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 :) 

JAWS!

On Sunday morning, I was lowered into a cage in the middle of Shark Alley with fish heads and guts poured in the water surrounding me. No this was not my death sentence or a form of torture created in South Africa...I was willingly Shark Cage Diving!!! The only way to describe my experience is, INSANE. Exhilarating, jaw-dropping (hehe), breathe taking...the list goes on. For those of you who know me well, you know that my swimming abilities are pretty sub-par. At 19 years old I have still yet to master diving and my attempts at doing so have proven to be a fun party trick for my sister Brooke to show off. Anyway, with that being said, let's just say my family was a bit nervous for me to be in shark infested waters where swimming would seem to be a pretty crucial aspect. But don't worry people! I'm still alive n kickin' with all of my limbs in tact. So..let me begin my in depth description of this wild afternoon.

10 am, wake up and board the mini-bus outside of our flats. Everyone is tingling with excitement and wishing that we had remembered that liquor stores are closed on Sundays because we wanted to pop a bottle of champagne after coming back alive. I wish someone had warned me that the car ride to the docks was going to be 2 hours because I was literally shaking with excitement and had nothing to occupy myself with besides pestering everyone around me. Once arriving at The Great White Project's office building, we were greeted by a lovely spread of food for lunch while we waited to get out on the water. I knew not to eat too much before going on a boat but some of my comrades were not as fortunate. Once going through some brief (very brief) safety precautions, we boarded the boat and headed out to Shark Alley, a strip of water on the False Bay side of the Cape Peninsula, aptly named for the multitude of sharks that habitat the area. I kept my eye on the land to avoid having my stomach jostled by the waves on the 15 minute ride out. Once out there, I along with 5 of my friends immediately volunteered to be the first group in. Had I known that getting into a wet suit would be the hardest part of this whole endeavor, I would have started putting it on on the car ride there hours before. With the waves rocking the boat, I tugged the sticky wet suit on with as much coordination as Bambi walking on ice. We then lowered our bodies into the cage in the icey water as the crew started tossing out chum to attract our Great White friends. I was initially nervous that I wouldn't be able to hold my breathe for long enough and would miss seeing the sharks when they came but quickly learned after seeing my first Great White at arm distance that holding my breathe wouldn't be the issue, remembering to breathe in general would be more important. As the sharks would approach the cage, attracted by the massive fish heads floating in front of us, their eyes were like soulless black marbles. After about 10 minutes, we got out and gave the next group a chance. Little did I know, while I was under water infatuated with the largest predator of the sea, those left on deck were having a rough time getting their sea legs. A rough time is a complete understatement, people were really losing their shit, pardon my French. And I don't mean freaking out about the sharks..people were puking left and right. This is where I have to say, Thank You Dad for taking me deep sea fishing with you because my stomach was solid as a rock. Because so many people were losing their lunches, I even got to go into the cage twice and I think the sharks were attracted to their puke because the second time in I saw a HUGE one that skimmed the cage and chomped down on the bait in front of us. I even saw a cute little seal (dumb, but cute) swim past and (hopefully) escape the sharp teeth surrounding us.

Overall, what an experience!! We got back to Rondebosch at about 7:30 and after showering headed to our favorite sushi restaurant, Beluga, for some fresh fish and drinks. Later that night, I even met some famous surfers that were in Cape Town filming a documentary. Of course I was too awkward and spastic to hold a conversation with any of them but my friends did a good job at making them think we were normal. A great end to an amazing day.

Wet Suit Seal Conspiracy 

I stole all of these pictures from my friends because I somehow managed to avoid taking a single picture. oops?

Hiking, Classes and Minions

Okay before I recap anything else, I need to explain how excited I am to see Despicable Me 2 tonight. The Claremont movie theater has a half price special on Tuesday nights which means I get to see my favorite little animated characters for super cheap. I love them so much that I used up all of my internet allowance in my house watching Despicable Me youtube videos. Who knew that Youtube sucks up so much internet..I sure didn't. But 3GB later and here I am. So now the only way I can use internet is on campus or at an internet cafe. I am the joke of my house at the moment. Anyway, back to my minions. I LOVE THEM AND I AM SO EXCITED.  I'll be sure to update you all on my review of this fantastic film later tonight.

In the meantime, classes have begun! Yesterday was the first day and I ran around like an 8 headed chicken with all of its heads cut off and its shoe laces tied together. Not only was I sweating and panting by the time I walked up to the top of upper campus (never doing that again) but once getting up there I had no idea where I was going or what I was doing.  I was the stereotypical image of a stupid lost American. Today has been a lot better sooo hopefully it only goes up from here! 

On a brighter note! I hiked Lions Head for the first time on Sunday. It was the most rewarding and exciting thing I have ever done. I definitely underestimated how much of a climb/hike it would be, as the trail quickly disappears and turns to steep rocks that must be climbed near the peak. My thighs were burning as we reached the top but once I looked up and soaked in the views that surrounded me all thoughts of pain immediately vanished. 360 degrees of breathtaking views with Table Mountain behind, the Atlantic Ocean ahead and the city of Cape Town below. This hike made me even more excited to get to the tops of Table and Devils Peak. 

Heaven on Earth

If I could put into words how amazing the Old Biscuit Mill market is, I would. But I simply can't. It is the most magical, delicious, happy place on this planet and if I died today I would die a happy lady because I have been to it. For those of you who don't know what it is, OBM is an open air market like nothing you have ever seen before. Walking into it for the first time yesterday, I was immediately overwhelmed by how many options lay before me. Rows upon rows of food vendors selling everything from delicious smoothies to paella to sandwiches and more. The entire place smells so good that your mouth starts watering the second you step foot on the premises. As we snaked through the market trying to decide what to buy for breakfast I was so happy I could cry. We did laps around the entire place to see everything before making what felt like the most important decision of our lives.  Rachel and I bought a glass of sangria for R20 to try to settle our nerves a little. Mom, you know I love your sangria but this was the best sangria I have ever had. Then finally, I chose a a sandwich from Black Plate. Fresh arugula, tomato, avocado, parmesan, pancetta and balsamic vinegar drizzled on top resting on thick, crunchy bread the size of my face. YUM. Rachel and Hailey chose butter chicken over rice and these little cheese puff concoctions which they said were delicious. After eating ourselves into a coma, while being serenaded by a live band,  we decided to check out the other section of shops that had clothing and other various knick knacks. One of the stores, Exposure, sold all things to do with photography and I bought two packs of film for my fisheye camera. I could have spent hours in there looking around. All in all....best morning of my life and we have made a promise to ourselves to never miss a saturday at OBM. EVER.

On a less happy note....NEVER GO TO THE PLANETARIUM IN CAPE TOWN. I can't even write about it because I don't want to taint the happiness expressed above. But all I will say is it is not fun, not worth the money and the worst experience of my life. Think of the most boring let down of your life and then multiply it by 100 and that will get you close to our experience. So I guess I can check that off my list and know where to send someone who I really don't like in the future.

You take classes abroad?

I just got back from registering for classes for this semester. I have been here for about two weeks now and the "study" aspect of "study abroad" and about to begin. I have never been so thankful for the system that we have in place for registration back in the states as this morning. Not only is the campus huge and I still have absolutely zero clue how to navigate it, but registration is done by paper, requiring you to walk around and wait in endless lines to get things signed. It is a completely miserable process. But it's over! and I got all of the classes I wanted! I am taking Religion, Spirituality and Ecology; Media, Power and Propaganda; Images in Conflict; and Origins of the Contemporary World. I am especially excited for the religion course because it looks at how different religious groups are dealing with the current environmental crisis and their theories behind it. Should be really interesting!

On the exploring side of things...I went to the beach for the first time yesterday. This week has been really warm compared to the rest of the time so we were able to soak up a little bit of sun. We took the train from Rondebosch (where I live) to Muizenberg beach which took about 30 minutes. I didn't think it was possible to have a worse train system than Metro North but the trains here definitely have it beat. I have been with my guy friends every time I have taken it but it is definitely not something I'd want to do solo. It is for sure the cheapest way to get to the beach though so I am completely fine with it. Muizenberg beach is where everyone goes to learn how to surf because the waves are pretty manageable. I didn't surf this time but I definitely will in the near future. Along the beach there are lines of these beautifully colored little huts that are changing rooms but I joked to my friends that I would live in one. It honestly wasn't a joke..waking up every morning and stepping out onto that silky smooth sand with mountains on the horizon line and at my back would be a blessing. I brought my film SLR camera with some black and white film as well as my digital SLR camera to snap some pics. After a long day of lounging in the sun, my flat cooked dinner together and drank some Pinotage (our new favorite) before going out. I'm glad I didn't go as crazy as all of my friends last night because they were not feeling too hot at the registration process from hell this morning. Tonight, we are going to take the train to St. James beach which is a couple stops past Muizenberg and is apparently very nice to watch the sun set. hopefully it isn't too chilly! 

Here are some pictures from the beach yesterday :)