a few photos

no clothes dryer needed with sunshine like this

first rugby game! go stormers!

yes, this is for real...the shark warning flag

they look cool simply walking on the beach with boards,
I've gotta learn to surf! ..or just get a board ;)

it's official, friends!

I'm currently a bit too tired to write out stories.. rest assured there are definitely quite a few, though. From long days of classes, intense rugby games, braais (barbeque's), Hillsong church, serenades from Gavin DeGraw wanna-be's, wind that knocks you over & still possessing the balance of a two-year old while riding in UCT buses... I'll just save it all for another time. Enjoy the few (mega bites are a precious commodity here) photos! Sending lots of love from warm, sunny Africa :)

fun facts

• have spent roughly 13 hours total standing in lines.
• I live about 3 blocks from South African President Zuma's house. Legit.
• I don't have to buy a single textbook! What's that I hear? The Hallelujah chorus? Play on...
• though I have yet to actually meet the neighbors that live outside my bedroom window, I feel like we're old friends, of which I know all about: one is an aspiring Pavarotti, another never tires of listening to Lady Gaga, they have a baby; a very outspoken baby, one is fervently passionate about her pursuit to become the next member of Destiny's Child, and lastly there's a trombone player. no joke.
• the pizza here is unreal! I devoured a giant one entirely by myself yesterday. I have no shame, you can't regret something so beautiful.
• South Africans celebrate this holiday called Valentine's Day, it's today. while entering the grocery store, I was given a rose. looks like the Pick-and-Pay cashier is my new Valentine! I see lots of good things in our future, like coupon discounts!
• culture shock hit this morning while at church... where did the southern-baptist-lack-of-rhythm-church-service go? I'm so lost. ;)

Happy Sunday/Valentine's/Winter Olympics time!
lots of love, les

baby steps

This blog is written in a spirit of celebration: I'm almost on my way to being semi-grounded in this city! I know that doesn't sound like much, but let me just explain my tiny, but oh so significant, victories.

--- Hot drinks are a big deal here. I have yet to visit a house for a meal/party or a church service where it was not followed with a time of tea or coffee drinking. It's a time of continued fellowship, very cultural and delightful. I, unfortunately, have never had even the slightest taste for coffee. I know, how is that possible? I am Mike "I-would-drink-starbucks-every-day-if-I-could" Reynolds' daughter, and yet, coffee does nothing for me. I felt the same about hot tea. I continually accepted a cup of tea when offered out of politeness, but the entire time I drank it I was accosted with the extreme desire to load that sucker with sugar, lemon, and ice cubes.. let's get some Southern, sweet tea a kickin'! Had I not been trying to convince them that I am not an ignorant, selfish, American, I would've actually done it. Fast forward a week: after multiple mediocre tea-drinkings, I was chatting with my UK friend, Ollie, and she got me all fixed up! Turns out, regular hot tea with milk and (loads) of sugar is downright delightful! My oh my, how the tables have turned. I even made myself a cup out of pure enjoyment this evening. Granted, ANYthing is good with lots of sugar, but now I'm able to be genuine with my "thanks!" when handed a steaming cup of tea!

--- This may shock you, but I do not blend in as a native here. There have been several instances where- without even opening up my loud, American mouth- people have pegged me as a foreigner. And to be honest, I've been pretty upset about this. I literally could not understand what was stamped on my forehead that shouted, "Hey, I'm American and more than likely confused, feel free to mug me- I probably forgot to hide my money, it'll be in my wallet, which is right by my digital camera!" I spent nearly every waking moment researching the South African ladies around town to try and solve my problem... What are these ladies wearing that I'm not? Their dress and bags are not unlike my own. Their hair isn't red, but they have the opportunity to have my hair color if they went to the dye aisle in the grocery store- I know my color is there, I'll be using it in 4-6 weeks. So what's the deal? Then it dawned on me- these ladies 'don't play no games.' When walking down the people-infested and sketchy Main Road, native ladies sport a facial expression that immediately tells onlookers "don't mess with me, I can hold my own." Eureka! The minute I realized this, I literally spent time perfecting my blue steel look. The next day, I was asked directions by someone looking lost- score! A few days later while checking out at a local store, the cashier thought I was a local, and was surprised to find out I was from the states- score! Watch out, residents, there's a new South African in town.. And she's sassy.

--- This next accomplishment may be an even bigger feat than shark cage diving itself. I walked home from school all by myself! I didn't realize how elementary that sentence would sound. Which is interesting, because there is nothing elementary about walking twenty minutes down the streets in Rondebosch by yourself, especially as a young female. I had hoped that I would never have to walk to/from school alone, but my schedule decided otherwise. Yet another reason why I need to be-friend one of those fellows I see daily zooming by on Mopeds. Until that day, I guess I'll just continue working my look-of-steel and securing my money down my shirt (which is very handy until you forget to remove before you're at the check-out line. Awkward.). Meh, gotta do whatcha gotta do.

Cheers!

-les

shark cage diving

(cute, little guy)

I know what you're thinking, and I totally agree... I am WORKING that wetsuit, eh? Ha. I've never worn a wetsuit before, mind you, and it took a two people to help me in it and two people to help me out. Apparently, though, that was normal. Everyone was falling all over the place on that fLoAtInG, wAvInG, uP & dOwN boat. Thinking about it is already making me queasy, so let me rewind before I get too far ahead of myself.

The day began early with 2 1/2 hour bus ride (yes, it had a shark painted on the side as I had hoped) to Kleinbaai. It was rainy, dreary, and very ominous. Which I thought was all too appropriate for the upcoming adventure.

We arrived to a buffet breakfast: delicious fruit and juices. At this point I had no idea I'd be seeing those same fruit/juices again so soon, if you catch my drift... Anyway, I met lots of new people, they all loved my Jaws tshirt. Yes, I wore it loud & proud. The crew snickered, but that probably means they were seriously jealous. Right?

We shipped out at 11 and before we knew it we had spotted our cage; floating, all alone, with fish oils attached at every end to attract THE predator. First thing the captain said "don't worry, we're not gonna make you swim out to the cage & get in." Well, duh you're not! I'd be asking for my money back quicker than a nerd buys the new Harry Potter book.

They attached the cage to the side of the boat all the while men baited for the sharks- throwing out chum and tuna. During this time I realized I do not have the balance I thought I did. Years and years of ballet and dance suddenly went out the window as I fell/hugged on nearly every person on that boat. And the people that I didn't hug, got their toes stepped on... again and again. Suddenly "the girl in the Jaws tshirt" didn't seem so charming and clever, she was a bumbling/stumbling monster out to bruise every unsuspecting passenger on that boat. Embarrassing.

Back to the wetsuits, it's time. The first 5 people suited up, hopped in the cold water/cage, and braved the first batch of sharks. All the while, I was like a well-trained paparazzi on the top part of the boat. I got photos of everything: every little turn of a fin, whip of a tail, splash of some salt water, soaring of sea gulls, tossing of chum, etc.

Then it was my turn to suit up. As mentioned before, waaaay easier said than done. Though I appreciated the help of others, it was semi-embarrassing to have the old "chum man" with dreads and Jamaican hat on come out of nowhere to start pulling on my suit for me. I guess I was really looking like a struggler, he's probably dealt with my kind for years on that boat.

The minute the snug, little suit was on and I stood up it was like a major pressure change. Suddenly I was transformed into weak sauce. I immediately found the side of the boat, down wind of course, and couldn't contain the nausea... on a Great White shark below. Yeah. Not my proudest moment, but how many people can say they barfed on one of the world's most feared animals. It makes me sound semi-hard core when phrased that way, hey?

My turn! Me and 4 others got into the cage! Unfortunately, I was quickly filled with the realization that I had weights around my neck and was trapped in a cage that, if somehow came unattached to the boat during the high waves, would plummet down down down into the deep dark sea with sharks. Not a fun thought to suddenly be bombarded with upon the cage lid shutting. (And I'm sorry, Lauren, for the horrible imagery I just gave you- don't have nightmares.) But the minute we were under (holding ONLY the red bar in the cage, unless you had a problem with your hands and didn't want to return to shore with them) and I saw all the little fishies and a shark, my worries went away... as weird as that sounds. It was like the thought "I'm in South Africa, shark cage diving, off the coast of an island that was on nearly every one of Discovery Channel's Shark Week programs! This is awesome!" surpassed all the fears of a slow and painful death.

When that feeling passed, however, the sea sickness monkey jumped on my back again. My poor cage mates. You can imagine. I won't be eating cantaloupe again for a while.

Moving on, it was a great experience. And it really wasn't as miserable as throwing up continuously sounds. The sharks were intense and now I know that my stomach turns to jello on a boat in the ocean. Good to know, indeed.

We saw 9 different sharks, some reaching 3 meters long. One of which was a scary, crazy, big bro. He had scars all over his fin, that was flopping over in a ravenous way. He HAD to be the alpha-shark. The man. The head honcho. And he was angry. He bit the cage while some divers were in it. I was jealous, I wish that I could've seen that up close.

Well, I certainly think that was a long enough description. Hope this lovely Thursday finds you well! I start class Monday, so soon all these adventurous/fun stories will probably stop. Booo for real life and education. I've been enjoying being on vacation :)

love/miss you all! -les