I'm about 90% packed and will be leaving for the airport in a few hours.
We had a nice dinner last night at the Roma Revolving Restaurant, it was on the 32nd floor of a building near the harbor and since it spun while you ate we had a continually changing view of the city. We stayed up pretty late talking with some of the people from the res hall, and didn't go to bed until after 1 am.
Then Gideon, Sam and I got up at about 6:15 to go out and watch the sunrise from the top of one of the tallest buildings on campus. It was pretty great.
I'm sure I'll be exhausted in a while, but I do have a very long plane right ahead of me so I guess that's ok.
Flight to Jo'burg at 2:40, flight to D.C. leaves at 5:55. About a 16 hour flight, with a stop in Senegal (I think to refuel). D.C. to Chicago, then finally Chicago to Minneapolis. I'll get in to Minneapolis around 1:30 pm (Sunday).
My cell phone will be on starting Sunday night. I'll be at Dad's for most of the week, starting my senior project at the U on Tuesday. I'll be heading to Rochester on Thursday or Friday to spend the weekend there.
Thanks for tagging along on my adventure. See you guys soon!
Friday, June 15, 2007
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
The Western Cape... in pictures
Instead of telling you all about my weekend, I'll let the pictures do the talking. Yes, there's more than just what's shown in the pictures -- but I'll be home in less than a week, and the rest can wait until then.
That's driving on the left side of the road for ya... sitting in the right side of the car.
^^It wasn't really a sex shop... just a restaurant/bar with a funny name in the middle of nowhere.
The views along our way were spectacular.
^^Standing on ostrich eggs... they can stand a lot of pressure from above (like 200 kg or something)
Fulfilled one of my African fantasies by riding an ostrich! Scary, but fun.
On the way...
... to the waterfall!
We took a tour of Cango Caves
It was called the adventure tour... because we got to make our way through tiny little tunnels
Beautiful sunset at Cape Agulhas...
a.k.a. the Southernmost tip of Africa, and the point where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet
It was a great trip... naturally there's always more I wish I could have done. But it was pretty great for only being 4 days.
That's driving on the left side of the road for ya... sitting in the right side of the car.
^^It wasn't really a sex shop... just a restaurant/bar with a funny name in the middle of nowhere.
The views along our way were spectacular.
^^Standing on ostrich eggs... they can stand a lot of pressure from above (like 200 kg or something)
Fulfilled one of my African fantasies by riding an ostrich! Scary, but fun.
On the way...
... to the waterfall!
We took a tour of Cango Caves
It was called the adventure tour... because we got to make our way through tiny little tunnels
Beautiful sunset at Cape Agulhas...
a.k.a. the Southernmost tip of Africa, and the point where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet
It was a great trip... naturally there's always more I wish I could have done. But it was pretty great for only being 4 days. Thursday, June 7, 2007
The last hoorah
With every day that passes, my mood takes a turn for the worse.
4 of the people from my group are leaving tomorrow. It's hard to think about, and it makes me sad. It won't be long before I, myself, am leaving and that saddens me as well. There are lots of things I'm looking forward to at home, I'm just not really ready to leave... or at least not ready enough to be very excited about it.
Gideon and I have decided to take one last trip because we had an overlapping break in exams. I take my last exam at 9 am tomorrow morning, and he has his last one on the 13th.
So we have plane tickets to Capetown, where we're renting a car and driving into the mountains and along the coast a bit. I'm pretty excited about it, maybe because it's one of the first trips that I've really done most of the planning for. The weather will likely be a little chilly but I think being away and experiencing a new place will help take my mind off my looming departure.
I'll have plenty of time for more reflection and updates when I get back on the 12th, as all I'll have to be doing is packing and cleaning.
For now I'm just going to try to get through my exam in the morning -- I've been studying for ages and just don't feel confident. Then I'm going to have a lovely trip and try not to think too much. Since I'll still be in South Africa I imagine that my phone will still work, though in the mountains I'm not sure if I'll have reception or not. I guess my point is if you need to talk to me you should be able to get ahold of me, but I'm not really sure. I'll be back the afternoon of the 12th either way.
Have a great weekend... and I'll see you all soon.
4 of the people from my group are leaving tomorrow. It's hard to think about, and it makes me sad. It won't be long before I, myself, am leaving and that saddens me as well. There are lots of things I'm looking forward to at home, I'm just not really ready to leave... or at least not ready enough to be very excited about it.
Gideon and I have decided to take one last trip because we had an overlapping break in exams. I take my last exam at 9 am tomorrow morning, and he has his last one on the 13th.
So we have plane tickets to Capetown, where we're renting a car and driving into the mountains and along the coast a bit. I'm pretty excited about it, maybe because it's one of the first trips that I've really done most of the planning for. The weather will likely be a little chilly but I think being away and experiencing a new place will help take my mind off my looming departure.
I'll have plenty of time for more reflection and updates when I get back on the 12th, as all I'll have to be doing is packing and cleaning.
For now I'm just going to try to get through my exam in the morning -- I've been studying for ages and just don't feel confident. Then I'm going to have a lovely trip and try not to think too much. Since I'll still be in South Africa I imagine that my phone will still work, though in the mountains I'm not sure if I'll have reception or not. I guess my point is if you need to talk to me you should be able to get ahold of me, but I'm not really sure. I'll be back the afternoon of the 12th either way.
Have a great weekend... and I'll see you all soon.
Thursday, May 31, 2007
A few of my favorites
I've completed half of my exams now, and since my next one isn't until the 6th I decided I could take some time to upload some pictures for you guys! I figured you'd most enjoy pictures from my safari... so here you go!
Having an open-air truck was nice because we had an unobstructed view. Every time I looked at our driver, Daan (the white one), I couldn't stop thinking about how much he looked like my uncle Dean! Our spotter (can't remember his name at the moment) was excellent and thanks to him we got to see some stuff that isn't normal... like a cirvil (sp?) which is like a mini cheetah.
The ostriches really liked to hang out on the airstrip. I thought they were funny to watch.
This is a sounder of warthogs... they were really cute and kept running in a pack along the road.
We thought we hit jackpot when we saw this jackal and the bird in the tree one morning. The bird looked like a vulture (but we found out it was a strangely colored Eagle) and we thought we were in for a kill... we could hear lions in the distance. That didn't turn out to be the case, but it was a neat sighting anyways.
There were tons of giraffes everywhere in the park. They're graceful and gorgeous and they were one of my favorite things to see. We were always able to get pretty close and they made me think of Trevon. One evening after our snack break, we were able to see several giraffes drinking from a waterhole... a very neat experience because they have to spread their legs out wide in order to be able to get low enough to drink -- unfortunately the lighting wasn't right for pictures.
Our elephant sighting was pretty neat as well, because we were able to drive right up in the middle of the herd. One of them put its trunk within a few inches of my face... it was a little scary. They're huge animals and I don't think pictures do them justice.
Our hippo sighting left something to be desired... they don't come out of the water much except for at night when they're feeding. They're massive animals though, and just watching them lounge in the water was quite entertaining.
We got to see this praying mantis spinning its cacoon... the guides said it's not a typical thing to get to spot.
The buffalo were amazing as well. We drove up really close to a whole herd of them on our first drive and it was cool to be so close to such huge animals.
The zebras were scattered throughout the reserve, always proving to be quite the eye candy. I never got tired of looking at them... they all look different and uniquely beautiful.
Wildebeest were also quite common, sometimes termed "poor man's buffalo" they're very skiddish and when we were on a walk one evening they ran away from us, as if we posed a real threat.
The lions were obviously one of the most exciting animals to see. We came across several of them napping in the afternoon (they're generally only active at night and in the morning) but they got up to play for a few minutes when one came closer to the other members of the pride.
It was definitely a million times different seeing all these animals in a reserve vs. a zoo. Yes, a reserve is still controlled somewhat and it's not like they're just living out in the wild, but it's pretty close. All of the animals there were self-sustaining and the ecosystem balances itself out. We did get to see rhinos, but it was at night with a spotlight so I didn't get any pictures. It was an absolutely amazing experience... hope you enjoyed the pictures. I have a couple hundred more, so I'm sure you'll be able to see more if you're interested!!
Having an open-air truck was nice because we had an unobstructed view. Every time I looked at our driver, Daan (the white one), I couldn't stop thinking about how much he looked like my uncle Dean! Our spotter (can't remember his name at the moment) was excellent and thanks to him we got to see some stuff that isn't normal... like a cirvil (sp?) which is like a mini cheetah.
The ostriches really liked to hang out on the airstrip. I thought they were funny to watch.
This is a sounder of warthogs... they were really cute and kept running in a pack along the road.
We thought we hit jackpot when we saw this jackal and the bird in the tree one morning. The bird looked like a vulture (but we found out it was a strangely colored Eagle) and we thought we were in for a kill... we could hear lions in the distance. That didn't turn out to be the case, but it was a neat sighting anyways.
There were tons of giraffes everywhere in the park. They're graceful and gorgeous and they were one of my favorite things to see. We were always able to get pretty close and they made me think of Trevon. One evening after our snack break, we were able to see several giraffes drinking from a waterhole... a very neat experience because they have to spread their legs out wide in order to be able to get low enough to drink -- unfortunately the lighting wasn't right for pictures.
Our elephant sighting was pretty neat as well, because we were able to drive right up in the middle of the herd. One of them put its trunk within a few inches of my face... it was a little scary. They're huge animals and I don't think pictures do them justice.
Our hippo sighting left something to be desired... they don't come out of the water much except for at night when they're feeding. They're massive animals though, and just watching them lounge in the water was quite entertaining.
We got to see this praying mantis spinning its cacoon... the guides said it's not a typical thing to get to spot.
The buffalo were amazing as well. We drove up really close to a whole herd of them on our first drive and it was cool to be so close to such huge animals.
The zebras were scattered throughout the reserve, always proving to be quite the eye candy. I never got tired of looking at them... they all look different and uniquely beautiful.
Wildebeest were also quite common, sometimes termed "poor man's buffalo" they're very skiddish and when we were on a walk one evening they ran away from us, as if we posed a real threat.
The lions were obviously one of the most exciting animals to see. We came across several of them napping in the afternoon (they're generally only active at night and in the morning) but they got up to play for a few minutes when one came closer to the other members of the pride.
We got really lucky with cheetah, having three separate sightings. This was the only one that was really suitable to pictures, and even still it was difficult to get good ones. They're amazingly beautiful and graceful animals. I could have watched them for hours.
It was definitely a million times different seeing all these animals in a reserve vs. a zoo. Yes, a reserve is still controlled somewhat and it's not like they're just living out in the wild, but it's pretty close. All of the animals there were self-sustaining and the ecosystem balances itself out. We did get to see rhinos, but it was at night with a spotlight so I didn't get any pictures. It was an absolutely amazing experience... hope you enjoyed the pictures. I have a couple hundred more, so I'm sure you'll be able to see more if you're interested!!
Thursday, May 24, 2007
On the road again
Classes ended today... it sort of marks the beginning of the end.
Exams are beginning early next week, but I've decided to take a little vacation this weekend. Kelly, Raj, Gideon and I are traveling down to the Wild Coast, the Eastern area of Transkei, to a city called Port of St. John's. I guess there are a lot of nice beaches, good hiking, and you can do other outdoors-y stuff like canoeing and horseback riding. I'm hoping it will be a very enjoyable weekend.
The weather here this week left something to be desired... it felt so cold (although it was probably only in the 50s). The sun is peaking out again, and I think it will be warming up for the weekend.
I plan on writing about my reflections on my academic experience here. It's certainly been different than school at home. I just finally got some of my assignments back though, and I did quite well on them. There is only one class that I'm remotely worried about, and that is because I didn't do well on the test -- the professor seems to want regurgitation of the text book rather than an interpretation or application of learned concepts. More on that later...
For now I'm going to finish up a little bit of work and prepare for an amazing weekend. Hope all is well!
P.S. All of my flights are officially scheduled and I will be back in Minnesota the afternoon of June 17th.
Exams are beginning early next week, but I've decided to take a little vacation this weekend. Kelly, Raj, Gideon and I are traveling down to the Wild Coast, the Eastern area of Transkei, to a city called Port of St. John's. I guess there are a lot of nice beaches, good hiking, and you can do other outdoors-y stuff like canoeing and horseback riding. I'm hoping it will be a very enjoyable weekend.
The weather here this week left something to be desired... it felt so cold (although it was probably only in the 50s). The sun is peaking out again, and I think it will be warming up for the weekend.
I plan on writing about my reflections on my academic experience here. It's certainly been different than school at home. I just finally got some of my assignments back though, and I did quite well on them. There is only one class that I'm remotely worried about, and that is because I didn't do well on the test -- the professor seems to want regurgitation of the text book rather than an interpretation or application of learned concepts. More on that later...
For now I'm going to finish up a little bit of work and prepare for an amazing weekend. Hope all is well!
P.S. All of my flights are officially scheduled and I will be back in Minnesota the afternoon of June 17th.
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Getting back into the swing of things
My headache pain is finally starting to subside... with pain persisting but much less of the migraine tendencies. I've sort of become resigned to the fact that my head might hurt for a while and I just have to try to enjoy life regardless.
I went to a choir concert at Durban's city hall on Friday (one of the neatest looking buildings in the city... I'll try to get a picture by the end of my time here but it's not the safeset area to be flashing a camera). The choir from Brigham Young University was touring here in South Africa and performed in the concert along with a few choirs from UKZN (my school here). It was a really good concert, and it made me a little nostalgic for my choir days.
I didn't have the best day yesterday, but I did spend a few hours at the pool (a little disappointing considering I was planning on the beach... but I got over it). Both Friday night and Saturday night we went out... and I had a blast on Saturday night.
We got up really early this morning to go out for breakfast then spent most of the day at the beach. I finally feel like I'm getting brown again. I felt so pale for a while!
I also just thought I'd leave you with a few pictures, because I know a few of you appreciate it when I do that. I know I still need to get those safari pictures up... although at this point I think I might be too lazy. I'll try to post something with at least 1 picture of each type of animal... an attempt at a "best of" kind of thing, but it would probably be easiest to share my safari pictures in person.
Here are some pictures from Saturday night:
^^ Me and Peter... he's finally stopped missing America so much and is fun again :)
^^Jess, Kelly, and I with Mo (Jess' South African boyfriend) and Peter in the background
^^Gideon, Kelly, and I.
^^Kelly and I on the cab ride back to school
^^Back at the res this terrible picture was taken. It's Kelly, Jumbe and I. Jumbe is the Zambian guy who lives next to Gideon... who has cooked me dinner and who I hang out with from time to time. He's really nice.
P.S. yeah... in case you couldn't tell... I was a little tipsy :P
I went to a choir concert at Durban's city hall on Friday (one of the neatest looking buildings in the city... I'll try to get a picture by the end of my time here but it's not the safeset area to be flashing a camera). The choir from Brigham Young University was touring here in South Africa and performed in the concert along with a few choirs from UKZN (my school here). It was a really good concert, and it made me a little nostalgic for my choir days.
I didn't have the best day yesterday, but I did spend a few hours at the pool (a little disappointing considering I was planning on the beach... but I got over it). Both Friday night and Saturday night we went out... and I had a blast on Saturday night.
We got up really early this morning to go out for breakfast then spent most of the day at the beach. I finally feel like I'm getting brown again. I felt so pale for a while!
I also just thought I'd leave you with a few pictures, because I know a few of you appreciate it when I do that. I know I still need to get those safari pictures up... although at this point I think I might be too lazy. I'll try to post something with at least 1 picture of each type of animal... an attempt at a "best of" kind of thing, but it would probably be easiest to share my safari pictures in person.
Here are some pictures from Saturday night:
^^ Me and Peter... he's finally stopped missing America so much and is fun again :)
^^Jess, Kelly, and I with Mo (Jess' South African boyfriend) and Peter in the background
^^Gideon, Kelly, and I.
^^Kelly and I on the cab ride back to school
^^Back at the res this terrible picture was taken. It's Kelly, Jumbe and I. Jumbe is the Zambian guy who lives next to Gideon... who has cooked me dinner and who I hang out with from time to time. He's really nice.P.S. yeah... in case you couldn't tell... I was a little tipsy :P
Saturday, May 12, 2007
Bad News
Much to my disliking... I've had a headache (with some migraine tendencies) for the past 9 days. It's a bit too reminiscent of last summer for comfort.
In the past few days the pain has become so intense that I haven't been able to sleep at night or get anything done during the days.
I went to the doctor on campus yesterday, who referred me to a neurologist. I had to wait 4.5 hours at the neurologist's after being told to hurry there because he'd see me right away. I waited there in excrutiating pain while he helped other (African) patients who showed up much later than I had. He did a brief examination and instead of writing me some scripts right then made me wait in a loud/bright lobby for another hour and a half. What made matters worse was the fact that by the time he finally wrote the prescriptions and we had settled my account (having to pay nearly $100 to have him write the scripts for me), the pharmacy was already closed so I had to spend another night in misery.
Surprisingly I was able to sleep last night... I think the exhaustion helped me overcome the pain at least in short term. I went to a pharmacy this morning and got the prescriptions filled... a "migraine" medicine that is simply naproxen, some sleeping pills, and some patches to put on my neck which has been very sore. Another $80 spent on prescriptions and here I am. I'm still in pain, but I'm trying to be optomistic.
I have a ton of work to do, and it's really hard to make myself do anything when I feel this way. I'm going to have to try, and hopefully succeed. Wish me luck, and keep your fingers crossed that this headache goes away (without 12 weeks of pain passing).
In the past few days the pain has become so intense that I haven't been able to sleep at night or get anything done during the days.
I went to the doctor on campus yesterday, who referred me to a neurologist. I had to wait 4.5 hours at the neurologist's after being told to hurry there because he'd see me right away. I waited there in excrutiating pain while he helped other (African) patients who showed up much later than I had. He did a brief examination and instead of writing me some scripts right then made me wait in a loud/bright lobby for another hour and a half. What made matters worse was the fact that by the time he finally wrote the prescriptions and we had settled my account (having to pay nearly $100 to have him write the scripts for me), the pharmacy was already closed so I had to spend another night in misery.
Surprisingly I was able to sleep last night... I think the exhaustion helped me overcome the pain at least in short term. I went to a pharmacy this morning and got the prescriptions filled... a "migraine" medicine that is simply naproxen, some sleeping pills, and some patches to put on my neck which has been very sore. Another $80 spent on prescriptions and here I am. I'm still in pain, but I'm trying to be optomistic.
I have a ton of work to do, and it's really hard to make myself do anything when I feel this way. I'm going to have to try, and hopefully succeed. Wish me luck, and keep your fingers crossed that this headache goes away (without 12 weeks of pain passing).
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