Going to the Sea to See what I can See of the Sea.

        

 Dear Mom and Dad,

It was March 13th, 2025 that the rain in Melkhoutfontein started. Usually, I am fond of the sound the water brings from the heavens but for too long the days became cold and grey. You could barely see past the frontier and needed to squint your eyes to protect them from the thick mist. Even in the office, one could not escape the cold. Mother, I can only share words of gratitude that you had reminded me to bring my raincoat and pestered me about adding warm clothes to my luggage. Though the days are dreary I have plenty of things to complete, that do involve being safe inside. Me and the other children fair just as well finding games to play. I have to remember when days are like this, even prolonged, that there will one day be sun again. It is quite odd bundling in my jacket and sweatpants, accessorizing with a beanie on my head when just yesterday I basked in the sun. Mother you would laugh if only there were such thing as the internet and an international search engine called Google, and a user who created a website named something such as 'Blogger' where I could not only type out my journeys but also share pictures of me as I wonder the village. The sun slowly appears now as I write my letter, it is all in good comings. Either way with or without the sun I can think kindly of all I have managed to do in the week from coating murals with a ceiling paint that will preserve them past my own lifetime and furthering my research project thanks to my great expeditions that took place last week (I hope you did read my last letter where I talked about them).  

Farewell from a warm-hearted solider (lots of love),

Ally.

Harbor in Stilbaai

        Because of the windy cold weather, the waves were even bigger than they already are on any other day. Ineke drove me to the harbor so that we could watch the giant monsters crash over the walls. When I stepped out of the car the mist hit my face and I felt the salt hit my skin, the cold made it feel like it was burning my exposed skin. I loved it all the same, my favorite part is the sound, I could listen to the waves for hours and never tire of it. The sea is so powerful you can see how parts of the wall are knocked down and eroded by the harsh waves. If you count the waves every seventh one is guaranteed to be the largest! With the waves came another opportunity for fishers! We watched a man throw out his giant net and catch so many fish! Ineke told me there are certain rules about what fish you can keep depending on their breed and size so most fish that he caught went back into the water. I don't know why the fish want to be in the water- when I went to the beach on Sunday the water was freezing. To the fish that happily swin in the sea, I applaud your strength and endurance. Sunday was filled with feet sinking into the sand, strong-willed girls walking further into the water, and then screaming as each wave hit us. Before leaving we watched the sunset and drew our names into the sand so that the world could know that for a while we were there. To the beach- thank you, you are amazing and beautiful, and don't tell my best friend but you're my favorite above everything.