Well, there goes my healthnut diet. In our homestay brief, our leader said "Your homestay family is not going to provide you with soymilk, free range eggs, organic chicken filets and foods like this." I found this comical and took it as a wake up call. Not everyone can afford ridiculous food. For me, this is part of immersing myself in a culture and people that work their asses off and still do not make enough money to even consider healthnut grub. I can get over it. Absolutely.
Im stoked about meeting my family. We have been taking Zulu lessons from one of the leaders who is fluent in Zulu, which has been quite fun. I am hoping that my family will be willing to teach me some Zulu as well. This may sound odd, but Im looking forward to living a very simple lifestyle (compared to the average American lifestyle) in my homestay family. They will have electricity and running water, but both are to be used sparingly. Our leader just told us that a year from now the cost of water and electricity in South Africa will be more than that of mortgages and rent. Wow.
Living with limited resources will not only help me appreciate all of the luxuries I have in the U.S., but will also serve as a reminder of how most of the world lives. Yes, I read it in books all the time (I always have some sort of Africa book that Im working on), and try to remind myself that most of the world is not nearly as fortunate as I, but living in it will help make it more of a reality for me.
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