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Hi!
Well, it's been a while (I apologize). I've been working on an assignment that was due this morning...but now I'm free until I realize it's crunch time for my book report on Friday! Anyway, there's a lot to update so I'll get started.
The South Coast weekend excursion was great! We drove down on Friday and arrived at our "humble" abode...The Merry Crab. Basically it is a hostel-style accomodation with little mini-houses for 2 or 3 people, fully equipped with a kitchen and a bathroom. My house was 5a--the farthest back on the lot, but with the best view of the ocean! Right across the street was a little path through the "jungle" to a pristinely beautiful sandy beach...paradise! As soon as we got there, a group of us went down to the water and just took it all in--unfortunately it was a bit too chilly and too rough for us to go swimming. That night "Group 1" cooked dinner, which was pasta with meat sauce and an amazing vegetable sauce. The next day, we got up and took a drive across the KZN border to the Wild Coast on the Eastern Cape, where we did a 6 mile hike. The first half we walked along the beach (which was, again, gorgeous!) There was a petrified forest along the coastline and a bunch of other fossils of giant clams, etc--Theresa wouldve loved it! After the beach we walked through the jungle and saw places where Blood Diamond was filmed (though I have yet to see that movie, surprisingly!) After 20 minutes or so we emerged from the jungle and walked 2 miles or so across some hilly plains which opened out into a beautiful ocean panorama. Another 2 miles or so later (by this point we were running on E!) we reached a rural community where we tested out our elementary Zulu and visited a sangoma. This was quite an interesting and somewhat controversial encounter, but I don't have time to talk about it now... ask me later!
Anyway, the second night Group 2 cooked us an American style braai (barbecue) with burgers and veggie burgers...and then we threw on some spiced meat and sausage for good measure and a South African flare. I have never had a burger so delicious (tomatos and avos and cheese, oh my!) In the morning a small group of us woke up at 5:00 to walk down to the beach and watch the sunrise. A few hours later we gathered up our things and left our beloved Merry Crab, to go on our final beach trip of the weekend. A bunch of us started up an impromptu soccer game with some local boys and I realized how just 2 weeks without exercise has affected me! It was tons o' fun, however, and I jumped in the water to cool off afterward. We all dried off in the abundant sun and wind, ate some lunch, and set out to return to Durban and our Cato Manor homestays.
Since we've been back, we've had lectures on AIDS, land reform, the environment, and education, in addition to a couple about field studies for the FSS--geared towards preparing us for our ISPs (yikes!) On Friday we participated in a Youth-led feeding program at a local school, where they make 200 sandwiches every morning to feed the kids who don't get breakfast at home. Later we tried to attend one of their youth empowerment meetings, but the librarian wouldn't give them a room so they couldn't meet that day...typical!
At this point, the weather had gone awry--rainy and cold! Thus, a much anticipated event "The Durban Walk with John Daniels" was cancelled. Instead, I helped cook breakfast and hung out at the house with my sisis and Mama, watching TV and working on some homework. In the evening, I went out with other SIT students to celebrate Melanie's 21st birthday at Taco Zulu. The trip there constituted my first taxi ride with our beloved "AKay," a man who devotes much of his time to coordinating the transportation to our various social events. The Taco Zulu outing occurred somewhat in place of the Ladysmith Black Mambazo concert which I had planned on attending with my family, but unfortunately it was rained out! I returned home around 9:30 and watched movies with the family until bed around 11.
Sunday (yesterday) was also quite relaxing, as Mama decided the weather wasn't right for us children to come to church. Instead, we stayed home and did about the same as Saturday--watched TV and I worked on homework. At around 2:00 I decided it was time for me to leave the house, so Andres and I called AKay to take us over to Cafe Europa on Florida Street--about a 10 minute drive away. This was the first time we had gone there, but I will definitely return! Wifi internet, great food, and a pleasant atmosphere--with a Kwik Spar (supermarket) right down the road! Fantastic! I got an amazing "Nutty Mocha" coffee and a fabulous vegetable calzone...so the fact that I got a minimal amount of work done wasn't too disappointing. The whole restaurant was surprised around 4:30 by a freak downpour which flooded the tented "outdoor eating" area and sent customers running inside for shelter! This downpour went on and off for about 10 minutes and then it dried right up again. Durban winters have such strange weather!
After that we went to the Kwik Spar and did some grocery shopping...and caught a glimpse of a news article entitled "IT'S ALL OVER" with a picture of Thabo Mbeki on the front...he's been sacked--fired by the ANC! Quite a transition, not sure what to make of it yet. A woman (Mbete) might be taking his place until the elections next year--this will be the first female president South Africa has ever had. More news on that later.
SO in conclusion, things continue to go well. There have been a few "social distrurbances" within the SIT student community, but a blog is not a place to discuss them, and it's really not that big of a deal anyway. I will say, however, that this group definitely has a tendency to overanalyze EVERYTHING--something I have found to be quite common in groups like this. The near future holds some exciting events...Heritage Day (a national holiday with NO SCHOOL) is on Wednesday, and I am going to cook my family a delicious breakfast of banana/choc chip pancakes, homefries, and cheesy eggs--after which, I will be spending some family time (I have yet to decide exactly what...) The rest of this week we have lectures, a teleconference on xenophobia, and some other exciting things...and then on Saturday we will be dropped off at our TEN DAY RURAL HOMESTAY AHHHHH!!! Gotta go back to lecture once again, but don't worry I'll start taking my malaria meds on time! Miss you all! :)
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