back of a pickup like sardines. We had to truck out to see them digging potatoes and it was a fun ride. We tossed potatoes between trucks. Lesley made an excellent catch and throw back. The game ended next when my throw hit the windshield of the other truck and we were out of potatoes. The potato farm manager was quite the character. He tricked Shelby, Brandi, Richard and Hyatt into eating a melon that tasted like mosquito repellent. (This guy reminded Ashley and Bailey of Weerso). The manager offered us cigarettes, and I thought it was a good idea for the kids to start a life-long habit of bad health, bad breath and a money drain. None of them went for it. You should be proud.

We got a new bus driver today; we lost our old bus driver to a possible bad appendix, which was probably brought on because Evan wouldn’t unload the bags from the trailer. (We’ve since talked). Dana loaded the bags this morning; chivalry is dead. Our new bus driver is a bit more daring, but a good driver.

So, in the Don’t Worry Section, tonight your children are going hunting for guineas and tasting some wine. And then the kids are sleeping in a “cow shed”, which hearing it described with an Afrikaans accent the first time sounded more like cow…well, dung, if you know what I mean.

We’ve had quite excellent meals and no one has lost weight yet. We’ll work on it.

Tonight some of us hiked up a mountain. There was a road, but Hyatt and Evan sprinted off ahead and took the scenic route. This consisted of rocks, brush, and pointy bushes. But it was a beautiful view from up there.

Finally, Dr. Pope broke out his new safari hat today and it was a big hit. He is now a king of some tribe in Zimbabwe. THE NEXT POPE MILESTONE TO BE CONQORED: Him wearing shorts. We are keeping the pressure on. He’ll either put ‘em on himself or the students will.

Your children’s fearless leader,

Dr. G