Well, I certainly have had better birthdays than this one... I have been pretty sick for the past 2 days with some pretty bad flu-like symptoms. The only thing I've been able to keep down are bananas, and I know that I am super dehydrated. So this morning I went to the student health clinic and the doctor gave me some nausea medication and some re-hydrating powder to mix with water. It definitely doesn't taste the best, let me tell you.... I am just hoping that tomorrow will be better for me, because tomorrow is the start of the Garden Route tour and there would be nothing worse than being sick on that!
My internet access is going to be turned off in a few hours, so I will not be able to write anymore posts until I get home, unless the places we are staying along the way have internet. Sorry! Will have to wait for pictures until next week.
Thank you to everyone who has been reading while I've been here in South Africa. It means a lot to me :)
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Monday, July 9, 2012
Swellendam weekend + more random thoughts
Swellendam was so fun and super relaxing! The bus rides were long, and it was pretty wet all weekend from the rain on Saturday, but it was still nice. We got to meet our bus driver (William) and our tour guides (Keith and Sylvia) who will be taking us on the Garden Route! And I got to have some wonderful doggy time with Luna and Tau! Well mostly Luna, she was such a sweetheart. Tau just liked to be around her daddy all weekend (hmmm.... what dog does that remind me of....). But Luna was lots of fun! She came on the ferry boat with us when we went out on the lake, she sat by us all night when we would have our bonfires (which were huge and sooooo hot), and she LOVES attention. If you stop petting her for a second, she'll paw at you until you start to pet her again. And she really loved it when we would throw rocks for her to fetch, even though she didn't actually bring them back. She would just run after them and come back, pick up another rock, and drop it in your lap. Such a smart doggy.
We had a lot of time to relax and not do much of anything, which was nice. It was really fun watching people go down the zip line, which they call a foofie slide. I didn't go, it looked a little painful, and I wanted to save that money for something else on the Garden Route. Then this morning we went to a hot springs, which was really nice and warm. Some people were party poopers and didn't want to get in the water because it was a little brown, but that was just because it was natural water coming up from the ground and wasn't treated at all. Nothing to be scared of!
Both Saturday and Sunday nights we had bonfires and Keith and Sylvia cooked us amazing meals. It was so fun having conversations with Sylvia and having William tell us stories. We all were having such a good time, we ended up staying out until after midnight each night. But through being here and spending time here, I've come to realize that time isn't as important as most people make it out to be. Being on time isn't that important here, you will just do things when you get to it, and there is never a rush.
Randoms:
I am going to have such a hard time paying for anything when I get home. Everything is so cheap here. I guess that will be a good thing though so I don't waste any money on unnecessary things!
After eating out everyday, twice a day, I am going to want to eat home cooked food for at least 2 months.... Too bad I will only have one month at home before going back to cafeteria food...
I can't believe I have to take an exam tomorrow, and that it is my birthday already.
I don't want this trip to be over next Wednesday already, but I'm also anxious to come home... It's going to be a bittersweet moment for me.
We had a lot of time to relax and not do much of anything, which was nice. It was really fun watching people go down the zip line, which they call a foofie slide. I didn't go, it looked a little painful, and I wanted to save that money for something else on the Garden Route. Then this morning we went to a hot springs, which was really nice and warm. Some people were party poopers and didn't want to get in the water because it was a little brown, but that was just because it was natural water coming up from the ground and wasn't treated at all. Nothing to be scared of!
Both Saturday and Sunday nights we had bonfires and Keith and Sylvia cooked us amazing meals. It was so fun having conversations with Sylvia and having William tell us stories. We all were having such a good time, we ended up staying out until after midnight each night. But through being here and spending time here, I've come to realize that time isn't as important as most people make it out to be. Being on time isn't that important here, you will just do things when you get to it, and there is never a rush.
Randoms:
I am going to have such a hard time paying for anything when I get home. Everything is so cheap here. I guess that will be a good thing though so I don't waste any money on unnecessary things!
After eating out everyday, twice a day, I am going to want to eat home cooked food for at least 2 months.... Too bad I will only have one month at home before going back to cafeteria food...
I can't believe I have to take an exam tomorrow, and that it is my birthday already.
I don't want this trip to be over next Wednesday already, but I'm also anxious to come home... It's going to be a bittersweet moment for me.
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Random thoughts
1. Almost every food item has either avocado or feta cheese on it, and if you're lucky, you get both!! So delicious.
2. The weather is too unpredictable. There are days when it can be a bright sunny morning with a dark and rainy afternoon.
3. Getting woken up to the national anthem yesterday was a little strange, considering July 4th is not a holiday here, but I guess they just wanted to do it for us Americans.
4. Many of the program participants drink way too much. It's fun to go out maybe once a week, but getting wasted every night, coming in at 4am, and puking in their beds is a little too much.
5. I only have 2 days left of class. Only 5 days until I turn 19. Only a week until we leave for the garden route. And almost exactly 2 weeks until I'm home.
6. After I come home, only a month until I move back to school.
7. I keep forgetting that I am going to be an RA.
8. Time is moving so fast, and there is nothing I can do about it. I guess the only thing I can do is concentrate on the now, which consists of locking myself in my room, eating pizza, and cranking out a research paper... At least most of it.
2. The weather is too unpredictable. There are days when it can be a bright sunny morning with a dark and rainy afternoon.
3. Getting woken up to the national anthem yesterday was a little strange, considering July 4th is not a holiday here, but I guess they just wanted to do it for us Americans.
4. Many of the program participants drink way too much. It's fun to go out maybe once a week, but getting wasted every night, coming in at 4am, and puking in their beds is a little too much.
5. I only have 2 days left of class. Only 5 days until I turn 19. Only a week until we leave for the garden route. And almost exactly 2 weeks until I'm home.
6. After I come home, only a month until I move back to school.
7. I keep forgetting that I am going to be an RA.
8. Time is moving so fast, and there is nothing I can do about it. I guess the only thing I can do is concentrate on the now, which consists of locking myself in my room, eating pizza, and cranking out a research paper... At least most of it.
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Building a new perspective
First day of my HIV/AIDS class and I am loving it! The lecturer is much more lively than the one last week and we're covering much more interesting material. I think the test next Tuesday is going to be pretty easy. We got through a lot of material today, and we are very much ahead of schedule, so we don't have to be in class until 11am tomorrow! Woop! It'll be nice to sleep in a little bit.
I think that this class is going to challenge a lot of my preexisting ideas about HIV, even more than it already has today. We went over a lot of statistics and biomedical facts today about what the disease actually is and who is affected by it. I am really excited to continue learning about it. On Thursday we are going to two NGO's, one that works with sex workers, and another that works with men who have sex with other men. It is going to be very interesting to see both of their perspectives and hear about what their organizations are working towards.
Yesterday's community engagement didn't really involve any other people but the summer school students. We went to a primary school in Lynedoch via train. half of us worked in the garden, weeding and digging up vegetables, while the rest of us were inside the school, cleaning windows with newspaper and water, and then sweeping and mopping. It was nice to be able to do something for a poor school and community.
I think that this class is going to challenge a lot of my preexisting ideas about HIV, even more than it already has today. We went over a lot of statistics and biomedical facts today about what the disease actually is and who is affected by it. I am really excited to continue learning about it. On Thursday we are going to two NGO's, one that works with sex workers, and another that works with men who have sex with other men. It is going to be very interesting to see both of their perspectives and hear about what their organizations are working towards.
Yesterday's community engagement didn't really involve any other people but the summer school students. We went to a primary school in Lynedoch via train. half of us worked in the garden, weeding and digging up vegetables, while the rest of us were inside the school, cleaning windows with newspaper and water, and then sweeping and mopping. It was nice to be able to do something for a poor school and community.
Sunday, July 1, 2012
Officially at the half way point
So, unfortunately we were not able to go to Table Mountain yesterday due to the weather. So me and two others wanted to go today, but it was too cloudy when we got to Cape Town so we wouldn't have been able to see anything once we got to the top... BUT! I am determined to go at some point before I leave. Otherwise I'll just have to come back!
Even though Table mountain was a no-go today, we had a very interesting experience getting to Cape Town. We took the taxi, and when I say taxi I do not mean the kind of taxi cabs we have at home. I mean a small van that 16-20 people squeeze into, constant and sudden starting and stopping, people getting off and getting on frequently, cramped spaces, and very crazy driving... We ended up being on 4 different taxis on our way into the city.
Tomorrow we are doing community service, which consists of cleaning and gardening in one of the communities close to Stellenbosch. Then on Tuesday I start my HIV/AIDS class. I am really excited for it and anxious to share the knowledge I acquire :)
It is very strange to think that half of my trip is gone already. I know that 18 days is a long time - which is all that I have left - but I know that it is going to go by so fast. Time is flying by. I only have one more class before the Garden Route! And my birthday is next Tuesday already! That hasn't even really crossed my mind that much. There is so much fun stuff coming up, which is only going to make time go even faster. I am very much enjoying my time here, but I think that I will be ready to come home when the time comes.
Even though Table mountain was a no-go today, we had a very interesting experience getting to Cape Town. We took the taxi, and when I say taxi I do not mean the kind of taxi cabs we have at home. I mean a small van that 16-20 people squeeze into, constant and sudden starting and stopping, people getting off and getting on frequently, cramped spaces, and very crazy driving... We ended up being on 4 different taxis on our way into the city.
Tomorrow we are doing community service, which consists of cleaning and gardening in one of the communities close to Stellenbosch. Then on Tuesday I start my HIV/AIDS class. I am really excited for it and anxious to share the knowledge I acquire :)
It is very strange to think that half of my trip is gone already. I know that 18 days is a long time - which is all that I have left - but I know that it is going to go by so fast. Time is flying by. I only have one more class before the Garden Route! And my birthday is next Tuesday already! That hasn't even really crossed my mind that much. There is so much fun stuff coming up, which is only going to make time go even faster. I am very much enjoying my time here, but I think that I will be ready to come home when the time comes.
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