Hello! Angie doesn’t have easy access to the internet (very sketchy and extremely slow at the Nqutu library, a 5-hour ordeal of walking and bus rides away), so she asked me to post her blogs for her that she will soon send me via the postal service. Angie spoke with us on the phone this morning, saying she just now received all your letters and packages that were addressed to her old address at Pretoria. She felt it was like Christmas and cried as she opened them. Thank you everyone for your love and support! A few days ago, she had the worst case ever of the flu with a high fever. She just slept all day in her hut, while the host family watched over her. She is feeling fine now and learned this is common for others there too, somehow related to the extreme weather change – summer to winter within a week’s time. She said how she was just wearing a tank top and now has three layers of wool clothing to keep her warm (she feels guilty though that the villagers are cold without adequate clothing, while she is not). She shared how malaria is not a problem here however, because of the cold temps (thank God!). She is therefore spared from having to take daily malaria medicine with the bad side effects, like a lot of other Peace Corps volunteers in Africa that need to. Recently the village had a tribal council meeting and formally introduced Angie to everyone. She spoke some in Zulu and the rest with an interpreter explaining how she will represent the Peace Corps there. They told her that their main concerns were her safety and comfort, then thanked her for coming. In mid-June Angie plans to attend the World Cup with three other PC volunteers as a birthday gift to herself! So glad to hear that she will get away and be able a part of history in the making – the tournament’s first time hosted by an African nation. She will watch Denmark play against Cameroon in Pretoria. Hope to share more soon… Peace, Carol