We are cold.

Yesterday I had lunch with Aylin, Laura, Kathrin, and Rita. I only got a picture of Aylin, Laura, and me...but that is okay. I thought it was funny because we are inside the main student center on campus and we are all in our scarves and jackets, and we were still cold! There is no central heating, not even inside the school buildings. We had just come from our HIV/AIDS class where we were icing over. All we talked about going from our school building to the student center was being cold. The sun has not been shining the past few days. The weather has been rainy and windy. So, we are not getting the chance to warm up in the afternoons. Hopefully this weekend! 

Lastly, I can't help but tell you about the experience I had getting hot chocolate. The student center is always busy. It is packed with students eating, chatting, and constant movement. Honestly, I generally avoid it because sometimes it is a little too much action for me. So, yesterday was my first time actually eating there. I got in a long crazy line to get hot chocolate. Outside of where you pay is a window and table that has big bowls of cinnamon and sugar. There are no packets. You just push your way in and add what you want to your drink from these bowls with a spoon. I walked into the crammed place, I paid, and then I exited again and waited by the window where the sugar is. There were at least 20 other students waiting, and none of us had numbers or names to match us with what we ordered. The employees were going crazy, yelling out things--drinks were being passed around! Somehow I did get my hot chocolate. It was delicious. It was just one of the wildest scenes I ever experienced in a student center. Everyone seemed to think it was normal though :) :) :)

Aylin. Me. Laura.
We are in the main student center on campus. 

Jonkershoek Nature Reserve, South Africa

Well, the ladies took an adventure yesterday. I am finally getting up to date on my blog! We decided we would bike to the Jonkershoek Nature Reserve, take a hike, and come back to Stellenbosch. We rode our bikes up many hills for about two hours. Needless to say we were all in pain and walking our bikes by the end...beginning to wonder if we should turn back.

We finally arrived, locked up our bikes, and started hiking. The area had a huge fire this past March, and all the signs burned down. Needless to say, no one decided to replace them or put temporary ones up yet. So, we walked through the mountains, asking mountain bikers and hikers which way to go. We did well, but by the end it was getting later and we thought it would take us too long to walk back  from where we started (our trail did not end up where the map said).  

So we found what looked like a promising, but steep path, that ended up near the main road we needed to return to. We assumed it was very steep at first, and then we could simply walk to the road. Looks were deceiving. As we started out on our hands and bottoms we quickly realized it was steeper than we thought. We started sliding down the mountain causing rocks to slide and fall with us. It was like a cartoon. Every time we caught ourselves, stood up and tried to take a step we were back in the rocks and dirt falling again. Thankfully no one was hurt, and we all ended up laughing about it the rest of the way home. Next time we really need to understand the paths better. However, in general it is not our fault. In the city South Africa has no street signs, no visible road names/signs, limited information on signs (IF there are any signs at all), and that stayed true for the wilderness. 

It was a really fun adventure. We had a great time. Thankfully our bike ride home was MUCH faster than the ride there. All these girls are from Germany. The weather was fantastic, and I loved having no sleeves for once and feeling the sun.

In case you did not realize, we are pointing at the mountain where we slid from and looking at our behinds because we were extremely dirty afterwards. Pictures do not do the steepness justice haha :) 

Me. Aylin. Sophie. Kathrin. 

Kathrin. Aylin. Me. 

Aylin. Kathrin. Me. 

ME!

Me :) 

Aylin. Kathrin. Sophie. 

Aylin. Kathrin. Sophie. 

Me. Sophie. Kathrin. 

Aylin. Me. Kathrin. 

Aylin. Me. Kathrin. 

The South Africans are serious about their rugby...

As I passed by the strawberry farm everything looked so colorful and friendly. It seemed like a fun family place until you see the colorful display of the bull and zebra right in the middle of it all. I thought it seemed very out of place and inappropriate. For the life of me I could not understand why that was there amongst all the other animals. It turns out the bull and zebra represent a rivalry between rugby teams...and you can imagine what the western cape fans want the zebra team to do to the bulls. 

Crazy Strawberry Farm

Here I am with Laura at the crazy strawberry farm. As you can see strawberries are growing EVERYWHERE behind us! There are also more in front of us. In between the strawberry fields is wild folk art!!! :)

Me. Laura. 

Laura. Me. 

Laura. Me. 

ELWIERDA

This was the name of the bus I was on that took me to Cape Tow. I thought it was funny...

Exchange Students in Cape Town

The last day of orientation was a trip for all the exchange students to go to Cape Town for the day. We took about 5 HUGE busses. They are 400 or more exchange students studying here in Stellenbosch. The night before rained and the wind howled. It was freezing and doors and windows were slamming shut inside the house because the wind was so strong. We were all scared the next day would be the same. Instead I think the sky emptied out everything it had, and gave us a gorgeous day in Cape Town :) 

Sophie: from Germany 

Laurin: from Germany 

Laura: from Austria 

Sophie. Me. 

Sophie. Me. Laura. 

Sophie. Me. Laura. 

Me. Laurin. 

Pasta

 Nice dinner with friends celebrating the last weekend before school started. Now I am already in the second week of school, so I am catching up with the blog!

Georgia, Sophie, Stella, Laurin

Stella, me, Laurin, Sophie 

Laurin, from Germany.

This is a picture of my friend, Laurin. I met him on the first day of orientation. I was terrified by the hundreds of people gathered close together. So I stepped outside to where students were still buzzing, yet a bit calmer than what happening inside. That is where I met Laurin. Ever since we have stuck together. Laurin is from Germany. He is in a masters degree exchange program here, and studying anthropology. He also did minor related studies in African Studies for his undergraduate degree. He has been to Tanzania at least twice! 

Laurin is extremely laid back...to the point where he got his visa 1 or 2 days before he left for South Africa, AND he showed up with no accommodations booked. The first week I met him he was staying in a hostel, seeing how things went, and figuring stuff out at his own pace. 

The second or third day after I met Laurin, something crazy happened. We had both been to orientation. I had gone home. At this point I was still at Japie's house with my mom. When I went to check on the dogs there was a man outside the gate asking for money because he said he worked with Japie (my landlord). I was confused so I went and got my mom. My mom came to deal with the man outside who turned out to be a local neighborhood guy who comes up with all kinds of great stories trying to convince people he needs money. Another Afrikaans man on a bicycle came to my mom and said she should never give that guy money, and that he is a regular. After a while I am in the house wondering where my mom is. I go outside and I see the man who was asking for money walking away down the street. Then I see the man on the bicycle and my mom talking to Laurin trying to give him directions...turns out Laurin was lost and ended up on the front lawn of Japie's house! 

Of all the international students, and all the places in Stellenbosch, Laurin is in my front yard. It was a 1 in a million situation. For a moment we were both equally confused. He was lost looking for one of the rooms he might rent. This is when my moms car rental came in handy. We hopped in the car and took Laurin on a search. We found his potential place, he took a tour of it, and then we got back in the car and ended up making omelettes for dinner because all we had was eggs and cheese. The same night the power went off while we were washing dishes. It was just an all around adventure. Anyway, Laurin and I have remained friends. You will probably see him around in other photos :) 

The Goldie Family

Right before my mom left we both got to meet the Goldie's. I have been in touch with Japie since the beginning...getting to know each other, dealing with transferring money, and overall he answered many questions! My mom and I met Japie when we arrived, but his family had already left to go on holiday. We did not see them for two weeks. They all came back the night before my mom left. We met his wife, Marli, and their three sweet children. We talked, laughed, made fun of the crazy experiences my mom and I had, and overall just enjoyed each others company. It was a great note to leave things on before my mom went home. I see them sometimes when I go by on my bicycle (and secretly spoil their dogs with treats occasionally). I know I can come over and visit, and get help if I ever need anything...so I am lucky I landed in such a good situation! : )

Hot Chocolate

I found my favorite hot chocolate. I sat at the bar watching coffee being made with the sun shining in (even though it was still really chilly), ordered hot chocolate, and I got hot milk with chocolate on the side. I stirred it in with my wooden spoon and chatted with a man working there who is from Malawi. Later I met an older man who is from London, but he works in South Africa once a year and this spot, Schoon de Companje, was one of his favorite places to come.

Frozen Yogurt

I had the most delicious frozen yogurt, and these guys were awesome. They made me a piece of art with my frozen yogurt, fruits, oats, and caramel! We were cracking up and we snapped a picture before I left :) 

Mom is gone

School has started and my mom is safely back home in Atlanta. We had an unbelievable time together in South Africa. We saw beautiful sights, lots of different animals, what seemed like a million vineyards, had great food, local experiences, and even met up with a cousin all the way in Cape Town. Mom helped me set up my room, technology, and everything else. She helped make it feel as much like home as possible. I miss her a lot, of course my dad too, but I am excited to now start my journey as a student in South Africa!

Baboons

You see quite a lot of these signs, and I experienced first hand how crazy baboons can be. I walked out of a restaurant after lunch and they were jumping from car to car, running through the parking lot, and looking for anything to munch on. One man left his car door open to take a quick picture and the baboon jumped in his car, honked the horn, and stole his drink and cigarettes! 

Nelson Mandela

Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens

Here is another throwback to when we were in Cape Town. This was our one REALLY rainy day in Cape Town, but the gardens were beautiful. I could have spent hours there. 

Aquarium

I ran into a penguin while walking by the Cape Town aquarium.

South African Money: the Rand

Very interesting to see the South African money. Clearly Nelson Mandela and the animals are extremely important. One side are the animals, and the other side of every bill is Nelson Mandela. Of course my favorite it the lion (and Nelson Mandela!) :) 

Table Mountain

On our first day in Cape Town my mom and I took the tram up to the top of Table Mountain. On a clear day you can see Table Mountain from pretty much any point in Cape Town. It has been voted one of the 7 natural wonders of the world, and the steepest cable line. The cable car floor rotates as you go up so everyone gets to see all the views. Once you arrive at the top you could spend hours hiking around. You also have the option to hike up and down Table Mountain and skip the cable car all together, we decided not to do that! We were lucky to have a gorgeous day, and some of the most beautiful scenery I could have imagined. You can see Table Mountain from Robben Island. Nelson Mandela said, "To us Table Mountain was a beacon of hope. It represented the mainland to which we knew we would one day return."

The little fellows we saw are called dassies. They were running around the mountaintop.  According to the information on the sign, they may look a bit like a rabbit but are most closely related to the elephant! Their evolutionary relationship is based on their feet and teeth. What?!?!

South African Rock Dassie

Nice view for the dassie

Robots

The first few times my mom and I got directions in South Africa we were confused...people kept telling us to go to the robot or turn left at a robot. Once we figured out a robot was a traffic light, directions made much more sense! The word robot, for traffic light, is also what they say in Afrikaans. 

Cape Town Tour

Oldest lighthouse in South Africa behind us (Cape Town). 

Family in Cape Town!

My cousin Adam lives around Cape Town. He is a musician and after traveling with his music, ended up settling here. My mom and I met his girlfriend's daughter, Bianca. She is in 10th grade, was so kind,  and knows at least 4 languages. I enjoyed being with her quite a lot! Because Adam lives in South Africa we rarely see him. Up until now I have only seen him face to face at the family reunions. We were so glad to catch up, have dinner, and see family all the way in South Africa. Adam is still doing music. He recently finished a Beatles tour, and is going to to the states tomorrow to do more gigs, before heading home to South Africa. Adam and Bianca took us out for local South African cuisine. We ate outside even though it was chilly. However, there were blankets for us on all the chairs which made it quite comfortable...and I came away thinking that was a brilliant idea! So lucky we were all together, and hope to do it again while I am here! 

Bianca, Georgia, Adam, Marian

Cafe Hideaway

Where I live in Stellenbosch you can see mountains all around in the distance. My landlord suggested I drive up further into the mountains, and check out what there is to see and stop at a small café. Well, this café turned out to be my perfect place. The café is small, one cook and one server, limited indoor seating, and 3 – 4 picnic tables outside. Thankfully my mom and I were there on a day the sun could not have been shining brighter or more beautifully. We got to talking to our waiter, who was an older man who had bought the property 7 years ago. The little building the cafe is in is an old Dutch church. He says he is into healthy and organic food, and he serves nothing that he will not eat himself. We loved him, we loved the food, and the whole experience. Neither videos or pictures do this place justice. Sitting amongst vineyards with the sun shining, and unbelievable mountains on both sides…life could not have been more peaceful in that little hideaway.