Last I left you, I was about to head off onto a three-day safari. The adventure began around 6am on Saturday morning. Our tour guide picked us up at the university and we made our way to Krueger National Park. In total it was about a five-hour ride and we stopped in a cute village for lunch.
Almost immediately after dropping our baggage off in our cheetah-themed room, Katie and I were surrounded by monkeys who would peak into our hotel window and a heard of buffalo who were resting near a waterhole.
We went on a semi-unsuccessful night game drive (we say some impala- more like lamepala), but still had fun riding on the bumpy, dirt roads in the open jeep. For dinner, we gathered around a large campfire with other guests at the inn. We talked to people from England, Spain, France, Australia and some fellow Americans.
The next morning we woke up early and met up with about 6 other people who would be spending the day at Krueger with us. While at the park, we saw a variety of animals, including but not limited to: lions, zebras, rhinos, giraffes, more buffalo, elephants and warthogs. We were pretty lucky to see four of the big five, but I could tell our tour guide wanted us to spot a leopard, completing the collection, because he kept stopping every time he saw a bundle of leaves that somewhat resembled the spots of a leopard. The animals all seemed happy, at least compared to the ones at this zoo.
We moved to a different inn on the second night and stayed in another cheetah-themed room. In the morning (at 4:45am), we went on a bush walk. Our tour guide was carrying a loaded gun, just incase an animal decided to attack us. Together, we analyzed the droppings of zebra, giraffe and buffalo. Given the consistency and warmth of some of the dung, we could tell we were hot on the trail of a buffalo. In the end, we found the buffalo, but left quickly since it spotted us. We joined other hotel guests for our last meal. Once again, we met people from all over the world, even a UN peacekeeper who was working in Liberia.
Once we were back in Johannesburg, Katie and I went to a poetry reading with some people from my study abroad program. The next night I went to an art installation at the “substation” on campus and then to see the latest Harry Potter film. I know that its getting mixed reviews but, personally, I liked it. Some moments were really sappy and Ginny is a rather weak actress, but it is building up to a great final two films.
Wednesday was my birthday and I had an amazing day! My friends threw me a surprise party and the night ended with us rolling down a hill outside the rugby field like five year olds and chanting Kelly Clarkson songs. Who needs to grow up?
I’ve been studying at a coffee shop on campus, Cafè Fino, that has the most amazing breakfast smoothies (crunchy granola, yogurt, fresh fruits and a squeeze of honey all blended into a beautiful, filling creation). Although, today I went to another coffee shop, Bridge Diner, just off campus (but closer to my dorm) which might give Fino a run for its money.
I’m going to be starting my internship at the South African Human Rights Commission pretty soon. I’m getting a tour of the building on Monday and just have to wait for the paperwork to go through before I get my “authorization” card. Sounds badass.
7.25.2009
7.23.2009
Alive! (Don't worry mum)
This post is going to be quick and dirty since I'm really tired. I'll let you know more about my weekend safari and birthday adventures once I get some sleep. In the mean time, here's an advertisement for my South African cellphone company, Vodacom.
7.17.2009
Busy as a bumble bee!
The past week has been packed with activity, which is good because then I don’t have to spend time in my barren looking room. Four white walls and a sink can get boring to look at.
Last night I went to a show at the nunnery, a small black box theater on campus. The group, the Frown Family Caravan, played “post-war, gypsy, folk” music, as it was described to me. The lead singer sounded (and acted) a lot like mellow Regina Spektor. It was nice.
The night before that, IHRE went to Amandla: Fragments of Struggle, a musical journey through the life of Nelson Mandela. I felt a little out of place because the narrator would often call out a word and the audience would chant back with a different saying. Here’s an example:
Narrator: “Amandla!” (A Zulu word meaning ‘power’)
Audience: “Awethu!” (‘To us’).
There was also a section in Afrikaans. Too bad I don’t speak Dutch.
The night before THAT, my group was on the show African Views, sort of like 60 minutes (except it’s only 20 minutes), getting interviewed about our rural stay and our opinions on human rights in South Africa. We are going to go back on the show in November to see if our opinions have changed. That is, if the show is still running, since the South African Broadcasting Company is something like 800 million Rand in debt.
And a few days before THAT, we went on a tour of Soweto, one of the poorest, most violent areas in Johannesburg. It is also the place where Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu grew up. Coincidently, they lived on the same street, the only street in the world to have two Nobel Prize winners grow up on it. After that, we went to the Apartheid Museum. The museum was nice, but the gift shop definitely needs some work. All of the shirts said “WHITES ONLY” and then Apartheid Museum in smaller print. Why would I ever buy that?
I’m going on a three day safari this weekend with a friend from Wellesley who is doing an internship at a hospital in Cape Town. We’re going to Kruger National Park. Above is a picture of Paul Kruger, the person the park is named after.
Oh yeah, I also started classes this week. They are going well.
7.12.2009
From the Graceland (Not Elvis')
PLEASE DO NOTE: This post is exceptionally long and summary oriented. This will not be the case in the future.
July 1st-2nd—Flight
All of the US international students were ready at 6a.m. on July 1st to head to JFK airport for South Africa (SA). We promptly boarded our party bus, which was fully stocked with orange juice. Some made their last goodbye calls while others tried to catch some shut eye (myself included). Boarding went smoothly except for the brief hiccup at security, which involved a toddler throwing up in the middle of a narrow line. Gross.
I sat next to a friend, Fiona, and we decided to sync up the times we watched in-flight movies. The food was decent and the flight attendants were stylishly dressed in SA’s national colors. We ended up landing almost 24 hours later to be greeted by Ayesha, the program director, and thousands of 2010 FIFA World Cup signs.
Later, I found out that Fiona was celebrating her 21st birthday during the plane ride. She decided not to tell me since she thought that would put a lot of awkward pressure on me, which is probably true. Although a group of flight attendants singing happy birthday would be pretty unforgettable.
July 2nd-3rd—Logistics
Pretty boring, typical, introduction information about Wits and Johannesburg. I got my address:
K. Savage
c/o IHRE Wits International Office
Private Bag #3
WITS 2050
(Johannesburg, South Africa)
We stayed in a hotel in downtown Joburg and I roomed with another international student from Zimbabwe. Some random things that I noticed: a. There is trash everywhere, even in rural areas b. There are cartoon images of Obama plastered on almost every street corner c. Driving on the opposite side of the road is weird, but having the toilet flusher be on the other side is even weirder d. Everyone (at least in my program) knows so much about the US its scary e. People are much more open about their personal life.
We ate an amazing meal at Gramadoela’s, which is right near the famous Market Theater. I tried worms (crunchy on the outside, chewy on the inside) and ostrich/ warthog meat (both tasted just like chicken).
July 4th-July 9th- Rural South Africa
I lost all sense of time during this five-day trip because I didn’t have a cell phone, watch or other timekeeping device, plus I was still a little jetlagged. Here are some highlights:
1. Visiting a traditional healer village- The four local healers told us how they are called upon by their ancestors. First, they fall extremely ill and no western doctor can make a diagnosis. Then their ancestors send them on a “scavenger hunt”, telling them to collect animals bones and to drink the blood of a goat. After that, they have to pick their specialty and be properly trained. We did not get to see a ceremony since, naturally, they were not open the public.
2. South Africa’s Grand Canyon- Almost all national hot spots have been introduced to me in a way that compares them to the US (Examples: Durban is to SA as Miami is to the USA, Gold Reef City is to SA as Disney World is to the USA, etc). We hiked down the canyon and all of the American students were dying because of the altitude difference.
3. Bushbuckridge Orphanage- We broke up into small groups and planned activities for around 10 orphaned children, ranging from 2nd to 12th grade. Most of the kids had parents who had passed away due to HIV/AIDS and were living in children-headed households. All of the children had cell phones. Every South African has a cell phone.
4. My home stay in Rural South Africa- My group met up with Victoria, our house mother, and walked back to her home from the orphanage. She works as a home-based caretaker, meaning she visits people in the local community and tries to help them with basic medical needs since doctors are few and far between. She was recently married, so she and her husband had just started building their house. As of now, it is one small room that contains a bed and not much else. We told her to treat us as family, so she had us help lay the foundation of another room that she was working on building. We shoveled, wheelbarrowed and dug for what felt like hours, but I had no way of telling besides the setting sun. Then, we built a fire (it took a lot longer than it should have) to make some pap with a homegrown herbs (almost like solid porridge covered in a seaweed mucus). Never have I worked so hard for such a small meal. By that time, we were ready for bed. I slept on a cement floor without a pillow thinking “its just one night, you can do this”. I got really cold during the middle of the night but decided I didn’t want to cuddle up with people that I had just met less than 5 days ago. To make matters worse, the neighbors had a rooster who made himself known at 4am. In the morning we took a bucket bath and bushed our teeth in the yard. Unlike some of the other home stay houses, my group did not have a bathroom hole, so we just went in the backyard.
5. Homebased care visits- We went with Victoria on her usual rounds. The first was a family of seven orphaned children. The oldest child was 22 and the youngest was around four. They have been trying to apply for government grants, but since they have different last names they haven’t received any. I was really impressed at how close this family, although not by blood, has remained during such hard times. The second house was a man who was infected with HIV. All of his family has disowned him and his neighbors, typically a very strong support system in rural SA, refuse to help him in any way because they are afraid the disease will be transmitted to them. Overall it was a very educational but nerve-racking experience.
July 10th-July 12th- Joburg
Now that I’m back in the city (with internet!), I am getting acclimated to campus and cooking for myself. Tonight, I made a grilled cheese with bacon. So yummy.
Miss you all and hope you had a good 4th of July. I know I missed the glory of the Lexington Carnival and fireworks at the Esplanade.
P.S.-- Dad, I'm pretty sure you will be the only one to understand this entry's title.
July 1st-2nd—Flight
All of the US international students were ready at 6a.m. on July 1st to head to JFK airport for South Africa (SA). We promptly boarded our party bus, which was fully stocked with orange juice. Some made their last goodbye calls while others tried to catch some shut eye (myself included). Boarding went smoothly except for the brief hiccup at security, which involved a toddler throwing up in the middle of a narrow line. Gross.
I sat next to a friend, Fiona, and we decided to sync up the times we watched in-flight movies. The food was decent and the flight attendants were stylishly dressed in SA’s national colors. We ended up landing almost 24 hours later to be greeted by Ayesha, the program director, and thousands of 2010 FIFA World Cup signs.
Later, I found out that Fiona was celebrating her 21st birthday during the plane ride. She decided not to tell me since she thought that would put a lot of awkward pressure on me, which is probably true. Although a group of flight attendants singing happy birthday would be pretty unforgettable.
July 2nd-3rd—Logistics
Pretty boring, typical, introduction information about Wits and Johannesburg. I got my address:
K. Savage
c/o IHRE Wits International Office
Private Bag #3
WITS 2050
(Johannesburg, South Africa)
We stayed in a hotel in downtown Joburg and I roomed with another international student from Zimbabwe. Some random things that I noticed: a. There is trash everywhere, even in rural areas b. There are cartoon images of Obama plastered on almost every street corner c. Driving on the opposite side of the road is weird, but having the toilet flusher be on the other side is even weirder d. Everyone (at least in my program) knows so much about the US its scary e. People are much more open about their personal life.
We ate an amazing meal at Gramadoela’s, which is right near the famous Market Theater. I tried worms (crunchy on the outside, chewy on the inside) and ostrich/ warthog meat (both tasted just like chicken).
July 4th-July 9th- Rural South Africa
I lost all sense of time during this five-day trip because I didn’t have a cell phone, watch or other timekeeping device, plus I was still a little jetlagged. Here are some highlights:
1. Visiting a traditional healer village- The four local healers told us how they are called upon by their ancestors. First, they fall extremely ill and no western doctor can make a diagnosis. Then their ancestors send them on a “scavenger hunt”, telling them to collect animals bones and to drink the blood of a goat. After that, they have to pick their specialty and be properly trained. We did not get to see a ceremony since, naturally, they were not open the public.
2. South Africa’s Grand Canyon- Almost all national hot spots have been introduced to me in a way that compares them to the US (Examples: Durban is to SA as Miami is to the USA, Gold Reef City is to SA as Disney World is to the USA, etc). We hiked down the canyon and all of the American students were dying because of the altitude difference.
3. Bushbuckridge Orphanage- We broke up into small groups and planned activities for around 10 orphaned children, ranging from 2nd to 12th grade. Most of the kids had parents who had passed away due to HIV/AIDS and were living in children-headed households. All of the children had cell phones. Every South African has a cell phone.
4. My home stay in Rural South Africa- My group met up with Victoria, our house mother, and walked back to her home from the orphanage. She works as a home-based caretaker, meaning she visits people in the local community and tries to help them with basic medical needs since doctors are few and far between. She was recently married, so she and her husband had just started building their house. As of now, it is one small room that contains a bed and not much else. We told her to treat us as family, so she had us help lay the foundation of another room that she was working on building. We shoveled, wheelbarrowed and dug for what felt like hours, but I had no way of telling besides the setting sun. Then, we built a fire (it took a lot longer than it should have) to make some pap with a homegrown herbs (almost like solid porridge covered in a seaweed mucus). Never have I worked so hard for such a small meal. By that time, we were ready for bed. I slept on a cement floor without a pillow thinking “its just one night, you can do this”. I got really cold during the middle of the night but decided I didn’t want to cuddle up with people that I had just met less than 5 days ago. To make matters worse, the neighbors had a rooster who made himself known at 4am. In the morning we took a bucket bath and bushed our teeth in the yard. Unlike some of the other home stay houses, my group did not have a bathroom hole, so we just went in the backyard.
5. Homebased care visits- We went with Victoria on her usual rounds. The first was a family of seven orphaned children. The oldest child was 22 and the youngest was around four. They have been trying to apply for government grants, but since they have different last names they haven’t received any. I was really impressed at how close this family, although not by blood, has remained during such hard times. The second house was a man who was infected with HIV. All of his family has disowned him and his neighbors, typically a very strong support system in rural SA, refuse to help him in any way because they are afraid the disease will be transmitted to them. Overall it was a very educational but nerve-racking experience.
July 10th-July 12th- Joburg
Now that I’m back in the city (with internet!), I am getting acclimated to campus and cooking for myself. Tonight, I made a grilled cheese with bacon. So yummy.
Miss you all and hope you had a good 4th of July. I know I missed the glory of the Lexington Carnival and fireworks at the Esplanade.
P.S.-- Dad, I'm pretty sure you will be the only one to understand this entry's title.
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