Nova, Tone, and the black cat

Here I am hanging with my landlord's dogs while he is on winter holiday with his family. The young brown dog is named Nova, and the older black dog is named Tone. Tone is in Afrikaans (and means "toes" in English), and to me sounds like, "Tuwana." I looked it up on the translator and it said "Tone" is the proper way to spell it...I do not know! The black cat comes in and out of the house. I don't even know it's name. It jumps through open windows and pays us a visit, then heads back to do it's thing. It has a son who lives outside and never comes in. They do what they want. I love the animals!

Left: Nova Right: Tone

Check out the black cat!

The man from the plane

While my mom and I were waiting for the bus to our Amsterdam hotel, we heard a voice from behind us complaining about Fox News! To our shock, we were hearing about Fox News in Amsterdam, so we turned around. We ended up meeting the man who was talking, and his name is Michael. Needless to say there was a instant rapport over the subject of FOX news. At first we just kept bumping into each other because we were both spending the night at the same hotel, and getting on the same flight to Cape Town the next morning. Finally on the plane ride to Cape Town we exchanged contact information. This guy is a crack up, and totally awesome. You can hear him or see him chatting with anyone. He is American, joined the merchant marines at 17, found South Africa at an early age and never left. He is now the chief engineer on a ship that often goes to the Congo. He works 2-3 months at a time, and then has 2 months off. He invited us to lunch (a traditional South African braai) at his home where we met his girlfriend Bronwyn, and her daughter, Tegan. We also met their two crazy dogs...one of which pooped on the carpet while we were eating... hahaha!!! They live in Simons Town on the coast and have a spectacular home overlooking the water. They were wonderful, and we had a lovely time. I hope to see them again during my stay :)

Tegan and me with Diesel

Michael, Michael's girlfriend (Bronwyn), Bronwyn's daughter (Tegan), doggy, and me.

Tour around the Cape

Again, jumping back in time...my mom and I were fortunate enough to fit in a lovely tour with a woman named Julie. She took us all around the Cape where we saw a penguin colony. We made it all the way to the Cape of Good Hope. I bought a lovely beaded lion (and that is when I found out I needed to learn to bargain), we saw wild ostriches, and interacted with baboons after lunch! Julie was wonderful. We learned a lot, and thanks to her we did not have to drive all day on the left!

Penguin Colony

We made it to the Cape of Good Hope! 

One of my interactions with a baboon...

Our tour guide, Julie, and me. 

Cheetah Outreach

I am jumping back a few days because dealing with wifi has been very difficult. Nonetheless, a few days ago my mom and I went to a place called, "Cheetah Outreach," and we got to pet this beautiful animal. There are about 15 cheetahs being raised in captivity, along with quite a variety of other animals. Although normally I do not believe an animal like this should be raised in captivity, their cause is very good. Farmers are killing cheetahs on their property, and therefore they are in danger of becoming extinct. In addition to saving cheetahs there is a program to train dogs to scare animals like cheetahs away from farms. This really helps because cheetahs are non-confrontational animals. This system works out for the farmer and the cheetah. Cats are my favorite animal. And this cheetah purred the whole time I was there. You can imagine, I melted 100 times over on the inside! 

Update from an Internet Cafe

Hello,

I have 10 minutes left at my station inside a DVD rental store that has a small Internet cafe in the back. I am staying at my landlords house while he and his family are on holiday, and there is no wifi. I have already had so many experiences where I want to share some pictures on the blog, but I have to wait until I am registered as a student to get wifi where I am staying. The system is very different than home.

At my landlords house I am taking care of two dogs, and two cats. The dogs stay out even when it is chilly, and I have learned there is no central heating in South Africa so the cats jump in and out of doors and windows. To my shock they do not have a litter box...the cats do their business outside.

No central heating is very different for me. When the sun is out and it is a nice day there is no problem, however, it is winter here and nights get chilly. By 7:00 PM it feels like it's the middle of the night and time for bed!

When I have wifi I will share more pictures and recount a couple of experiences. I have mailed postcards, found the nearest grocery stores, and am starting to learn my way around because after my mom leaves I will be left with walking and a bicycle.

My room is coming together. I put pictures up from home. There are not many clothes dryers here, and there is not one where I live. So drying clothes in this weather is very hard! They go out on the line when the sun is out, but it is chilly in the morning and at night, and sometimes rains.

I am running out of time, that is all for now. Many new things around me...but I am enjoying it all! 

Check back again for photos and stories (like seeing 15 cheetahs, touching 1, and baboons running through a parking lot when I was headed home from lunch! :) 

Marshmallows

Today I met up with my landlord, and now friend, Japie. He showed my mom and me around the campus, and then invited us for coffee/tea. I noticed the rice crispy treats being sold at the coffee shop were pink. Why??? Well, it turns out marshmallows in South Africa are always white AND pink. It is not just a seasonal thing...it is just normal. Interesting :)

Pictures from Amsterdam!