Yesterday, my friend Taylor and I hiked up to Rhodes Memorial which is right above campus. I can't believe I hadn't been up there before, it is so easy to get to and is gorgeous. The last week has been freezing cold and rain (August is the rainy season) so as soon as we saw that it was a sunny day we booked it outside to go on an adventure. From Rhodes there are numerous hiking trails including the Devil's Peak trail as well as trails to Newlands Forest and Kirstenbosch Gardens. Our goal was to get to Kirstenbosch but neither of us thought to look at a map before we went and decided to just go with what "felt right." I like to think that I have better sense of direction than my mom but being here has made me realize that this may not be true. Either way...I was happy to get out and explore, so to me any path we took was the right path. We started out on a trail heading up, not knowing that the Devil's Peak trail started here, and after about 30 minutes of huffing and puffing we realized that we weren't even heading towards Kirstenbosch and decided to change on to the intersecting path. Throughout the day we were faced with more "decision making" situations than I thought possible and didn't actually make it to Kirstenbosch but Newlands instead BUT we did come across a little tee-pee, a beautiful creek and the most masive trees in what we learned was Newlands Forest! Our 3 hours of wandering proved to be worth it and increased our desire to explore some more.

School has definitely picked up momentum...last week I was trapped in the library every day writing 3 papers, and it doesn't show any signs of slowing down. In order to relax, I have become obsessed with hot yoga at a studio down the road...I don't know what I am going to do when I can't afford to go 4 times a week in the states. Seeing everyone head back to Tulane on Facebook is making me a bit home sick; I forgot that while I was having the time of my life here, everything at Tulane would continue as usual. That being said, I don't regret coming here even the tiniest little bit:)

Tomorrow is a full moon, so I am going to hike Lion's Head and see the city glowing beneath and then Saturday my apartment is heading to Robben Island which will be an extremely moving experience.

Here are some pics from yesterday :)

Wine & Cheese & Pinkies Up

Oh man, what a weekend we just had! Beautiful scenery, amazing people and delicious food and drinks. What else could a girl ask for? Due to Women's Day on Friday (why isn't this celebrated in the states???) we didn't have classes, which allowed us to leave for Stellenbosch Thursday night. At 6 o'clock we loaded into our hired shuttle and began our 45 minute journey to the winelands. Classic SA style, we had told the company that we were 10 people (8 girls and 2 guys) and they sent us a van with 8 seats. Situations like this is just something we have learned to accept with a sense of humor. After making it to our hostel, The Stumble Inn, the manager told us that instead of paying for the more expensive triples and doubles that we had initially booked he could put us in a "dorm style" bunk room for significantly less and promised to not put anyone else in that room with us. So naturally, being poor college students, we accepted. And naturally, being 8 boisterous girls, we pushed all of the bunk beds together to create one super structure of a bed. Welcome to Camp Stellenbosch! Thursday night we went to Trumpet Tree for dinner and drinks and I shared a "pizza" with my vegan friend Kayla. A pizza without cheese might not sound very appetizing but I promise it was one of the best pizzas I have ever eaten. Living in Cape Town for a little over a month now, I feel as though I have a pretty good grasp on how to dress for the weather and although I have been very chilly at times, even sleeping in my Patagonia puff jacket one night, I blame that entirely on the fact that my room in my flat is inexplicably cold compared to everywhere else. Stellenbosch at night snapped me back to the harsh realities of winter in New England. None of us packed appropriately for the unexpected, bitter night time cold and Thursday night definitely opened our eyes to that. But we didn't let that hold us back and we endured the walk to the bars that are frequented by students there. Because Tulane isn't in a "college town," that hasn't been something that I have missed at UCT, but I have to admit it was kind've nice being in one in Stellenbosch. The next morning after snuggling in "the structure" as we warmly referred to it as and filling up on a yummy breakfast at a deli down the street, we were pumped to start our wine tour. Unfortunately, our tour guide/driver Gabriel was not equally as pumped to have us. Granted from his perspective he probably saw a group of obnoxious Americans that he would have to take care of all day..but he was unnecessarily rude and certainly did not do anything to hide his feelings of distaste. So I took it as my personal goal to make good ol' Gabe like us by the end of the day..and I THINK I succeeded, unless of course he finally learned how to fake a smile. So Gabriel aside…the wine tour was outstanding. We started with a tour of the cellar at the Simonsig vineyards, followed by a tasting of 5 wines. We then drove to our second vineyard where we had 6 tastings and a CHEESE TASTING. I am very confident when I say this…I have never eaten so much cheese in one sitting, let alone in one day, in my entire life. My stomach was definitely not feeling great after this and I definitely did not need the lunch that they served us after so thank goodness the lunch that was included in the tour lacked any characteristics of being "appetizing." After recovering a little on the ride to our next vineyard in Frankschoek, we were greeted by a stunning view of the vineyard with snowcapped peaks and mountains as the backdrop. A great photo-op that we all took full advantage of, accompanied by my personal favorite wines of the day. We ended the tour on an estate with a picturesque table setting straight out of a magazine and 6 more wine tastings. I wish that I had written down the names of all of the other vineyards we went to but unfortunately I was too engrossed in how much fun I was having to think about anything else. A more pleasant Gabriel behind the wheel, we made it back to our hostel with just enough time to build a bonfire and have quick little cat nap. After this full day of "liquid warmth" along with 3 more layers of clothes, we were a bit more prepared for the temperature change once the sun tucked behind the mountains. At dinner that night, you would have thought we were celebrities because everyone was staring at us..I guess packs of 8 girls don't frequent Gino's too often because we were treated with complimentary champagne and then sangria.  After a long night out meeting numerous University of Stellenbosch students, the wine consumed all throughout Friday finally caught up to all of us and made for a pretty miserable car ride back to Rondebosch Saturday morning. Worth it? Definitely. Nothing a little sleep, movies and advil couldn't fix ;) 

Now back to reality! Professors at UCT loooove essays apparently because I feel as though I have been endlessly writing papers since school began. Writing essays is easily my least favorite thing and I would trade taking 3 tests over an essay any day of the week so unfortunately I have not been enjoying my school work as much as anticipated…bUT all of the fun that I am having outside of the classroom negates any pain and headaches that I am forced to endure otherwise. And the way that I look at it..maybe by the end of this I will be a professional paper writer (or at least conquer my hatred for the process). 

Ta-ta for now! 

L

the structure

cellar tour

HEY!

WOAH Hey world!! Sorry it has taken me so long to write a new post..I promise you it is not because I haven't had anything to write about. Quiet the contrary actually...but of course, my internet has not been working on my computer so I have been limited to using my cell phone. For those of you who have ever written anything longer than "hey what's up" (all of you) you know that writing a blog post from an iPhone would be pure torture. Anyway, I'M BACK! So let me just break things down for you in a concise fashion that will not bore you to tears but will also fill you in on what I have been up to...

2 weekends ago, I was fortunate enough to stay with a family in Ocean View, a township about 45 minutes away. This homestay weekend has been the most rewarding experience for me personally and I cannot possibly portray to anyone else how it affected me. I stayed with the Terry family which consisted of Bernadette (mom) Ivan (dad) Robin (13 yr old son) and Aimee (9 yr old daughter) along with another CIEE student, Lee. Although they do not have much to give, relative to our comforts in America, the Terry family gives everything that they can. This does not only mean financially, but personally...they give everything of themselves to their fullest extent. Bernadette is an amazing cook and I swear I gained 10 pounds just being with them for 3 days; Ivan is humble and kind and once he opened up to us I could have sat and spoken to him for hours; Aimee was the most boisterous personality I have EVER met...she puts Brooke and I to shame and makes us look like mutes (hard to do); and finally Robin was soft-spoken and driven, wanting more than anything to become a professional soccer player. Throughout the weekend they treated us like family and encouraged Lee and I to ask any and all questions that we had regarding their lives. We went to 2 church fundraisers including High Tea which was an extremely humorous experience in itself and then on Sunday morning accompanied them to their Baptist church. Personally. not being a very religious person, I have always observed religion from an arm's length and have never really been able to completely comprehend how people can fully commit themselves to this belief in "God" but after experiencing this service I finally have a glimmer of understanding.  Church to them is more than reading the Bible and praying for forgiveness; no it is much more than that....with only 40 members, mostly consisting of full families, church is a family, a representation of unity in an otherwise chaotic world. Living in poverty, they are able to come together and look to a higher being for answers, for someone who will listen, somewhere that they can unload the baggage of life and move forward. This passage cannot even do justice to the Terry family, and I could certainly ramble on for pages about each one of them, but instead I will leave it with...I will be back to visit before I leave in November, hopefully more than once, and I plan to remain in touch with them for years to come.

I have also recently tried a number of great restaurants and explored the city a bit more. Thursday of last week I went to the City Bowl Market with 2 friends. The best way that I can describe it is a much less intimidating, and much more manageable Old Biscuit Mill market...plus wine tasting. For R40 we got 9 wine tastings from vendors from local vineyards and a 1 full glass of our choice of wine. There was also amazing food and I had a delicious burger with fig, rocket (kind've like arugula/spinach and on everything here), a cheese that I had never head of before but was good, and a million other veggies. It was awesome and affordable and I will definitely be back.
Then, on Friday I went to the V&A Waterfront with 2 other friends and wandered around the Market on the Wharf (a large fresh produce and food market where we taste-tested everything in site) and then walked to Greenpoint. Once there, we went to lunch at El Burro, an amazing Mexican restaurant where we enjoyed super fresh ceviche and margaritas. After lunch we walked to Long St. and went to Greenmarket Square for the 10th time since being here (I'll never stop doing the touristy things) and I got a hand woven purse that fits my camera in it. No one will appreciate how huge this is, but let me tell you, it's huge.
We were blessed with the most amazing weather all weekend. It was mid 70s and all sun, which was a VERY pleasant change from the rain and cold that it has been, so we went to the beach! Saturday, after Old Biscuit Mill we loaded up into our friends car and headed to Camps Bay. We lounged on the beautiful sand all afternoon and then went to an early dinner at a restaurant on that beach overlooking the sunset. Pure bliss.

Now..it's back to rain and bone chilling cold but don't worry! The weather is looking up for this coming weekend when I have my first trip planned! Tomorrow night we are heading to Stellenbosch in the Winelands for our holiday weekend. Because we don't have school on Friday, we are taking full advantage and doing a full day wine tour consisting of 4 vineyards, a cellar tour, a cheese tasting and lunch :) I couldn't be happier. Rachel and I spent all morning this morning booking transportation, the hostel and the wine tour for 8 of our friends for Thursday to Saturday. Look for a post about that Sunday or Monday!

 I promise I will be better about posting future adventures in a more timely manner so that I won't have to create the Sparknotes version of everything!!
That's all for now,
XO
Linds

Me infront of the Terry's house 

view of the ocean from the Terry's doorway 

Looking up the street in Ocean view 

some boys from Ocean View looking for a photo

The Terrys and I!! 

Host dad Ivan and brother Robin 

the "tuck shop" across the street 

neighborhood children in Ocean view 

exploring the city... "it's beautiful here"

sunset in Camps Bay

view of the sunset from dinner 

El Burro in Greenpoint 

Chili Margarita...yum 

Rach and I being goofballs out on Sunday night :)