Hog Wild

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.