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!