So today was the day that i know you have all been waiting for, well it least i have been. My first day on the rowing team here at KwaZulu-Natal University. Ok, so you all know how i am a tad clueless and uncoordinated and how i probably would tip the whole boat over or cause a head damage to someone or something, but on the contrary i was awesome. Seriously. And i had a ton of fun.
We went out first in a boat of four and had a bit of one on one training and teaching. Learning the vast array of the vocabulary involved in the sport: rutter, bottom, bow, stern, stroke side, easy, feathering, and so on.
Then after our short course on the basics they set us up in boats of 8 and we did mini races. Intense. The first time it was hard to get everybody together and someone i sat in the seat that was in charge of all the turning (bad choice) but it was so much fun. We came back to the boat house and had some beverages before setting out again.
This race was a bit more intense because as soon as we pushed off from the side lightening and mosoon rains came from the sky. As always crazy rain makes me feel really hard core and we continued the race, and won.
It was tons of fun and I met a bunch of new people. We find out on monday who our permanant crews will be. Exciting!
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Zebras, Monkeys and Antelope
So you know when you are really bored on a friday afternoon. Well that is how i was yesterday. But here instead of sitting inside and wishing it wasn't blizzarding or going on a run, we decided to head over to Queen Elizabeth Park, a Nature Reserve on the other side of town.
We got there by taxi and realized we only had about two hours until the park closed (things close rediculously early around her) and got out and decided to take one of the trails around the area. Before we even got on to the trail we saw the tree rustle and something jump. A MONKEY!
And now you know why. We got so close to these three zebras just eating grass in a field. Only in Africa. I about peed my pants, i don't know what is going to happen when i see a rhino or something scary because my heart was beating a thousand times a minute from peacefull zebras. (i know these pictures look fake, like i got them online or something, but you got to believe me).
We got there by taxi and realized we only had about two hours until the park closed (things close rediculously early around her) and got out and decided to take one of the trails around the area. Before we even got on to the trail we saw the tree rustle and something jump. A MONKEY!
And now you know why. We got so close to these three zebras just eating grass in a field. Only in Africa. I about peed my pants, i don't know what is going to happen when i see a rhino or something scary because my heart was beating a thousand times a minute from peacefull zebras. (i know these pictures look fake, like i got them online or something, but you got to believe me).
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Netball...
Last night i went to netball practice with my friend. And as i was as walking over to practice i was wondering to myself. what is netball? and i bet you are wondering the same.
Well netball is a mixture of handball and basketball and let me tell you, you definitely get sweaty. We did conditioning for an hour and they some sort of scrimmage play. i think i have decided that although it was really fun i need to stick to sports that don't involve a ball and dry land. i played goal defender, which means that besides having absolutely no idea what was going on, i was responsible for making sure the other team didn't score (oops). Maybe i will try it again, but regardless, new games are fun, i just wish i was a little more coordinated.
Well netball is a mixture of handball and basketball and let me tell you, you definitely get sweaty. We did conditioning for an hour and they some sort of scrimmage play. i think i have decided that although it was really fun i need to stick to sports that don't involve a ball and dry land. i played goal defender, which means that besides having absolutely no idea what was going on, i was responsible for making sure the other team didn't score (oops). Maybe i will try it again, but regardless, new games are fun, i just wish i was a little more coordinated.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Sani Pass--> Lesotho. Another weekend in the mountains...
I don't really know where to begin, but before i start, i am just going to let you know this is going to be a bit of rambling because this weekend was so much fun i am having a hard time getting my head around it...
ok, the beginning... It was a girl's weekend to the Southern Drakensberg mountains so friday afternoon we hopped on the Underberg Express to the Sani Lodge Backpackers in a valley in between the mountains. After a much deserved PB and J party we played cards and went to sleep.
The adventure began the next morning as we took the most extreme ride up a road called the Sani Pass, which is the only road from KwaZulu-Natal into Lesotho, but it wasn't just a road. This was a roa
d that only a four wheel drive vehicle could go on and each of the turns were named things like "reverse bend" or "windy bend" or "grace bend" because each turn was scarier than the one before. This road was like Highway 1 in the outside lane on steroids. i have never held on tighter in my life. The road consisted of rocks and when a car came in the opposite direction i did a little prayer for my life, lets just say it wasn't a road trip to sleep through. We had to show our passport multiple times and after an hour of holding my breath we finally made it to the top. The top was the Kingdom of Lesotho, on a platau high above South Africa.
Ok, so you know how you have all these pictures of what Africa is going to look like in your head? Well where i live at the university doesn't look like that at all, but let me tell you when i got into Lesotho, it looked like that. Shepards herding sheep and cattle, wearing cloaks and no pants. People riding horses around and huts with grass roofs made of cow dung (aka poop). It was exciting.
We walked to the highest peak in Lesotho and had a picnic lunch with some of the shepards, all of whom were very young and spoke only these words in english: "Sit" "Photi" meaning photo and "Laugh" because they liked to hear us laugh. It was a little culture shock, but also very cool.
After the picnic we went to the healer's hut of the village or the witch doctor's hut, Fertalina. There we had homemade beer- disgusting and homemade bread- delicious. There were kids everywhere who were adorable in there we learned more about the country. The women are the educated ones of the country, 95% being literate whereas only 45% of the men. I thought i was going to be touristy, but it wasn't at all. This was where she lived and our guide told us that they go to a different hut every time, to spread the tourism money around but they all welcome us into their homes. It was awesome.
Next stop on our trip was the highest pub in Africa, because... why not? We had a much needed beer before the equally scary trip down the mountain back into South Africa. On the way we stopped and drank from the waterfall supposed to keep you alive forever, i don't think it will work, but it was delicious. Upon returning to our hostel we learned a new card game from a British couple, Dirty Girty, and enjoyed being inside during a thunderstorm, even though the power flashed on and off.
Day two of the weekend adventure started off pretty mellow, beautiful and sunny, leaving us completely unaware of the craziness that would come. This day we decided to hike up the mountains in the World Heritage Park to view some of the cave paintings done by the Sans Bushman of the area more than 10,000 years ago. We hiked up the mountain leisurly looking at birds and seeing baboons. We got to the paintings and analyzed how cool they were and how they lasted for so long. We picniced underneath a rock with hundreds of paintings of little men as the weather started to mist. There, our guide informed us there was nothing he was afriad of more than lightening... which will come into play later.
The rain started to come down a little harder and soon we were caught in a monsoon and a thunder and lightening
storm that was straight out of a horror movie. It took us four hours to hike up the mountain and all of a sudden we needed to get down. Our guide told us we didn't have time for the path and that we needed to get lower so we started to go straight down, at full speed. I fell probably 50 times, laughing as hard as i could because of the rediculous situation we had gotten ourselves into. The guide ran ahead and we baralled down the mountain slipping on mud and grass and eventually sledding down sections on our butts. We had to three rivers holding hands as the current was so swift and the water up to our waists. i laughed the entire town of the absurdity of it all, hoping my camera would survive the monsoon.
Eventually we made down in a record hour and half, of course, just as the rain came to a stop. Realizing what we just did was insane and just in time to catch the bus back to Pietermaritzburg, i almost forgot i still had school the next day.
ok, the beginning... It was a girl's weekend to the Southern Drakensberg mountains so friday afternoon we hopped on the Underberg Express to the Sani Lodge Backpackers in a valley in between the mountains. After a much deserved PB and J party we played cards and went to sleep.
The adventure began the next morning as we took the most extreme ride up a road called the Sani Pass, which is the only road from KwaZulu-Natal into Lesotho, but it wasn't just a road. This was a roa
d that only a four wheel drive vehicle could go on and each of the turns were named things like "reverse bend" or "windy bend" or "grace bend" because each turn was scarier than the one before. This road was like Highway 1 in the outside lane on steroids. i have never held on tighter in my life. The road consisted of rocks and when a car came in the opposite direction i did a little prayer for my life, lets just say it wasn't a road trip to sleep through. We had to show our passport multiple times and after an hour of holding my breath we finally made it to the top. The top was the Kingdom of Lesotho, on a platau high above South Africa.Ok, so you know how you have all these pictures of what Africa is going to look like in your head? Well where i live at the university doesn't look like that at all, but let me tell you when i got into Lesotho, it looked like that. Shepards herding sheep and cattle, wearing cloaks and no pants. People riding horses around and huts with grass roofs made of cow dung (aka poop). It was exciting.
We walked to the highest peak in Lesotho and had a picnic lunch with some of the shepards, all of whom were very young and spoke only these words in english: "Sit" "Photi" meaning photo and "Laugh" because they liked to hear us laugh. It was a little culture shock, but also very cool.
After the picnic we went to the healer's hut of the village or the witch doctor's hut, Fertalina. There we had homemade beer- disgusting and homemade bread- delicious. There were kids everywhere who were adorable in there we learned more about the country. The women are the educated ones of the country, 95% being literate whereas only 45% of the men. I thought i was going to be touristy, but it wasn't at all. This was where she lived and our guide told us that they go to a different hut every time, to spread the tourism money around but they all welcome us into their homes. It was awesome.
Next stop on our trip was the highest pub in Africa, because... why not? We had a much needed beer before the equally scary trip down the mountain back into South Africa. On the way we stopped and drank from the waterfall supposed to keep you alive forever, i don't think it will work, but it was delicious. Upon returning to our hostel we learned a new card game from a British couple, Dirty Girty, and enjoyed being inside during a thunderstorm, even though the power flashed on and off.
Day two of the weekend adventure started off pretty mellow, beautiful and sunny, leaving us completely unaware of the craziness that would come. This day we decided to hike up the mountains in the World Heritage Park to view some of the cave paintings done by the Sans Bushman of the area more than 10,000 years ago. We hiked up the mountain leisurly looking at birds and seeing baboons. We got to the paintings and analyzed how cool they were and how they lasted for so long. We picniced underneath a rock with hundreds of paintings of little men as the weather started to mist. There, our guide informed us there was nothing he was afriad of more than lightening... which will come into play later.The rain started to come down a little harder and soon we were caught in a monsoon and a thunder and lightening
storm that was straight out of a horror movie. It took us four hours to hike up the mountain and all of a sudden we needed to get down. Our guide told us we didn't have time for the path and that we needed to get lower so we started to go straight down, at full speed. I fell probably 50 times, laughing as hard as i could because of the rediculous situation we had gotten ourselves into. The guide ran ahead and we baralled down the mountain slipping on mud and grass and eventually sledding down sections on our butts. We had to three rivers holding hands as the current was so swift and the water up to our waists. i laughed the entire town of the absurdity of it all, hoping my camera would survive the monsoon.Eventually we made down in a record hour and half, of course, just as the rain came to a stop. Realizing what we just did was insane and just in time to catch the bus back to Pietermaritzburg, i almost forgot i still had school the next day.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Life in the sun...
random thing have happened the past couple days. highlights include...
went to a beginner informational type meeting for the rowing team, where i learned how to row in this pretend like boat thing. It is going to be quite the workout once i figure it out. I can't wait to get out on the real water in a couple of weeks and be moving instead of stationary. It must be the same thing like running on a treadmill... why feel like a gerbil when you can go out and see the world?
i have been signing for things left and right i feel like a freshman at Sparticipation, i just want to get involved, but things take a long time here to actually get started, things move overall, a lot slower, cramps my style a bit, but i guess i will have to learn to sit back and relax a little bit, i just feel like i am not here long enough to sit on my butt.
i actually had to check out books from the library to do research today- ewww! i was not planning on doing any of that when i was here, oh well.
classes are all really small, 20-30 people, im not used to not being able to go to sleep!
my favorite south africa wine is Rose- four cousins, really sweet.
funny things:
1) every time anybody clicks when they are speaking Zulu i laugh, even though, i can click now
2) yesterday on the way home from the grocery store i dropped a whole dozen eggs on the sidewalk
3) i am learning to be a creative cook. ask me to make you something when i come home.
4) i lay out in the sun by the pool today for 2 hours in 100 degree weather... in FEBRUARY!
Some South African Lingo:
1) Howzit?- means how are you?
2)Sharp Sharp- the answer to Howzit
3)Dawnie- a 7:45am class
4) are you attending?- are you going to class?
5) just now- later
6)"foot-sack"- F#$$ you
7) Sawubona- 'how are you' in Zulu
8) Varsity- university
9) robots- stoplights
Now you guys are good to go... come visit!
went to a beginner informational type meeting for the rowing team, where i learned how to row in this pretend like boat thing. It is going to be quite the workout once i figure it out. I can't wait to get out on the real water in a couple of weeks and be moving instead of stationary. It must be the same thing like running on a treadmill... why feel like a gerbil when you can go out and see the world?
i have been signing for things left and right i feel like a freshman at Sparticipation, i just want to get involved, but things take a long time here to actually get started, things move overall, a lot slower, cramps my style a bit, but i guess i will have to learn to sit back and relax a little bit, i just feel like i am not here long enough to sit on my butt.
i actually had to check out books from the library to do research today- ewww! i was not planning on doing any of that when i was here, oh well.
classes are all really small, 20-30 people, im not used to not being able to go to sleep!
my favorite south africa wine is Rose- four cousins, really sweet.
funny things:
1) every time anybody clicks when they are speaking Zulu i laugh, even though, i can click now
2) yesterday on the way home from the grocery store i dropped a whole dozen eggs on the sidewalk
3) i am learning to be a creative cook. ask me to make you something when i come home.
4) i lay out in the sun by the pool today for 2 hours in 100 degree weather... in FEBRUARY!
Some South African Lingo:
1) Howzit?- means how are you?
2)Sharp Sharp- the answer to Howzit
3)Dawnie- a 7:45am class
4) are you attending?- are you going to class?
5) just now- later
6)"foot-sack"- F#$$ you
7) Sawubona- 'how are you' in Zulu
8) Varsity- university
9) robots- stoplights
Now you guys are good to go... come visit!
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Feb. 14 and other fun days...
many adventures in the past couple days. some included hanging out with new people from the dorms and adventuring to Durban with American friends, along with a valentine's dinner. from the beginning...
Thursday night my friends from the dorms invited me out with them to the home of these guys from Swaziland. They were so nice and cooked us dinner and we drank wine and danced. These girls are really funny and crazy and all of them exhibit characteristics of my friends from home, itleast they are good enough for temporary stand ins, but nothing is as good as the real thing.
Saturday morning began a day long adventure to the beach. When I wake up and it is sunny and hot on Feb.14 there is no where i would rather be than the beach, the funny thing is that this is the first time in my life that it was a possiblity. I woke up a bunch of the american girls and we began our long adventure into Durban, home of the golden mile of beaches. Durban is about a 45-60 minute drive from pietermaritzberg if you were to drive directly, but without the means to rent a cab, we decided to go the local way, Kumbis. First you have to take a Kumbi into downtown Pietermaritzberg, then one from there into downtown Durban, than walk like 2
0 minutes through "the workshop" (a crazy place filled with tents and huts selling this and that) to a line where you take another Kumbi to the beach. Finally when we got there (2 hours later) we decided to go to South Beach, since we went to North Beach last time. To tell you the truth, i have never felt more out of place in my life, it was definitly an interesting feeling. The waves were so big, we couldn't even go in so we walked along the beach and ate some pizza and ice cream. Overall, the day was a great success that we made it there and back, next time, hopefully it will be easier, practice makes perfect.
Valentine's day dinner. My friend that we met lives in the dorm next door invited me over for dinner, macaroni and cheese. It was good, relaxing, overall uneventful evening, besides the fact that i locked my keys in my room and had to figure out a way to wake up the person on duty in the office to unlock my room. Of course, stuff like that only happens to me.
Thursday night my friends from the dorms invited me out with them to the home of these guys from Swaziland. They were so nice and cooked us dinner and we drank wine and danced. These girls are really funny and crazy and all of them exhibit characteristics of my friends from home, itleast they are good enough for temporary stand ins, but nothing is as good as the real thing.
Saturday morning began a day long adventure to the beach. When I wake up and it is sunny and hot on Feb.14 there is no where i would rather be than the beach, the funny thing is that this is the first time in my life that it was a possiblity. I woke up a bunch of the american girls and we began our long adventure into Durban, home of the golden mile of beaches. Durban is about a 45-60 minute drive from pietermaritzberg if you were to drive directly, but without the means to rent a cab, we decided to go the local way, Kumbis. First you have to take a Kumbi into downtown Pietermaritzberg, then one from there into downtown Durban, than walk like 2
0 minutes through "the workshop" (a crazy place filled with tents and huts selling this and that) to a line where you take another Kumbi to the beach. Finally when we got there (2 hours later) we decided to go to South Beach, since we went to North Beach last time. To tell you the truth, i have never felt more out of place in my life, it was definitly an interesting feeling. The waves were so big, we couldn't even go in so we walked along the beach and ate some pizza and ice cream. Overall, the day was a great success that we made it there and back, next time, hopefully it will be easier, practice makes perfect.Valentine's day dinner. My friend that we met lives in the dorm next door invited me over for dinner, macaroni and cheese. It was good, relaxing, overall uneventful evening, besides the fact that i locked my keys in my room and had to figure out a way to wake up the person on duty in the office to unlock my room. Of course, stuff like that only happens to me.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Rain, School and Surprise!
1. it never stops raining, i am sorry i lied to all of you about how i was going to have this nice hot summer. I have never been so wet before. next big investment- umbrella.
2. school.. harder than at state. a lot more class time, more assignments, more reading, harder to understand the professors. i guess vacation time is over.
3. surprise party... last night i went to a girl on in my dorm's surprise party. it was so much fun. me and five other girls made dinner for her, drank wine, went to the bar and ate chocolate cake. new friends:)
2. school.. harder than at state. a lot more class time, more assignments, more reading, harder to understand the professors. i guess vacation time is over.
3. surprise party... last night i went to a girl on in my dorm's surprise party. it was so much fun. me and five other girls made dinner for her, drank wine, went to the bar and ate chocolate cake. new friends:)
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
The first (and second) day of school...
Day 1: Well I had no idea it would be THIS different, everything else has pretty much been similar to the United States, but here, the first day of school was a little bit of craziness and stress. My first class, along with most people's first class starts at 7.45 am, but that isn't early here because everyone wakes up at like 6. The entire class was spent trying to switch the time slot, but every day you have every lecture and a different time slot every day. It is confusing, and i still don't really get it, but anyway, the class was a waste of time. I decided that since i am only taking three modules (classes) that i needed to volunteer so after class i sought out the person in charge of the HIV/AIDS student support unit and told her i wanted to work in her office. To my surprise i was put to work immediately.
It just so happens that this week is STI/Condom Awareness week and there is free HIV testing on the lawn and a tent set up from the support unit. I helped set everything up and then i had to go to my next class, which so happen to overlap with my third class. I went for 5 minutes, and left feeling stressed that i was going to be late, and i didn't know what room my next class was in because the room listed was non existant. After a half hour of wondering buildings looking for my class, i found it with 10 minutes left in the lecture, oops.
After my last lecture i went back to the tent on the lawn and hung out with the people involved in the HIV/AIDS support group and met the person in charge of an all girls group called "Strictly Ladies" which does women empowerment for women, including HIV/AIDS issues, drug abuse, alcohol abuse and just fun things. She invited me to come to her meeting today, more to come on that...
After dinner we all went out to celebrate surviving our first day (going to the bar is so weird).
Day 2: After learning all the clicks (there are 4 different types) in Zulu class i headed to my meeting with Fufu, the president of strictly ladies. To my surprise i spent the next four hours planning workshops and events for the semester and i am now the secretary. We made a bunch of flyers to put around campus, hung out and got a lot done. I guess i am involved now. Anywho... not much else, i will let you know how it all ends up, but things are definitly moving quicker than i imagined.
It just so happens that this week is STI/Condom Awareness week and there is free HIV testing on the lawn and a tent set up from the support unit. I helped set everything up and then i had to go to my next class, which so happen to overlap with my third class. I went for 5 minutes, and left feeling stressed that i was going to be late, and i didn't know what room my next class was in because the room listed was non existant. After a half hour of wondering buildings looking for my class, i found it with 10 minutes left in the lecture, oops.
After my last lecture i went back to the tent on the lawn and hung out with the people involved in the HIV/AIDS support group and met the person in charge of an all girls group called "Strictly Ladies" which does women empowerment for women, including HIV/AIDS issues, drug abuse, alcohol abuse and just fun things. She invited me to come to her meeting today, more to come on that...
After dinner we all went out to celebrate surviving our first day (going to the bar is so weird).
Day 2: After learning all the clicks (there are 4 different types) in Zulu class i headed to my meeting with Fufu, the president of strictly ladies. To my surprise i spent the next four hours planning workshops and events for the semester and i am now the secretary. We made a bunch of flyers to put around campus, hung out and got a lot done. I guess i am involved now. Anywho... not much else, i will let you know how it all ends up, but things are definitly moving quicker than i imagined.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Up in the Drakensberg Mountains...
I think i might quit school and become a mountain woman, seriously, nothing is more rewarding than climbing to the top of a mountain, which is exactly what i did this weekend. Ok from the beginning...
This is my last weekend before school starts- i know, longest vacation ever- so the Michigan State kids and i planned a weekend get away in the Drakensberg Mountains about an 2 and half hours away from the University. We took this bus called the Baz Bus that drives backpackers across the country and they dropped us off at a hostel called the Amphitheatre Backpackers. side note: amazing hostel, a pool, hot tub, awesome food, fully stocked bar, sweet hammock made of wood, all 8 of us in a "mixed dorm".
We got there Friday afternoon and four of us rented mountain bikes to go on a "leisurly bike ride" and see some of the mountains. Wrong! not very leisurly at all. Started off with a huge hill and then the guy told us to make a left to get onto a dirt road to a dam we could swim in. As i sweated through my tshirt and held on to my handle bars as tight as i could i bounced down this rocky road and all of a sudden i was sorrounded by horses, sheep and goats. We continued on throwing our bikes over fences and dodging mounds of poop until we got to what we thought was the dam, but it definately wasn't. Lost in the mountains of South Africa, what to do, what to do. We back-tracked past Old McDonald's farm animals and hopped some other fences to follow a canal home. It was beatiful, sweaty and an adventure, to say the least. We followed a main road home and drank a Liter of water and then a fruity cocktail:)
Day 2 of mountain adventure consisted of actually hiking up a mountain to a waterfall. Not just any waterfall, the second largest waterfall in the world, Tugela Falls. We drove 2 hours to higher up the mountain so we could make the peak hike in one day instead of 4. With a guide we hiked and hike over rocks and water into the clouds. At some points the clouds were so thick you couldn't see 3 people in front of you or the mountain, and other points you could see forever into the valley of green mountains and rivers. It looked like a painting- picture
s to come if i can figure it out. The first large obstacle of the hike was a portion called The Gully. For about 45 minutes we climbed at about an 80 degree angle over boulders. I felt like a bear a little bit, or squirrel, either way i felt hard core. When i got to the top it was amazing, but the hike wasn't over. We had some cheese sandwhiches and continued along the top. We arrived at the top of the waterfall and stuck our feet in the warm water. You couldn't see all the way down because of the clouds but my ears definately popped we were so high. We continued along the top until we got to the decent called the "chain ladder" portion of the hike. Of course, being hardcore that i am, i jumped right on and scaled down the 50 meters to the platform below. It was literally just a chain ladder attached to the mountain and swung against the side. Intense, to say the least. After that we hiked the rest of the way down. 12 km in total, lots of hours beautiful views.
The day was exhausting and after relaxing by the hammock we all fell asleep. This morning we played an intense game of ultimate frisbee. Highlights of the game include: my bloodly lip and me scoring the winning touchdown. I know... also pretty hard core.
Hey if you want to mail something to me, my address is:
Laurin Katzenstein
University of KwaZulu-Natal
B 238 Malherbe Residence
Private Bag X01
Scottsville, South Africa
3201
p.s. there is no spellcheck on this thing so i know there is a lot of typos, oops, too lazy to fix it.
This is my last weekend before school starts- i know, longest vacation ever- so the Michigan State kids and i planned a weekend get away in the Drakensberg Mountains about an 2 and half hours away from the University. We took this bus called the Baz Bus that drives backpackers across the country and they dropped us off at a hostel called the Amphitheatre Backpackers. side note: amazing hostel, a pool, hot tub, awesome food, fully stocked bar, sweet hammock made of wood, all 8 of us in a "mixed dorm".
We got there Friday afternoon and four of us rented mountain bikes to go on a "leisurly bike ride" and see some of the mountains. Wrong! not very leisurly at all. Started off with a huge hill and then the guy told us to make a left to get onto a dirt road to a dam we could swim in. As i sweated through my tshirt and held on to my handle bars as tight as i could i bounced down this rocky road and all of a sudden i was sorrounded by horses, sheep and goats. We continued on throwing our bikes over fences and dodging mounds of poop until we got to what we thought was the dam, but it definately wasn't. Lost in the mountains of South Africa, what to do, what to do. We back-tracked past Old McDonald's farm animals and hopped some other fences to follow a canal home. It was beatiful, sweaty and an adventure, to say the least. We followed a main road home and drank a Liter of water and then a fruity cocktail:)
Day 2 of mountain adventure consisted of actually hiking up a mountain to a waterfall. Not just any waterfall, the second largest waterfall in the world, Tugela Falls. We drove 2 hours to higher up the mountain so we could make the peak hike in one day instead of 4. With a guide we hiked and hike over rocks and water into the clouds. At some points the clouds were so thick you couldn't see 3 people in front of you or the mountain, and other points you could see forever into the valley of green mountains and rivers. It looked like a painting- picture
s to come if i can figure it out. The first large obstacle of the hike was a portion called The Gully. For about 45 minutes we climbed at about an 80 degree angle over boulders. I felt like a bear a little bit, or squirrel, either way i felt hard core. When i got to the top it was amazing, but the hike wasn't over. We had some cheese sandwhiches and continued along the top. We arrived at the top of the waterfall and stuck our feet in the warm water. You couldn't see all the way down because of the clouds but my ears definately popped we were so high. We continued along the top until we got to the decent called the "chain ladder" portion of the hike. Of course, being hardcore that i am, i jumped right on and scaled down the 50 meters to the platform below. It was literally just a chain ladder attached to the mountain and swung against the side. Intense, to say the least. After that we hiked the rest of the way down. 12 km in total, lots of hours beautiful views.The day was exhausting and after relaxing by the hammock we all fell asleep. This morning we played an intense game of ultimate frisbee. Highlights of the game include: my bloodly lip and me scoring the winning touchdown. I know... also pretty hard core.
Hey if you want to mail something to me, my address is:
Laurin Katzenstein
University of KwaZulu-Natal
B 238 Malherbe Residence
Private Bag X01
Scottsville, South Africa
3201
p.s. there is no spellcheck on this thing so i know there is a lot of typos, oops, too lazy to fix it.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Basic Stuff
Ok, phew, now that i have registered and have internet access i can spell check what i write and give you the low down on South Africa. Oh first... facebook only works here after 8pm or something like that so e-mail is probably the best way to chat. Ok... so what else...
I am living in a dorm called Melherbe the furtherest away from everything on campus- think about the distance of Holden to the Bessey Hall, but it isn't that bad. My dorm- which they call the Res Hall here, has people screaming from about 5.30am to 1am so needless to say it is a bit of a crazy place to live. It is a lot smaller than state so it is nice that people recognize you and say hi to you, also i stick out like a sore thumb because the eight of us from michigan state are the only white people in the entire dorm. I feel bad because everyone remembers me and the Zulu names are all so hard to prenounce and remember, but i am getting better. There is a community kitchen at the end of every hall and i am getting really good at making noodles, but havn't had time to cook much anything else. I am going to try and change that tonight.
Regisration here is like how it was 30 years ago in the U.S. You stand in long lines and ask each individual professor to enroll you in their class and then you have to go get it approved by the dean. After that, you have to be financially cleared and go enter you information into the master system. Five hours later we finally made it to the point where we got our ID cards, my picture is probably the funniest thing i have ever seen, it looks like a mugshot.
I am going to take a beginner Zulu course, a history course of the province i am living in: KwaZulu-Natal, and a community service policy class, where you go out into the community and volunteer for credit. I know, it doesn't sound that stressful, i think i am going to take this semester as a vacation sememster.
This weekend we are headed up into the Drakensberg Mountains until Sunday, i will blog about it when i get back. Hope to here from you guys soon!
I am living in a dorm called Melherbe the furtherest away from everything on campus- think about the distance of Holden to the Bessey Hall, but it isn't that bad. My dorm- which they call the Res Hall here, has people screaming from about 5.30am to 1am so needless to say it is a bit of a crazy place to live. It is a lot smaller than state so it is nice that people recognize you and say hi to you, also i stick out like a sore thumb because the eight of us from michigan state are the only white people in the entire dorm. I feel bad because everyone remembers me and the Zulu names are all so hard to prenounce and remember, but i am getting better. There is a community kitchen at the end of every hall and i am getting really good at making noodles, but havn't had time to cook much anything else. I am going to try and change that tonight.
Regisration here is like how it was 30 years ago in the U.S. You stand in long lines and ask each individual professor to enroll you in their class and then you have to go get it approved by the dean. After that, you have to be financially cleared and go enter you information into the master system. Five hours later we finally made it to the point where we got our ID cards, my picture is probably the funniest thing i have ever seen, it looks like a mugshot.
I am going to take a beginner Zulu course, a history course of the province i am living in: KwaZulu-Natal, and a community service policy class, where you go out into the community and volunteer for credit. I know, it doesn't sound that stressful, i think i am going to take this semester as a vacation sememster.
This weekend we are headed up into the Drakensberg Mountains until Sunday, i will blog about it when i get back. Hope to here from you guys soon!
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
in other adventures....
Other fun things I've been up to... well the Indian Ocean is pretty cool. We spent an entire Sunday jumping in the waves and getting sunburned. I didn't spend more than 5 minutes on the beach. The water was so warm and the waves were big. There was also long piers you could jump off of or watch the surfers from. I am saving the surfing adventure for another day.
Monday I participated in a city-wide road rally called the Amazing Race. Divided into cars with volunteer drivers we raced around Pietermaritzberg with clues to collect higns, do things and take photos of including popping popcorn and painting my face. At one poin my car was second out of sixty, it was pretty fun and intense.
Today was one of the first days we have had to relax. We played a lot of frisbee and i went on my first very sticky campus run. Tonight some of my new friends gave me a Zulu name: Thandeka (Tan-day-kah) meaning likable/lovable. I also learned two different kinds of clicks used to speak zulu, one written as an X and the other as a Q, i will teach you all when i come home.
Each day is full of adventure, hopefully tomorrow will bring more internet so i won't have this backlog of blogs.
Monday I participated in a city-wide road rally called the Amazing Race. Divided into cars with volunteer drivers we raced around Pietermaritzberg with clues to collect higns, do things and take photos of including popping popcorn and painting my face. At one poin my car was second out of sixty, it was pretty fun and intense.
Today was one of the first days we have had to relax. We played a lot of frisbee and i went on my first very sticky campus run. Tonight some of my new friends gave me a Zulu name: Thandeka (Tan-day-kah) meaning likable/lovable. I also learned two different kinds of clicks used to speak zulu, one written as an X and the other as a Q, i will teach you all when i come home.
Each day is full of adventure, hopefully tomorrow will bring more internet so i won't have this backlog of blogs.
Into the township Imbali...
Today we officially made history. I made a friend in my dorm the other night and he invited me to see"another part of South Africa"- the townships. Since the townships are strictly black he knew that we would not be able to go alone and offered to take us to the township where his sister lives, thirty minutes away.
Getting there was an adventure in itself. First we took a kumbe into town. A kumbe is like a large van taxi/bus. They have specific routes, of course the routes and stops are not written down anywhere. We were told you will just "figure it out". Well, kumbes are not really a mode of transportation whites really take so the stares began immediatly when we got on. For the equivilent of 40 cents a person we were downtown at the kumbe rank to go to the township. This is a place "white people definatly never come", but i was enjoying the adventure. From there we got in another kumbe and went (for 70 cents) into the township of Imbali, Unit 18.
The township was massive, covering miles and miles of rolling hills. After walking around, meeting his sister and nephews we went to the meeting place of the township. There they pick out raw meet and grill it for you outside. We drank bottles of beer and relaxed on the grass and listen to House Music- like elevator techno music on crack/all they listen to here- and were stared and talk to some of the people that lived there. Around five, it became like an ourtoor happy hour. After the picnic we headed back to the university. History was made in Unit 18, and as time moves further away from apartheid, more barriers are broken.
Getting there was an adventure in itself. First we took a kumbe into town. A kumbe is like a large van taxi/bus. They have specific routes, of course the routes and stops are not written down anywhere. We were told you will just "figure it out". Well, kumbes are not really a mode of transportation whites really take so the stares began immediatly when we got on. For the equivilent of 40 cents a person we were downtown at the kumbe rank to go to the township. This is a place "white people definatly never come", but i was enjoying the adventure. From there we got in another kumbe and went (for 70 cents) into the township of Imbali, Unit 18.
The township was massive, covering miles and miles of rolling hills. After walking around, meeting his sister and nephews we went to the meeting place of the township. There they pick out raw meet and grill it for you outside. We drank bottles of beer and relaxed on the grass and listen to House Music- like elevator techno music on crack/all they listen to here- and were stared and talk to some of the people that lived there. Around five, it became like an ourtoor happy hour. After the picnic we headed back to the university. History was made in Unit 18, and as time moves further away from apartheid, more barriers are broken.
Monday, February 2, 2009
life without internet means hard to blog...
so i am living in the middle of the jungle and the lions roar puts me to sleep and the hissing of the black mamba is what wakes me up in the morning. JUST KIDDING! although i am really good at killing cockraoches the size of my palm (with wings) that have decided to share my room with me, despite these the exotic animal viewing has been non existant. But you guys don't really care about that...
what you want to know about is south africa right? well... it is amazing! the people from my trip are amazing and the people that live here are amazing (everyone is a lot friendlier than in the US) and the LOVE Obama. Here they are also a lot more traditional, i always get a chair and get a lot of drinks bought for me. It is nice, but it is going to take some getting used to.
Since the very first night when people invited us to a volleyball/soccer game in the rain it has been non stop activities, bars and clubs.
Sorry it has been so long without any contact, we don't get our internet log-ins untill we register on thursday, so until then i haven't be able to get on. Sorry if it seemed like i was ignoring ya'll but there is like one internet cafe and it is always closed. Oh and if you want to try and call me my number is 764494778, im not sure how it works from the US i am assuming you have to get a calling card and figure it out that way.
As they say here.... cheers!
what you want to know about is south africa right? well... it is amazing! the people from my trip are amazing and the people that live here are amazing (everyone is a lot friendlier than in the US) and the LOVE Obama. Here they are also a lot more traditional, i always get a chair and get a lot of drinks bought for me. It is nice, but it is going to take some getting used to.
Since the very first night when people invited us to a volleyball/soccer game in the rain it has been non stop activities, bars and clubs.
Sorry it has been so long without any contact, we don't get our internet log-ins untill we register on thursday, so until then i haven't be able to get on. Sorry if it seemed like i was ignoring ya'll but there is like one internet cafe and it is always closed. Oh and if you want to try and call me my number is 764494778, im not sure how it works from the US i am assuming you have to get a calling card and figure it out that way.
As they say here.... cheers!
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