The Battle of Gettysburg

I am a complete nerd. Yes, I just said that. And why do I say that? Well, because I really love things that no one cares about. My brain is filled with useless facts. For instance, the Washington Monument is sinking by a quarter of an inch each year, if Rose shared the raft with Jack they would have both died because of the weight on the raft. Pretty much useless information, but I'm a curious person and I need to know things.

Last year my host dad suggested that we drive out to Gettysburg. I've been wanting to go there for weeks and I think my nagging finally paid off. The reason was not because "Ghost Adventures" had investigated there. The reason was because one of the bloodiest battles in history took place there and I wanted to see where it happened.

I'm a very visual person. When someone tells me something it's like their words become pictures in my mind. So as we drove up the road to the battlefield I saw the battle taking place. I could hear the shots going off and smell the gun powder. I could feel the energy of those 160 000 plus, men fighting for what they believed in. Hear their cries of pain.  We got out of the car and walked around and looked at the battlefield while my host dad or "Pep" as we call him told us facts and stories.

Here are some facts about the battle: The two armies (the North and South) collided just outside of the town on July 1, 1863. The total engaged forces were 165,620 of which 93,921 were Union and 71,699 were Confederate. The total estimate of casualties were 51,112. Commanding the Union was George G Meade and commanding the Confederates was Robert E Lee. The Union claimed victory on July 3, 1863 and the three day battle came to an end. This is the most famous and important Civil War Battle.

After we toured the battlefield we grabbed lunch at and Irish pub. All of us were chatting about our favorite parts of the battlefield and asked some questions. My only question was when can I come again? We walked in the town for a while and it felt like I walking the streets of 1863. The sidewalks and shops look like they are still from back in the day and I love that. It was like taking a walk back in time.  I was walking past this huge tree when I noticed a sign. It read "Lincoln walked past this tree" I giggled to myself. Well, so have I! I also
walked past a shop that offered Ghost tours and hunts and that caught my attention immediately.

Gettysburg is an awesome place to visit and I recommend you go there soon. It's such an important part of history.

I feel a very special connection to Gettysburg but more about that in my next blog...

Thinking about "someday"

Most of you know that I'm always on the internet reading news, entertainment and sometimes just random stories. So I started reading Kelly Crigger's blog a few months ago because he co-wrote one of my favorite books and we tweet every now and then and just because I really like how straight forward he is. I came across a post on his blog that I really enjoyed called: "Someday" and you can read it here: http://www.kellycrigger.com/someday/

This post got me thinking about "someday" and how my view of "someday" changed as I grew up. When I was a little girl I thought that "someday" I would be the first female South African fighter pilot. I grew up a few miles from an air force base and my mom is to this day in the South African Air Force. Other little girls wanted to be teachers or fairies but all I wanted to do was fly at the speed of light and do those fancy twists and turns and dog fights. Me in an F16 chasing a Grippen. Even today there isn't anything I love more than the sound of a jet, making your insides shake and your eardrums burst.

But then I grew up and reached the 6th grade. I still loved my jets and was still planning on becoming a fighter pilot but I discovered that singing also lit a fire in me and when I got to play the lead role in my school play in the 7th grade another fire lit up within me. I now also wanted to act. So I wanted to, "someday", be a singing/acting fighter pilot. That can be done, right?

In my junior year in high school that "someday" thing or place, fell apart. I couldn't do the math. I didn't understand the science. It's not that I am dumb, I just didn't understand.

So I had to re-evaluate my plans for "someday". I decided to focus all my attention on dancing, singing and acting. Words can not describe how proud I was to be awarded "Actress of the week" at a local play festival. I finished my senior year with high hopes for myself. I was just going to study drama and then walk into an agency be signed and go to America and make it.

The thing with "someday" is that it doesn't go according to our plan. I never said: "Someday I'm going to go to America and be an Au Pair for 2years." But "someday" decided that I would. It's like "someday" is an entity. It's like "someday" is a bully, carving desires into our hearts that we may never achieve.

I'm 21, I don't have it all figured out. I don't know what I'm going to do when I return to South Africa. Finish my degree, do my masters. Then what?

My "someday" plan is to travel A LOT and to entertain people. My "someday" plan is to own property on the beach in Clifton. My "someday" plan is to get married and love someone so much that I can't breathe without him. My "someday" plan is that "someday" exists.

I hope "someday" comes one day... Soon...