BLIZZARD!

I'm here for just over a week and already experiencing record breaking Boston weather! A blizzard blew in around 4 this morning with extremely strong winds and snow falling at about 3 inches an hour. Since my windows look straight into brick, and I have no tv or internet, I woke up this morning with no idea how much snow we had actually gotten. Turns out it was the worst blizzard since '78 or something like that. And I slept through it haha. Downtown probably ended up getting a foot and a half, while inland got 2+ feet. Public transportation was still running so I took the T out to my Aunt's and spent the day shoveling the incredible amount of snow and playing with my cousin. I seriously don't think I have ever seen this much snow. While I am finding that I am not a fan of the cold, I do love the snow. It is quite pretty and the city seems so calm with the white blanket of snow.

 

Boston... where no one knows my name

I have had many requests to keep my blog updated as I venture out on this latest adventure of mine so here I go! I will do my best to keep it as entertaining as possible! My life in Boston….

I departed St. Louis a week ago with just my car, minimal belongings, and my trusty GPS (which turned out to be not so trusty), bound for life-after-college in Boston. I drove a

total of 25 hours over Sunday and Monday, stopping only once each day for gas, and to sleep Sunday night in Zanesville, Ohio. It was a ton of driving but it wasn’t as bad as you would expect. I enjoyed belting out endless hours of BSB and Taylor Swift and watching the landscape transform as I inched from the Midwest to the East Coast. I drove through IL, IN, KY (not really on the way, I blame my not-so-trusty GPS), OH, WV, PA, NJ, NY, CT, and MA – most of the drive was quite picturesque and I found it interesting to see how the people, houses, terrain, etc changed as I drove. Had I not been so anxious to make it to Boston, it would have been fun to stop more places along the way. Besides the Kentucky detour, the only other major directions error I made was in NYC; which honestly it was fairly impressive that I only made that one. I got off on a wrong exit in what I believe to be Harlem, though I’m not quite sure. It really did not look like America to me so I knew it was best to get back on the highway as quickly as possible. From there I made my way to Oakham, MA (about an hour outside Boston) where I stayed the night with my South Africa roommate, Miss Alyssa Quartulli! It was so great (and strangely quite normal) to see her – I am so excited to have her nearby!

Tuesday morning I woke up and drove straight to my aunts (who lives in Boston). She took me to see the apartment, and has been helping me fix the place up, clean, get furniture, and move my stuff in ever since. I stayed at her house this whole week – it has made the adjustment a bit more relaxed, plus I have loved spending time with my 4 year old cousin, Kaisla. She is such a character! She is currently in the process of making me one of a kind artwork for my walls haha.

So everyone is curious about the apartment – it’s really not that bad! Definitely not what I expected to pay $1,300/month for someday but this is Boston! My aunt actually thinks I got a great deal haha. I was a bit bummed at first because it could use a lot of work but after some intense cleaning and a few trips to IKEA, it is starting to feel pretty homey. I made sure to get a large bed even though it takes up most of the space so as to entice people to come visit me! COME SEE ME! As long as I don’t have any insect or rodent friends move in, I should be fine. I have a decent bathroom, a fairly large closet, a living area, and a kitchen (worst part of the apartment by far, but still not awful). And I have a lovely view of bricks from the building next door! The best part of the apartment is the location though - I am super close to everything and in a fairly safe area. I am a block away from the T, a couple of blocks from a grocery store, and within walking distance of lots of unique boutiques and eating places. AND guess what?? A Panera just opened up two blocks from me - I swear I didn't even plan that one!

Overall, I think I am going to like it here. I am loving the city of Boston, the ability to walk everywhere, and the hustle and bustle of life here. I am hoping to find a job soon even just as a way to meet people. The first person I met was a 70-something year old man with missing teeth (just the sort of male I was hoping to meet haha) that lives in my apartment building – he ranted for a good 15 minutes about our awful landlord (great!). Anyway, hopefully I will have more friends my age to speak of soon! Until then, I am enjoying watching all 4 seasons of the O.C. in my new bed (the unemployed cannot afford cable!)

Things are sadly beginning to wind down here. It's hard to believe, but I leave just two short weeks from tomorrow. Even as I write that, it doesn't seem real. I am so excited to see all of you guys and eat things like bagels, crispy bacon, and Mac 'n Cheese. I'm excited to drive and sleep in my own bed, to have a good wireless connection and lay on the couch watching TV. But I am going to miss so many people, places, and things here. This has been my home for five months; a place where I have grown and learned more than I even fully realize. South Africa will always have a special place in my heart and I am so so sad to leave. I cannot believe how fast this experience has gone!

In the last few weeks:

Classes ended and I took my last exam on Tuesday. I truly enjoyed attending my classes and was sad to see them end. I can now describe my friends and family in Afrikaans and ask for coffee and petro in isiXhosa. I can tell you about the HIV epidemic that is devastating South Africa and what is being done to save the country and its people. I have knowledge of many South African photographers and even have my own photography hanging up in the Stellenbosch International Office! I have understanding of cultures different than my own and a better grasp on my own culture.

I said goodbye, or 'totsiens' rather, to my kids at the Pebbles Project. While the language barrier proved to be a huge challenge, I still feel like my work was appreciated and worthwhile.

Last Wednesday I attended the CIEE program Farewell Dinner at a touristy restaurant called Moyo. We feasted, got our faces painted, and enjoyed our last night together as a whole group.

I said goodbye to my friend Nichole who departed SA and headed home to Nebraska on Thursday. Lots of tears were shed and the reality of leaving hit us all I think. Within the next two weeks most people from my program will leave one by one. I am actually one of the last ones to depart on May 31st.


(New photos in my 'Stellenbosch Round II' album)

Wow, time is passing way too fast! I'm continuing to enjoy my time here and seem to be falling in love with this place more and more each day if that is even possible. I'm still in denial that I will be leaving not too long from now...

Haven't really had any big events in the past few weeks... Went to Robben Island (where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned) last weekend. I put a few pictures up from that in my 'Cape Town Adventures' album. Besides that I have just been enjoying my time as Stellenbosch student. Fall is officially here and it absolutely gorgeous. Low 70s in the day, 50s at night. Finals begin in a week and then I will have three full weeks off before I leave. Plans for a trip to Namibia or Mozambique are in the works.

In other news, there has been a bit up unrest in South Africa recently as you may or may not have heard. An Afrikaaner extremist (white, pro-Apartheid), Eugene Terre'Blanche, was murdered on his farm a week or two ago. The ANC Youth League Julius Malema is thought to be involved. Violence is a huge problem in South Africa, especially violence against white boers (farmers). Many South Africans are worried about the violence and it's impact on the upcoming World Cup. I would have thought that people here would be excited for the opportunity to host the event, but thats not really the case. A lot of locals have expressed the fact that they think its going to be a disaster... apparently people are even starting to return their game tickets and cancel their flights. Over a fourth of the total tickets for games are still up for grabs. It should be interesting to see what happens!

This past weekend we had both Friday and Monday off due to the Easter holiday. We decided to take advantage of the long weekend and rented a car. Saturday Abbi, Alexis, and I got up early and headed into Cape Town for a popular market in the Lansdowne neighborhood. I can't even explain to you how great it felt to drive! I have gotten used to either walking or hiring a driver everytime I want to go somewhere. It was nice to have some freedom again. Anyway, at the market there was an aray of excellent food and a tent selling clothing made by local designers. After the market we decided to drive out to a local vineyard called Fairview and go wine tasting. In addition to wine, they had cheese tasting. It turned out to be such a relaxing day.

Then, Sunday I got up super early and Alexis, two other friends, and I roadtriped to Lambert's Bay for what we called a 'Divorcee Weekend'. Lambert's Bay is a small, quiet beach communitee about three and half hours away on the west coast. We stayed in a cute guesthouse and pretty much just relaxed on the beach in sweatshirts like 50 year old women would do on a trip. Winter is setting in here so it gets cooler and cooler each day. Swimsuits weren't really an option at Lambert's Bay. Sunday night we had dinner at this place right on the beach that serves fresh seafood. It was basically a three hour buffet. They just kept bringing out food! We returned home to Stellenbosch yesterday and reluctantly turned in the car.

I know, I know... It's been over a month since my last post!

Last Tuesday I got back from March Holiday in which I spent eleven days traveling up the east coast of South Africa. I took the BazBus (a hop-on, hop-off bus geared towards backpackers) and stayed in hostels. I spent the first two days (Friday and Saturday) in Knysna, a cute little yacht club town in what is known as the Garden Route of the Western Cape. I spent these two days relaxing by myself. I watched TV for the first time since arriving here in January, read, journaled, and caught up on my sleep. It was nice to spend a bit of time alone but I grew restless by the end of the day one.

On day three (Sunday) I was happy to finally meet up with my friend Alexis and officially start my trip. We took the Baz to Jeffrey's Bay which is also part of the Garden Route and is known as a surfer's paradise due to it's beaches and surf gear outlet stores. Many professional surf competitions are held here. In JBay we rode horses on the most untouched strip of beach I have ever seen. Having only ridden a horse once or twice in my life, I am proud to say I got up to a cantor and was told that I 'caught on quickly for a beginner'! Late Monday we took the Baz to Port Elizabeth where we spent the night and then had to get up really early the next morning to make our way to Coffee Bay.

The bus ride to Coffee Bay was incredibly beautiful. We made our way from the Western Cape to the Eastern Cape, traveling through what is known as the Transkei. The Transkai is home of the Xhosa people and was separate from the rest of South Africa during the Apartheid. It is now reintegrated into South Africa but remains one of the poorest regions of the country. It is rural Africa, huts and all. We spent five days here at one of the best hostels in the country, the Coffee Shack. The Coffee Shack is situated right on the Indian Ocean and kind of has a camp-like atmosphere set up. They plan excursions daily and make all your meals. There is even a bar there. Alexis and I took advantage of all the excursions and got to hike to Hole in the Wall and the Mapuzi caves as well as learn how to surf. Yes, I surfed! I think I actually made it up on my board all of two times but it was still so much fun. The two hikes were intense; at points we were literally scaling rock walls and climbing along cliff edges. There were many times that we had to stop and freak out a bit before continuing on. Also while in Coffee Bay we got to eat dinner in a local village. The women made us a traditional meal, danced, and we all sat and ate in the hut. At the end we (the tourists) all went around and introduced ourselves and said where we were from and they got to ask us questions through an interpreter. It was probably the most 'African' experience I will ever have. Besides the activities, another great part about the Coffee Shack was that we got to meet so many people. There were backpackers from all over the world there and it was interesting to hear all of there stories. Coffee Bay was by far our favorite part of the trip...

After Coffee Bay, we made our way to Durban for a day. Here we ate Indian food (Durban has the second highest Indian population after India), laid on the beach, and did a small bungee jump from the new Moses Mabhida World Cup Stadium. Alexis and I still can't believe we did this. We had to climb all the way up to the top of the stadium and then just jump. We have a video to prove we actually did it! Then Tuesday morning we had to get up super early for our 6am flight back to Cape Town. Clearly this is too early to function and I ended up leaving my camera on the plane. I didn't actually realize it until the next day but luckily I did get it back. I am probably the only person to ever lose something in South Africa and get it back.

Other events from the past month...

We have had three sets of parents come visit in the last month or some. Brian, Rachel V., and Nichole's parents have all come to Stellenbosch, It has been so fun to meet them and have dinner, etc. I feel like you find out so much more about a person when you meet their family!

Last Wednesday I attended the Elton John concert in Kirstenbosch Gardens with Alexis and a South African friend, Kerry. We were probably the youngest ones there by 30 years but we still had such a good time.

Saturday a group of us took the train into Cape Town. I went with Alexis to meet up with a friend from home, Derek, who is also studying in South Africa and happened to be in CT for the weekend. We just sat and talked for hours. It was so good to finally meet a friend from home since we always talk about our friends from home.

Monday night was the Rugby Varsity Cup (South African university rugby championship). The game was huge for us because not only were the Maties in it, but we were playing our arch rivals the Ikeys (University of Cape Town) and the game was at home! Classes get out early here for this sort of thing. So of course I attended the game and had a blast. I did come out of the game with a black eye though... Long story short was in line for the bathroom and somehow ended up in the way of a fight. Wrong place, wrong time. I got hit. I survived and the Maties won the game so it's all okay.