I've been here just an hour, but I love what I see

Cape Town - 9:30 a.m. I had been in the city not even an hour and I was ready to start looking for work and stay the rest of my life here. Cape Town is just AMAZING. Much of the architecture reminds me of New Orleans, French Quarter. And continuing this South African trend the place was swarming with diversity.

Green Market Square

My first few days in Cape Town were short but pure bliss. Just a quick 2 or 3 days before I buggered off to Namibia's Orange River, for a bit of relaxation and river rafting. While in Cape Town, with wide eyes I walked the streets taking in all that was around me. At the hostel I met a gal named Abby and we become pretty good friends. We spent a day down at the Victoria Alford Waterfront. And Ryan a friend of mine from the states took Abby and I down to one of the local Townships to meet the boys he had been working recreation with, training for their next big boxing match. Ryan was extremely moving, influential individual. Over dinner we spoke about the major problems for the youth of Africa. Situations such as education not be a right but a privilege and so many more. Ryan said after 6 years of working with street kids, having the Lord in his heart was the only thing getting him through day after day. Ryan got a lot of new idea flowing through my head. Playing around with some I wrote up 'Barefoot Babies' its pretty far off but just give you a feel of Africa through Jessica's eyes:

Ryan and his street kids

Barefoot Babies

South Africa is the land of 'Children being Barefoot' and this is not because they do not own shoes or cannot afford them (this sadly may be the case for some children in the townships and street kids) but for most of them they just prefer not to wear shoes. No shoes to school. No shoes at the shopping mall. No shoes at the movie theater, museums, on buses on trains. No shoes even to church on Sunday! And their parents seem to allow it (unless these children are hiding there shoes in bushes each day on there way to school and retrieving them on the way home). I've heard it's the same in New Zealand. Maybe it's just us and the Europeans who are forcing our children to put on shoes day after day. But think of all the money you'd save. By the time your barefooted baby is at least 10 the bottoms of their feet would be so ruff and callused you'd never have to buy them another pair of shoes again.

Victoria and Alfred Waterfront

It's just crazy down here. I do have to admit the longer I'm in South Africa the less I've noticed myself wearing shoes. And how can you not sympathize when it comes to walking barefoot on soft grass or sand, it makes life feel just that much more real.