Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Thursday, July 15, 2010
FINALLY internet access!
So I was able to hook up to the wireless internet at my school (thankfully), so here is what I have been up to!
7/9
Today was our last day of classes at UCT. I was very interested in this day because we had two principals come in and I want to be a principal eventually. It was very interesting learning about the different types of problems the schools have and how they are surprising similar to problems in the US. (think funding).
We had some cancellations so we got to go to the District 6 Museum. District 6 started out as a very culturally diverse place. Many races lived together and their cultures mixed peacefully. A lot of excellent music came from District 6. Then in 1966 it was declared an all white area and everyone was forced out and relocated. Most of the homes were destroyed. It has been very interesting learning about South Africa's history and we are very lucky to talk to people who experienced apartheid and are willing to talk to us about it.
After our final presentation at UCT we headed to North Pine (I think Lutheran) Church for dinner, games and traditional African dancing... what a riot! It was one of the best nights so far. For dinner we had a traditional meal called potjie, think seafood stew- calimari, prawns, crab, and mussels. It was good, but I don't think I would order it at a restaurant. We had some singers perform for us and then we played some circle game that involved running. Finally it was time for some dancing! We were taught a traditional dance (called gumboot?) as well as the dance to "Waka Waka" by Shakira. In between our dance lessons we just had one big dance party. IT was so much fun! It was awesome to be able to bond with everyone and just relax.
7/10
This morning we got to sleep in, it was wonderful!
We traveled two hours to Hermanus, along the way we got Magnum Ice Cream bars and it is a shame they don't sell them in the US. SO GOOD.
We are staying at a travelers lodge called Zoete Inval. Its cute, but I dont like it. Its cold.
We had some time before dinner to shop/eat/drink/explore before dinner so a bunch of us found a little bar called Zebra Crossing. It was cute! Very small but everyone was very nice in there. And randomly a guy (who I'm hoping worked there) brought out a boa constrictor.
For dinner we went to a restaurant called Deer Hunters Lodge, this was the 1st meal I didn't really care for. They jsut put some weird cheese sauce on it. But all was well because after dinner a bunch of us decided to go to a disco.. aka dance club, called Bojangles (yes I know). It was a lot of fun even though they pretty much played loud techno music all night.
7/11
Today we traveled down to Cape Arugulas to see a cool lighthouse and go to the Southernmost tip of Africa. For lunch I had a yellowfish meal. I never really ate fish until I got here but I'm starting to become a fan. After lunch I went up to the top of the lighthouse with a few people. Once again we got to see an amazing view of the ocean. I seriously still cannot get over the view.
The Southernmost tip is the most south you can go in Africa, it is also where the Indian and Atlantic ocean meet. We took a lot of cool pictures and found some seashells and rocks. Every the science nerd- all my pockets were filled with rocks.
We went to the most yummy place ever for dinner called Fusion in Hermanus. We watched the closing ceremonies for the World Cup as well as the final game where Spain won 1-0.
Friday, July 9, 2010
This is for Africa!
7/7
This morning for breakfast we had chicken bites, aka chicken nuggets along with the usual breakfast foods. It has been fun trying new foods with every meal- even breakfast!
After breakfast it was back to UCT for more class/presentations. No one was really looking forward to it because we were all so exhausted, but it turned out to be a good day. A few of our guest lecturers canceled so we got a chance to talk to Corvell and ask questions. He told us a little about his experiences in school and with apartheid. We all really appreciated this because it was the first time so far we had gotten to talk to someone in person about their own experiences. It was so interesting hearing his stories because I know we all looked at him as our teacher/mentor/leader. Sometimes when you look at a person like that you forget that they have a past and a life outside of that role.
After lunch we walked around the UCT campus, it looks like an old school with ivy covered buildings, similar to MSU. The campus overlooks Cape Town and the view is spectactular (as it is everywhere). MSU has a beautiful campus so it is hard for me to be jealous of the students at UCT. We went on a little hike (apparently in preparation for our climb down Table Mountain tomorrow) to the Rhodes memorial/monument. Rhodes was the first gov. of Cape Town. Again, what a view! I still can't get over it.
Back to the classroom for more lectures. This one was about a testing system used in schools in Cape Town. It was funny watching people try to stay awake (even though I guess I shouldn't be talking...).
Tonight was our last night having dinner at the church. Lamb, mixed veggies, roasted potatoes, and stir fry.. ice cream for dessert!
Then a relaxing night at Deo Gratia.
7/8
Today we climbed (down) Table Mountain! What a challenge!
We took the cable car up to the top. The highest part is over 1000 meters (you do the conversion). We had some time to look around and take pictures (I promise I'm trying as hard as I can to upload some, but you might have to wait until August...). After a quick lunch we began our climb down. At first we were all amazed by the view (no surprise there) but that changed quickly as the challenge of the path and the heat got to us. I made it down in 2 hours and 20 minutes, I think the fastest person in our group was 1 hour and 55 minutes. It was a challenge but I would do it again, not tomorrow, but again. Maybe up next time?
We were supposed to have dinner at Deo Gratia at 6 pm, but since we were on South African time, we sat down to eat at 8:45! Oh man... The owners of Deo Gratia wanted to make us a South African meal so we had snoek braai (barbeque, meaning grilled). It was yummy! We also had roasted sweet potatoes and garlic rolls. YUM! We all just sat around with Corvell's family and had a good time.
This morning for breakfast we had chicken bites, aka chicken nuggets along with the usual breakfast foods. It has been fun trying new foods with every meal- even breakfast!
After breakfast it was back to UCT for more class/presentations. No one was really looking forward to it because we were all so exhausted, but it turned out to be a good day. A few of our guest lecturers canceled so we got a chance to talk to Corvell and ask questions. He told us a little about his experiences in school and with apartheid. We all really appreciated this because it was the first time so far we had gotten to talk to someone in person about their own experiences. It was so interesting hearing his stories because I know we all looked at him as our teacher/mentor/leader. Sometimes when you look at a person like that you forget that they have a past and a life outside of that role.
After lunch we walked around the UCT campus, it looks like an old school with ivy covered buildings, similar to MSU. The campus overlooks Cape Town and the view is spectactular (as it is everywhere). MSU has a beautiful campus so it is hard for me to be jealous of the students at UCT. We went on a little hike (apparently in preparation for our climb down Table Mountain tomorrow) to the Rhodes memorial/monument. Rhodes was the first gov. of Cape Town. Again, what a view! I still can't get over it.
Back to the classroom for more lectures. This one was about a testing system used in schools in Cape Town. It was funny watching people try to stay awake (even though I guess I shouldn't be talking...).
Tonight was our last night having dinner at the church. Lamb, mixed veggies, roasted potatoes, and stir fry.. ice cream for dessert!
Then a relaxing night at Deo Gratia.
7/8
Today we climbed (down) Table Mountain! What a challenge!
We took the cable car up to the top. The highest part is over 1000 meters (you do the conversion). We had some time to look around and take pictures (I promise I'm trying as hard as I can to upload some, but you might have to wait until August...). After a quick lunch we began our climb down. At first we were all amazed by the view (no surprise there) but that changed quickly as the challenge of the path and the heat got to us. I made it down in 2 hours and 20 minutes, I think the fastest person in our group was 1 hour and 55 minutes. It was a challenge but I would do it again, not tomorrow, but again. Maybe up next time?
We were supposed to have dinner at Deo Gratia at 6 pm, but since we were on South African time, we sat down to eat at 8:45! Oh man... The owners of Deo Gratia wanted to make us a South African meal so we had snoek braai (barbeque, meaning grilled). It was yummy! We also had roasted sweet potatoes and garlic rolls. YUM! We all just sat around with Corvell's family and had a good time.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Love from South Africa
7/4
Happy 4th of July!
After breakfast today we piled into the vans and went on a pennisula tour of the western cape. Today was the prettiest day of all. We really go to see some amazing scenary. It is so beautiful here, it is hard to believe a place like this really exists. I have never seen anything like it.
First stop was signal hill, which is right text to table mountain, over looking all of Cape Town. I had seen pictures over looking the city from this spot and now I got to see it in person, it was just incredible. I got some awesome pictures of the town, including the stadium, and the ocean.
We go to stop at a little market area for some more bargaining and shopping. I got the most amazing giraffe (of course) statue for less than 20 U.S. dollars, it would have probably been around 60 if I bought it back at home.
Lunch was at a place called Fish on the Rocks (I think) in Hout Bay. I ordered snoek (pronounced snook) and chips. It was a very boney fish but I really enjoyed it.
Next was Boulders Beach. Here it where we saw the penguins and Leonardo Dicaprio. It was funny actually on the way there.. there was a "baboon alert." There were baboons on the side of the road and there were gaurds protecting them from the people and other cars. It was kind of funny!
After the penguins and Leo, it was off to Hoek Bay to play in the ocean. This was the first time I had ever seen the Indian Ocean, let alone play in it. I found a couple shells and hopefully can bring them back without breaking them. We got some ice cream while we were there, just a simple soft serve vanilla chocolate twist, but it still tasted different, good, but different.
7/5
For breakfast today we had porriage, I actually liked it!
Today was our actual first day of class at UCT. Its funny because we are only taking four classes and are getting masters credit for it. Its actually pretty awesome. At UCT we did our presentations that we had made before we left. Dr. Soudien was our guest lecturer of the day, so after presentations and lunch he gave us a presentation about young people and education in South Africa. We were all pretty exhausted and it was hard to pay attention but I enjoyed learning about South Africa and its past and present.
7/6
Today was an amazing and emotional day.
First of all I finally got to move into Deo Gratia.
At UCT we met with Jonathan Jansen, he wrote a book we were required to read called Knowledge in the Blood and he is a big name when it comes to big changes regarding race and education in this country. Actually, we were told recently that people want him to become president. He was one of the most inspiring men I had ever met. I learned a lot from him and his experiences. He forced us to question our beliefs and put us in difficult situations with hard questions to answer.
He signed our books and took individual pictures with all of us. His lecture was one of the best I had ever sat through.
After lunch we met with a group that works to support teaching in regards to teaching about apartheid. It is very hard for teachers to teach about it, even though it had been 16 years since apartheid ended, because there is still so much racism everywhere, including the school system.
Once our lectures were over, we had dinner at the church again. Then some people went to a bar to watch the soccer game then a bunch of us went home. We just relaxed, had some drinks, and played games. It was nice to have a relaxing night!
Happy 4th of July!
After breakfast today we piled into the vans and went on a pennisula tour of the western cape. Today was the prettiest day of all. We really go to see some amazing scenary. It is so beautiful here, it is hard to believe a place like this really exists. I have never seen anything like it.
First stop was signal hill, which is right text to table mountain, over looking all of Cape Town. I had seen pictures over looking the city from this spot and now I got to see it in person, it was just incredible. I got some awesome pictures of the town, including the stadium, and the ocean.
We go to stop at a little market area for some more bargaining and shopping. I got the most amazing giraffe (of course) statue for less than 20 U.S. dollars, it would have probably been around 60 if I bought it back at home.
Lunch was at a place called Fish on the Rocks (I think) in Hout Bay. I ordered snoek (pronounced snook) and chips. It was a very boney fish but I really enjoyed it.
Next was Boulders Beach. Here it where we saw the penguins and Leonardo Dicaprio. It was funny actually on the way there.. there was a "baboon alert." There were baboons on the side of the road and there were gaurds protecting them from the people and other cars. It was kind of funny!
After the penguins and Leo, it was off to Hoek Bay to play in the ocean. This was the first time I had ever seen the Indian Ocean, let alone play in it. I found a couple shells and hopefully can bring them back without breaking them. We got some ice cream while we were there, just a simple soft serve vanilla chocolate twist, but it still tasted different, good, but different.
7/5
For breakfast today we had porriage, I actually liked it!
Today was our actual first day of class at UCT. Its funny because we are only taking four classes and are getting masters credit for it. Its actually pretty awesome. At UCT we did our presentations that we had made before we left. Dr. Soudien was our guest lecturer of the day, so after presentations and lunch he gave us a presentation about young people and education in South Africa. We were all pretty exhausted and it was hard to pay attention but I enjoyed learning about South Africa and its past and present.
7/6
Today was an amazing and emotional day.
First of all I finally got to move into Deo Gratia.
At UCT we met with Jonathan Jansen, he wrote a book we were required to read called Knowledge in the Blood and he is a big name when it comes to big changes regarding race and education in this country. Actually, we were told recently that people want him to become president. He was one of the most inspiring men I had ever met. I learned a lot from him and his experiences. He forced us to question our beliefs and put us in difficult situations with hard questions to answer.
He signed our books and took individual pictures with all of us. His lecture was one of the best I had ever sat through.
After lunch we met with a group that works to support teaching in regards to teaching about apartheid. It is very hard for teachers to teach about it, even though it had been 16 years since apartheid ended, because there is still so much racism everywhere, including the school system.
Once our lectures were over, we had dinner at the church again. Then some people went to a bar to watch the soccer game then a bunch of us went home. We just relaxed, had some drinks, and played games. It was nice to have a relaxing night!
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
FINALLY able to post about my life in South Africa!
Okay, so I finally have more than 5 minutes at a computer... so here is a day-to-day update of everything I have done since my arrival.
Just a few things in case you you are unaware of the people I am with...
There are 23 students on this trip, 21 girls and 2 guys. We have two group leaders, Corvell, who is a resident of Cape Town, and also Lansing, and Cheryl who is also from MSU. We have two drivers, Dayle, who is Corvell's son and Johnny a friend of Corvell.
6/30
We arrived at Cape Town right on time. We all got through customs without problems.. I actually think one of the girls got a marriage proposal.
Corvell greeted us at the airport and then drove us to the U.S. embassy aka. McDonalds, to get something to eat. Yes, our first South African meal was from McDonalds haha. We drove through a town called Bellville and are currently staying in a twon called Durbanville, very close to Cape Town. Half of our group is staying at a guest house called Deo Gratia and the other half (including me) is staying at a placed called The Lapa. We had already been assigned beds, we figured this out when we walked in our rooms and had gifts waiting for us :) They had made us soccer jerseys (similar to the South African jerseys) with MSU Study Abroad Cape Town 2010 on the front and our names on the back. They also gave us a bracelet that said South Africa on it and a post card welcoming us. It was very nice to be greeted this way.
7/1
They warned us how cold the nights were going to be. Of course I wasn't listening and learned the hard way haha. So yes, I will be wearing socks to bed from now on. I had a hard time sleeping last night because roosters were crowing all night so I kept waking up.
So we had breakfast at Deo Gratia as a whole group then set out to a mall called Tyger Valley. This mall was huge and really nice. It had a movie theater and a bowling alley. We exchanged money here... it was about 7.5 Rand to 1 U.S. Dollar. We then had lunch at a place called Dros.
After eating, two friends and I walked over to some street vendors and had our 1st bargaining experience. It was really fun!
We went to a place called Spier that had a Cheetah Outreach thing. Some people could pay 100 Rand to pet a Cheetah, I didn't do it this time because it was taking forever and we are going to do it again later with baby cheetahs :) So I went to a close restaurant with some people and had some yummy South African wine. The restaurant was pretty cool, it had a gravel floor (it was outdoor) which for some reason reminded me of Jen.
One of the coolest thing about being here so far is driving around. First of all the view is breathtaking and absolutely stunning. Also you drive on the other side of the street! It was scary the first time being in the car, everything is backwards.
7/2
After breakfast we drove into Cape Town. I still cannot get over this view! We drove down to the Waterfront, which is kind of like a downtown area. We took a ferry over to Robben Island. Robben Island is a very interesting and emotional place with such a unique and deep history. I don't exactly feel like typing everything I learned there right now, so ask me and I will tell you later. Something that most people know about Robben Island is that it was home to a prison where political leaders were imprisioned, this includes Nelson Mandela, the first president when South Africa became a democracy. Our tour guide of the prison was a man named Sparks. He is an ex-political prisoner who was actually held on Robben Island. He took us around the prison and showed us Nelson Mandela's cell. He also showed us his cell where he was held. It was a very emotional place and I just felt numb as I listened to his story. After his tour we took a bus tour of the rest of the island. It was very interesting and I learned a ton.
After Robben Island we went back to the Waterfront to watch the World Cup games and it was jammin! I was very surprised of the shift of mood from just a few hours. It was amazing the vibe out there. So at the Water front they had a big screen set up to watch the game.. it was pretty cool. We had gotten there an hour before the game started and the place was already nuts. Two girls and I were stopped by a news crew. They asked us things like where we were from and who we were cheering for today. At the end they had us say something in a different language and blow a kiss. I have no idea what country this was for but the name of the station was MBC.
This view at the water front was amazing, just like it is everywhere. You could watch the game on the big screen with the mountains in the background and the harbor area right next to you. It was awesome. Dayle took some of us to a bar across the street because it was hard to see, it was a lot of fun. The drinking age is 18 here and it was very strange not getting carded, even though Corvell says they don't really card anyone anyway. We had dinner at a restaurant called Spur. We watched the Uraguay vs. Ghana game at the bar we were at before and then went home.
What a long and interesting day! I learned so much and experienced things that are once in a lifetime opportunities. I am still homesick but am very happy to be here. I am making many new friends and having an awesome time. Everything had just been incredible.
7/3
We went to a very cool Afrikaans Language Monument. South Africa has a very diverse and rich history in the language department and this monument was designed to honor that. I had a camera accident and was very upset but the lovely Erin (her blog is linked to mine) was able to fix it. :)
Next was wine farm time. Yes, wine farm. We stopped at one called Vrede en Lust. It was beautiful. I couldn't believe it. We got to have a free wine tasting at the most beautiful wine farm I had ever seen at the foot of a mountain.. no big deal. We also got to try the #1 wine in the country right now. It has won a lot of awards in SA and even in the US.
After the wine tasting, it was back to the waterfront to watch the Germany vs. Argentina game. We got to go to street vendors beforehand. It was so much fun bargaining! I bought a couple of South Africa scarves and 3 vuvuzelas- which are awesome by the way, I'm obsessed. After some shopping it was time for the fan walk. I have no idea what to compare this too, I have nothing. It was awesome. There was so many people there just celebrating and having an awesome time.
I got a video of the crowds reaction when Germany won. It was so cool. I love the passion of everyone here.
Just a few things in case you you are unaware of the people I am with...
There are 23 students on this trip, 21 girls and 2 guys. We have two group leaders, Corvell, who is a resident of Cape Town, and also Lansing, and Cheryl who is also from MSU. We have two drivers, Dayle, who is Corvell's son and Johnny a friend of Corvell.
6/30
We arrived at Cape Town right on time. We all got through customs without problems.. I actually think one of the girls got a marriage proposal.
Corvell greeted us at the airport and then drove us to the U.S. embassy aka. McDonalds, to get something to eat. Yes, our first South African meal was from McDonalds haha. We drove through a town called Bellville and are currently staying in a twon called Durbanville, very close to Cape Town. Half of our group is staying at a guest house called Deo Gratia and the other half (including me) is staying at a placed called The Lapa. We had already been assigned beds, we figured this out when we walked in our rooms and had gifts waiting for us :) They had made us soccer jerseys (similar to the South African jerseys) with MSU Study Abroad Cape Town 2010 on the front and our names on the back. They also gave us a bracelet that said South Africa on it and a post card welcoming us. It was very nice to be greeted this way.
7/1
They warned us how cold the nights were going to be. Of course I wasn't listening and learned the hard way haha. So yes, I will be wearing socks to bed from now on. I had a hard time sleeping last night because roosters were crowing all night so I kept waking up.
So we had breakfast at Deo Gratia as a whole group then set out to a mall called Tyger Valley. This mall was huge and really nice. It had a movie theater and a bowling alley. We exchanged money here... it was about 7.5 Rand to 1 U.S. Dollar. We then had lunch at a place called Dros.
After eating, two friends and I walked over to some street vendors and had our 1st bargaining experience. It was really fun!
We went to a place called Spier that had a Cheetah Outreach thing. Some people could pay 100 Rand to pet a Cheetah, I didn't do it this time because it was taking forever and we are going to do it again later with baby cheetahs :) So I went to a close restaurant with some people and had some yummy South African wine. The restaurant was pretty cool, it had a gravel floor (it was outdoor) which for some reason reminded me of Jen.
One of the coolest thing about being here so far is driving around. First of all the view is breathtaking and absolutely stunning. Also you drive on the other side of the street! It was scary the first time being in the car, everything is backwards.
7/2
After breakfast we drove into Cape Town. I still cannot get over this view! We drove down to the Waterfront, which is kind of like a downtown area. We took a ferry over to Robben Island. Robben Island is a very interesting and emotional place with such a unique and deep history. I don't exactly feel like typing everything I learned there right now, so ask me and I will tell you later. Something that most people know about Robben Island is that it was home to a prison where political leaders were imprisioned, this includes Nelson Mandela, the first president when South Africa became a democracy. Our tour guide of the prison was a man named Sparks. He is an ex-political prisoner who was actually held on Robben Island. He took us around the prison and showed us Nelson Mandela's cell. He also showed us his cell where he was held. It was a very emotional place and I just felt numb as I listened to his story. After his tour we took a bus tour of the rest of the island. It was very interesting and I learned a ton.
After Robben Island we went back to the Waterfront to watch the World Cup games and it was jammin! I was very surprised of the shift of mood from just a few hours. It was amazing the vibe out there. So at the Water front they had a big screen set up to watch the game.. it was pretty cool. We had gotten there an hour before the game started and the place was already nuts. Two girls and I were stopped by a news crew. They asked us things like where we were from and who we were cheering for today. At the end they had us say something in a different language and blow a kiss. I have no idea what country this was for but the name of the station was MBC.
This view at the water front was amazing, just like it is everywhere. You could watch the game on the big screen with the mountains in the background and the harbor area right next to you. It was awesome. Dayle took some of us to a bar across the street because it was hard to see, it was a lot of fun. The drinking age is 18 here and it was very strange not getting carded, even though Corvell says they don't really card anyone anyway. We had dinner at a restaurant called Spur. We watched the Uraguay vs. Ghana game at the bar we were at before and then went home.
What a long and interesting day! I learned so much and experienced things that are once in a lifetime opportunities. I am still homesick but am very happy to be here. I am making many new friends and having an awesome time. Everything had just been incredible.
7/3
We went to a very cool Afrikaans Language Monument. South Africa has a very diverse and rich history in the language department and this monument was designed to honor that. I had a camera accident and was very upset but the lovely Erin (her blog is linked to mine) was able to fix it. :)
Next was wine farm time. Yes, wine farm. We stopped at one called Vrede en Lust. It was beautiful. I couldn't believe it. We got to have a free wine tasting at the most beautiful wine farm I had ever seen at the foot of a mountain.. no big deal. We also got to try the #1 wine in the country right now. It has won a lot of awards in SA and even in the US.
After the wine tasting, it was back to the waterfront to watch the Germany vs. Argentina game. We got to go to street vendors beforehand. It was so much fun bargaining! I bought a couple of South Africa scarves and 3 vuvuzelas- which are awesome by the way, I'm obsessed. After some shopping it was time for the fan walk. I have no idea what to compare this too, I have nothing. It was awesome. There was so many people there just celebrating and having an awesome time.
I got a video of the crowds reaction when Germany won. It was so cool. I love the passion of everyone here.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Greetings From South Africa!
Hello everyone! I apologize that I haven't been able to post on here yet, the place where I am staying does not have good internet. For awhile, it only had one computer and 23 people trying to use it.
I also apologize because I won't be able to give you everything we have done so far, because I am on a friends computer (Macs for some reason do not want to hook up to the wireless internet) and I do not have my journal with me. As soon as I can I promise I will give a better update, because I know you are all anxious to hear about everything I am doing.
I cannot get over how incredible this place is. The view is spectacular. I have taken many pictures of everything, but they do not do it any justice and it is hard to put into words how beautiful the scenery is. Everywhere we go you can either see the mountains or the ocean. I really wish my family and friends could see it, it is amazing.
Because of the World Cup the vibe in Cape Town is awesome and I have had the opportunity to meet people from all around the world. Apparently it is easy to tell we are American, mostly because of our accent. I was able to play a vuvuzela, and don't worry, I bought three.
Some things we have done so far: Cheetah Outreach center (some people actually got to pet a cheetah), Robben Island Museum, gone to the Waterfront (to watch the World Cup games), Wine tasting (on the side of a mountain... no big deal.), Peninsula Trip (including Boulders where we got to see penguins, and Leonardo Dicaprio!--okay maybe some explanation here, he is currently on vacation in Cape Town, he was literally standing 3 feet around us and we had no idea. I had even looked at him and it didn't register in my head that it was him. It was so bizarre, but awesome!), bargaining with street vendors, and soooo much more. Tomorrow is our first day at University of Cape Town. We will be doing presentations of a paper/power point we did before we left for the trip.
I miss everyone and wish you all could be here! I am having an amazing time and promise to give a better update when I can!
I also apologize because I won't be able to give you everything we have done so far, because I am on a friends computer (Macs for some reason do not want to hook up to the wireless internet) and I do not have my journal with me. As soon as I can I promise I will give a better update, because I know you are all anxious to hear about everything I am doing.
I cannot get over how incredible this place is. The view is spectacular. I have taken many pictures of everything, but they do not do it any justice and it is hard to put into words how beautiful the scenery is. Everywhere we go you can either see the mountains or the ocean. I really wish my family and friends could see it, it is amazing.
Because of the World Cup the vibe in Cape Town is awesome and I have had the opportunity to meet people from all around the world. Apparently it is easy to tell we are American, mostly because of our accent. I was able to play a vuvuzela, and don't worry, I bought three.
Some things we have done so far: Cheetah Outreach center (some people actually got to pet a cheetah), Robben Island Museum, gone to the Waterfront (to watch the World Cup games), Wine tasting (on the side of a mountain... no big deal.), Peninsula Trip (including Boulders where we got to see penguins, and Leonardo Dicaprio!--okay maybe some explanation here, he is currently on vacation in Cape Town, he was literally standing 3 feet around us and we had no idea. I had even looked at him and it didn't register in my head that it was him. It was so bizarre, but awesome!), bargaining with street vendors, and soooo much more. Tomorrow is our first day at University of Cape Town. We will be doing presentations of a paper/power point we did before we left for the trip.
I miss everyone and wish you all could be here! I am having an amazing time and promise to give a better update when I can!
Monday, June 28, 2010
The Beginning of a New Adventure
Well, I leave for Cape Town, South Africa today! Its going to be a loooonnnggg two days. First I believe a 7 hour flight to Amsterdam, 4 1/2 hour layover, and then I think a 13 hour (maybe less) flight to Cape Town. I'm all stocked up on books, magazines, and of course candy and snacks to help make the flight go by faster. I can't wait! I'm nervous but still very excited.
Just wanted to say thank you to all of my family and friends who helped me get here. I promise to keep you all updated with my travels and teachings in South Africa.
ps. I think I figured out how to set it so you can post comments without having a profile.. so someone try it out! Just make sure you write your name so I know who you are! Otherwise, you might have to make a profile if you want to post a comment, but it is pretty easy to do!
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