I’m taking the time to write a bit of an update while waiting in the computer lab for my Zulu tutorial (my last one!). I have just an hour between my Zulu lecture and my Zulu tut so it’s fairly pointless to walk down the stairs, sit at my desk, and walk back up the stairs- have I mentioned that there are 156 stairs between my room and main campus? That’s a lot.
I only have the rest of today of classes and tomorrow and then classes are officially over at UKZN. I can’t believe it. I don’t know how we got here so fast! While generally classes being over makes me kind of sad because that means everything here is coming to an end, I really can’t take much more of Zulu so I’m happy that it’s ending. I have Zulu 6 different times a week- 4 classes, 1 tut, and 1 language lab, then I have to do 15 minutes of practice in the lab every week. Ugh. It is getting so tiring to keep up with the fast pace at which we move. However, I came here knowing nothing of Zulu and now I can read, write, and speak a pretty decent amount of it. As part of our Zulu exam, we have to do an oral of 35 sentences, using all the different constructions we’ve learned. While this is going to be really hard and I wish we didn’t have to do it, the cool thing is that I actually can do that. I can write a whole page of Zulu, talking about myself.
African music and dance ensemble has been winding down since our performance. The performance was two weeks ago and it was really fun. I managed to get over the fact that the costume was just a black sports bra and a wrap skirt after our two dress rehearsals and lots of support from my friends. When I came out on stage I saw that 6 of my friends were all sitting in the audience in a row so that gave me a nice boost. One of them video taped it for me so that everyone at home can see me, the only white girl in the class, hold her own with the Zulu girls and their African rhythms. I’m really going to miss that class and the friends in it that I have made, especially towards the end of the class. It seems like at the end of the semester I’ve started to make more friends outside our group of international students, which is nice, but it takes a while to get to know people…and then I go home just when I’m starting to. The choreographer continues to insist upon teaching us a new dance, even though the semester is over, and it’s a pretty cool one, I wish we had got to include it in the performance.
Weekends lately here I’ve been on campus, experiencing really more of what it is like to be a local student here, rather than traveling all around like the internationals do. I’ve become a fan of watching soap operas in the tv lounge and coming to the lan to go online. I’ve also gotten to see some awesome things right on campus- two really cool dance performances and a jazz show that I didn’t even know we had here until now. I’ve gotten to do a few more “Durban” things like visiting Victoria Street market and the Workshop market. I’ve also spent a lot of time at one of our favorite places- UShaka, going to the shops or eating dinner. There has been lots of dinner out lately as we are getting frustrated with studying on campus all weekend and need to get out.
Speaking of getting out, this week I’m taking the opportunity to travel at the beginning of the one whole week they give us off to study (compared to the single study day that AU gives us, this is pretty luxurious). On Thursday I’m going with two friends, Myrthe and Sarah, to the Drakensburg mountains. This is an enormous mountain range that is in South Africa and Lesotho (one of the tiny countries that is completely surrounded by South Africa). We are taking a shuttle bus there around noon and will get there in the afternoon to get settled and hopefully explore the mountains that are pretty much in the backyard of the backpacker we’re staying in. The next two days we’ll be doing the tours that the backpacker organizes so that we can do and see everything we want to in the short amount of time we have there. We’ll be travelling up the Sani Pass, a windy mountain road, and into Lesotho to see what the mountain villages are like there. There is also a stop at the highest pub in Southern Africa! The second tour day will be to the primitive rock art in some of the mountain caves. I’m really looking forward to the trip. It’s really starting to get cold here (my tolerance for cold is so far gone!) and it’s supposed to be really cold in the mountains so I’ll have to bring all the layers I have. I think it might be warmer at home now, or more likely in DC, which is so strange to think of. Winter in Africa….Anyways, I’ll have to write more after the trip.
Once we’re back in Durban on Sunday, I’ll have to study for my Zulu oral, then my three other exams. I have exams, very spread out, on May 29, June 5, and June 11. Then, although I am still finalizing all of the travel parts, I am going to Port Elizabeth on June 13 to volunteer at the Amakhala game reserve for two weeks. After all this, I should be returning to the US on June 30 or July 1. Things feel like they are coming to and end, but I still have over a month.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Photos
I've added more pictures from my trip to Zululand in February (I'm sooo behind on uploading them) to my Facebook.
Here's a link to the second album that works whether you have Facebook or not.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2150344&id=7412354&l=4b53e7f2b8
Here's a link to the second album that works whether you have Facebook or not.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2150344&id=7412354&l=4b53e7f2b8
Friday, May 1, 2009
Cape Town
After coming back from the 11 day Easter break trip, it was really hard to settle down to being back on campus and going to classes and doing my reading. After just a few days of being back, a couple friends and I were already experiencing some serious cabin fever, stuck on campus in Durban. Durban is great but it's not the kind of place you can just take a walk around if you're feeling cooped up or bored. We also had a huge Zulu test to study for which occupied the better part of a whole weekend. After a weekend in the library and my teeny tiny room (really- Myrthe can touch both walls at the same time...I can't because I'm shorter and my arms are shorter) I needed to get out again, so we started really planning our trip to Cape Town.
I had been planning to go and trying to get some friends to come over the period of April 22-27 because the 22 was a public holiday and we had no school, and the following Monday was also off because of holiday (April has a ton of public holidays in South Africa) so it would mean more travelling with less classes to skip. Myrthe and Annereike, my two good friends from the Netherlands also wanted to come, but Myrthe's mom and Annereike's parents were visiting at the end of the week, so we left for Cape Town on Tuesday, the 21st in the morning and Anne (it's easier to abbreviate her name) came back to Durban Friday morning, Myrthe came back on Saturday afternoon, and I came back Monday morning!
The flight is just 2 hours and we took this domestic budget airline called Mango (everything is orange- even the planes- I loved that!). It all went well and we got to our backpacker on Long Street, called Inn Long Street. Long Street is really awesome- it's a really vibrant and active part of CapeTown. I guess first I should describe Cape Town as a whole- it's not very "African," it's much more European or even American than the rest of South Africa. Several people I met said the waterfront and beach areas remind them of San Francisco. I was a few times reminded of Bost and DC which was surreal and you had to keep reminding yourself of where you were- South Africa. It was so nice for a change to be in a city that you could feel free and safe to walk around on the streets and turn down different streets if they seemed interesting. In Durban, you travel from point to point via taxi and NEVER travel down and unfamiliar street, so Cape Town was very liberating. Long Street has tons of restaurants, bars, shops, and markets. We got there at about 11:30, Myrthe and I, because Anne had taken another airline and to make a long story short, spent about 10 hours in the Durban airport and arrived 12 hours after she was supposed to in Cape Town due to multiple delays. Myrthe and I walked all the way down Long Street, stopping at different shops along the way, down the the Victoria and Albert Waterfront (yah how African does that sound?). The waterfront was really cool- lots of different boats from sail boats to fishing traulers and tugs. We sat by the dock and had a drink and saw a seal swim by! We wandered around the different shops there and checked out the waterfront area, which I really liked. We stayed there until Anne finally made it, then we had a nice dinner, which reminded me of San Diego since all the restaurants have open fronts but it gets pretty chilly at night so they have those big heat lamps ups for you. We came back to the backpacker and watched the nightlife from the giant balcony that overlooks the road, then crashed from our early morning flight.
The next day we went to Table Mountain. It's this really cool mountain that is just behind this city and rises up over the city skyline. It is flat on top, hence the name, and a popular tourist spot and landmark because of the incredible views from the top. Anne and I hiked and Myrthe took the cable car up (she's afraid of heights and has to get them over with quickly so the 3 minute cable car was better than the 3 hour hike). The hike was really difficult, as we had been warned, because it pretty much goes straight up through a ravine, but the scenery was gorgeous and we took plenty of rest stops to take it all in. There were lots of other hikers to chat with as we went. We finally made it to the top and it was totally worth it! You could see the entire city of Cape Town and then from the other side, beautiful ocean views that just stretched forever. You could also see Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela and other political prisoners were imprisoned during apartheid. The top was all rocky and very beautiful and we walked around the top for a while.
After we came back down via the cable car, we decided to go to Simon's Town to see the African penguins (yes these do exist, I swear!). We took the train from Cape Town and it took longer than we thought so we didn't have alot of time with the penguins before our return train but it was fine because it didn't take us too long to find a spot on the beach where they were that actually wasn't inside the park where you have to pay to get in and see them. We could go right up to the rock were a group of them were and watch them from a good distance (they bite). We saw them swimming around too, it was so cute! I was in love...
That night we ate at this amazing restaurant on Long Street called Mama Africa. I had a chicken kabobs with mango and a tasty cocktail that tasted like an ice cream sundae. The live music was amazing. There was a band with tons of marimbas and cool instruments and then this incredible singer who just belted out these cool melodies...bought the cd it was so good.
The next day we went to Robben Island, which actually as I learned has a history dating far back before apartheid. Sailors and explorers had been stopping there since the 1600s and lepers were kept there for a while as sort of a quarantine. It has a strange and haunting history. Of course, Nelson Mandela and other famous political prisoners were kept there as well during the apartheid, including Robert Subukwe who was kept in solitary confinement for 6 years. The tour begins with a ferry ride to the island, then a bus tour around the island (during which it was thundering) where all the sites are pointed out, including Subukwe's prison, the lime quarry that the prisoners had to dig lime in, and the old leper cemetary. The island is also home to the third largest colony of African penguins so penguins came out of the bushes to watch the bus go by (a funny site). The tour ends at the main prison where a previous inmate from the apartheid takes you around, which was really interesting. We saw Nelson Mandela's cell and where all the anti-apartheid leadership were held. It was very surreal because you have to remember that these things were happening as late as the 1990s, during my lifetime. The last political prisoners were taken off the island in 1991 or 1992 an the last civil inmates in 1996. This is something that is not even history yet- it is still in the current lifetime memory. After Robben Island, we wandered around the waterfront some more and then spent what felt like hours weaving through this three story shop- the Pan African Market, where each room is full floor to ceiling with things like huge carved wooden masks.
The next day it was just Myrthe and I and we went to the Castle of Good Hope- a fortress built by the Dutch. It was fun to walk aroun and you could go up on the top of the fortress. We also went to some of the smaller museums in the city, like the District 6 museum. It's like a memorial to District 6, a black and coloured neighborhood that was declared a "whites only" area during apartheid and all of the families were forcibly removed to other worse areas of the city, far from their jobs and schools. We also went to the old Slave Lodge and learned about the history of slavery in Cape Town. We also walked around the Company Garden's, which were pretty. In the evenings we really enjoyed watching the satellite tv in the backpacker with the other really nice and cool guests. It was a nice change from the soap operas we get here, some from the US and some in Afrikaans and Zulu, and the soccer and cricket matches. Their tv had vh1, mythbusters, survivor man, and lots of movies. Luxury.
The next day Myrthe and I wanted to go to Stellenbosch, part of the winelands just outside of Cape Town. It was rainy but we hoped it'd clear up. Needless to say it didnt and our train broke down 2 stops away from Stellenbosch for over an hour....we finally got on the next train and made it there with just enough time to walk to town in the pouring rain and have a nice indoor lunch and glass of wine (because that's just what you have to do there) and walk back to the train station for our return train so Myrthe could catch her flight. The area would be beautiful on a nice day...we tried to see it, haha, but weather happens.
That night I was on my own but I just grabbed some quick dinner down the street and at at the backpacker and watched tv with the guests I was getting to know pretty well. The next day I took a day trip with the Baz Bus, a bus that caters to backpackers travelling along the South African coast, to the Cape Peninsula. The first stop was Hout Bay where we took a short but really cool ferry ride out to Seal Island, home to a colony of Cape Fur Seals. We saw them playing and swimming in the water and lazing on the rocks. It was really cool to see even more animals and I reallly love seals. The other people on the trip were all cool- I was the youngest but had the edge of having been in Africa for several months already. I was giving out travel advice like a pro haha. There were several other Americans and lots of people travelling on their own too. We all chatted and swapped stories. The next stop was a nice overlook, looking down on Muizenburg and tons of surfers in the water. We had a muffin and juice then headed to Simon's Town where I got to the see the penguins again. I knew this was going to happen but didn't really mind returning! This time we went into the park and walked along the boardwalk through penguin territory. Here there were many more and even little fuzzy grey babies and ones that were in between and were grey and glossy. I saw the full cycle from baby to adult and there were even some moms on nests still. It was really great.
Next we went into the Cape Peninsula area and the scenery was gorgeous. It was really raw, untouched nature. The whole things is high up on these cliffs that rise out of the Indian and Atlantic oceans, since they more or less meet here (although technically they come together at Cape Agullus). The area was covered with low thick shrubbery called fynbos and it was beautiful and open. We got to bike ride for about 20 minutes to the place where we had lunch and I loved the ride. I barely had to pedal and just took in the scenery. Lunch was sandwiches- good, then we took the bus (it was really just a big van) down the the Cape of Good Hope which was really cool to really be there. We saw ostriches there too! Then we went on a hike up and around the Cape Point, over an around the cliffs, through the fynbos, and the views were awesome, of just blue blue blue sparkling ocean and rocky cliffs. We ended the hike at the Cape Lighthouse which was awesome and had amazing views of just ocean and other mountains rising out of it. On the way up a baboon ran down the path right by us! There are lots of babboons in the area, and they have issues with home being built in their habitat- they have learned how to raid kitchens! The tour took us back into Cape Town with commentary along the way, then dropped everyone off where they were staying. It was a great day and I'm so glad I got to see the seals and the Cape of Good Hope area because it was amazing.
The trip overall was great. We had a short week of school, just Tues, Wed, and Thurs, as today, Fri, is another public holiday. Since I was just travelling, I'm on campus for this one. I think I may go to the beach later (I love that we can still do that in "winter") and to a dance performance on campus later. We only have three weeks of classes left, then study break and exams! I can't believe it! My laptop is being repaired again so that's why there have been no new pictures lately!
I had been planning to go and trying to get some friends to come over the period of April 22-27 because the 22 was a public holiday and we had no school, and the following Monday was also off because of holiday (April has a ton of public holidays in South Africa) so it would mean more travelling with less classes to skip. Myrthe and Annereike, my two good friends from the Netherlands also wanted to come, but Myrthe's mom and Annereike's parents were visiting at the end of the week, so we left for Cape Town on Tuesday, the 21st in the morning and Anne (it's easier to abbreviate her name) came back to Durban Friday morning, Myrthe came back on Saturday afternoon, and I came back Monday morning!
The flight is just 2 hours and we took this domestic budget airline called Mango (everything is orange- even the planes- I loved that!). It all went well and we got to our backpacker on Long Street, called Inn Long Street. Long Street is really awesome- it's a really vibrant and active part of CapeTown. I guess first I should describe Cape Town as a whole- it's not very "African," it's much more European or even American than the rest of South Africa. Several people I met said the waterfront and beach areas remind them of San Francisco. I was a few times reminded of Bost and DC which was surreal and you had to keep reminding yourself of where you were- South Africa. It was so nice for a change to be in a city that you could feel free and safe to walk around on the streets and turn down different streets if they seemed interesting. In Durban, you travel from point to point via taxi and NEVER travel down and unfamiliar street, so Cape Town was very liberating. Long Street has tons of restaurants, bars, shops, and markets. We got there at about 11:30, Myrthe and I, because Anne had taken another airline and to make a long story short, spent about 10 hours in the Durban airport and arrived 12 hours after she was supposed to in Cape Town due to multiple delays. Myrthe and I walked all the way down Long Street, stopping at different shops along the way, down the the Victoria and Albert Waterfront (yah how African does that sound?). The waterfront was really cool- lots of different boats from sail boats to fishing traulers and tugs. We sat by the dock and had a drink and saw a seal swim by! We wandered around the different shops there and checked out the waterfront area, which I really liked. We stayed there until Anne finally made it, then we had a nice dinner, which reminded me of San Diego since all the restaurants have open fronts but it gets pretty chilly at night so they have those big heat lamps ups for you. We came back to the backpacker and watched the nightlife from the giant balcony that overlooks the road, then crashed from our early morning flight.
The next day we went to Table Mountain. It's this really cool mountain that is just behind this city and rises up over the city skyline. It is flat on top, hence the name, and a popular tourist spot and landmark because of the incredible views from the top. Anne and I hiked and Myrthe took the cable car up (she's afraid of heights and has to get them over with quickly so the 3 minute cable car was better than the 3 hour hike). The hike was really difficult, as we had been warned, because it pretty much goes straight up through a ravine, but the scenery was gorgeous and we took plenty of rest stops to take it all in. There were lots of other hikers to chat with as we went. We finally made it to the top and it was totally worth it! You could see the entire city of Cape Town and then from the other side, beautiful ocean views that just stretched forever. You could also see Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela and other political prisoners were imprisoned during apartheid. The top was all rocky and very beautiful and we walked around the top for a while.
After we came back down via the cable car, we decided to go to Simon's Town to see the African penguins (yes these do exist, I swear!). We took the train from Cape Town and it took longer than we thought so we didn't have alot of time with the penguins before our return train but it was fine because it didn't take us too long to find a spot on the beach where they were that actually wasn't inside the park where you have to pay to get in and see them. We could go right up to the rock were a group of them were and watch them from a good distance (they bite). We saw them swimming around too, it was so cute! I was in love...
That night we ate at this amazing restaurant on Long Street called Mama Africa. I had a chicken kabobs with mango and a tasty cocktail that tasted like an ice cream sundae. The live music was amazing. There was a band with tons of marimbas and cool instruments and then this incredible singer who just belted out these cool melodies...bought the cd it was so good.
The next day we went to Robben Island, which actually as I learned has a history dating far back before apartheid. Sailors and explorers had been stopping there since the 1600s and lepers were kept there for a while as sort of a quarantine. It has a strange and haunting history. Of course, Nelson Mandela and other famous political prisoners were kept there as well during the apartheid, including Robert Subukwe who was kept in solitary confinement for 6 years. The tour begins with a ferry ride to the island, then a bus tour around the island (during which it was thundering) where all the sites are pointed out, including Subukwe's prison, the lime quarry that the prisoners had to dig lime in, and the old leper cemetary. The island is also home to the third largest colony of African penguins so penguins came out of the bushes to watch the bus go by (a funny site). The tour ends at the main prison where a previous inmate from the apartheid takes you around, which was really interesting. We saw Nelson Mandela's cell and where all the anti-apartheid leadership were held. It was very surreal because you have to remember that these things were happening as late as the 1990s, during my lifetime. The last political prisoners were taken off the island in 1991 or 1992 an the last civil inmates in 1996. This is something that is not even history yet- it is still in the current lifetime memory. After Robben Island, we wandered around the waterfront some more and then spent what felt like hours weaving through this three story shop- the Pan African Market, where each room is full floor to ceiling with things like huge carved wooden masks.
The next day it was just Myrthe and I and we went to the Castle of Good Hope- a fortress built by the Dutch. It was fun to walk aroun and you could go up on the top of the fortress. We also went to some of the smaller museums in the city, like the District 6 museum. It's like a memorial to District 6, a black and coloured neighborhood that was declared a "whites only" area during apartheid and all of the families were forcibly removed to other worse areas of the city, far from their jobs and schools. We also went to the old Slave Lodge and learned about the history of slavery in Cape Town. We also walked around the Company Garden's, which were pretty. In the evenings we really enjoyed watching the satellite tv in the backpacker with the other really nice and cool guests. It was a nice change from the soap operas we get here, some from the US and some in Afrikaans and Zulu, and the soccer and cricket matches. Their tv had vh1, mythbusters, survivor man, and lots of movies. Luxury.
The next day Myrthe and I wanted to go to Stellenbosch, part of the winelands just outside of Cape Town. It was rainy but we hoped it'd clear up. Needless to say it didnt and our train broke down 2 stops away from Stellenbosch for over an hour....we finally got on the next train and made it there with just enough time to walk to town in the pouring rain and have a nice indoor lunch and glass of wine (because that's just what you have to do there) and walk back to the train station for our return train so Myrthe could catch her flight. The area would be beautiful on a nice day...we tried to see it, haha, but weather happens.
That night I was on my own but I just grabbed some quick dinner down the street and at at the backpacker and watched tv with the guests I was getting to know pretty well. The next day I took a day trip with the Baz Bus, a bus that caters to backpackers travelling along the South African coast, to the Cape Peninsula. The first stop was Hout Bay where we took a short but really cool ferry ride out to Seal Island, home to a colony of Cape Fur Seals. We saw them playing and swimming in the water and lazing on the rocks. It was really cool to see even more animals and I reallly love seals. The other people on the trip were all cool- I was the youngest but had the edge of having been in Africa for several months already. I was giving out travel advice like a pro haha. There were several other Americans and lots of people travelling on their own too. We all chatted and swapped stories. The next stop was a nice overlook, looking down on Muizenburg and tons of surfers in the water. We had a muffin and juice then headed to Simon's Town where I got to the see the penguins again. I knew this was going to happen but didn't really mind returning! This time we went into the park and walked along the boardwalk through penguin territory. Here there were many more and even little fuzzy grey babies and ones that were in between and were grey and glossy. I saw the full cycle from baby to adult and there were even some moms on nests still. It was really great.
Next we went into the Cape Peninsula area and the scenery was gorgeous. It was really raw, untouched nature. The whole things is high up on these cliffs that rise out of the Indian and Atlantic oceans, since they more or less meet here (although technically they come together at Cape Agullus). The area was covered with low thick shrubbery called fynbos and it was beautiful and open. We got to bike ride for about 20 minutes to the place where we had lunch and I loved the ride. I barely had to pedal and just took in the scenery. Lunch was sandwiches- good, then we took the bus (it was really just a big van) down the the Cape of Good Hope which was really cool to really be there. We saw ostriches there too! Then we went on a hike up and around the Cape Point, over an around the cliffs, through the fynbos, and the views were awesome, of just blue blue blue sparkling ocean and rocky cliffs. We ended the hike at the Cape Lighthouse which was awesome and had amazing views of just ocean and other mountains rising out of it. On the way up a baboon ran down the path right by us! There are lots of babboons in the area, and they have issues with home being built in their habitat- they have learned how to raid kitchens! The tour took us back into Cape Town with commentary along the way, then dropped everyone off where they were staying. It was a great day and I'm so glad I got to see the seals and the Cape of Good Hope area because it was amazing.
The trip overall was great. We had a short week of school, just Tues, Wed, and Thurs, as today, Fri, is another public holiday. Since I was just travelling, I'm on campus for this one. I think I may go to the beach later (I love that we can still do that in "winter") and to a dance performance on campus later. We only have three weeks of classes left, then study break and exams! I can't believe it! My laptop is being repaired again so that's why there have been no new pictures lately!
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Back!
I got back from the Easter break trip on Monday night. It was great, many changes to the plan along the way (you really can't plan for Africa it turns out) but all were good and for the best. I got to see and experience many awesome things and I will have so much to write about! Unfortunately I'm also writing 2 essays this week. The pictures I'm uploading to Facebook now are from February and I'm trying hard to get current, but there will be some serious difference between the blog and the photos for a long time now.
For now, here's a link
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2147104&id=7412354&l=08779f5119
This is the album (in progress) of the Zululand trip I went on a while back.
A really quick summary of easter break:
We headed north through Swaziland (we were in three countries in one day!) to Mozambique. We stayed in Maputo for one night and one day. It's the capital of Mozambique and is an interesting city. It is rough and worn down but has uniquely beautiful parts and lots of characters. We went to a cool open market and the local beach, where we were the only non-locals. We then continued north to Inhambane/Tofo where we stayed in an awesome backpacker right over the sand dune from the beach. The beach was gorgeous. A storm by Madagascar made the waves too big to launch boats for some of the activities run there, but I still got to do a scuba dive (saw an octopus in a cave!) and a kayak day trip out to a tiny island covered with palm trees and past white beaches with turqouise waters. We spent an extra day in Tofo to soak up more of the awesome beach atmosphere and then headed back towards Swaziland. We stopped over in Nelspruit on the way to Swaziland and ended up just staying there instead of Swaziland because we had seen alot of it driving through (it's a beautiful but small country) and Nelspruit is very close to Kruger Park. We wanted to go on some game drives and there is nowhere better than Kruger so we took a safari organized by the backpacker in Nelspruit into Kruger for one day, one night of camping, and the following morning. We didn't see all of the big 5 (buffalo, lion, leopard, rhino, elephant) but I finally got to see elephants and lots of them! They're my favorite and we saw about 20 wit some little cute babies! We also saw lots of impala, zebra, 4 rhinos, wildebeast, warthog, cliffspringer, and lots of cool birds, including the zazoo bird from lion king.
The trip was stressful at times doing all the driving and navigating and planning ourselves but it was worth it and I got to see alot of Africa!
For now, here's a link
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2147104&id=7412354&l=08779f5119
This is the album (in progress) of the Zululand trip I went on a while back.
A really quick summary of easter break:
We headed north through Swaziland (we were in three countries in one day!) to Mozambique. We stayed in Maputo for one night and one day. It's the capital of Mozambique and is an interesting city. It is rough and worn down but has uniquely beautiful parts and lots of characters. We went to a cool open market and the local beach, where we were the only non-locals. We then continued north to Inhambane/Tofo where we stayed in an awesome backpacker right over the sand dune from the beach. The beach was gorgeous. A storm by Madagascar made the waves too big to launch boats for some of the activities run there, but I still got to do a scuba dive (saw an octopus in a cave!) and a kayak day trip out to a tiny island covered with palm trees and past white beaches with turqouise waters. We spent an extra day in Tofo to soak up more of the awesome beach atmosphere and then headed back towards Swaziland. We stopped over in Nelspruit on the way to Swaziland and ended up just staying there instead of Swaziland because we had seen alot of it driving through (it's a beautiful but small country) and Nelspruit is very close to Kruger Park. We wanted to go on some game drives and there is nowhere better than Kruger so we took a safari organized by the backpacker in Nelspruit into Kruger for one day, one night of camping, and the following morning. We didn't see all of the big 5 (buffalo, lion, leopard, rhino, elephant) but I finally got to see elephants and lots of them! They're my favorite and we saw about 20 wit some little cute babies! We also saw lots of impala, zebra, 4 rhinos, wildebeast, warthog, cliffspringer, and lots of cool birds, including the zazoo bird from lion king.
The trip was stressful at times doing all the driving and navigating and planning ourselves but it was worth it and I got to see alot of Africa!
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Easter Break
Tomorrow morning I'll be leaving for our Easter break. I'm travelling with 6 friends to Mozambique and then Swaziland! We'll stopping in Maputo, Inhanmbane, and Xai-Xai in Mozambique and staying in the Milwane Nature Reserve in Swaziland. We'll be spending most of the week in Mozambique and the second weekend in Swaziland. We've rented a van and will be driving because it gives us more flexibility. I'm excited and a bit nervous for the adventure! We're staying in backpackers so we've booked those and they sound really nice and organize lots of activities like snorkeling, kayaking, and game drives. I also might scuba! Both countries are supposed to be amazing so I should have alot to write about when I get back. Happy Easter!
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Strike, Scuba, and Hiking!
It’s been a long time since I’ve written an update but it’s harder than usual to get online. Due to students striking on campus here, the computer labs and library keep being closed to prevent damage to equipment. At this point the library is closed until further notice (ugh!) and I am just lucky right now that the strike is small today and hasn’t managed to close the lab. As they say here “aish!” (it’s like oi vey or ugh or whatever but Zulu-style). The strike is being led by the SRC, student representative council, and is occurring because there are many students who didn’t get on campus residence or financial aid and are living in bad circumstances off campus. I understand that this is a serious issue and I am lucky to have a room here and my finances are good. However, the goal of the strike, to get heard, is to disrupt all lectures and get normal classes and whatnot to cease for the time being. At first they were just marching around campus, singing, chanting, and dancing. Being in DC, I’m kind of used to this. What I’m not used to is rumors of students going into classrooms and harassing other students to join them and getting lectures cancelled. There is also talk that they have broken windows and vandalized cars but I’m not sure how much of that is true. Some of my classes were cancelled on Thursday and Friday but some met and I didn’t have any problems with striking students. However, Monday I was taking a test and two strikers came in the back and were saying that we couldn’t be writing a test while students were on strike. The lecturer (it’s an ethics/philosophy class) tried to reason with them and say that we couldn’t be forced to join the strike and that they couldn’t prevent us from pursuing our education…but the reasoning didn’t work and they turned the lights out on our test. Literally shut them off three separate times so the lecturer was forced to cancel the test and it’ll be rescheduled. I was realllly not pleased since I spent the whole day Sunday studying for it and felt like I was doing really well on it. On the way to my next class, everyone was walking in the direction away from campus and some people were running. I knew this couldn’t be good. I got to the top of the stairs that lead up from the residences to campus (it’s all on a hill) and people were standing waiting and said that the riot police were on scene and it was getting bad. I started to go the back way, around the strike, to class when I heard shots fired. Thankfully there were only rubber bullets and no one was seriously hurt, but I guess that sting pretty badly. After 10 minutes or so, things cleared out and all looked good so I did got to class, with 8 other students who showed up. There were no other problems yesterday, and today things are much much quieter. There are extra security guards around the classrooms and there appear to be no riot police. The only striking I’ve seen was 15 or so students and they were just sitting or chanting. I hope this is the end of the chaos but I also hope something is done to help them. I’m just not sure that this is the way to do it. It’s strange to be here in this privileged position while other students are struggling. One girl told me that when I go back to my country, I should tell them that apartheid is still happening in South Africa. I’m writing this to share my experiences and not to make anyone worry about me. At no time was I in real danger. I wasn’t near the crowds and I will continue to avoid them. I wasn’t even on the same level of campus as the shots fired. I think things are clearing up and I will stay safe.
In other news, I should probably mention the actual dives I did since I wrote about the class. Sodwana is an amazing place! The five dives I went on were all amazing. I arrived Friday night, drove up with two girls from the class, and couldn’t find some of my gear initially. Things were a bit hectic getting all the boatloads ready and all the gear kitted up (check out my diver lingo) and the boats loaded, the camp set up on the beach, and the boats launched, but once you were in the water it was all amazing. I went on three dives on Saturday and we started bright and early in the morning, which is good because we hit a lot of snags along the way. I was sharing gear with another girl so as soon as I came off the boat I had to give her my stuff, including my wetsuit, which is not exactly cake to take on and off, but it all worked out. I didn’t know what to expect for th reef in Sodwana but it was bigger and more awesome than I could have anticipated. On the first dive I saw a huge manta ray sleeping at the bottom and two really big and moray eels! The fish were awesome and so colorful. We were down for about 25 minutes and it was so cool. The second dive was a little longer and I saw a big sea turtle sleeping under an overhang! And more cool fish! The third dive happened after one of the boat motors broke, but we got to snorkel in the meantime and saw some cool stuff close to shore that way. On the third dive I saw a scorpion fish and a puffer (not puffed up). At the end of the day, since your not putting the boat in any more, you get to drive it fast at the beach and beach it up on the sand, this was also really fun (don’t worry, we wear lifejackets and hold on to all these ropes). We did however have to push that boat up to the truck, and then the truck through the beach a good ways. So diving is really awesome and really tiring. It rained at the campsite that night but luckily I stayed pretty dry and so did the inside of our tent. The next day I got to do two more dives, both awesome as well. My cylinder was smaller that day and I breath a lot I guess underwater, so I kept getting to the level of air which you come up at first. On the fourth dive we saw two white-tipped reef sharks! So cool! On the fifth dive we had to do our skills. This means that you kneel in the sand at the bottom of the ocean ( a cool feeling!) and have to show that you can take your mask all the way off, put it back on, and clear it. This was challenging even in the pool but we all managed to do it, a great feeling. We also had to remove our mouthpiece underwater (that thing that you breath through) and find it and put it back in. And we had to breathe through our partners spare mouthpiece (octo-breathing). We all passed and then the rest of the dive was the best for me of them all. We saw a little sea turtle swimming around on one of the earlier dives that I forgot to mention but this time we saw a big one eating! And it saw us, and kept eating, and we got to watch it for a long time. Either I was braver and got closer to the fish, or they got closer to me, these little ones were all around me and near my face. They were awesome colors. We also saw a huge school of fish from the bottom to the surface on one of the other dives and we got really close to it, almost in it, that I forgot to mention as well. So much!
Now I am fully certified beginner scuba diver!
One other thing I should write about is my hike on Saturday. It was epic! Myself and 5 other girls headed to the Krantzkloof Nature Reserve for the day. It’s part of the Valley of 1000 Hills, a really beautiful and mountainous/hilly area about 30 minutes from Durban. We planned to be there the whole day but I don’t think anyone imagined the actual hike we went on. We started off and immediately had beautiful views of the cliff side across from the one we were on, and a waterfall running down it. We continued and entered a forest like area and then headed down to this rocky river bed. Our trail crossed the river at one point so we took our shoes off and waded through, then sat down for our picnic lunch and let our feet dry. Little did we know that the trail crossed the river probably about 5 more times…I think that it was higher than usual because of the rain and some areas that were usually just rock actually had some fast moving water over them. There was on really hard spot to cross. Mio and Myrthe made it halfway across but the rest of us were too short/ too nervous to straddle the rocks they used, so we headed back upstream to a more rocky area. I made it half way across when Sarah was still coming and dropped her shoes in the river! Meg called to Myrthe to lean out and grab them…but they never got that far. They got stuck in the rocks and small rapids somewhere, so Meg and I had to scramble like Gollum over the rocks to find them. I ended up getting both and was just lucky to reach under this huge boulder where the second one was and had to yank it out. After that we cursed the river every time we came back around to it. Eventually the landscape turned into more of a grassland and we started encountering these huge spider webs all along the trail. They were kite spiders with red and yellow patterns (google it, they’re really crazy looking) and we either had to move them nicely (Annereike is afraid of spiders in general, and these were pretty scary) or duck under and around them. Eventually we headed up and realized that we were climbing one of the red cliffed mountains that we had been in the valley of at the river bed. We went up and up and up and up (meanwhile Myrthe is afraid of heights) and the views were incredible. Finally we came out of top in tall grass and there were zebras! At first they were far off but when we were waiting for the cab to come pick us up we edged closer and closer to them and we got about as close as we thought we should. It was amazing to see truly wild zebras (this isn’t a game reserve) that close up. They are awesome. I can’t wait to put all the pictures up from the past month and a half (there are tonsss) but I will have to wait until the library reopens. Hopefully that is very soon! I’ve been here for about two months now!
In other news, I should probably mention the actual dives I did since I wrote about the class. Sodwana is an amazing place! The five dives I went on were all amazing. I arrived Friday night, drove up with two girls from the class, and couldn’t find some of my gear initially. Things were a bit hectic getting all the boatloads ready and all the gear kitted up (check out my diver lingo) and the boats loaded, the camp set up on the beach, and the boats launched, but once you were in the water it was all amazing. I went on three dives on Saturday and we started bright and early in the morning, which is good because we hit a lot of snags along the way. I was sharing gear with another girl so as soon as I came off the boat I had to give her my stuff, including my wetsuit, which is not exactly cake to take on and off, but it all worked out. I didn’t know what to expect for th reef in Sodwana but it was bigger and more awesome than I could have anticipated. On the first dive I saw a huge manta ray sleeping at the bottom and two really big and moray eels! The fish were awesome and so colorful. We were down for about 25 minutes and it was so cool. The second dive was a little longer and I saw a big sea turtle sleeping under an overhang! And more cool fish! The third dive happened after one of the boat motors broke, but we got to snorkel in the meantime and saw some cool stuff close to shore that way. On the third dive I saw a scorpion fish and a puffer (not puffed up). At the end of the day, since your not putting the boat in any more, you get to drive it fast at the beach and beach it up on the sand, this was also really fun (don’t worry, we wear lifejackets and hold on to all these ropes). We did however have to push that boat up to the truck, and then the truck through the beach a good ways. So diving is really awesome and really tiring. It rained at the campsite that night but luckily I stayed pretty dry and so did the inside of our tent. The next day I got to do two more dives, both awesome as well. My cylinder was smaller that day and I breath a lot I guess underwater, so I kept getting to the level of air which you come up at first. On the fourth dive we saw two white-tipped reef sharks! So cool! On the fifth dive we had to do our skills. This means that you kneel in the sand at the bottom of the ocean ( a cool feeling!) and have to show that you can take your mask all the way off, put it back on, and clear it. This was challenging even in the pool but we all managed to do it, a great feeling. We also had to remove our mouthpiece underwater (that thing that you breath through) and find it and put it back in. And we had to breathe through our partners spare mouthpiece (octo-breathing). We all passed and then the rest of the dive was the best for me of them all. We saw a little sea turtle swimming around on one of the earlier dives that I forgot to mention but this time we saw a big one eating! And it saw us, and kept eating, and we got to watch it for a long time. Either I was braver and got closer to the fish, or they got closer to me, these little ones were all around me and near my face. They were awesome colors. We also saw a huge school of fish from the bottom to the surface on one of the other dives and we got really close to it, almost in it, that I forgot to mention as well. So much!
Now I am fully certified beginner scuba diver!
One other thing I should write about is my hike on Saturday. It was epic! Myself and 5 other girls headed to the Krantzkloof Nature Reserve for the day. It’s part of the Valley of 1000 Hills, a really beautiful and mountainous/hilly area about 30 minutes from Durban. We planned to be there the whole day but I don’t think anyone imagined the actual hike we went on. We started off and immediately had beautiful views of the cliff side across from the one we were on, and a waterfall running down it. We continued and entered a forest like area and then headed down to this rocky river bed. Our trail crossed the river at one point so we took our shoes off and waded through, then sat down for our picnic lunch and let our feet dry. Little did we know that the trail crossed the river probably about 5 more times…I think that it was higher than usual because of the rain and some areas that were usually just rock actually had some fast moving water over them. There was on really hard spot to cross. Mio and Myrthe made it halfway across but the rest of us were too short/ too nervous to straddle the rocks they used, so we headed back upstream to a more rocky area. I made it half way across when Sarah was still coming and dropped her shoes in the river! Meg called to Myrthe to lean out and grab them…but they never got that far. They got stuck in the rocks and small rapids somewhere, so Meg and I had to scramble like Gollum over the rocks to find them. I ended up getting both and was just lucky to reach under this huge boulder where the second one was and had to yank it out. After that we cursed the river every time we came back around to it. Eventually the landscape turned into more of a grassland and we started encountering these huge spider webs all along the trail. They were kite spiders with red and yellow patterns (google it, they’re really crazy looking) and we either had to move them nicely (Annereike is afraid of spiders in general, and these were pretty scary) or duck under and around them. Eventually we headed up and realized that we were climbing one of the red cliffed mountains that we had been in the valley of at the river bed. We went up and up and up and up (meanwhile Myrthe is afraid of heights) and the views were incredible. Finally we came out of top in tall grass and there were zebras! At first they were far off but when we were waiting for the cab to come pick us up we edged closer and closer to them and we got about as close as we thought we should. It was amazing to see truly wild zebras (this isn’t a game reserve) that close up. They are awesome. I can’t wait to put all the pictures up from the past month and a half (there are tonsss) but I will have to wait until the library reopens. Hopefully that is very soon! I’ve been here for about two months now!
Friday, March 13, 2009
SCUBA
As I mentioned before, I signed up for the SCUBA course here at UKZN. For the past two weeks I have been taking part in the course and this weekend I will be travelling to Sodwana Bay, one of the top ten dive spots in the world, to do my five qualifying dives.
Getting it all done has been pretty intense for the past two weeks and taken up the greater part of my brain power and time. The group is usually capped at 18 but somehow this time around it got as big as 24 or so, so there are a lot of us to organize and teach at once. We had lectures on Tuesday and Thursday nights, and then last Saturday and Sunday we had two full days of pool training and lectures. They started at 8:30 or 9 and went until 4. This was truly exhausting. To add to that, I got the chance to go out on a boat off Durban on Saturday morning before class, ie 5:30 am. Caroline and Andrew, two of the people who are super involved in the underwater club/pretty much run it (they are the chairman and secretary and are probably somewhere in their 30’s) took 6 of us to look for dolphins. It ended up being rainy the whole time and we didn’t spot anything but little fish, but the waves were really big because of a surge from Capetown and I rode in the front of the boat. It was sooo fun to go over the waves and we had a great time all together.
Pool training started with a swim test that was more intensive that I had expected. We had to swim across the 25 meter pool underwater in one breath and this took me multiple tries to complete. In fact, I didn’t get it until Sunday morning when I went early to try again by myself (pretty embarrassing but when I got it I popped up out of the water, took a big breath and fist-pumped with joy). We then had to tread for 10 minutes straight. I made it through that and then we learned all kinds of other things in the water, including how to take your regulator (the thing you breath through) out underwater and find it and put it back in, and to take your mask all the way off underwater and put it back on. Then we did both at the same time. I got these on the first tries but it was challenging. You have to fight the feeling that you should be panicking and coming to the surface.
That night I went to a nice Thai restaurant with three friends to relax and have a nice meal. The restaurant was on Florida Road, a swanky place with lots of restaurants and clubs. Apparently it’s the place to “see and be seen” in Durban (say the guide books). The food was great but I’d need a second look at the rest of the street to be convinced.
The second day we were more accustomed to our gear and I had more fun in the pool. We learned other things and then played some games at the end which were really fun. We played broken telephone, where you try to communicate the message with only hand signals. This was pretty hilariously impossible. The last game was dubbed “the war game” and consisted of all the students swimming around in the deep end and the instructors “attacking” us. They could take off our masks, take our regulators out, steal our fins, inflate our BCs (like a flotation vest), undo our weight belts, unbuckle our cylinders and even turn off our air! The goal was to recover from these incidences, like get your mask back on, etc. or come up to the surface if you couldn’t. The last person at the bottoms won. Luckily none of the really bad ones happened to me. I just got my fin stolen a few times and my regulator removed a few times. However when one instructor undid my weight belt he broke the buckle off so I couldn’t get it back on. I had it in one hand and then got a flipper stolen. I couldn’t get both back on and then my mask started to fill with water, so I surfaced, about in the middle of the pack. Some people stayed down impressively long!
I had my written scuba test last night and I passed with a 94%. Then we packed up our gear. I finally got my medical clearance form signed (it’s a huge problem when your school clinic doesn’t have their doctor anymore and gives you the run around) which was a huge area of stress. I am leaving tonight and will be there until Sunday evening. It’s going to be hectic but very exciting. I do three dives on Sat and two on Sunday. I’m on the smaller boat which I think will be nice. I got an underwater disposable camera so I should be able to take some pictures. I’m sharing a tent with some girls, two of which I just met in the course and are really nice. The other is my dive partner, Sarah, who is from France. I’m excited and will certainly write another really long blog post about it later. This week I also had my first Zulu test which I think went well. It was a lot like the practice tests they gave us. I also started planning my Easter break trip with some friends. We are trying to go to Mozambique and Swaziland! We have a lot of planning to do but it should be great.
Getting it all done has been pretty intense for the past two weeks and taken up the greater part of my brain power and time. The group is usually capped at 18 but somehow this time around it got as big as 24 or so, so there are a lot of us to organize and teach at once. We had lectures on Tuesday and Thursday nights, and then last Saturday and Sunday we had two full days of pool training and lectures. They started at 8:30 or 9 and went until 4. This was truly exhausting. To add to that, I got the chance to go out on a boat off Durban on Saturday morning before class, ie 5:30 am. Caroline and Andrew, two of the people who are super involved in the underwater club/pretty much run it (they are the chairman and secretary and are probably somewhere in their 30’s) took 6 of us to look for dolphins. It ended up being rainy the whole time and we didn’t spot anything but little fish, but the waves were really big because of a surge from Capetown and I rode in the front of the boat. It was sooo fun to go over the waves and we had a great time all together.
Pool training started with a swim test that was more intensive that I had expected. We had to swim across the 25 meter pool underwater in one breath and this took me multiple tries to complete. In fact, I didn’t get it until Sunday morning when I went early to try again by myself (pretty embarrassing but when I got it I popped up out of the water, took a big breath and fist-pumped with joy). We then had to tread for 10 minutes straight. I made it through that and then we learned all kinds of other things in the water, including how to take your regulator (the thing you breath through) out underwater and find it and put it back in, and to take your mask all the way off underwater and put it back on. Then we did both at the same time. I got these on the first tries but it was challenging. You have to fight the feeling that you should be panicking and coming to the surface.
That night I went to a nice Thai restaurant with three friends to relax and have a nice meal. The restaurant was on Florida Road, a swanky place with lots of restaurants and clubs. Apparently it’s the place to “see and be seen” in Durban (say the guide books). The food was great but I’d need a second look at the rest of the street to be convinced.
The second day we were more accustomed to our gear and I had more fun in the pool. We learned other things and then played some games at the end which were really fun. We played broken telephone, where you try to communicate the message with only hand signals. This was pretty hilariously impossible. The last game was dubbed “the war game” and consisted of all the students swimming around in the deep end and the instructors “attacking” us. They could take off our masks, take our regulators out, steal our fins, inflate our BCs (like a flotation vest), undo our weight belts, unbuckle our cylinders and even turn off our air! The goal was to recover from these incidences, like get your mask back on, etc. or come up to the surface if you couldn’t. The last person at the bottoms won. Luckily none of the really bad ones happened to me. I just got my fin stolen a few times and my regulator removed a few times. However when one instructor undid my weight belt he broke the buckle off so I couldn’t get it back on. I had it in one hand and then got a flipper stolen. I couldn’t get both back on and then my mask started to fill with water, so I surfaced, about in the middle of the pack. Some people stayed down impressively long!
I had my written scuba test last night and I passed with a 94%. Then we packed up our gear. I finally got my medical clearance form signed (it’s a huge problem when your school clinic doesn’t have their doctor anymore and gives you the run around) which was a huge area of stress. I am leaving tonight and will be there until Sunday evening. It’s going to be hectic but very exciting. I do three dives on Sat and two on Sunday. I’m on the smaller boat which I think will be nice. I got an underwater disposable camera so I should be able to take some pictures. I’m sharing a tent with some girls, two of which I just met in the course and are really nice. The other is my dive partner, Sarah, who is from France. I’m excited and will certainly write another really long blog post about it later. This week I also had my first Zulu test which I think went well. It was a lot like the practice tests they gave us. I also started planning my Easter break trip with some friends. We are trying to go to Mozambique and Swaziland! We have a lot of planning to do but it should be great.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Warning- this is another epic post, about another trip!
In the interest of time, I’m going to have to summarize my last trip, not the long narrative of the last trip…because well it’d be nice to be current again. Also, I’m writing this in the computer lab where I just noticed we’re operating on Microsoft 2003…speaking of being current…
Anyways, a week and a half ago, I went on another trip (yay!). It was organized by a lecturer here, named Blessing (yes that’s his first name) and was scheduled to go a long time ago but because not enough people signed up to go, it was postponed. In the end there were only 7 of us, plus Blessing and the driver of our van, but it was really nice that way I think (I’d take 7 over 40 any day). We went to an area north of Durban, about 3 hours away, called St. Lucia. It’s home to a great game reserve and wetlands park so that is it’s main draw. This was to be an education trip as well, teaching us through experience about rural and community development, what Blessing’s degree and study has been in. We headed out of Durban on the smaller highways, climbing up through rural neighborhoods and through sugar can farms, then onto major highways through green stretches dotted by small communities of tiny homes and the occasional smattering of cows and people out and about. Blessing took us to his own neighborhood and his home to show us the community and where he plans to start some of his own community upliftment projects- like a community garden project. I learned a lot about rural community issues and what makes a good project and what does not. Like I have found before, in Africa the journey is definitely an integral part of the experience. You are able to see and learn so much just driving through different areas, witnessing the changes in landscape and housing.
It took us the whole afternoon to get to our backpacker destination because of the many stops and detours we took to see different communities. Blessing narrated along the way. Our backpacker was called the Veyanne Cultural Village and is run by local community members (ie an all African, all Zulu organization). I forgot to mention that the greater region we were travelling through is called Zululand. The backpacker is set up like a mock Zulu village. There is a large main hut for meals and gathering, a cattle kraal (which is used not for cattle here but for a bonfire and traditional dancing), and smaller separate sleeping huts, where we got to sleep. The first thing we did when we got there was get dressed in traditional Zulu clothes which was really cool. Except for the fact that it was still reallllly hot even though it was the evening and the clothing was really heavy. The skirt, made out of cow hide, was so heavy that rolled up, it stands up on its own. This is the kind of skirt a married woman wears. We also had thick beaded belts, necklaces, bracelets, and Zulu hats (I’m sure you’re all dying to see the pictures of me in that- it is pretty funny). Later a group of young men performed traditional Zulu dance for the guests and they were extremely good. There was the leg lifting dance (that just doesn’t sound right but I can’t think of another name for it, I should probably find out the Zulu name for it) as well as back flips and all that. Then they said we had to dance with them and we all tried our hand at the leg lifting. There is also photographic evidence of that on someone’s camera. It was really fun, albeit embarrassing.
Sleeping in the hut was fun, except for the fact that it was extremely hot in there as well. The thick roofing seemed to hold in and super heat the air, and as I was staying in it with Annereike, who is Dutch, I named our hut the Dutch Oven (cue laughter). The next morning we headed out bright and early to the game reserve, the name of which I would write if I could spell it and you could pronounce it. We drove around in our van and as soon as we came around the first corner, there were three zebras in the road with a giraffe behind them. So exciting! It’s so exhilarating to see these animals right in front of you, you don’t even know what to do with yourself. There is awe and much photo-taking, then you have to keep driving because another car comes up behind you. But it is amazing. A little further down the road we stopped for more zebra and a wildebeest and then I noticed something moving and it was a hyena! It ran behind some bush and was tearing at a carcass with some more hyenas! That was one of the coolest things to see in action, even though the bush was kind of in the way.
Even though we started in the park at 7 am, it was extremely hot that early and the whole day. My guess would be high 80s if not low 90s with high high high humidity. Ever break we took we were guzzling water, we bought the 1.5 liter size and several smaller ones each. We were sooo sweaty but it was a great time to cruise around the game reserve. Even when you weren’t spotting animals the landscape was awesome. We ended up seeing lots of impala, wildebeest, zebra, baboon, another giraffe or two, water buffalo, one rhino (!!!), monkeys, wart hogs and baby wart hogs (adorable and about 5 feet away from me), waterbuck, and probably some other things that I will see in the photos later. Unfortunately, the closest we came to an elephant was some fresh elephant poo but we couldn’t find them! As it got later and hotter it got a lot harder to see big game because they rest in cool places under trees or in mud. This is why it’s so hard to spot lions too, since they sleep also for 20 hours a day. But all in all, I was really excited with what we saw.
In the afternoon, we travelled to a drop-in center for kids who have been affected by HIV/AIDS, either with the loss of a parent/head of household, or more personally. The idea of a drop-in center is the kids come in the morning to get breakfast before school, then go to school, come for lunch to the center, back to school, then get some food on the way home and bring some to parents/elderly and other children at home. There were maybe 30 or 40 kids there from I’d say 3 to 16 years old. They had been waiting eagerly for us but were shy once we got there, at first. They sang a few songs for us and did a skit (in Zulu), then we played games with them. The first one was like duck duck goose and the second was called Teddy Bear and was generally about hugging. It was fun to interact with the kids. They served us a generous lunch and then we got a tour of the humble facility, which helps an astounding number of people. The area is considered an HIV/AIDS infection hot spot and it could use way more of these facilities.
After departing from the center, where we could have spent a lot more time playing with the kids, we were headed to the wetlands park for a boat ride through the wetland for more game spotting. First we stopped at the biggest curio (souvenir, handi-craft, carvings, baskets, bracelets, etc.) and produce market I’d seen so far. The smell of pineapple was delicious as soon as we stepped out of the van. I tried the African equivalent of prickly pear there (Laina, it was kind of like Tohono O’odham cactus fruit).
On the wetlands boat trip we saw lots and lots of hippos! It was great! There were some babies too. We also saw African fish eagle, stork, crocodile, Egyptian geese, but the hippos were definitely the highlight. The scenery here was also great. Caked with sunscreen and sweat, we returned to Veyane for dinner and then crashed pretty hard for the night. Thankfully, it was a little cooler (only a little).
The next day we headed to the beach to an estuary area. We took some of the dancers from the first night with us. Oh I forgot to mention that this whole time we also had Sisa with us, a girl about our age from the community we would be visiting later this day. It was sort of like a cultural exchange, Blessing knew her and thought it would be nice to learn from eachother. Anyways the beach was great and although I didn’t go in (no suit) I enjoyed myself and watched the dancers do backflips in the waves. After relaxing on the beach some we went to a crocodile park and saw lots more crocs, even little babies!
After this, we packed up and headed to Sisa’s community near Richard’s Bay (a little bit south back towards Durban). Richard’s Bay is one of the most polluted places in the area because of a local mineral mine. Blessing has been working in this community to start a community garden project. Because of lots of beaurocracy (like they’ve been waiting 2 years for the government to hook up their irrigation pipe) it has had some trouble getting off the ground. There is also no where for them really to sell their goods, and the soil isn’t so great. As we walked around the community, learning about it, a pack of local kids started forming behind us. They were captivated and so were we with them. We kind of became our own parade. We tried to interact with them as best we could. My conversational Zulu doesn’t go too far with people who are native speakers. Again I taught them how to high five and had a crowd of boys all running up to my outstretched hand. Then they started to play sort of tag with me (just me, I’m thinking it was the hair), where someone behind me would run up and tap me in the back and then when I would turn around they would pretend no one had done it and run away from me. The local women who tend the garden were all very warm and welcoming to us. We went to Sisa’s home, a cluster of small buildings for her extended family. After this, we unfortunately had to leave, but our parade of children followed us to the van and crowded around, making departure difficult, we waved through the windows and eventually took off on the 2 hour or so journey back to Durban. Another full and impacting weekend.
(So I’m not that great at summarizing….).
This past weekend, in the spirit of a true summary, I went to uShaka Marine World, which is a shopping area, beach, aquarium, and water park all in one. While it was still sunny and hot, we were in the aquarium, when we got out it was raining. So after lunch when the rain still hadn’t passed, we put on our bathing suits and went on the waterslides in the rain. It was so fun, I felt like a little kid again. We went on the lazy river three times and it winds around past the penguin and shark tanks (very cool and very fun). The girls I was with were all great fun and we had a good time getting wet and laughing together. We had a great dinner at a restaurant called Moyo which is right at the beach edge. They have seaweed sculptures made out of green glass bottles and glass jellyfish lamps. The food is amazing and not so expensive because of the good rand to dollar ratio (10:1). It was a great day. Sunday I went to a market down by North beach and got some great souvenirs that my friend Myrthe bargained for and got everyone down to half their price (you have to do that here because they over price things when they think you’re a tourist). Afterwards I went to the harbor to the Royal Natal Yacht Club to meet a friend of a friend and her family who are in the UKZN sailing club. I loved seeing all the sail boats and the family we met owns their own and let us on it (while docked). I would love to get sailing here!
Anyways, sorry that was so long but it was another great trip I had to share about. I have my first test Tues in Zulu so I’ve been studying a lot for that. Also the scuba course has started, so I’ll be in the pool and in classroom time with that for most of the weekend!
Anyways, a week and a half ago, I went on another trip (yay!). It was organized by a lecturer here, named Blessing (yes that’s his first name) and was scheduled to go a long time ago but because not enough people signed up to go, it was postponed. In the end there were only 7 of us, plus Blessing and the driver of our van, but it was really nice that way I think (I’d take 7 over 40 any day). We went to an area north of Durban, about 3 hours away, called St. Lucia. It’s home to a great game reserve and wetlands park so that is it’s main draw. This was to be an education trip as well, teaching us through experience about rural and community development, what Blessing’s degree and study has been in. We headed out of Durban on the smaller highways, climbing up through rural neighborhoods and through sugar can farms, then onto major highways through green stretches dotted by small communities of tiny homes and the occasional smattering of cows and people out and about. Blessing took us to his own neighborhood and his home to show us the community and where he plans to start some of his own community upliftment projects- like a community garden project. I learned a lot about rural community issues and what makes a good project and what does not. Like I have found before, in Africa the journey is definitely an integral part of the experience. You are able to see and learn so much just driving through different areas, witnessing the changes in landscape and housing.
It took us the whole afternoon to get to our backpacker destination because of the many stops and detours we took to see different communities. Blessing narrated along the way. Our backpacker was called the Veyanne Cultural Village and is run by local community members (ie an all African, all Zulu organization). I forgot to mention that the greater region we were travelling through is called Zululand. The backpacker is set up like a mock Zulu village. There is a large main hut for meals and gathering, a cattle kraal (which is used not for cattle here but for a bonfire and traditional dancing), and smaller separate sleeping huts, where we got to sleep. The first thing we did when we got there was get dressed in traditional Zulu clothes which was really cool. Except for the fact that it was still reallllly hot even though it was the evening and the clothing was really heavy. The skirt, made out of cow hide, was so heavy that rolled up, it stands up on its own. This is the kind of skirt a married woman wears. We also had thick beaded belts, necklaces, bracelets, and Zulu hats (I’m sure you’re all dying to see the pictures of me in that- it is pretty funny). Later a group of young men performed traditional Zulu dance for the guests and they were extremely good. There was the leg lifting dance (that just doesn’t sound right but I can’t think of another name for it, I should probably find out the Zulu name for it) as well as back flips and all that. Then they said we had to dance with them and we all tried our hand at the leg lifting. There is also photographic evidence of that on someone’s camera. It was really fun, albeit embarrassing.
Sleeping in the hut was fun, except for the fact that it was extremely hot in there as well. The thick roofing seemed to hold in and super heat the air, and as I was staying in it with Annereike, who is Dutch, I named our hut the Dutch Oven (cue laughter). The next morning we headed out bright and early to the game reserve, the name of which I would write if I could spell it and you could pronounce it. We drove around in our van and as soon as we came around the first corner, there were three zebras in the road with a giraffe behind them. So exciting! It’s so exhilarating to see these animals right in front of you, you don’t even know what to do with yourself. There is awe and much photo-taking, then you have to keep driving because another car comes up behind you. But it is amazing. A little further down the road we stopped for more zebra and a wildebeest and then I noticed something moving and it was a hyena! It ran behind some bush and was tearing at a carcass with some more hyenas! That was one of the coolest things to see in action, even though the bush was kind of in the way.
Even though we started in the park at 7 am, it was extremely hot that early and the whole day. My guess would be high 80s if not low 90s with high high high humidity. Ever break we took we were guzzling water, we bought the 1.5 liter size and several smaller ones each. We were sooo sweaty but it was a great time to cruise around the game reserve. Even when you weren’t spotting animals the landscape was awesome. We ended up seeing lots of impala, wildebeest, zebra, baboon, another giraffe or two, water buffalo, one rhino (!!!), monkeys, wart hogs and baby wart hogs (adorable and about 5 feet away from me), waterbuck, and probably some other things that I will see in the photos later. Unfortunately, the closest we came to an elephant was some fresh elephant poo but we couldn’t find them! As it got later and hotter it got a lot harder to see big game because they rest in cool places under trees or in mud. This is why it’s so hard to spot lions too, since they sleep also for 20 hours a day. But all in all, I was really excited with what we saw.
In the afternoon, we travelled to a drop-in center for kids who have been affected by HIV/AIDS, either with the loss of a parent/head of household, or more personally. The idea of a drop-in center is the kids come in the morning to get breakfast before school, then go to school, come for lunch to the center, back to school, then get some food on the way home and bring some to parents/elderly and other children at home. There were maybe 30 or 40 kids there from I’d say 3 to 16 years old. They had been waiting eagerly for us but were shy once we got there, at first. They sang a few songs for us and did a skit (in Zulu), then we played games with them. The first one was like duck duck goose and the second was called Teddy Bear and was generally about hugging. It was fun to interact with the kids. They served us a generous lunch and then we got a tour of the humble facility, which helps an astounding number of people. The area is considered an HIV/AIDS infection hot spot and it could use way more of these facilities.
After departing from the center, where we could have spent a lot more time playing with the kids, we were headed to the wetlands park for a boat ride through the wetland for more game spotting. First we stopped at the biggest curio (souvenir, handi-craft, carvings, baskets, bracelets, etc.) and produce market I’d seen so far. The smell of pineapple was delicious as soon as we stepped out of the van. I tried the African equivalent of prickly pear there (Laina, it was kind of like Tohono O’odham cactus fruit).
On the wetlands boat trip we saw lots and lots of hippos! It was great! There were some babies too. We also saw African fish eagle, stork, crocodile, Egyptian geese, but the hippos were definitely the highlight. The scenery here was also great. Caked with sunscreen and sweat, we returned to Veyane for dinner and then crashed pretty hard for the night. Thankfully, it was a little cooler (only a little).
The next day we headed to the beach to an estuary area. We took some of the dancers from the first night with us. Oh I forgot to mention that this whole time we also had Sisa with us, a girl about our age from the community we would be visiting later this day. It was sort of like a cultural exchange, Blessing knew her and thought it would be nice to learn from eachother. Anyways the beach was great and although I didn’t go in (no suit) I enjoyed myself and watched the dancers do backflips in the waves. After relaxing on the beach some we went to a crocodile park and saw lots more crocs, even little babies!
After this, we packed up and headed to Sisa’s community near Richard’s Bay (a little bit south back towards Durban). Richard’s Bay is one of the most polluted places in the area because of a local mineral mine. Blessing has been working in this community to start a community garden project. Because of lots of beaurocracy (like they’ve been waiting 2 years for the government to hook up their irrigation pipe) it has had some trouble getting off the ground. There is also no where for them really to sell their goods, and the soil isn’t so great. As we walked around the community, learning about it, a pack of local kids started forming behind us. They were captivated and so were we with them. We kind of became our own parade. We tried to interact with them as best we could. My conversational Zulu doesn’t go too far with people who are native speakers. Again I taught them how to high five and had a crowd of boys all running up to my outstretched hand. Then they started to play sort of tag with me (just me, I’m thinking it was the hair), where someone behind me would run up and tap me in the back and then when I would turn around they would pretend no one had done it and run away from me. The local women who tend the garden were all very warm and welcoming to us. We went to Sisa’s home, a cluster of small buildings for her extended family. After this, we unfortunately had to leave, but our parade of children followed us to the van and crowded around, making departure difficult, we waved through the windows and eventually took off on the 2 hour or so journey back to Durban. Another full and impacting weekend.
(So I’m not that great at summarizing….).
This past weekend, in the spirit of a true summary, I went to uShaka Marine World, which is a shopping area, beach, aquarium, and water park all in one. While it was still sunny and hot, we were in the aquarium, when we got out it was raining. So after lunch when the rain still hadn’t passed, we put on our bathing suits and went on the waterslides in the rain. It was so fun, I felt like a little kid again. We went on the lazy river three times and it winds around past the penguin and shark tanks (very cool and very fun). The girls I was with were all great fun and we had a good time getting wet and laughing together. We had a great dinner at a restaurant called Moyo which is right at the beach edge. They have seaweed sculptures made out of green glass bottles and glass jellyfish lamps. The food is amazing and not so expensive because of the good rand to dollar ratio (10:1). It was a great day. Sunday I went to a market down by North beach and got some great souvenirs that my friend Myrthe bargained for and got everyone down to half their price (you have to do that here because they over price things when they think you’re a tourist). Afterwards I went to the harbor to the Royal Natal Yacht Club to meet a friend of a friend and her family who are in the UKZN sailing club. I loved seeing all the sail boats and the family we met owns their own and let us on it (while docked). I would love to get sailing here!
Anyways, sorry that was so long but it was another great trip I had to share about. I have my first test Tues in Zulu so I’ve been studying a lot for that. Also the scuba course has started, so I’ll be in the pool and in classroom time with that for most of the weekend!
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
An Overdue Update
As of today, I have been here one month! It's hard to believe, and since the first two weeks, which seemed like ages, it's gone by extremely fast. After I got pretty well settled in, I fully realized that it's pretty ridiculously awesome that I get to be here and do amazing things.
This thought dawned on me as I was driving through the South African countryside with 12 international students on our way to a Zulu wedding on Valentine's Day. The last two weekends here have been amazing and what I think were once in a lifetime opportunities. The reason that I haven't written anything about them, or posted any of my hundreds of photos is because my laptop has been dying and I was hoping to write on it, then upload it on the internet in the computer lab, and same with the photos. But since it won't do anything but give me a black screen....that hasn't really been possible, so I'm going to try to cram alot into this post and hope that my laptop can be salvaged.
The zulu wedding trip was organized by a student here whose uncle was getting married and he was kind enough to allow about 20 or so international students and some local students to come and experience it with them. On Saturday, we left in a big van, called a kumbe here, and headed out towards Pietermaritzburg for the church wedding. As guests of the groom, we joined the caravan (this is a Zulu tradition) that goes to pick up the bride from her house and meet the bride's family and guests there. Her home was in a township up on a hill with a great view and the whole neighborhood was out to see her off. She was in a beautiful white dress and the bridesmaids wore yellow and lime with yellow roses. We all then headed off to the church were the ceremony commenced, mostly in Zulu. Because of this, I was never really clear on what was happening/being said, but I know that there were many different parts from what we are used to as a Christian wedding in the states. The church was more of a modern day charismatic church as well, with a drum set and speakers up on what would be the altar area in the front. The ceremony was nice and the bride and groom did the Zulu wedding walk down the aisle on their way out, to upbeat music pumping from the speakers, which reminded me of the rock that we do down the aisle in Gospel Choir for concerts (I am sorry this is hard to explain if you haven't seen any of it..). We took lots of pictures and other wedding guests took pictures with us as well, they seemed just as interested in us and our culture as we were in theirs. Still, it was a mildly awkward at first to be at a wedding where I didn't know anyone. Quickly though we got over this and everyone was very welcoming to us.
After the wedding we went with the wedding party to the KwaZulu-Natal Botanic Gardens for photos. We walked around some and took our own photos while they took theirs. They even had us international students pose in one photo with the bride. I can't wait to see that one. After that, the bridal party, who's cars had been decorated with ribbons, drove around Pietermaritzburg waving their bouquets out the windows and we followed behind in the van, the driver blaring South African house music. I got to see what that city was like a little bit as well and it was really fun to be in on the celebration. We also went to the reception where we were all extremely happy to sit down and have some food and drink, since it was extremely hot and we had been going going going all day. It was probably in the high 80s or low 90s that day with high humidity. I missed our coastal Durban air. We didn't get to stay at the reception too long though because we were piled back into the van to go out to one of the family's homes in a semi-rural area for more ceremoniousness. To be more specific, we were going to the ceremonial cow slaughter. Ok I know this sounds terribly disgusting, but you have to remember that we were going to a community of farmers and laborers who live off the land. This is how we were going to have food for all the guests and family to eat the next day. The Zulu culture has a heavy regard for the ancestors and so this was also a necessary part of honoring the ancestors during this happy time and giving thanks for the good fortune. Some of the students were interested in this ceremony, others weren't and stayed in the van or at a distance but we were all respectful of the tradition and cultural difference. I watched a little bit from a distance and spent some time looking at my pictures in the van, but I can say that it was all done in a human way and nothing went to waste. I'm glad I was there because afterward I was invited inside with some of the other students who were standing around (it started to rain) and it was a truly unique experience to interact with the family inside their humble but welcoming home. The house was large because it housed an extended family, but mostly made of cement and very simple. The living room however was made up very nicely and the family seemed proud to have us come in and sit and speak with them, in our limited capacity. They spoke little English and we little Zulu. At that point I could really only say hi, how are you, and what is your name. The little kids were the best. They were fascinated by us and two of them just leaned over the arm of the couch I was on and stared at me. I tried to speak to them but they were too quiet and I couldn't understand them. They were interested in my friend's camera so I showed them some pictures and pointed at the people in the room who were in them, then took pictures of them and showed them themselves, which they loved. I also taught them how to high five. They were so adorable. I also got to try some of the very fresh steak after it was cooked over the fire, which was an interesting experience (very chewy). Eventually though it was time to leave the very cute kids and go to the place we would be staying the night- a family friend of the student who organized the trip.
The next day we got ourselves together and got a quick breakfast at Wimpy's (like a Friendly's) and went back to the same home we were at last night. It's actually considered to be a semi-rural area. There is limited running water and electricity. The yard and home were filled with people- community members, family, guests, and the pile of us. It was raining again and with all the people, the yard had turned to red mud. That didn't stop the celebration in any way though. After the bride paraded down the hill to the house with her bridal party, guests broke into traditional dancing in a circle. It was so cool to be standing right there and in the circle. The traditional Zulu dance is to lift one leg as high as you can into the air, and others clap on the beat when you stomp that foot back down (it's hard to explain so luckily I have plenty of video). This often sprays mud into the air so it was a messy but jubilant affair. The dancing was done by mostly males who had impressive flexibility. The day consisted of much of this dancing. There were also a few instances of the elder women parading by singing and carrying special plants. The main focus of the day was when the bride gave out blankets to each member of the groom's family (close and extended). This is to signify that she is ready and capable of caring for all of them now. It was an interesting ceremony. After it was done it was time for the meal. All the international students ate together in a room in the house and the food was excellent. There was some yellow rice, beef in a curry type sauce, potato, steam bread (traditional bread that is soft and gooey), and Zulu beer. Zulu beer is extremely strange. It's fruit and wheat and is only fermented for 3 days. It is the color and consistency of chai tea. We all only had a little taste and that was all we really needed. It's definitely an acquired taste. After the meal we spent some time outside, wandering around the house and interacting with some other guests and the little kids. Some of the local woman asked if we were married and when we said no, they said, "Good, you will be my daughter-in-law, you will marry my son!" The older individuals there expressed their happiness that we were able to come and that we were interested and cultures were mixing. An older gentlemen did his best to convey this to me in English an I got the point and was really flattered because I was so happy that they were willing to have us there. We tried very hard not to be spectators but to interact with everyone. On the way out, waiting for the van to come around, I saw two young boys playing in the neighboring yard with a soccer ball made out of plastic bag full of other platic bags. It really hit me then that while it was great to visit this place, we also get to leave and come back to campus. The people there were so full of life and kind and vibrant but the difference between here and there was undeniable. The entire weekend was one enlightening experience, one that I enjoyed and was happy to have gotten the opportunity to go on.
I think that I will have to save this past weekend's trip for my next post, as well as a class update, but I wanted to at least start catching back up. I hope everything is going well for everyone.
This thought dawned on me as I was driving through the South African countryside with 12 international students on our way to a Zulu wedding on Valentine's Day. The last two weekends here have been amazing and what I think were once in a lifetime opportunities. The reason that I haven't written anything about them, or posted any of my hundreds of photos is because my laptop has been dying and I was hoping to write on it, then upload it on the internet in the computer lab, and same with the photos. But since it won't do anything but give me a black screen....that hasn't really been possible, so I'm going to try to cram alot into this post and hope that my laptop can be salvaged.
The zulu wedding trip was organized by a student here whose uncle was getting married and he was kind enough to allow about 20 or so international students and some local students to come and experience it with them. On Saturday, we left in a big van, called a kumbe here, and headed out towards Pietermaritzburg for the church wedding. As guests of the groom, we joined the caravan (this is a Zulu tradition) that goes to pick up the bride from her house and meet the bride's family and guests there. Her home was in a township up on a hill with a great view and the whole neighborhood was out to see her off. She was in a beautiful white dress and the bridesmaids wore yellow and lime with yellow roses. We all then headed off to the church were the ceremony commenced, mostly in Zulu. Because of this, I was never really clear on what was happening/being said, but I know that there were many different parts from what we are used to as a Christian wedding in the states. The church was more of a modern day charismatic church as well, with a drum set and speakers up on what would be the altar area in the front. The ceremony was nice and the bride and groom did the Zulu wedding walk down the aisle on their way out, to upbeat music pumping from the speakers, which reminded me of the rock that we do down the aisle in Gospel Choir for concerts (I am sorry this is hard to explain if you haven't seen any of it..). We took lots of pictures and other wedding guests took pictures with us as well, they seemed just as interested in us and our culture as we were in theirs. Still, it was a mildly awkward at first to be at a wedding where I didn't know anyone. Quickly though we got over this and everyone was very welcoming to us.
After the wedding we went with the wedding party to the KwaZulu-Natal Botanic Gardens for photos. We walked around some and took our own photos while they took theirs. They even had us international students pose in one photo with the bride. I can't wait to see that one. After that, the bridal party, who's cars had been decorated with ribbons, drove around Pietermaritzburg waving their bouquets out the windows and we followed behind in the van, the driver blaring South African house music. I got to see what that city was like a little bit as well and it was really fun to be in on the celebration. We also went to the reception where we were all extremely happy to sit down and have some food and drink, since it was extremely hot and we had been going going going all day. It was probably in the high 80s or low 90s that day with high humidity. I missed our coastal Durban air. We didn't get to stay at the reception too long though because we were piled back into the van to go out to one of the family's homes in a semi-rural area for more ceremoniousness. To be more specific, we were going to the ceremonial cow slaughter. Ok I know this sounds terribly disgusting, but you have to remember that we were going to a community of farmers and laborers who live off the land. This is how we were going to have food for all the guests and family to eat the next day. The Zulu culture has a heavy regard for the ancestors and so this was also a necessary part of honoring the ancestors during this happy time and giving thanks for the good fortune. Some of the students were interested in this ceremony, others weren't and stayed in the van or at a distance but we were all respectful of the tradition and cultural difference. I watched a little bit from a distance and spent some time looking at my pictures in the van, but I can say that it was all done in a human way and nothing went to waste. I'm glad I was there because afterward I was invited inside with some of the other students who were standing around (it started to rain) and it was a truly unique experience to interact with the family inside their humble but welcoming home. The house was large because it housed an extended family, but mostly made of cement and very simple. The living room however was made up very nicely and the family seemed proud to have us come in and sit and speak with them, in our limited capacity. They spoke little English and we little Zulu. At that point I could really only say hi, how are you, and what is your name. The little kids were the best. They were fascinated by us and two of them just leaned over the arm of the couch I was on and stared at me. I tried to speak to them but they were too quiet and I couldn't understand them. They were interested in my friend's camera so I showed them some pictures and pointed at the people in the room who were in them, then took pictures of them and showed them themselves, which they loved. I also taught them how to high five. They were so adorable. I also got to try some of the very fresh steak after it was cooked over the fire, which was an interesting experience (very chewy). Eventually though it was time to leave the very cute kids and go to the place we would be staying the night- a family friend of the student who organized the trip.
The next day we got ourselves together and got a quick breakfast at Wimpy's (like a Friendly's) and went back to the same home we were at last night. It's actually considered to be a semi-rural area. There is limited running water and electricity. The yard and home were filled with people- community members, family, guests, and the pile of us. It was raining again and with all the people, the yard had turned to red mud. That didn't stop the celebration in any way though. After the bride paraded down the hill to the house with her bridal party, guests broke into traditional dancing in a circle. It was so cool to be standing right there and in the circle. The traditional Zulu dance is to lift one leg as high as you can into the air, and others clap on the beat when you stomp that foot back down (it's hard to explain so luckily I have plenty of video). This often sprays mud into the air so it was a messy but jubilant affair. The dancing was done by mostly males who had impressive flexibility. The day consisted of much of this dancing. There were also a few instances of the elder women parading by singing and carrying special plants. The main focus of the day was when the bride gave out blankets to each member of the groom's family (close and extended). This is to signify that she is ready and capable of caring for all of them now. It was an interesting ceremony. After it was done it was time for the meal. All the international students ate together in a room in the house and the food was excellent. There was some yellow rice, beef in a curry type sauce, potato, steam bread (traditional bread that is soft and gooey), and Zulu beer. Zulu beer is extremely strange. It's fruit and wheat and is only fermented for 3 days. It is the color and consistency of chai tea. We all only had a little taste and that was all we really needed. It's definitely an acquired taste. After the meal we spent some time outside, wandering around the house and interacting with some other guests and the little kids. Some of the local woman asked if we were married and when we said no, they said, "Good, you will be my daughter-in-law, you will marry my son!" The older individuals there expressed their happiness that we were able to come and that we were interested and cultures were mixing. An older gentlemen did his best to convey this to me in English an I got the point and was really flattered because I was so happy that they were willing to have us there. We tried very hard not to be spectators but to interact with everyone. On the way out, waiting for the van to come around, I saw two young boys playing in the neighboring yard with a soccer ball made out of plastic bag full of other platic bags. It really hit me then that while it was great to visit this place, we also get to leave and come back to campus. The people there were so full of life and kind and vibrant but the difference between here and there was undeniable. The entire weekend was one enlightening experience, one that I enjoyed and was happy to have gotten the opportunity to go on.
I think that I will have to save this past weekend's trip for my next post, as well as a class update, but I wanted to at least start catching back up. I hope everything is going well for everyone.
Friday, February 13, 2009
Photos
For those of you who don't have Facebook, you can view my album on Facebook of the trip to Port Shepstone using this link
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2137963&id=7412354&l=269be
There will be more pictures added eventually of the game reserve (giraffes!) but I have to upload them only 5 at a time from these computers so it takes a while.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2137963&id=7412354&l=269be
There will be more pictures added eventually of the game reserve (giraffes!) but I have to upload them only 5 at a time from these computers so it takes a while.
First Week of Classes- Done!
As of 9:30 this morning, I have finished my first week of classes here at UKZN. Monday seems like ages ago. It has been quite a long week. From finding my class rooms (called venues here) to finding out that I was registered for three random classes instead of my selected ones, it's been great but draining.
I've now worked out my schedule (yay!) I am able to stay in the African Music and Dance Ensemble because I found another 8 credit course (2 AU credits)- a vocal ensemble called UKZN Voices. The proposed time for UKZN Voices fits in my schedule and as long as it doesn't change, I will be set. This also means that I can stop going to the extra class- African Politics, even though it was also getting interesting. It should be nice, I think, to have 3 classroom classes and 2 music ensembles. The music professor who signed off on my ensembles said, "so you're here to get some culture." Haha, yes I am, I just hope that doesn't mean that I didn't start with any?
All the classes were very basic this week, as students are still shuffling their classes around, so it was mostly talk about general concepts. Next week things should be getting more specific and I'll be getting some course packs and books. Without real homework yet, I spend my off time sitting outside with friends, reading for leisure, or figuring out the rest of my life here, which also takes up alot of time.
Last night I went to find out more information about the Underwater Club (ie scuba) here and I'm almost positive that I will do the two week course. It consists of classroom and pool training and an exam, and then a three day weekend of qualifying dives in Sodwana Bay, one of the top 20 dive sites. The cost is so much less than it would be in the US, and if I like it (which I think I will) I can do other dives with the club, locally or farther away. The people who run the course seem very nice and flexible and a few of my friends are also going to do it. What a great place to learn, right?
I'm also planning on joining the Residences soccer league, where I'd play with people from my building. I think it's mostly pick-up style games but hopefully I'll have better luck than with intramural at AU, where the first season we had to play in the boys' league with an all girls team, or the second season when half the games were rained out and not rescheduled.
I'll also have to find time to do my reading and homework....
This weekend though I'm going on a unique trip. One of the students here, named Brian, has an uncle getting married this weekend about 45 minutes from here. On Saturday there is a church wedding with white dress, etc. and on Sunday, there is the traditional Zulu wedding, with traditonal music, dress, and food. Brian was kind enough to organize a group of international students to go to the wedding and experience it all. Some of the rest of us heard about it and they were able to make room for more people to go (including me). We have transport and housing taken care of and it should be really exciting and very different!
I've now worked out my schedule (yay!) I am able to stay in the African Music and Dance Ensemble because I found another 8 credit course (2 AU credits)- a vocal ensemble called UKZN Voices. The proposed time for UKZN Voices fits in my schedule and as long as it doesn't change, I will be set. This also means that I can stop going to the extra class- African Politics, even though it was also getting interesting. It should be nice, I think, to have 3 classroom classes and 2 music ensembles. The music professor who signed off on my ensembles said, "so you're here to get some culture." Haha, yes I am, I just hope that doesn't mean that I didn't start with any?
All the classes were very basic this week, as students are still shuffling their classes around, so it was mostly talk about general concepts. Next week things should be getting more specific and I'll be getting some course packs and books. Without real homework yet, I spend my off time sitting outside with friends, reading for leisure, or figuring out the rest of my life here, which also takes up alot of time.
Last night I went to find out more information about the Underwater Club (ie scuba) here and I'm almost positive that I will do the two week course. It consists of classroom and pool training and an exam, and then a three day weekend of qualifying dives in Sodwana Bay, one of the top 20 dive sites. The cost is so much less than it would be in the US, and if I like it (which I think I will) I can do other dives with the club, locally or farther away. The people who run the course seem very nice and flexible and a few of my friends are also going to do it. What a great place to learn, right?
I'm also planning on joining the Residences soccer league, where I'd play with people from my building. I think it's mostly pick-up style games but hopefully I'll have better luck than with intramural at AU, where the first season we had to play in the boys' league with an all girls team, or the second season when half the games were rained out and not rescheduled.
I'll also have to find time to do my reading and homework....
This weekend though I'm going on a unique trip. One of the students here, named Brian, has an uncle getting married this weekend about 45 minutes from here. On Saturday there is a church wedding with white dress, etc. and on Sunday, there is the traditional Zulu wedding, with traditonal music, dress, and food. Brian was kind enough to organize a group of international students to go to the wedding and experience it all. Some of the rest of us heard about it and they were able to make room for more people to go (including me). We have transport and housing taken care of and it should be really exciting and very different!
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Classes
I've now come to the end of my second day of classes here at UKZN and I'm pretty darn tired. The first classes here start at 7:45 am, not the late 8:30 am of AU. Most classes end by 4 or 5 pm as well, if not earlier, so there are no 5:30's and 8:30's like at AU either. I am fortunate enough to have to attend three 7:45 classes (Mon, Tues, Wed) for this week at least while working out the glitches in my schedule. Classes also aren't at the same time on the days that they meet. No Mon/Th at 9:55 or anything like that. Classes meet typically for 45 minutes about four times a week, at very different times. And we thought scheduling at AU was hard...
I'm taking four classes, a normal courseload here. I have Environmental Philosophy and Ethics, which seems really great so far. The professor is really cool. He has long hair and wears Keens and cool patterned shirts. He might by philosophy's equivalent of a green hippy, which would be awesome. The class is mostly discussions but is pretty big also which will make things a little difficult in that sense. I look forward to it though.
My next class is Beginner Zulu for non-native speakers. Zulu is the African language most commonly spoken in this area, the KwaZulu-Natal province. I've heard that something like 80% of students here speak Zulu. It is much more widely spoken in these parts than Afrikaans. The teacher jumped right into things and started teaching us basic conversations (which I then immediately forget when I hear people speaking Zulu). It is very different from the way I learned Latin, like with learning declensions and verb tenses, etc. I think it will be difficult but definitely worth it. Luckily there are other international students to practice with and if I'm really brave, native Zulu speakers to practice with on my floor. I have Zulu a whopping 6 times a week, with one class being a double period (counts as 2), one tutorial, and one language lab time.
Next I have the dilemma class. I successfully auditioned for the African Music and Dance Ensemble class and have now attended two classes of it. After the initial audition, we had to audition again in the first class to show the new teacher what we could do. After watching the other students, who were not as I had been told at the same level as me, but instead skilled in African dance, I was mortified. It didn't take me long to notice that I was also the only non-African in the class. The other international students are in the African Music and Dance class, which focuses more on dancing than the ensemble class.
I sang a little something and bent my knees in sync with a drum beat for the second time. I didn't know what to think but I ducked back into the classroom after and the teacher told me that I was fine. I don't know how that's possible but I guess I demonstrated the ability to keep a beat and a desire to learn? Anyways, the teacher is from the DRC and speaks mostly French. I was very nervous for class today because I had no idea what we were going to do. He taught us some of a song and a dance and to my great joy I was able to keep up! I was totally doing it! I danced around in the circle with everyone else and even held my own when we danced in smaller groups of four. I had a great time in the class but it also might be my last class there. The ensemble only counts as 8 credits here, so only 2 at AU. That's like half a class. My credit total is only at 14, which doesn't fulfil my scholarship requirements. I'm looking for another 8 credit class to add, so I'd have 16 credits, but if I can't find one that works, I'll have to drop the class and pick up African Politics, which I have been attending just in case. This makes my days very full and confusing.
My last class is a Religion class about religion, morals and modernity. It is about how religion and modernity effect and influence eachother, as well as the changing roles of morals, particularly in the South African setting. This also seems very interesting to me and like most of my classes, has some of the other international students in it.
Overall I'm finding all my classes to be very compelling. Hopefully I will be able to decide whether to keep the music classes or the politics class really soon so I can stop stressing and attending both.
Being surrounded by the other students these past few days has shown me that UKZN does really live up to it's diverse reputation. I don't think I've ever seen such a diverse student body. There are international students like me from Europe and America, international students from other African countries, white South Africans, Indian South Africans, people in long traditional garments, women in head scarves, everything. I think it's great how no one truly stands out or blends in.
I want to thank everyone who commented on my first blog post! It was so great to read all the comments. I feel so loved and connected with everyone! Your words of support and encouragement were very appreciated.
Aunt Trish- I think it's great that you want to know how it smells here too! There are tons of different smells! In downtown Durban, it smells alot like car exhaust because there is alot of traffic and the public transportation is buses and vans that are everywhere. The ocean smells like it does at home, and if I'm there it smells like sunscreen. People cook here with lots of Indian spices so there is often a curry smell in the air!
I hope everything is going well with everyone wherever they are as well.
I'm taking four classes, a normal courseload here. I have Environmental Philosophy and Ethics, which seems really great so far. The professor is really cool. He has long hair and wears Keens and cool patterned shirts. He might by philosophy's equivalent of a green hippy, which would be awesome. The class is mostly discussions but is pretty big also which will make things a little difficult in that sense. I look forward to it though.
My next class is Beginner Zulu for non-native speakers. Zulu is the African language most commonly spoken in this area, the KwaZulu-Natal province. I've heard that something like 80% of students here speak Zulu. It is much more widely spoken in these parts than Afrikaans. The teacher jumped right into things and started teaching us basic conversations (which I then immediately forget when I hear people speaking Zulu). It is very different from the way I learned Latin, like with learning declensions and verb tenses, etc. I think it will be difficult but definitely worth it. Luckily there are other international students to practice with and if I'm really brave, native Zulu speakers to practice with on my floor. I have Zulu a whopping 6 times a week, with one class being a double period (counts as 2), one tutorial, and one language lab time.
Next I have the dilemma class. I successfully auditioned for the African Music and Dance Ensemble class and have now attended two classes of it. After the initial audition, we had to audition again in the first class to show the new teacher what we could do. After watching the other students, who were not as I had been told at the same level as me, but instead skilled in African dance, I was mortified. It didn't take me long to notice that I was also the only non-African in the class. The other international students are in the African Music and Dance class, which focuses more on dancing than the ensemble class.
I sang a little something and bent my knees in sync with a drum beat for the second time. I didn't know what to think but I ducked back into the classroom after and the teacher told me that I was fine. I don't know how that's possible but I guess I demonstrated the ability to keep a beat and a desire to learn? Anyways, the teacher is from the DRC and speaks mostly French. I was very nervous for class today because I had no idea what we were going to do. He taught us some of a song and a dance and to my great joy I was able to keep up! I was totally doing it! I danced around in the circle with everyone else and even held my own when we danced in smaller groups of four. I had a great time in the class but it also might be my last class there. The ensemble only counts as 8 credits here, so only 2 at AU. That's like half a class. My credit total is only at 14, which doesn't fulfil my scholarship requirements. I'm looking for another 8 credit class to add, so I'd have 16 credits, but if I can't find one that works, I'll have to drop the class and pick up African Politics, which I have been attending just in case. This makes my days very full and confusing.
My last class is a Religion class about religion, morals and modernity. It is about how religion and modernity effect and influence eachother, as well as the changing roles of morals, particularly in the South African setting. This also seems very interesting to me and like most of my classes, has some of the other international students in it.
Overall I'm finding all my classes to be very compelling. Hopefully I will be able to decide whether to keep the music classes or the politics class really soon so I can stop stressing and attending both.
Being surrounded by the other students these past few days has shown me that UKZN does really live up to it's diverse reputation. I don't think I've ever seen such a diverse student body. There are international students like me from Europe and America, international students from other African countries, white South Africans, Indian South Africans, people in long traditional garments, women in head scarves, everything. I think it's great how no one truly stands out or blends in.
I want to thank everyone who commented on my first blog post! It was so great to read all the comments. I feel so loved and connected with everyone! Your words of support and encouragement were very appreciated.
Aunt Trish- I think it's great that you want to know how it smells here too! There are tons of different smells! In downtown Durban, it smells alot like car exhaust because there is alot of traffic and the public transportation is buses and vans that are everywhere. The ocean smells like it does at home, and if I'm there it smells like sunscreen. People cook here with lots of Indian spices so there is often a curry smell in the air!
I hope everything is going well with everyone wherever they are as well.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
This is at the flea market in downtown Durban. Notice the blue sky and palm trees.
Suncoast beach. 
A view of the port area of Durban from the front side of campus. A very nice view to have everyday.
This is my room! I took this standing on my bed and it's the best view of the whole room, demonstrating it's size as well. On the other walls I have some photos up as well. 
This is right outside my dorm!
Hello!
Hello Everyone!
I'm sorry if I've been seriously missing these past two weeks that I have been in South Africa. There has been alot to do to settle in and get ready for classes, as well as lots to see and do otherwise. Unlike at AU, there is no wireless in the dorms, not that I was expecting it. I can use the computer lab on campus with my student id (which took several days to procure) or I can use my laptop in the library. Facebook, however, is blocked until 6 pm, so I have only been on it once in the last two weeks, because in the evening, I eat and make attempts to be social in real life. In short, there are things to work around for updating everyone and posting pictures, but now that classes are starting, I should be online more regularly. Don't expect me on Facebook or AIM alot, but I should be able to blog frequently and add pictures when I can. Feel free to email me if I don't seem to be getting back on Facebook.
Anyways, now that that is disclaimer is out of the way, things have been going well so far. I will have been here for two weeks this Tuesday. Rather than try go back to all those days, I think I will just post the updates that I sent my parents through email, which talk about what I've been doing and feeling thus far.
This is the first one, from Jan. 29, two days after I arrived.
Hello from UKZN!
I am finally online after a lot of finagling here at the library. I am able to access my email and my AIM but I am not able to get to Facebook. Today was the second day of international student orientation. We were spoken to about many of the different aspects of campus, such as their version of the Student Health Center, Counseling services, the HIV/AIDS Center, and Safety. Some students seemed annoyed that we had to sit and listen but I was very grateful for the information nonetheless. There were many more international students present today. There is a contingent of American students that came through one program called InterStudy, they are nice but a little tight-knit already. There are also two more American students who recently arrived. One’s name is Megan Kerr! She is from Philly and claims 100% Irish heritage. She even has dual citizenship. In total there are more Americans than students from other countries. There are 14 of us I think which is somewhat of a comfort.
After the talks we went to the pool and the “underwater clubhouse.” There we learned more about all the different sport clubs being offered. I have given my information to do the underwater club, what we would call scuba-diving! You can take a class and get your certification and borrow most equipment. It is expensive in rand (South African currency- 10 rand is about 1 dollar) but it will be so much cheaper than getting it at home. They also take you on a few diving trips! Apparently South Africa is one of the top 10 dive spots! I also want to join the residents soccer club. After the sports talk we had a breei (sp?) which is kind of like a bbq. There were like Italian sausages and sodas. Down by the underwater club (which is a pretty happening/crazy place) I saw two monkeys on campus! Apparently that is not unusual at all. It was awesome. There are also these birds called ibis’s which are big and pretty but very loud in the mornings.
I am still not able to sleep well at night, however. It is always so loud. I have noticed that most of the European students, Indians, and white South Africans do not live on campus. It kind of has a bad rap. There are no other American or European students in my residential area so far. The Norwegians I met today live off campus because it is apparently safer. AU however requires me to live on campus… Hopefully I will get used to the noise and the strange voices speaking Zulu at night. I will just always lock myself in and lock my window at night. I am still unsure and alternate between feeling good and bad about safety in the city, depending on who I talk to. I might be going into the city this evening with some people who have been. I will just have to be very careful.
This one from Feb. 1
Yesterday I got to the beach finally. We went to an area of North Beach called Suncoast. It is called that because of the Suncoast hotel and casino and shopping area there. The water was nice and warm but the waves are stronger here. It's like being in Delaware after a storm or something. It also tastes saltier if that is possible. I enjoyed my first dip in the Indian Ocean.
I decided to go to the flea market today. We caught the public trans down there and then walked around to the different stands. I wish I could take more pictures but I have been warned not to advertise that you are carrying a camera, so I only take a few here and there in nice places. I bought a nice bracelet with small colorful glass beads of different shapes and sizes that wraps around your wrist. I also got a navy blue cloth headband, hoping to tame the mane a little better. There were so many stands that we didn't get to go to them all because it was sooo hot again. We then took another van to an area with a shopping place called Musgrave. It took us a long time to find the right corner where these vans come but we didn't have any problems on the streets, it just feels a little uncomfortable after a while because of all the warnings we've received. At Musgrave I bought some cute plastic plates and a glass as well as some more groceries so now I have some frozen breaded chicken breasts, and lots of fresh veggies and yogurt to mix in with my non-perishables. I am still getting used to travelling around with people I don't know too well and seeing how everyone's mannerisms and attention to time match up....if you know what I mean.
The last from Feb. 6, after I went on a trip to Port Shepstone with 9 other international students, all girls.
My trip to Port Shepstone was a great first trip, I think. It's important, but difficult, when travelling with a big group to really take in each experience for yourself and have your best time. I was with 9 girls so sometimes things were a little complicated but I had a great time. The area is really nice. It is more like a quiet town than the city of Durban, which was really nice. The backpackers (hostel) that we stayed in was awesome! Many of the walls had beautiful beach murals on them, there pet dogs and cats, a roof deck, a bar, and sitting and cooking areas. It was a five minute walk to the beach and to a small family-owned superette. We arrived early in the morning our first day there, so we spent most of the rest of the day at the local beach, Umzumbe Beach. The man who paints the murals at the hostel took us down there and showed us a nice place to snorkel! It wasn't a coral reef or anything but I saw a few different kinds of fish and enjoyed floating and breathing in the warm, clear water. Another plus- we were the only ones on the beach except for the occasional local. I found some nice sea glass and shells as well. We ate dinner with the other backpackers- you can pitch in and eat community-style there. I slept in a teepee (in Africa?) that was really nice and had raised beds and bedding provided. The second day we went to the Oribi Gorge. The backpackers also have a large van (called the Volksie Lady) that they can transport you in and they include the drive fee with the entrance fee to the various parks and reserves. I would suggest googling the Oribi Gorge and Youtubing the Gorge swing (the highest in the world), Mom said she found some good stuff. I didn't do the swing but I did horseback ride for over an hour around the gorge for a meer USD $20. It was really nice and the instructor taught us how to trot on the horse by the end. He also let us get off twice to take pictures and watch two of our girls swing. I have some amazing photos- it was a beautiful place. We got back in the van and went to the Lake Eland Game Reserve. It is a smaller reserve but close by and inexpensive and our backpacker driver gave us sort of an impromptu safari in the van. I spotted the first giraffes from across the way! When we were close we could only see their heads and necks poking up from down a hill but it was so cool! We also got to see eland, impala, wildebeast, blessbuck, zebra, and large termite hills. My list of seen species is growing. We also had a loaf of bread that we bought for sandwiches stolen by a monkey from the hostel kitchen (which has no outside door- open air)...not kidding. There are lots of monkeys. The third day many of the girls were tired and a bit lackluster and wouldn't must to any of our (brilliant) plans, so we spent alot of time sitting around the hostel. I read up on other backpackers in their free guide books and played some ping pong. We took one walk down the local beach and then it started to rain. We ended up getting the driver to take us to Shelly Beach which has lots of shops (it's a mall, there are lots here) and we saw Bride Wars (which I had seen states side already) and got dinner. It wasn't a bad day though, and I had an awesome time overall- a good first trip.
Our Zulu trip is going to run (a bit of a scare with not enough people) but not until Feb. 20. I will be ready then though and very excited! I have worked out my class schedule now but need to do a Change of Curriculum form to add and drop some classes once lectures start. It's a beautiful day today so soon we will be heading to the beach. Tonight there is an on-campus, school-sponsored party for first year students and everyone to kick off the year (imagine that!) so I hope to be back for at least some of that.
So now that you are updated in a round about way of what I've been doing so far, I thought I'd write a bit more about where I am actually going to school- The University of KwaZulu-Natal in Durban, South Africa. The campus is truly beautiful. There are lots of jungle-type plants including some beautiful flowers that I think are called birds of paradise. There are beautiful trees, some palm trees, and giant leaves. Walking around here in the sun I feel like you can't really have a truly bad day because of your natural surroundings (I'm sure thought that I will test this theory later, I hope it holds). You can see the occasional gecko or monkey (which is so cool). At first it was very humid here and I feared that nothing would ever dry (my towel usually doesn't) but apparently that was a bit of a wet swing. It is drier now but very hot. The trips to the beach are always great for that reason. I have a hard time remembering that it is winter at home, despite everyone from home always reminding me. I have almost used an entire new bottle of sunscreen already in just 2 weeks. I haven't gotten any bad burns though, just some patchy stuff where it has rubbed off or I forgot to cover.
Almost anything you can imagine is different here though, even if it is just a little bit. For example, I would swear that the diet Coke (called Coke Light) is different, as well as the M and M's. In the dorms you have to supply your own padlock and key, or combo lock, to secure your own door. My building has the smallest rooms on campus (joy) although it is the newest (although it really can't be that new...). I have a built in bed and desk, attached to the wall, a bulletin board, a closet, and some shelves. It's small but I have gotten used to it for the most part and made it homey. The bathrooms are another difference- you have to bring in your own roll of toilet paper when you go (the school hands them out- a generous 8 rolls per month) as well as your own soap and hand towel. I missed the initial passing out of tp which was kind of a problem for a little while, but thankfully I had my Charmin to go on hand. The girls on my floor (it's all girls, then the next one is all boys) are all really nice and it is quieter on campus at night I think because classes are coming and holidays are ending.
The campus is at the top of a hill, so all the pathes through the tropical plants are stairs or sloping. My dorm is at the bottom, so I walk up mostly to the other buildings. I will be getting good exercise climbing the stairs in the heat.
I am often homesick but it's similar to when I started at AU as a freshman. It passes and I just need to keep busy. I like being around the other international students but I also need my own peace and quiet sometimes. I have to remember that I wouldn't be at home anyway right now, but down in the cold in D.C. I miss my friends at home and AU, as well as my family and take one day at a time here, but there is so much potential and learning to come, as well as amazing things to see and experience.
I'm sorry if I've been seriously missing these past two weeks that I have been in South Africa. There has been alot to do to settle in and get ready for classes, as well as lots to see and do otherwise. Unlike at AU, there is no wireless in the dorms, not that I was expecting it. I can use the computer lab on campus with my student id (which took several days to procure) or I can use my laptop in the library. Facebook, however, is blocked until 6 pm, so I have only been on it once in the last two weeks, because in the evening, I eat and make attempts to be social in real life. In short, there are things to work around for updating everyone and posting pictures, but now that classes are starting, I should be online more regularly. Don't expect me on Facebook or AIM alot, but I should be able to blog frequently and add pictures when I can. Feel free to email me if I don't seem to be getting back on Facebook.
Anyways, now that that is disclaimer is out of the way, things have been going well so far. I will have been here for two weeks this Tuesday. Rather than try go back to all those days, I think I will just post the updates that I sent my parents through email, which talk about what I've been doing and feeling thus far.
This is the first one, from Jan. 29, two days after I arrived.
Hello from UKZN!
I am finally online after a lot of finagling here at the library. I am able to access my email and my AIM but I am not able to get to Facebook. Today was the second day of international student orientation. We were spoken to about many of the different aspects of campus, such as their version of the Student Health Center, Counseling services, the HIV/AIDS Center, and Safety. Some students seemed annoyed that we had to sit and listen but I was very grateful for the information nonetheless. There were many more international students present today. There is a contingent of American students that came through one program called InterStudy, they are nice but a little tight-knit already. There are also two more American students who recently arrived. One’s name is Megan Kerr! She is from Philly and claims 100% Irish heritage. She even has dual citizenship. In total there are more Americans than students from other countries. There are 14 of us I think which is somewhat of a comfort.
After the talks we went to the pool and the “underwater clubhouse.” There we learned more about all the different sport clubs being offered. I have given my information to do the underwater club, what we would call scuba-diving! You can take a class and get your certification and borrow most equipment. It is expensive in rand (South African currency- 10 rand is about 1 dollar) but it will be so much cheaper than getting it at home. They also take you on a few diving trips! Apparently South Africa is one of the top 10 dive spots! I also want to join the residents soccer club. After the sports talk we had a breei (sp?) which is kind of like a bbq. There were like Italian sausages and sodas. Down by the underwater club (which is a pretty happening/crazy place) I saw two monkeys on campus! Apparently that is not unusual at all. It was awesome. There are also these birds called ibis’s which are big and pretty but very loud in the mornings.
I am still not able to sleep well at night, however. It is always so loud. I have noticed that most of the European students, Indians, and white South Africans do not live on campus. It kind of has a bad rap. There are no other American or European students in my residential area so far. The Norwegians I met today live off campus because it is apparently safer. AU however requires me to live on campus… Hopefully I will get used to the noise and the strange voices speaking Zulu at night. I will just always lock myself in and lock my window at night. I am still unsure and alternate between feeling good and bad about safety in the city, depending on who I talk to. I might be going into the city this evening with some people who have been. I will just have to be very careful.
This one from Feb. 1
Yesterday I got to the beach finally. We went to an area of North Beach called Suncoast. It is called that because of the Suncoast hotel and casino and shopping area there. The water was nice and warm but the waves are stronger here. It's like being in Delaware after a storm or something. It also tastes saltier if that is possible. I enjoyed my first dip in the Indian Ocean.
I decided to go to the flea market today. We caught the public trans down there and then walked around to the different stands. I wish I could take more pictures but I have been warned not to advertise that you are carrying a camera, so I only take a few here and there in nice places. I bought a nice bracelet with small colorful glass beads of different shapes and sizes that wraps around your wrist. I also got a navy blue cloth headband, hoping to tame the mane a little better. There were so many stands that we didn't get to go to them all because it was sooo hot again. We then took another van to an area with a shopping place called Musgrave. It took us a long time to find the right corner where these vans come but we didn't have any problems on the streets, it just feels a little uncomfortable after a while because of all the warnings we've received. At Musgrave I bought some cute plastic plates and a glass as well as some more groceries so now I have some frozen breaded chicken breasts, and lots of fresh veggies and yogurt to mix in with my non-perishables. I am still getting used to travelling around with people I don't know too well and seeing how everyone's mannerisms and attention to time match up....if you know what I mean.
The last from Feb. 6, after I went on a trip to Port Shepstone with 9 other international students, all girls.
My trip to Port Shepstone was a great first trip, I think. It's important, but difficult, when travelling with a big group to really take in each experience for yourself and have your best time. I was with 9 girls so sometimes things were a little complicated but I had a great time. The area is really nice. It is more like a quiet town than the city of Durban, which was really nice. The backpackers (hostel) that we stayed in was awesome! Many of the walls had beautiful beach murals on them, there pet dogs and cats, a roof deck, a bar, and sitting and cooking areas. It was a five minute walk to the beach and to a small family-owned superette. We arrived early in the morning our first day there, so we spent most of the rest of the day at the local beach, Umzumbe Beach. The man who paints the murals at the hostel took us down there and showed us a nice place to snorkel! It wasn't a coral reef or anything but I saw a few different kinds of fish and enjoyed floating and breathing in the warm, clear water. Another plus- we were the only ones on the beach except for the occasional local. I found some nice sea glass and shells as well. We ate dinner with the other backpackers- you can pitch in and eat community-style there. I slept in a teepee (in Africa?) that was really nice and had raised beds and bedding provided. The second day we went to the Oribi Gorge. The backpackers also have a large van (called the Volksie Lady) that they can transport you in and they include the drive fee with the entrance fee to the various parks and reserves. I would suggest googling the Oribi Gorge and Youtubing the Gorge swing (the highest in the world), Mom said she found some good stuff. I didn't do the swing but I did horseback ride for over an hour around the gorge for a meer USD $20. It was really nice and the instructor taught us how to trot on the horse by the end. He also let us get off twice to take pictures and watch two of our girls swing. I have some amazing photos- it was a beautiful place. We got back in the van and went to the Lake Eland Game Reserve. It is a smaller reserve but close by and inexpensive and our backpacker driver gave us sort of an impromptu safari in the van. I spotted the first giraffes from across the way! When we were close we could only see their heads and necks poking up from down a hill but it was so cool! We also got to see eland, impala, wildebeast, blessbuck, zebra, and large termite hills. My list of seen species is growing. We also had a loaf of bread that we bought for sandwiches stolen by a monkey from the hostel kitchen (which has no outside door- open air)...not kidding. There are lots of monkeys. The third day many of the girls were tired and a bit lackluster and wouldn't must to any of our (brilliant) plans, so we spent alot of time sitting around the hostel. I read up on other backpackers in their free guide books and played some ping pong. We took one walk down the local beach and then it started to rain. We ended up getting the driver to take us to Shelly Beach which has lots of shops (it's a mall, there are lots here) and we saw Bride Wars (which I had seen states side already) and got dinner. It wasn't a bad day though, and I had an awesome time overall- a good first trip.
Our Zulu trip is going to run (a bit of a scare with not enough people) but not until Feb. 20. I will be ready then though and very excited! I have worked out my class schedule now but need to do a Change of Curriculum form to add and drop some classes once lectures start. It's a beautiful day today so soon we will be heading to the beach. Tonight there is an on-campus, school-sponsored party for first year students and everyone to kick off the year (imagine that!) so I hope to be back for at least some of that.
So now that you are updated in a round about way of what I've been doing so far, I thought I'd write a bit more about where I am actually going to school- The University of KwaZulu-Natal in Durban, South Africa. The campus is truly beautiful. There are lots of jungle-type plants including some beautiful flowers that I think are called birds of paradise. There are beautiful trees, some palm trees, and giant leaves. Walking around here in the sun I feel like you can't really have a truly bad day because of your natural surroundings (I'm sure thought that I will test this theory later, I hope it holds). You can see the occasional gecko or monkey (which is so cool). At first it was very humid here and I feared that nothing would ever dry (my towel usually doesn't) but apparently that was a bit of a wet swing. It is drier now but very hot. The trips to the beach are always great for that reason. I have a hard time remembering that it is winter at home, despite everyone from home always reminding me. I have almost used an entire new bottle of sunscreen already in just 2 weeks. I haven't gotten any bad burns though, just some patchy stuff where it has rubbed off or I forgot to cover.
Almost anything you can imagine is different here though, even if it is just a little bit. For example, I would swear that the diet Coke (called Coke Light) is different, as well as the M and M's. In the dorms you have to supply your own padlock and key, or combo lock, to secure your own door. My building has the smallest rooms on campus (joy) although it is the newest (although it really can't be that new...). I have a built in bed and desk, attached to the wall, a bulletin board, a closet, and some shelves. It's small but I have gotten used to it for the most part and made it homey. The bathrooms are another difference- you have to bring in your own roll of toilet paper when you go (the school hands them out- a generous 8 rolls per month) as well as your own soap and hand towel. I missed the initial passing out of tp which was kind of a problem for a little while, but thankfully I had my Charmin to go on hand. The girls on my floor (it's all girls, then the next one is all boys) are all really nice and it is quieter on campus at night I think because classes are coming and holidays are ending.
The campus is at the top of a hill, so all the pathes through the tropical plants are stairs or sloping. My dorm is at the bottom, so I walk up mostly to the other buildings. I will be getting good exercise climbing the stairs in the heat.
I am often homesick but it's similar to when I started at AU as a freshman. It passes and I just need to keep busy. I like being around the other international students but I also need my own peace and quiet sometimes. I have to remember that I wouldn't be at home anyway right now, but down in the cold in D.C. I miss my friends at home and AU, as well as my family and take one day at a time here, but there is so much potential and learning to come, as well as amazing things to see and experience.
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