Author: kmgraninger

Welp, I’ve been locked away in my room, laying in bed for the past two days.  That’s right, I’m sick.  I wasn’t feeling well last Friday or Saturday but by Sunday I felt like I was back to normal.  I went to a wine festival and then on Monday I wasn’t feeling too good again. When I woke up on Tuesday I felt like I had been hit by a train.  My lymph nodes were super swollen so I decided to go to the health center on campus.  The doctor wasn’t 100% sure what I have but she said said it’s most likely tonsillitis.  So I got a whole bunch of medications prescribed and was sent off to the pharmacy at the mall.  That was a whole nother adventure.  The doctor sent me to the cheapest pharmacy in the mall, which turned out to only have one of the exact medications that doctor prescribed.  The pharmacist tried to give me two medications that were similar to the prescribed medication, and one that was apparently the same medication but a different brand.  And of those three, two became over-the-counter drugs.  I don’t know about you, but that did not sit well with me.  I tried asking him to call my doctor and double check that it was okay, but he refused to do it.  After a little back and forth bantering, I finally had to explain to him why I was so hesitant to take the other medications.  He then agreed to call the doctor but of course, by then the doctor’s office had closed and everyone had gone home for the night.  The pharmacist suggested that I go to a different pharmacy and see if they had exactly what I needed, since I wasn’t content with what he was offering me.  By this point I was really frustrated, I felt like shit and I just wanted to go home.  Luckily, the next pharmacy I went to had the right medications and I was out of the door and on my way home within fifteen minutes.  I was hoping that by this morning I would be feeling better but I woke up with a fever higher than the one I had yesterday.  I took my meds and have been feeling better since, so hopefully when I wake up tomorrow I’ll be on the mend!  I really need my body to cooperate with me… especially since my fall break begins tomorrow!

Technically break doesn’t start until this weekend but since I have no classes on Fridays and my afternoon class got cancelled for tomorrow, I will officially be on fall break as of 1pm!  I’m going on a road trip with a few of my friends and we are going to do some awesome stuff!  Then a big group of us are going to a beach house for a couple of days and then we’ll be doing some smaller trips after that.  I don’t want to spoil anything but I can’t wait to show you all what I’ll have done!!!

In the past few weeks I went on a weekend trip to Gansbaai (Hans-by) with my photography class, went on a photography practical in Muizenberg with my photography class, did some more wine tasting, made tons of cool crafts with my class and started cooking a lot of delicious meals for myself and for others!  I’ve been trying to improve my cooking over the past couple years and this chapter in my life has given me the perfect opportunity to do so.  I’m absolutely loving it!

During our Gansbaai trip, we got to stay in little cabins by the beach with our friends.  The stars were so clear the first night… I wish I hadn’t been so lazy and had gotten my camera out!  We also got to party with our teacher and the international students coordinator which was pretty cool if I say so.  Some of my friends also went shark cage diving but I did not.  We went to a bunch of different locations by the water in Gansbaai to take some cool photos.

Here are some of my favorite pictures… most of them are from the photography practical and the Gansbaai trip!

I can’t wait to check in with you all in another week and a half! Stay happy and healthy until then!

xo

Kim

This past weekend was absolutely amazing and created numerous memories that I’ll carry with me for the rest of my life.

I was fortunate enough to go to Ultra with a bunch of my friends- my very first music festival!  Going in I had absolutely no idea what to expect, I just knew it would be crazy fun. Ultra is a two-day EDM festival with tons of djs and tons of people.  It’s only held in one place in the US each year- Miami. How cool is it that I get to say that my first music festival was in Cape Town, South Africa?! One of the coolest things was that we were able to get VIP tickets since they were cheap.  This is something that wouldn’t even be imaginable in the US (VIP tickets go for over $1200).  The tickets gave us access to private bathrooms, bars and food, which came in really handy.

It was a stressful day leading up to the festival but once we got there, everything was worth it!  I stayed in a B&B in Hout Bay with some of our friends, while others went back to school after the first night.  Hout Bay is an absolutely gorgeous area with an insane view.  The B&B had a cute little pool and deck which overlooked the city out onto the Bay.  The beach looked really clean and beautiful from afar but unfortunately we didn’t have enough time to go there.

The first night (Saturday) we didn’t head off to the festival until about 7:30.   Surprisingly I didn’t feel out of place and joined right in with everyone dancing.  Within about five minutes of arriving, someone stepped on my friend’s shoe and broke it.  A little while later, she tripped on that foot and ended up fracturing it in four places (something we didn’t find out until yesterday).  It made our weekend pretty interesting.  The headliners that night were Zedd and Skrillex.  I definitely think that Zedd was my favorite out of both nights.  I didn’t take my GoPro the first night so I only have some low quality, short videos 😦 Everything ended at 2 that night, so needless to say, we were up very late and didn’t get a whole lot of sleep.  To make matters worse, my friend got her fanny pack stolen, which had her phone, wallet and passport in it.  We never found it, but yesterday someone messaged her on Facebook to say they had found her passport!  The next day we didn’t head to Ultra until about 5 o’clock, which gave us plenty of time to hang out by the pool, relax and recharge before the night ahead of us.  That night, the headliners were Afrojack and Tiesto- Afrojack was my favorite.  Unfortunately, tragedy struck again.  My friend had his phone stolen out of his pocket as he was walking through the crowd away from the stage.  We got back to the B&B at about 12:30, much earlier compared to the night before, but we were all so exhausted and passed out almost immediately.  The next morning was Monday and we had to wake up at a reasonable time to make sure we got back to Stellies for class.

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I had so much fun last weekend and I wish that I could just go back and relive it all over again.  The weather was amazing, the music was unbelievable, but the people I went with were really what made it such a good time. We were able to make it to the front of the crowd both nights and danced like crazy for hours.  I was even able to get up on a friend’s shoulders and get a sick view of everything. Watching the videos I took gets me so pumped but so sad that it the festival came and went so fast.  I’ve already joked with a couple of friends that in a few years, we’re all going to fly back to Cape Town and go to Ultra together.  Honestly, I’d be pretty disappointed if we didn’t make it happen.

p.s. A huge thanks for Joey and Markus for helping me capture some of these pictures and videos!!

It’s been over a month since I got here and it didn’t take long for this beautiful place to start feeling like home.  That being said, there is always something new to find, try and explore.  This may not sound like “home,” but there is something about this area that makes you feel so connected to it.

Here are a few pictures of my room and my roommates!  They’ve helped make our apartment feel extra home-y.  They are a pretty awesome group of chicks and I’m stoked that I get to spend the semester with them.

from left to right: me (Maryland), Alide (Germany), Haley (Colorado) and Gillian (Nova Scotia)

Classes started a few weeks ago and I’m beginning to get into a routine.  Clubs and extracurriculars have also started and will definitely keep me busy once they are in full swing.  I’ve got classes Monday through Thursday which gives me a chance to take a 3-day weekend trip, go wine tasting or just have an extra day to catch up on sleep.  I’m taking four classes: Beginners Afrikaans, Photography, HIV and AIDS, and Sociology: Political and Cultural Change in South Africa.  They’re all really interesting (although I occasionally doze off in my sociology course).  Afrikaans is very similar to Dutch, but seeing as I know no Dutch, it’s been interesting trying to grasp the fundamentals of the language.  There are three main languages of the Western Cape: English, Afrikaans and IsiXhosa.  Most people I’ve encountered speak either Afrikaans or IsiXhosa in addition to English.  Knowing one of the local languages will be super helpful and I hope that I’m able to pick up on it relatively quickly.  Here are some little phrases I’ve learned so far… “Hoe gaan dit?” (hoo haan dit) is literally translated as “how goes it” but is about the same as asking “how are you?” “War kom jy vandaan?” (Var comb yaay faandaan) means “where do you come from?” and a very popular one “lekker” which is slang for cool, awesome or very good.  My Afrikaans class will also go on outings to practice speaking the language… something that I can’t imagine happening back in the U.S.   I’m really excited to be taking a photography class.  This is something I’ve wanted to do for years and years and now I’m finally getting the opportunity.  I’ve never had any formal teaching on how to compose pictures or adjust settings to get the best result- so I’m looking forward to the quality of pictures I’ll be taking by the end of the trip.  We also have a few practicals and get to go on trips with the class to take pictures which is super exciting!  Overall, classes have not been too stressful yet.  I’m currently working on an 8-page paper which has by far been the biggest assignment I’ve gotten.  None of my professors have really explained how exams work in their classes (like the format, what type of notes we need to take, etc) which is a little worrisome but I’ve tried to stick to what I know and would do back home.  Hopefully it’ll be good enough to get me an A!  The grading system here is also different.  I’ve heard that professors grade more critically than we’re used to and because of that, different number grades equal different letter grades.  This might give you an idea… 90+ is an A+, 80-89 is an A, 75-79% is an A-.  Then you don’t start getting into the C range until the low 60s.  One of the other theories I have as to why students get such “low” grades here is because life in Stellenbosch is one big party that seems to never end.  But I guess we’ll see as the semester continues and I start doing more work!

While we’re on the topic of party, let me give you an idea of what the alcohol scene is like down here.  This country is so laid back and nonchalant about alcohol consumption.  It’s not unusual to see someone having a beer or a glass of wine with their lunch during the middle of the week.  Since Stellenbosch is literally full of vineyards, going wine tasting is a casual afternoon activity.  I’ve also walked through campus, the student center and stood in line at the book store with a friend after we went to the liquor store… I had a six pack of beer and he had a bottle of brandy is his hand because we didn’t have anywhere else to put it.  I didn’t feel weird about it or get strange looks from anyone.  I couldn’t imagine that scenario playing out the same way in College Park.  And alcohol is pretty cheap for the international students, so that’s always nice.

Here’s a run-down of my last few weeks!  A lot has been happening and I’ve been quite busy.

I went to a beach called Kogel Bay (Kogel baai) with a bunch of friends on the fifth.  It’s been my favorite beach so far… it was like this little nook of heaven cut off from the rest of the world.  The beach was big, beautiful and clean.  The waves were so calm and for once, the water was warm!  There were no buildings, lights or anything around it- no sign of civilization (the closest town was not far though).  And get this- there are baboons that live right there on the beach, in the rocks and caves.  I wasn’t sure if my eyes were playing tricks on me when I got there because my friends were standing around, playing on one side of this rock and on the other side of the rock there were a couple of baboons just chillin.  The baboons never got aggressive towards us but they did steal some people’s food 😦 A large group of people ended up staying on the beach for the night but I went home after it got dark.  I almost wish I had stayed (although I had no interest in sleeping with the baboons) because that night, I saw more stars than I’ve seen in my entire life.  It was the coolest thing ever and I wish I’d had my camera with me.  I’m sure pictures would not have done it justice though.  There were so many stars that I couldn’t even look up at them all at the same time.  I can’t wait to go back there.

The next day, I went to my first wine festival (wyn fees)!  We paid an entrance fee and got a wine glass, which we could take to any of the vendors and get as many samples as we wanted.  Some were better than others, and some of the companies had food paired with their wine.  I went to this one stand about ten times because they had this tropical guava white chocolate that was to die for.  One of my favorites wines was this one that was fruit infused.  They had three different kinds and I’ve been on the hunt for them ever since, but can’t find them anywhere.  There was also live music, several places to buy food and a huge stand to purchase bottles of wine.

That following Monday I attended my first rugby game ever!  Maties (Stellenbosch U) won by a lot, but I don’t remember what the score was.  It’s fun to watch these massive men play rugby, but the games are also huge social events so we were able to make some new friends! I’ve quickly realized that I love going to rugby games.

I started volunteering at an elementary school once a week and it’s been a little hectic but completely worth it.  The kids are so eager for the university students to get there and to play.  We are able to do pretty much whatever we want with them during the time we’re there.  I’m working with a second grade class of 40 students with one of my friends, Amanda.  Most of the other classes have four university students but it ended up being just the two of us.  Luckily the teacher is really cool and helps us out with the outdoor games and crafts we do with them.  Amanda and I have a lot of fun stuff planned for them to do as the semester goes on.  Don’t worry- I will definitely keep you all updated!  I’ve been taking lots of pictures but I’m not sure if we’re allowed to put them up on the internet yet, so here is a picture of the group of university students volunteering their time!  This experience has already been really eye-opening and I’m excited for where it’s going.

The weekend of the 12th, 13th and 14th I went to Cape Town with some friends.  We did a little shopping at this massive mall outside the city, then stayed at a B&B for the night, and went to a burger festival the next day.  Let me just tell you, I ate so many delicious burgers that I died, went to burger heaven and then ate more burgers there.

The following day was Valentine’s Day, which I spent with all of my girlfriends and it was so much fun.  We did a little shopping during the day, then got dressed up and went to dinner at an Italian restaurant, and then met up with the rest of my friends at our apartment to drink wine and eat chocolates.

Last week the PGIO (Post-Graduate and International Office) threw a mini World Cup tournament, which was a blast.  It was really cool to get to see people from different countries come together to play soccer and just hang out.  The only thing that sucked was that there weren’t many girls who came out to play- most teams only had one or two girls.  I played in the tournament so these pictures were taken by my friend Bia!

On Friday we went wine tasting at a vineyard that also had big cats! It felt a little weird to walk around and see these cats that were in cages, but the rest of the place was beautiful.

On Saturday we went hiking through Jonkershoek Nature Reserve (Yonkers-hook).  There are two waterfalls within the reserve but we only were able to find one, so we’ll be heading back soon.  It was a beautiful hike.

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Sunday we went to Somerset West, a nearby beach, and then out to dinner!  This beach was more touristy than others that we’ve been to and not my favorite, but the water was really nice and we had a good time.

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Then, on Monday I went to the second home rugby game of the season!

So this post was extremely, extremely long.  For those of you who read all the way to the bottom, thanks a bunch!! I promise I’ll try to do better and post more frequently so they’re not as long.

I hope that everyone is healthy and happy back in the states! I miss you all!

xo

Kim

Now that I caught you up on what I’ve been doing, I want to share all of the things I’ve picked up on since arriving.  The first is the concept of what people call “African time.”  People around here are pretty laid back and things kind of get done when they get done.  No one is really in a rush (unless they’re driving) and it’s pretty refreshing.  South Africans seem to prioritize the quality of time rather than the quantity.  The most prevalent place you can see this would be in a restaurant.  Don’t wait until you’re hungry to go out.  It can take easily over an hour or hour and a half after you’ve arrived to get your food.  That might sound like a big deal especially since restaurants in the U.S. are all about getting the food out as quickly as possible, but it doesn’t take long to adjust to.  The way I see it is as long as I’ve got something to drink, I’ll be fine until the food comes.  You get so distracted talking to everyone you’re with that the time passes quickly.  I really, really like it and I already know it’s going to be hard to adjust to when I go back to the U.S. and especially to work.  Life here is so laid back and all about enjoying your time!

On a related note, the food here is absolutely delicious! Pizza, burgers and chips (aka fries) are the main courses at many restaurants in Stellenbosch.  When we went into Cape Town for a few days, we were able to stay at a B&B just up the street from tons of ethnic restaurants.  The food was all authentic and it felt like we were able to visit a different country with each meal. We’ll definitely be going back there.

The fruit here is so fresh and full of flavor.

My first meal out in Stellenbosch. This was the Led Zeppelin burger at Sgt. Pepper in Stellenbosch. The size of the burger surprised me and it was delicious.

Kauai, Stellenbosch.

The traditional South Afrikan food we were served at the International Students Welcome Dinner.

Prego Roll at Slug and Lettuce, Stellenbosch

I forget what this was called, but it’s Roti with chicken and other spices that I found at a place in the Neelsie (the student center), Stellenbosch.

Open croissant with scrambled egg and bacon, Cape Town.

Apple juice, Cape Town. The apple juice was freshly made and tasted so good- it was like they just crushed the apple and gave it to you!

Thai, Cape Town

Croissant with Nutella, Cape Town.

Italian, Cape Town

Red velvet cake waffe, Stellenbosch.

Beef and chicken nachos, Balboa, Stellenbosch.

Pizza with mango, ham, chicken among other things, Balboa, Stellenbosch.

Chicken burger with bacon, avocado, aoli, feta, lettuce and tomato. So good! Stellenbosch.

IPA from Craft, brewed in Stellenbosch.

Desserts from Craft, Stellenbosch. A lot of the desserts I’ve had here are on the dry side but these were so good.

The massive Bar One Shake I got at Hudson’s, Stellenbosch.

Pizza from Hudson’s, Stellenbosch. Bacon, chicken, basil, tomato and garlic.

Not to mention that the alcoholic beverages are great too.  It’s wine country so of course you have a huge assortment of good wines to choose from when you go out.  The beer is also wonderful and I have fallen in love with Hunters Gold, a type of hard cider. I’m definitely being spoiled here and my stomach is very, very happy.

Another thing is that people here are so friendly.  They will really go out of their way to help you, whether it’s giving you directions, telling you where to eat, giving you the scoop on the local attractions and when to go… everything in between.  A lot of people can tell that I’m American just based on my accent- it really makes me stick out.  I’m not sure whether that’s a good or bad thing but it’s always funny when I go places with my American friends and just know that people are looking at us thinking “those Americans.”  However, these people have all been very warm and welcoming! Something that’s really surprised me is that when South Africans say that they want to hang out, they actually mean that they want to hang out.  It’s not like in the U.S. when people say “oh, we should hang out or grab lunch!” and never actually do.  People stick to their word here and won’t offer unless they genuinely want to do so.

South Africans smoke.  A lot.  It’s hard to go out for the night and come home not smelling of cigarettes.  I was really surprised my first night out when we were in a club and someone was smoking a cigarette while dancing.  They actually bumped my friend with it, but luckily it was a little touch and didn’t burn her.  The smell can get so overwhelming in some places that it’s nauseating.
This is probably my least favorite thing about the country so far.  It’s really hard to escape and makes me really grateful that we’ve got laws in the U.S. that prohibit smoking indoors.  It might sound a bit high maintenance of me but I really like my air tobacco-free!

It’s hot here.  Very hot.  Today I was snapchatting my sister (hey Kel) and there was a 65 F degree difference between here and Greenbelt, MD.  I don’t know about you but that blew my mind.  The first week and a half here was consistently in the 90s and then things cooled down a bit, but this week the temperature has been right back where it started! The high today was about 96/97 F.  February is supposed to be the hottest month of the year so hopefully that means I’ll get some good beach days and tanning in.

The last big thing is that it’s been a struggle getting used to people driving on the left side of the road.  Some people rent cars to drive while they study here but I can assure you- that won’t be me.  I’ll leave the driving to the locals.  It’s so confusing when I cross the road or even if I’m just watching people drive.  And since people drive on the left side of the road, they tend to walk on the left side of the sidewalks and stairs.  I never know which side to walk on- and I usually end up having to move because I’m accustomed to walking on the right side.  But don’t worry Mom, I concentrate really hard and always look before I cross the roads! I’m slowly getting used to it.

There are so many more differences between this country and home, but these big points give you a better idea of what life is like down here.

I’m going to leave you with this quote that was out in front of a store at the V&A Waterfront, because I think it relates to how I felt during my first week here.  Things were tough but I knew it would all get better, and here I am now!

All and all, I can’t say enough how much I love South Africa.  The people are beautiful, the nature is beautiful, the cities are beautiful, the food is beautiful… I think you get the point.

xo

Kim

Hey everybody! This is a somewhat lengthy post so please bear with me!! I can’t believe that it’s been two weeks since I arrived in South Africa.  I can now confidently say that I’m getting adjusted to life in Stellenbosch! Every day I find new reasons to love the country and I am just so happy that I’m here.  I’ve been trying to get my photo editor to work but for some reason it won’t… so that’s why there’s been such a delay in my posts.  Here’s a little overview of my past two weeks…

We had a three day orientation and then we had a couple of days to ourselves before we went into Cape Town for a day trip.  We spent the morning at the Waterfront and the rest of the day at Camps Bay Beach, which is so beautiful.  The mountains in the background around the beach are called the Twelve Apostles.

Camps Bay Beach with the twelve apostles in the background. The view is absolutely breathtaking!

Camps Bay Beach

Camps Bay Beach

Camps Bay Beach

A couple days later, some friends and I hiked up part of one of the nearby mountains.  We only made it about half way but the view was spectacular.  There are a lot of false peaks apparently but once the weather cools down a little bit I’m going to climb the whole thing!

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Halfway up Coetzenburg.

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Then we took a 3-day trip into Cape Town so we could explore more of the city on our time.  On average it takes about an hour to get into Cape Town but it also depends on the method of transportation.  Uber and shuttles are pretty cheap if you go with a lot of people because you can easily split the price and it comes down to maybe 5 or 6 USD per person.  There’s also a train that runs between Cape Town and Stellenbosch and only costs a dollar but you have to be careful with the times that you take it.

Our trip consisted of a trip to the aquarium and the waterfront, kayaking in the Atlantic Ocean (while seeing seals and dolphins and even a whale), walking around the city, seeing the colorful houses of Bo-Kaap, going to the beach, visiting the indigenous penguins at Boulders Beach, spending a night out on Long Street and eating and drinking at numerous delicious restaurants (post about food to come soon).

Cape Town

Boulders Beach, Simon’s Town

Boulders Beach, Simon’s Town

Boulders Beach, Simon’s Town

Every year the university holds an event called Vensters (pronounced “Fensters”) which is where all of the first year students perform skits and dance for the town.  The first years’ entire first week at the university is dedicated to learning their routine.  Huge stages are set up all over the campus and anyone from the public can come and walk around while watching them.  It’s really entertaining and turns into a big party afterwards.

The next day my friends and I decided to throw a little braai (pronounced “bry”) which is a bbq.  It’s a really big thing here and lots of fun with good food.  It took us a long time to prepare the food, get the fire going and cook it all but it was so much fun that I don’t think anyone noticed.

This past Sunday I had the opportunity to go see Mumford and Sons in Cape Town.  It was a very last minute plan but absolutely worth it.  They are awesome live and would definitely recommend seeing them if you have the chance.  It was the perfect ending to my two week “vacation” before classes started.

So that has basically been my past two weeks! It really feels like I have been here much longer than that.  Now classes are about to start, which I’m both super excited for and dreading.  Although it means less time to travel and do things outside of Stellie, I’m going to be taking some really cool classes that will teach me about the culture here and help make me a better individual while also pursuing the subjects that interest me most.  I’m also planning on joining some cool societies and volunteering to get more involved with the community.
This was actually suppose to get posted on Monday but I wasn’t able to get it up- so another post is soon to follow!  I hope you all are surviving the snow back home.

xo

Kim

Howzit! Today we learned this is kind of like the South African equivalent of “what’s up.”  It’s so good to be back in touch with the world.  We only get wifi at one building on campus for the time being, until we get our student cards tomorrow.  It’s been very difficult for me to get in touch with my family and let them know I made it and am surviving.  One of my fabulous roommates, Alide, has a personal hotspot so she let me connect to it in our apartment so that I could get on the internet.  Thanks Alide!

South Africa is so cool and so different, I love it already.  There’s a lot to catch up on, and so many pictures that I have already! I’m going to create a different entry about my London day trip a little later.

As the plane was descending into Cape Town, I was able to look out the window and see Table Mountain!  Something else that I noticed was how colorful everything was down below.  After we arrived at the airport in Cape Town (we meaning Cooper, Sam and Amanda- some people from my program that I flew over with), we found a representative from the university and headed out towards Stellenbosch, which was about a 30 minute drive.  Immediately after taking one exit off the airport, I saw slums (for lack of a better word).  They ran on one side of the road for miles and miles (or km and km).  It was honestly really depressing and I didn’t expect to see something like that so soon after I arrived in the country.  From what I could tell, they were made up of big sheets of metal and were only about the size of my room.

Soon we hit the wine country and this became our view.

Fun fact- there are over 130 vineyards in Stellenbosch!

We finally get checked in and made it to our rooms, but I didn’t meet my roommates until later that evening.  There are four of us- one still isn’t here- and we each have our own bedrooms and bathrooms and share a kitchen/common area.  The only thing I don’t like about my place is that there is no air conditioning (which I feel really silly saying).  In all honesty it’s not that bad because we can open the windows, but I’m going tomorrow to get a fan.

This is the view from outside our apartment building.

Our apartment building is in the far corner of campus, which sucks because we have to walk a pretty good distance to get to the mall, restaurants and bars.  During the day the temperatures have been getting above ninety, but the evenings are really nice once the sun starts to go down.  It’s a huge change from the cold Maryland days when the sun would set at 5:30. I feel sweaty and gross all the time, no matter how often I shower.  Hopefully I’ll get use to the weather soon.

Today orientation started, and we got to meet our Matie buddy (mah-tee, which is I guess like the school mascot.  Years ago the students use to have to wear red vests, so they called them tomatoes, which then became maties for short), who is currently a student at the university.  I also got to meet a few other students at lunch who are from Kenya, Norway, Sweden and South Africa.  There are tons of U.S. students here, most of them outside of my program.

Afterwards, I went to the mall with some friends to get more stuff for my apartment and to try to work out my phone situation.

Something else that I didn’t know before arriving in the country is that South Africa (or at least this region) is currently in a drought.  Because of that, there have been a lot of fires… and today I got to witness one! One of the nearby mountains has been on fire all day, but on the side opposite to us, so I haven’t been able to see much.  Don’t worry though, we’re safe here.  The fire got worse and worse throughout the day, but it was pretty cool to watch it develop.

The cloudiness you see above the pictures is actually smoke.  By the evening, the mountain wasn’t even visible.  Some of the nighttime photos make it looks a lot scarier and worse than it actually is, but they’re pretty cool.

I have to go to bed soon to get up early for orientation, but one more big thing that I forgot to mention is how cheap everything is over here.  Right now the U.S. dollar equals about 16 South African Rands.  This might give you a better idea: last night I paid ~$6.32USD for chicken tenders, fries and a strawberry daiquiri.  And today for lunch I paid ~$7USD for a huge burger, potato wedges and a hard cider.  It’s not just food either- it’s everything.  Pretty nice for me, but pretty bad for the economy.

Sorry if this post was all over the place, I feel like so much has happened since the last time I was able to get on here and I want to make sure that I share it all! Hopefully I’ll be back on soon!

xo

Kim

“A traveler without observation is like a bird without wings.” -Moslih Eddin Saadi

Hey everyone! Hopefully I’ve got this set up correctly and this got posted to Facebook!

As we speak, I am sitting in my terminal in BWI, waiting to leave for South Africa! I can’t believe that the day has finally come for me to head over there- it still doesn’t quite seem real and I’m not sure it will until I walk out into that 90 degree weather (yes, it’s really going to be that hot!).

I said goodbye to my dad and Kenny yesterday, because they had to head north for one of his gymnastics meets, and said goodbye to my mom and Kelly about an hour ago.  They were hard goodbyes because I will miss them all so much.  Oh, and I can’t forget the dogs.  They all seemed pretty unphased by all of the packing and even when I was saying goodbye, haha.  But keeping in mind where I’m going makes all of my goodbyes much easier!

I will be meeting up with a few guys from my program in New York, and then we will have a 15 hour layover in London where we will hopefully get to do some exploring.  After that we will be off to Cape Town, and we arrive on Monday.  Then the adventure begins!

A lot of the questions I have gotten revolve around why I chose to study abroad in South Africa of all places, so I guess I’ll shed some light on that.  This might sound silly, but some years ago I was watching the Bachelor on tv, and one of the places they traveled to was South Africa.  At that point I knew that I loved the wildlife in Africa but when I saw the gorgeous places they visited within South Africa, I was sold.  So it went right to the top of places I wanted to visit.

Initially I was looking at studying abroad in Italy.  But when I saw that there was a new program in South Africa, I knew it was fate! I quickly started doing my research on that program and started my application.  Not only that, South Africa is rich with history and culture.  And most people speak English, which is always a plus.  I am so excited to see all of the beautiful scenery in South Africa, taste its wonderful wines (I will be living in wine country), go on a safari, tan on the beaches, see all of the wildlife and learn tons about the country and its history.  I can’t thank my parents enough for allowing me to fulfill my biggest traveling dream. Love you guys!

Well I have to get ready to board… the next time I post I will be in South Africa and hopefully have tons of pictures to post on here as well.

One final thing… I just want to give a huge thank you to everyone who has supported me in this, sent me well wishes, or just been a great friend of family member.  I love you all and wish you the very best while I’m gone!  Good luck to all of my friends at school- UMD, Rice, UMBC, HCC, ERHS and many more.  Special shoutout to my turtle family- some friendship and bonds I did not expect to make but now don’t know what I’d do without them!

See you all when it’s warm!

xo

Kim

Last week my mom and I flew down to Florida to spend a few days with my grandpa before I leave for South Africa.  He lives close to the Gulf Coast so we get some great days at the beach when the weather cooperates.  Unfortunately it was chilly all of the days we were there, except for our last day (of course!).  The trip also gave me some good opportunities to mess around with my new camera, so here are a few of the pictures I snagged and a video I took with my GoPro.  I’m still getting the hang of wordpress so hopefully everything will upload to this post like it’s supposed to.

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