I am halfway through with my time in Africa...

I spent four weeks in South Africa and neighboring countries, two weeks in The Gambia and Senegal, and I am in the middle of my ninth week in Ghana. That is about 15 weeks total. I have 14 weeks left here in Ghana. 

In celebration of this halfway mark, I thought I would share all the things I did for the first time- 

SOUTH AFRICA

For starters, this was my first time traveling to the Southern Hemisphere of the world. 

First time in a vehicle that drives on the left side of the road and steers on the right side of the car. It threw me off every time. 

First time having Chockits. South African cookies that are AMAZING dipped in coffee. Only buy them and eat them with company, lest you eat an entire box by yourself. 

First time holding an albino python. South Africans actually have a great fear of snakes, but a friend of Melinda's actually has a python as a PET. I was so nervous! And then the snake put its face right up next to mine and I almost peed myself it was so scary. The pictures are fantastic but they are on my camera.  

First time having a South African braai. Rhymes with "cry". It's basically a barbecue. Meals On Wheels, the organization Melinda works for, threw us a braai to welcome us to South Africa. This is very common in South African culture. 

First time lawn bowling. It's basically bocce ball, which I have never played before. We took part in a tournament with Meals On Wheels.

First time hiking from one city to another. The Wild Coast Hike from Port St. Johns to Coffeebay took five days.

First time swimming in the Indian Ocean. 

First time going over five days without a mirror. This was during the hike. 

First time eating bananas on pizza. I don't think this is particularly normal in South Africa, but it happened. Not bad.

First time eating McDonalds in another country. Also not bad. The only thing that was too different was the ketchup. 

First time eating a variety of South African foods. A few examples of this were pap, which is like a cornmeal. Also samp, akin to rice and beans.

ROADTRIP THROUGH SWAZILAND, BOTSWANA, ZIMBABWE, ZAMBIA, NAMIBIA, LESOTHO

First time seeing a zebra in its natural habitat. (Swaziland)

First time seeing ostriches, elephants and giraffes on the side of the road. (Botswana)

First time seeing a lion in the wild. (Etosha National Park in Namibia)

First time seeing one of the seven world wonders: Victoria Falls! (Zimbabwe)

First time bungee jumping. (Zimbabwe AND Zambia... the jump took place on the bridge connecting the two countries)

First time purchasing an item with a pair of shoes. I literally gave him the shoes off my feet. He was so excited. (Zimbabwe)

First time crossing an international border by foot. (Zimbabwe to Zambia) 

First time picking up a hitchhiker. Vicky, a fellow traveler from China, on our way from Cape Cross to Walvis Bay. (Namibia)

First time seeing flamingos in the wild. (Namibia)

First time seeing dinosaur footprints. (Lesotho)

THE GAMBIA AND SENEGAL

First time eating Gambian dishes, including bema cin and doomada. The dishes are basically rice with a sauce. 

First time eating ram. We arrived during a holiday called Tobaski during which each family sacrifices a ram. 

First time drinking ataya. This is the tea they drink...it's like a shot glass of really strong tea and a LOT of sugar. 

First time feeding a monkey. This was at Abuko National Park. Also at Abuko I saw the biggest spider I have ever seen!

First time visiting a country whose official language is French. (Senegal)

First time sitting in on a Muslim religious service. Our last night in Senegal, Shahar invited Mel and I to his weekly spiritual meeting where they sang the Koran and took turns speaking and praying. None of this was in English.

GHANA 

First time standing in a cave filled with bats. This was in the Volta region when Mel and I hiked to the Likpe caves. Creepy!

First time eating KFC outside of the US. Not too shabby. 

First time attending an African wedding. 

First time celebrating Christmas outside of the United States. And away from my family. And somewhere warm. And without snow. So weird. It feels like fake Christmas. 

First time crossing over to the new year outside of the U.S.

First time trying a handful of natural remedies. These include taking garlic to fight colds and rubbing peppermint oil on my temples to relieve headaches. 

First time eating octopus.

First time eating a whole fried fish, including the bones, head, and eyes. I know, I know, I'm disgusting. It was delicious so I have no shame.