TIA 9

3/24/13

It has been quite the weekend. OMG.OMG. you know what I did on Friday!!!! I went bungie jumping off a bridge!! SO AMAZING!! I can’t even describe the feeling to you. I was actually quite nervous  right up until the trapped me up and I was standing on the edge of the bridge looking at an amazing valley breathing in the fresh air! 5….4….3….2…..BUNGIE!!! And I was off…free falling into gravities’ pull. So proud of myself for keeping my eyes open the entire time! Bu when I was looking upon this huge valley of mountains to the north I felt frozen in time, I can’t quite explain it. I found myself singing Pocahontas’ “Colors of the wind” when I was “flying. “Then….BOOM. The bungie reached it’ max (216meters….which I converted to ~ 710 feet on my African phone) and rebounded in the air. Now this was crazy, I had to remind myself that I was fine…..just hanging upside down above trees and rocks hovered by death. I looked up once at the bridge and that was so awkward….to my body….particularly my gut. Then I jerked my attention to the opposite valley the presented the ocean to me, calming all nerves. It was unreal. Took me a good 4-5 hours to get rid of that adrenaline high. Hayley ended up not going so she got some awesome videos of us doing it!!! Now when I watch movies of some kind of height depth or when a camera shoots from a mountain to another I get that feeling right in the pit of my stomach…and smile.

Woke up the next day to hit the dusty trail to Hogsback! A 3 hour road trip!!! Jammed the whole way!  The vibes were so majestic once we arrived…after battling some tricky gravel/rocky roads. But our hostel was unbelievable! It was ecofriendly, meaning no connection with the outside world. Our bungalow was crazy cool…about 10 of us slept in there….showers were outside…toilet was an outhouse….and food was alllll natural!! We went to the Madonna and Child Falls fist which were really cool, nothing huge though. Then we went to one of the main trails to see the “Big Tree,” which was an 800 yr. old yellowwood and a HUGE waterfall where some of our friends were waiting! This trail was actually a hike too! Unfortunately we were on a time frame by now to make it to our hostel before nightfall, so we could only enjoy it for so long…then we took a ‘short cut’ which was all rocks that we had to book and it wore me out. We rose up to a road and realized we had no idea where we were. We had to walk about 3 miles until we found our car, but it’s okay because we got to see a live & wild chameleon! And wild monkeys!!! Dinner was everything hoped it to be. Special African pasta/spaghetti with beef, bread, beet & cabbage salad, and a refreshing garden salad! All homemade or home grown!!! So good! We spent the rest of the night chatting, drinking wine and gazing up at the stars.

Early in the morning we woke with the sun, had a filing apple and oatmeal breakfast. Then off to concur a mountain! Let me tell you, the red rocks in Sedona had nothing on this daddy mountain! At first it was just an extremely thick and slippery jungle, and I mean jungle…then it turned into a mile climb up rocks. I was lunging the entire way up…but it was so beautiful, you couldn’t hate on it. I see how the author of the Lord of the Rings books was inspired to mastermind an entire series! After the blissful torture was over we got some pizza!!! Mine was solo good & different! “Happy Hippie” it was called, flat crusted homemade pizza with baked beans, butternut squash, onions, green peppers, and mushrooms!!! DELICIOUS! I was dead the entire way back home!

 

Hope everyone is doing well, thinking of each and every single one of you all the time! Miss your lovely voices and hugs!

Until next time,

Em

 

TIA 8

3/17/2012

Happy St. Patty’s Day from SA!!!  Hope everyone is doing jolly good! We started our day off right with coffee in our Baileys! YUM. Then it took us about 2 hours to whip up a scrumptious brunch! Hash browns, fruit, toast, green eggs, and ham! And of course we had Bloody Marys too!!! Such a wonderful day!!!! The weekend was most definitely the best highlight since I last wrote.  Except for Tuesday which was my good friend, Katrina’s 21st birthday! I brought the ‘south’ to South Africa and made some banana pudding for the huge braai we had!  I was quite proud! Then we just went to Captains for karaoke night! BUT yesterday, being Saturday was BERR PONG OLYMICS!!! What a day. And I mean, day. We started playing at 3 and didn’t end until about 2am. I crashed into my bed hard. We did teams by country so there was about 30 teams from all over the world! A USA team ended up winning!!! Unfortunately it wasn’t mine, but we did make it to pre-semifinals! Ha-ha. I plan to redeem myself for the next one!

I’m really excited for the upcoming week because 3 people have friends/ boyfriends/girlfriends coming in! Can’t wait to meet them! Really makes me wish I did…so you, yes you should come visit me!!!  

A few to add to the list…

·          Everything is ‘sauce,’ there’s no ketchup, no mustard. It’s just ketchup sauce (tastes like sweet ketchup with a hint of cinnamon) and mustard sauce (also sweeter too).

·          If you buy canned foods…such as canned salmon, not only do you get some yummy fish, you also get their bones…and not just a few strands you get all the ribs and vertebrae. Same with some soups that have chicken…you’ll get a nice tibia or ulna in there too.

·          I don’t understand why, but white SA men have become their own breed of rugby looking creatures. All buffed up and wearing short shorts 24/7…and now sporting mullets…..such a shame.

·          There aren’t “pedestrian right-way’ signs anywhere, but there are ALWAYS dumb people loafing around on the road…or high way. Idiots.

·          They have milk that is sold on the shelf…..’Good ‘for a few months until opened. I’ve been told they also have it in Germany…don’t tell anyone but I sneaked some of Nina’s (my roommate) into my oatmeal one needful morning and it was horrendous!

·          Some days it’s so have I have to sport a bikini all day.

T.I.A.

TIA #7

3/11//2013

To avoid having boring things to tell you about, because really I don’t do too much craziness during the week anymore, I’m going to jump straight into this weekend…particularly my superb Saturday!!!! It all started waking up at 7a.m. when I woke up to ready myself for the great game adventure!!!First we went to Addo National Elephant Park…which is a third of the size of the Netherlands! When we first spotted an elephant it was such a crazy feeling, we had to stay quiet in the car and not make any sudden movements, because believe it or not, they can be quiet aggressive! And we are, of course, in their territory. We came close to some zebras, different types of antelope, one buffalo, warthogs, and then a few other creatures I don’t remember the name of! They had a wonderful gift shop too!

After that, went stopped for a lovely picnic lunch! Our tour guide prepared us a delicious African meal! Spiced up chicken, salad, baked beans, watermelon, and pasta salad- all African style!

Next was my absolute favorite park! Adjacent to Addo, was Schotia Game Reserve!!! This was such an adventure and made this day my favorite day since I’ve been here!  Our rangers drove us on a ‘gator-type-truck’ for a guided game drive. We didn’t have to ride around long until we spotted some action. First it was just variations of antelope, zebras….then, we shall LIONS!!! Seeing them outside a TV screen was so much more than I thought it would be. Apparently a group of them had killed a zebra the night before and we got to see them chowing down on some left overs! This was nasty/ reality. I asked one of the rangers, and no, they can’t/won’t help an injured animal because they literally do not interfere with the wildlife at the reserve. Then we got a coffee and tea break! Interestingly enough right when we were done we spotted rhinos right outside by a water hole!!!!...Just in the front yard of the official game keeper’s house! Who stays there in case a poacher comes on the reserve and he literally is supposed to shot to kill! On the very front of the car was a seat, we took turns one at time taking in the wildlife on edge!  When I was up there we stumbled upon wild horses!!! Then we rode around some more trying to spot nocturnal animals. ….By now its dinner time! And this place was gorgeous! It looked like we were at an adventurous outdoorsy resort! All candles, rather tiki-lit! Dinner, dessert, tea, and coffee was yummmmyyyyy! Right when we finished dinner a very loud and territorial roar started ringing through our ears. Mufassa was literally 20 yards away from us calling for his pride. The guide said he was over 600 pounds!!!...

TIA #7

 

WOW…I’m getting ready bad about this whole blog thing…it’s been a whole to weeks. So I’ll do a short summary of my African whereabouts.

Last weekend we stayed at Annie’s and went to the beach reserve which is ABSOLUTELY beautiful!!! Then out for dinner, at Cabañas of course. The week passed by pretty quickly, had my first exam that Friday which went decently. But there were a few tricky questions. Then this weekend we ventured out to Gramstown which is such a cute little town, reminds me a bit of hickory, for the Tunnel Vision Festival. This ended up being pretty crazy, not too sure how many electric festivals I’ll be able to handle. Not only are you dancing and jumping around in different tunnel venues, but you do it ALL night long.  I could only make it till 7am and then passed out hard in the car. But it doesn’t end there, no we didn’t just get to wake up and head on home. We, of course, had to scrape the bottom of the car of a huge rock stuck in the ground and break the petro pipe. So, after waking up and trying to figure it ourselves with the help of a few South Africans for 2 hours, we finally decided it was time to get the car rental company a call. Eventually a diver was sent with some temporary repair equipment and we were on our way home after 4-5 hours of freaking-out &burning in the sun, all while fighting a massive hangover and serious sleep deprivation. The whole time this guy was working on our car, I was still sleeping in the back seat. BUT I SURVIVED!

But Saturday & Sunday I was a total beach/pool bum….and Monday too since I don’t have classes! Unfortunately a cold has spread all through Annies and made its way to me, myself, & I. It’s not too bad though. But the wind today? THAT was baddddddd! I would barely walk home from class; it shall be my workout for the day! I now fully understand why PE is THE Windy City. And Monday too since I don’t have classes! Unfortunately a cold has spread all through Annies and made its way to me, myself, & I. It’s not too bad though. But the wind today? THAT was baddddddd! For my photography class, we had to go outside and practice taking portrait photos, which all looked messy because the wind. I would barely walk home from class; it shall be my workout for the day! I now fully understand why PE is THE Windy City! TIA.

SO SO SO So happy because I am finally getting myself out to a safari this weekend! Especially since it’s the Addo National Elephant Reserve!!! It was a little costly, but I looked at the itinerary and it looks like we’re going to do some pretty awesome things! I can’t wait!!!! Dreams are coming true!

Momma- I mixed in some butternut squash into one of my rice concoctions tonight and it made me miss home! But was a sweet reminder of our dinners together!!!

‘Futball’ is extremely important to all the Germans here, so I’m being dragged to the light house again to watch yet another game. But tonight is Man-U vs. Madrid so I can’t complain. But really…why are there so many Germans here!? Nazis are taking over!

Oh, by the way. I’m getting bashed so much for saying ‘this one time’ or ‘this reminds me of senior week’ ALL the time. Because, minus the school part, that’s where I feel I am, a veryyyyy long & stretched out senior week! Ha. But I talk about you all! Wilmy and Hickorrraayyy! My accent is also the worst here and I tell them I’m probably a bad representative for NC because not many of you talk with my, say ‘southern charm.’ J

But that’s pretty much it for now…Tuesday’s gone with the wind…Literally.

TIA

 

Miss & Love you all VERY much!!!!! Kisses & Hugs!!!

TIA #6

 

Sitting outside, enjoying an as-nice-as-it-gets instant cup of coffee with an egg and cheese sandwich as Hootie and the Blowfish play through my computer speakers; thinking just how wonderful life is. The breeze picks up my hair in its currents and I feel at home, like this is where I am supposed to be, nowhere else. Even on my run yesterday my legs were cramping and I had a full-on cotton mouth; but it didn’t matter because I was running through Alice’s Wonderland or in this case Emily’s. It looked like a professional workout video with a beautiful backdrop to motivate you. Picture doing repetitions of various sculpting exercises in a beach dock watching surfers in the distance, a white beach, waves falling apart on rocks, and a family of dolphins out swimming in the deep, not such a bad workout. …Lost in paradise, but I feel found.  

TIA #6 V-DAY

Hope everyone had a lovely Valentine’s Day!!!!!! Love you all!
I have one of the most touching experiences on 02/14/2013!
We took a huge tour bus, like the 2 level kind you see in NYC, and had a donations dinner at the township in PE. (A township is where what you would actually picture 'Africa' to be. Starving families livin out of cardboard boxes, box-cars, some-what-of-a-shack; ut all very colorful? It's odd how it can be such a beautiful and trajic place simultaniously.) They had a lovely meal prepared for us, African traditional foods, lots of festive musical playins & dancing. It was very nice. But, it was so hard to enjoy this great meal they had for us, and yes we did pay R150 which actually is a lot of money for them, but actually eating the food while children are locked out of the fence 20 ft. away from you and straving and scared dog are looking at you hopelessly for food? That was hard. But extremely real. I needed that, to know where I am. know why I came. Even in this beautiful dream there are so many real nightmares happening around me that I just dance by with no worries. Hopefully we can find a re organization here where we can volunteer for free and try to spread some peace, ease the worries.


....TIA.

TIA #5

TIA # 5

So much to catch you up on!

Classes for the rest of the week went really good!!!! I’m taking:

Social Psychology, Industrial Psychology (a huge class of 400!), & Photojournalism (My teacher actually used to be a National Geographic photographer!!) These are just my classes for Term 1; I have a completely new set for term 2! Surprisingly, I have a friend in every class!  Although I have a strong love for Psychology, I think my Photojournalism class is going to be new favorite class!  I already have homework in my classes! ANDDDDD reality sets in…..hate it.

Besides school the week was really fun. (Ignoring my first scary movie moments in tow with Martin.) BUT, the weekend was AMAZING!!!!!! Basically all of Annie’s Cove went backpacking to Jeffery’s Bay! What a beautiful place! A true surfer’s paradise. Esther, Martin and I got surfing lessons and it was so much fun! I was so happy to have on a full body wet suit because there were hundreds of jelly fish floating around! Not your average jellies fish either, some were the size of a beach ball and the size of a golf ball with tentacles over a foot long! I survived though! We went out to eat at some locals spots, but mainly were beach bums. In our small/P.O.S. rental cars we went off-roading to some waterfalls and they had a swing thing you could go off of…it was really fun! We are definitely going back to J-Bay soon enough, only an hour away makes for a great road trip, and they have sand boarding!!!! I was going to do it on Sunday, but my hangover was a little too strong. I survived my fist Hostel experience and they’re actually really nice!! And super cheap, only R180 for 2 nights!!

 

I absolutely love all the people here. Everyone is so nice and jokes around. By the time this semesters done, were going to know each other inside out. Thank you Mom so much for giving me this experience! On the car ride home I was so tired, but wouldn’t dare close my eyes because everything is beautiful I didn’t want to miss out on anything.  Also, I am going to get my laundry done every day, sorry Mom but it might get expensive; because one of the hottest guys in PE delivers it to us! hahaha

Some cool things I’ve heard are:

·       When my professor was talking about skipping class he said; “Don’t give me any Mickey mouse excuses”

·       I was told; “I really admire your dress” instead of ‘I like your dress.’

Jesse-I am so, so, so, so incredibly proud of you! Even though I knew you would get accepted to China!!!! Wish I could give you a big hug or even a phone call! Soon enough I’ll be able to do option B! Your time is coming and I know you’re ready for it! Love you!

Hahahahahahahah. So. We got back to PE; the entire city was out of power. TIA! We all were kind of freaked out and decided to play cards, watch movies, and eat all the things in our fridges that would go bad together! Thank goodness I bought some candles! It finally turned back on right before we went to bed!

I’m actually pretty excited for my second week of school to start, get myself back in a normal routine. But I also hope the “I’m on vacation” feeling doesn’t go away…TIA.

Address!

My actual address is
Emily Beam
Unit 14 B Annies Cove
Summerstrands, Port Elizabeth
6001

TIA #4

TIA 4

2/11/13

The Market was a success, but extremely overwhelming. It reminded me a lot of Charleston’s market, so many beautiful things along the board walk. I only bought one painting because the rain came and ended our shopping trip. Let me tell you about a down pour!!! We made it just in time to a coffee shop before the monsoon.

MONDAY FUN DAY was great. I have no classes today J so I slept in and then actually did some exercise! We ran all the way to the beach in the HOT HOT sun and then I did a lil-bit of abs! 2 weeks of drinking really does work on your body. Muhhaha. Then I went with a group down to the beach, worked on the tan. Came back, made some vegetable stir fry and fish. Now off to the rugby game!!! SO excited, it’s the first home game! Whhhooohoooo, wish I knew our mascot. hehehe J

TIA #3

TIA #3

2/10/2013

 

FINALLY slept in this morning!!!!  What have I got to catch you up on?...

Thursday- my favorite night of the week…Ladies night at Barneys always gets me. People are always buying each other drinks and there are not really any creepy guys who try to dance with you, just friends. Although, I did meet two really cool guys, one from South Africa and the other from England! I absolutely love our group here, the Americans, Germans, Netherlandians??, French, and the Dutch! We always have so much fun and joke around with each other all night long. During the day though, I finally got my classes registered, but after 2 hours of pure stressing. I had to buy a new medical insurance, UNCW really needs to get it together! Arrrghhhhh, T.I.A.!!!

Germans absolutely love rap/hip-hop , dub-step/ electric music and beer.  Speaking of drinking, I have to live off instant coffee here, which isn’t as bad as the US, but still doesn’t nearly compare. The espresso maker at home really increased my addiction to a next level. So funny, because whenever we ask them a question about Germany, they always excitedly say “of course!!!” instead of yes. I love it.  They also can’t exactly pronounce anything with a “V,” it can be quite hysterical. Sometimes, I have to slow myself down when trying to explain things in English, forgetting that it’s not their 1^st language.

Friday- our event for orientation got canceled, so the entire day revolved around the pool and reading Silver Linings Playbook.  Then a group of us walked over to Spar and got groceries for a family dinner! A big group of us all pitched in and had a HUGE dinner, roasted potatoes, chicken, salad, sweet potatoes (which are white here), portabella mushrooms, fruit salad, bread , guacamole dip, and cookies! Wine was also includedJ A had lovely night!  

Saturday, last night, we had a city tour! This consisted of a tour guide pointing out buildings, walking around the board walk, and then going to the township, where we got to play with little children! So touching!  We came back around 4pm, then immediately had to make ourselves and early diner so we have time to prepare ourselves for Molly vs. Ghana in the South African Cup! Molly won! It was such a great time, except for the rain, but we didn’t let it hold us back!

Today, being Sunday means its Market day! Where I have been wanting to go to SO, SO,SO bad!!! The day is finally here! Can’t wait to get some really cool things and something to spice up my empty room with! It just sucks because we always have to factor in “will this fit in our suitcase?” when buying things.

Ø Snails are everywhere. I can’t tell you how many I’ve accidently crushed, T.I.A.

Ø Avocados are extremely cheap, and the size of grapefruits.

Ø We always get stared at, mainly by South African girls, when we walk somewhere…WE CAN SEE YOU TOO!

Hope you all are doing wonderfully! Much love!!!!

TIA #2

2/07/2013

Wow, what a great week! So today is already Thursday, how time flies when you’re having fun, which means its Ladies’ Night at Barneys!!!!! And a pregame before at one of the Germans houses down the road.  Last night I finally decided to trade alcohol in for a movie, Harry Potter in fact! Me, Hayley, and Katrina stuffed our mattresses into Martins room and had a little sleep over.

 Tuesday was karaoke night at Captains! SO MUCH FUN!! But first a group of about 15 of us went out to eat at Cabañas! (My new favorite restaurant on earth!) We definitely wined and dined two drinks, two hookahs, one shot, and a meal all for 10 bucks a piece!! I can totally get used to that kind of living! And Cabañas is considered one of PE’s “superior” restaurants; they have bouncers, a pool with a bar, and even a dress code to get in! Crazy beautiful!!! Then we came back to Annie’s (home) and pregamed with the French, then off to Captains! I love the fact that there is no cover charge at so places, even for the boys! The played awesome music and the upstairs was a very nice hip-hop lounge! I did well for myself.

But of course, I’m here to study and my first orientation classes have begun this week. Some have been pretty helpful and others not so much. But unfortunately attendance here is EXTREMELY important and student have to be dead silent. Hahah…Hayley accidently burped really loud and we all giggled and the speaker called Hayley out and was fussing to her in front of the whole class. No joke, it was awkward.

But today I ran a marathon all over campus to get my classes in order and they still aren’t registered, TIA. L Anyways, suppose its time for me to start drying my hair!

T.I.A. #1

I’ve been living in South Africa in a week and I already feel more grounded than ever before. A majestically wicked and wildly colorful wonderland is what I awake to every morning. I am so surprised how bits and pieces of South Africa’s land reminds me of Ireland, The States, and even China; shows just how naïve “Us Americans” truly are.

My first night at Annies cove consisted of a crazy time at the Frenchies and then to ladies’ night at some club, which guys aren’t creepy at all here…unless a rando spikes your drink, but generally you’re in for a good time. Got a few things checked off the bucket list. Then the next morning we went Tsitsikamma Falls for a weekend orientation. The scenery & excitement was in every motion. We went on a waterfall zip-line tour on the Garden Route! Then in free time we went swimming near the waterfall and did some mini compression jump, but in coffee colored water with eels murking at the bottom, took me a while to ignore that. But we also had an awesome African drum lesson, a “hike,” and a few small lecture sessions. We slept on extremly  small cots in extremly crowded rooms!  But a great family nearby cooked us delicious African meals. One of the spectacular things we did was just lying outside on our towels at night looking up at the stars. They are unreal and seem at arm’s width.

Then, after orientation weekend we have ‘real’ orientation at the school. We’re on the second day now; I don’t start until 2p.m. today so I finally had a chance to sleep in!! I finally feel adjusted to the new time zone, except when I try to make phone calls to my Mom. I hate when I just want to call her to tell her about something awesome and then I realize it’s like 3 in the morning. L  Hopefully by next week I’ll have internet at home! Africans make so much fun of the Americans because we think “internet is more important than water.” Oh well. I love that everyone here is always up for seeing things and exploring and traveling as much as possible! I already have made some new best friends! Told you not to worry, Mom! Hahah and shell be proud to know that I’ve already been to the liquor store 3 times! There is a massive amout of people from Minnosota and Germany here and I’m THE ONLY southerner, lucky me!

 I already feel so relaxed and comfortable, but let’s get real…I’m living the dream.  A few things that are completely T.I.A. (This Is Africa)...

v  You never worry about having water for showers

v  NEVER leave food out for more than 15 minutes or it will be drenched in a million ants

v  A.C. is a thing of the past

v  Chicago has nothing on PE for being a ‘windy city’

v  Night and day have complete opposite temperatures

v  Most international students can speak their native tongue, English, and another of interest….makes me feel small.

v  Taxi drivers will go to the end of the world to help you find/ do something out. My new friend Pang walked me into the bank and told the cashier not to ‘fuck around’ with us, he is a main attraction of South Africa.

v  Alcohol= Water for the Germans and Frenchies. Also, alcohol costs about the same as expensive water here!

v   African time is relevant to turtle time.

v  The food is so erotically different, I love it! Haven’t got sick yet, thanks to a large typhoid shot!

v  Annies Cove, where I live is perfect. Feels like freshman dorm again, so easy to meet everyone. But, my room is twice as big!

v  Bronzer becomes cover up in about 2 days.

v  There are these white fans that we refer to as the “Mexican Taxis” because they will pack you in until there isn’t a square inch left. There’s a driver and another guy who sicks his head out the window screaming at people “Town! Town!” I think they’re so much fun..but only during the day, not the night! And it only costs 8 rand, which is a dollar!

v  Sunscreen is your new best friend. Anywhere the sun touches you’re skin, you will be marked.

v  I am in love with this place.