Monday night I attended my first Maties (Stellenbosch) rugby match. Rugby could be compared to football or basketball at universities in the States so the games are a pretty big deal and luckily I happen to have season tickets! It was a beautiful night for the game and we won which made it even more fun. I have enjoyed learning about the sport and it is actually a fairly interesting game to watch.

Other interesting events from this week include a dinner at a local seafood restaurant where I tried (and liked) sushi, calamari, and three different types of fish and meeting with a professor from Penn State with whom I got to talk about (and highly recommend) the program I am on. My friends here are from the east coast and while it might not sound like a big deal, they seem to have been raised to be a little bit more adventurous than I. They have really enjoyed introducing me to new foods and what not and find it so funny that I have never eaten things like muscles and squash. We actually have a list going of all the 'adventurous' activities I partake in each day.

On Thursday, I began my volunteer work at a non-profit organization called the Pebbles Project. The Pebbles Project creates, maintains, and staffs creches (preschools) and after-school programs on local farms/vineyards. For the most part, vineyard workers and their families in South Africa live on the farms and while illegal, are paid with wine. They live in pretty bad conditions so that the farm owner maximizes his profits. Since they are paid with alcohol, there is a really bad problem with children being born with fetal alcohol syndrome... apparently Stellenbosch and the surrounding wineland areas have some of the highest rates in the world. I will be working to come up with craft ideas for the after-school program for an entire year. This is difficult because the ages range from 5 to 19 and most of the children have severe learning/mental/etc disabilities. In addition, there are very few supplies. Right now Pebbles just has paper at their disposal. I will also be working at the after-school program every Thursday helping with homework (mainly just English help since I don't speak Afrikaans/Xhosa and they don't really speak English) and craft time. I got to meet the children last week and I was amazed at how happy and well behaved they all were. I am really excited to start doing this weekly and just provide whatever help I can.

Then this weekend (Friday and Saturday) I went on a two day, 25km+ hike up to the top of Table Mountain. I'm not going to lie, it was a rough hike, quite possibly the hardest I have ever had to push myself in my life. On Friday we left Stellenbosch at 6h30 and started out on the trail at 9h00. We hiked for a good 7 hours and then stopped at our campsite for the night. The campsite was incredible, almost like a treehouse. There was a main open air building with kitchen facilities, a fire pit area, outdoor breakfast bar overlooking the mountains, a round deck area perfect for playing cards, real plumbing, outdoor showers, and a few platform tents connected by a boardwalk of sorts. We all enjoyed a warm shower while taking in the beautiful scenery and then air dried in the sun. We played some cards, had some wine, journaled, and then all cooked and ate dinner together. We went to bed early so that we could get up and start the hike again at sunrise. The hike today was shorter, only about 4 or 5 hours, but much more strenuous. It was pretty much uphill rock climbing the entire way... it was like doing the stairmaster in the hot African sun for 5 hours straight. So needless to say it was so rewarding when we reached the top. The views were amazing (as are all views here) and it was so great to see how far we had hiked. We stayed at the top for a while and took pictures and then took a cable car down. The top of Table Mountain is a huge tourist destination so most people just take the cable car up rather than hiking... believe me, my group felt so much more accomplished having hiked the entire way up! We rewarded ourself tonight with a nice dinner out and now I am headed to bed! I know I'm going to be sore tomorrow!

Just finished up another weekend full of adventure! Friday our group went into Cape Town for an art installation called "Infecting the City." We basically watched a bunch of different art performances which depicted the past and present struggles of South Africa.

Then on Saturday we went floating down the Breede River with the Stellenbosch Canoeing Society. We were given a blow up canoe, two oars, and a cooler of beer and told to meet down the river at the camp site. None of us have really canoed before and it showed! We ended up losing most of our belongings (including our oars) on one of the small rapids we had to go through. Instead of going over the rapids, our boat got stuck on a large rock in the middle of the river. We all fell out and everything got swept away. We have some pretty bad bruises from being dragged along the rocks but we all survived. That night we had to camp along the river. The society made us some traditional African stew for dinner and then we all sat around the campfire. I have never seen more stars in my life. It is incredible what you can see when there are no city lights around.

Well, I am hoping for a relaxing week after the intense canoeing/camping trip. We have a Maties Rugby match tomorrow and then next weekend we are hiking Table Mountain so I need to prepare for that!

Gelukkige Valentyndag! (aka Happy Valentine's Day!) Today is not as big here as it is in the states, however, they do celebrate!

Yesterday, I went on a six hour hike to Crystal Pools. There are about five pools of fresh water in the mountains in which you can swim and cliff jump. There are waterfalls and huge boulders in which you can sun bathe. You have to hike quite a ways to get to each of them so it was an all day adventure. The group wandered off the path a few times forcing us to scale rocks and climb through thick bushes. There were a few instances when we wondered if we were going to make it off the mountain alive! We really got the full African adventure feel as we forged our own way up the mountain! However, the view made the strenuous climb worth it and we just sat at the top for awhile taking in the scenery. I think we were all very proud of ourselves that we made it out alive with just a bunch of cuts and bruises covering our arms and legs! I added a bunch of pictures from the hike to my Cape Town Adventures album if you want to check them out!

Well, the week ahead seems pretty calm. We are trying to figure out what we want to do for fall break as well as other excursions we want to fit in on the trip. I also have my first wine society meeting on Wednesday! I'll keep everyone posted on how that goes!

Hello! Thought I would just give a quick update! Today marks the end of my first month here and leaves me both happy and sad. Sad because the time is going way too fast; happy because it is incredible all the things I have done and learned already.

Anyway, summer has struck with vengeance here. The past two days have been ridiculously hot... I'm not complaining though since it sounds like there has been a lot of snow back in the states. There has been an outbreak of fires nearby due to the heat and lack of rain (I seriously have yet to see a drop of rain since arriving a month ago!). Since Stellenbosch is situated in a valley of sorts, the heat from the fires is just sitting over us making it even more unbearable. From what I hear, February is supposed to be the hottest here but then it cools off and March is perfect.

Last weekend I attended my first rugby game in which the Stormers of Western Cape won. The game was held in the new 2010 (World Cup) Stadium in Cape Town. Rugby is huge here and it was great to join in on that part of the culture! Besides that, I have just been taking advantage of the casual student lifestyle here. I have actually enjoyed going to class. Last week I got both an Afrikaans name and an isiXhosa name. My Afrikaans name is Francien Fourie and my isiXhosa name is Nomaxabisa which means "many prices." The names were random but I guess mine is sort of fitting! I have learned how to have basic conversations and I have had so much fun trying to use it with the locals. Afrikaaners are very proud of their heritage and thus are reluctant to use English even if then know it. They are much more welcoming to people who at least try to use their own language so I am very glad I took the language class. Between classes, I go to the gym and pool regularly as well as sit at local cafes and enjoy a coffee or two with friends. Getting coffee has been a good time to sit and chat with friends I have met here. It's a time when we can all discuss how we're feeling and doing with the whole experience. We have pretty much all reached the point where we realize we aren't just on vacation but actually living here. That has been a rough point for many of us and so it has been nice having a support network of people who know what you are going through and feeling. While living here has been and will be so much fun, it will also be quite challenging. I think we are all excited for the challenge though. I have recently made it a goal of mine to try something new each day. For example I tried seared tuna and mussels for the first time this week. This may not sound like a big deal to many people but I am not usually a very adventurous person! I am so excited to say that I have actually liked everything I have tried so far! Also on the list of things to try include cage shark diving, surfing, and bungee jumping!

So to sum things up, I am still having a great time and am thankful everyday for this experience. I think I am only now realizing how bit of a deal this is. I still catch myself proclaiming, "We're in Africa!" multiple times a day because it is so weird to me!

PS Continue to check for new pictures!