Sarah in South Africa

Well hey...

2009-12-02T21:08:00.005+02:00

So...I may have forgotten to update during my last month in South Africa. Oops. I'm sorry. Well, I've done a lot of things in the past month, too much to really summarize. Also, I haven't transferred most of the pictures from my laptop to my desktop. So I'll work on that, but most of the stories from my last month...well, you'll have to talk to me in person in order to hear them. :)

Although, I did...drive on the opposite side of the road...

And...

Say goodbye to some of the best friends I've ever had. :(

But...I'm home now. And I realize...the Sarah that left for South Africa...

is not the same Sarah who came back.

Storms a-brewin'

2009-10-29T14:11:00.005+02:00

One thing I've continuously heard about since getting to Johannesburg is, "Wait until you see the thunderstorms." Being from the Midwest, I've seen tons of thunderstorms in my life, and I wondered if there was something special about Jozi thunderstorms that we don't get in the Midwest. Well, I'd say they're pretty much the same, but perhaps a little more intense, and definitely more frequent. It storms so often here!

One thing, however, I was unprepared for: hail.

I couldn't believe how hard or how much it hailed. It was absolutely crazy! It looked like it had snowed by the time it had ended, as you can obviously see in the picture. I was flabbergasted. I told some International House friends that it reminded me of home. :)

You can't really tell, but I'm holding a piece of hail in my hand. :)

Anyway, now I'm trying to navigate South African travel websites, as my friend Jamie will arrive here in about nine days, and I should probably have everything we plan to do booked before she gets here. My friend who has a car is going to go to Kruger National Park with us, which should be a lot of fun, and then we hope to go to Cape Town...to see penguins! Among other things of course, but really, penguins! I'm really really REALLY hoping to get to see Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe (tallest waterfall in the world!), but we'll see how that pans out. Cross your fingers for me!

What's exciting is that one of the African girls on my program invited us all to her brother's wedding in Botwana, which is this weekend. So, tomorrow morning, we're all hopping on a bus to Gabarone (pronounce it like it has an "h" instead of a "g") and going to Botswana. So for Halloween this year, I'm going as an American wedding guest in Botswana who has no idea what's going on. I think that's a pretty cool way to spend Halloween. :)

Other than that, not too much going on here that's exciting. I'm in exams right now and it's tough, ja? I've finished three so far, and my final one is Monday morning...so I'm leaving Botswana a day earlier than everyone else so I can get back in time for my exam. Boo. Ag, shame.

I hope midterms went well for any of you college-readers, and I hope everything else is going well for everyone else! :)

PS, I arrive back in the States exactly one month from today. :/

Lions and tigers and...tigers, oh my!

2009-10-16T13:03:00.004+02:00

It's getting super hot here. Oh, and I got to walk a tiger, then play with baby white Bengal tigers and baby white lions. All in a day's work, y'know?

Have a good weekend!

"How to Write About Africa"

2009-10-10T00:16:00.003+02:00

My friend Brett passed along this article to me, and I thought it was absolutely brilliant. I especially liked...

"In your text, treat Africa as if it were one country. It is hot and dusty with rolling grasslands and huge herds of animals and tall, thin people who are starving. Or it is hot and steamy with very short people who eat primates. Don't get bogged down with precise descriptions. Africa is big: fifty-four countries, 900 million people who are too busy starving and dying and warring and emigrating to read your book. The continent is full of deserts, jungles, highlands, savannahs and many other things, but your reader doesn't care about all that, so keep your descriptions romantic and evocative and unparticular."

And now, my quintessential picture of an African sunset.

You're the most colorful thing that I've seen

2009-10-03T22:50:00.004+02:00

"You swim like you're on fire

Live like your last day
Drink like it's water
There's no tomorrow
And you think no one can hear you
Raise your hands to be called on
You know all the answers"
-Rocco DeLuca and the Burden, "Colorful"

After being awoken at 4 AM by drunken singers, I am quite tired, but I feel like I've been neglecting my blog duties, so here will be a short update.

What I did this past week:

-Went to Durban
::Went to uShaka Marine World (i.e. South Africa Sea World)
::Went to Vacca Matta club and lost a dance contest (but still had fun, and an American still won)
::Swam in the Indian Ocean
::Ate Indian food, burned mouth from said Indian food
::Hurt back on go-kart (as described in previous blog)

-Was on a lot of drugs for my back
::Yaaaaay...
::Also have a nasty scab (that will probably scar)-- sick.
::But it's feeling (mostly) better now.

-Met Lindiwe Ringane

::Transsexual woman who tried to enter Miss South Africa pageant, but officials wouldn't let her in because she was not "born a woman" (which drives me nuts, considering Miss Carrie "Opposite Marriage" Prejean was allowed to keep her crown for a while, but Lindiwe wasn't even allowed to participate? Uggh.)

-Went to Carnivore
::Had lamb, wildebeest, zebra, crocodile, blesbok, kudu, beef, pork, and pap. Delicious.
::Tagged the different kinds of meat in this photo on Facebook, cause I'm awesome like that.

-Went to see Public Enemies (starring Johnny Depp and Christian Bale)
::Eh. Not that great, expected a bit more.

-Went to Johannesburg Pride
::Glad to see that there's pride all over the world. :)
::Also, got a pair of SA flag shutter shades. What what, you jealous.
::Participated in a pride parade on campus, and got really good at chanting "Hey ho, hey ho, homophobia's got to go!" repeatedly.

-Got two packages
::Thanks Mom and Grandma!
::Got pranked by my parents...thought they sent me my dead dog's ashes, but apparently they were just ashes from the grill. THANKS, DAD.

-Met some Peace Corps volunteers who are serving in Botswana
::Asked them a bunch of questions...definitely still considering PC after college.

I hope that was interesting enough for all of you. By the way, a lot of people have been asking if they can do or send anything to help me out...now that I have < 2 months here, I'm afraid if you send a package, it won't arrive before I leave (the SA post office is not as reliable as I would like it to be). However, there is one way you can help...I miss American music. Well, new music. The American music that gets played here is not exactly to my taste. So, if you find yourself wanting to do something nice for me, an iTunes gift card would be totally freakin' sweet. :) (Cause the cool thing is, you wouldn't even have to mail it to me, you could just scratch off the number and then email it to me.) But totally up to you, you're not under any obligation to do so, I will love you even if you don't. :) Just thought I'd throw that suggestion out there.

Anway. I am super tired, so I am going to bed now. Hope you're all doing well and staying warm, since it's getting cold in the States (whereas I got a tan today from the ever-warming Johannesburg sun). Miss and love you, of course!

Snails

2009-09-29T03:12:00.004+02:00

"Snails see the benefits,
The beauty in every inch...

But love is nothing you can tax
My family’s not rich by any means
But I feel we won the lottery, that day
The rock swallowed the girl
And I cried as cameras caught my eyes
My tears turned into butterflies
They fly away as caskets close
A new day comes you’ll wake unfolding
Smile when you feel the sunlight
You feel the sunlight"
-The Format, "Snails."

I lied. I didn't have time to write a full update of my trip to Durban today. Sometimes when you go to Durban, you see that they have a go-karting track, and you get really excited and beg your friends to go kart with you, and then as soon as you get in your go kart you punch the gas and go way too fast and crash into a tire wall and then the person you begged to race against you rams into you and then since South Africa doesn't have crazy restrictions like the US does, your go kart doesn't have a seat belt and you slam into your steering wheel and then back onto the seat, and something-- probably a screw-- on the seat rips open the back of your pants and cuts your back and bruises it and then you have a really sore and swollen back that bothers you for days, so you go to the doctor to get it checked out but the doctor spends about 3 1/2 seconds looking at it and thinks you're a junkie just looking for drugs so he sends you away without a painkiller so you go to the pharmacy and the pharmacist tells you that you can't get anything with codeine in it to help you sleep/ deal with the pain, but then you walk over to another pharmacist and get some Ibuprofen and your friend Matt who was nice enough to drive you to the pharmacy noticed that "Ibucod" is ibuprofen plus codeine so you ask the 2nd pharmacist if you can get that and he says, "Yeah, that's fine," and you ask him if you need a prescription and he says no, so he just gives it to you and warns you not to take too much or else you'll get a stomach ache (but he doesn't warn you about possible addiction/ overdose = death) so then you go home and you take your medicine but you can't find a comfortable position on your bed so you end up getting up and looking through Facebook photos instead of doing something productive, cause the medicine makes you tired enough that you can't focus on homework or anything important, and then you end up posting a rambling blog with a few photos in it, cause you like posting photos and no one reads it because well let's face it, everyone has better things to do than read a long rambling paragraph from a girl who's pretty much tripping out on codeine right now.

Anyway. Even though bad things (like the last paragraph) happen...and other bad things (that won't be listed) happen...you just gotta learn to go with the flow.

'Cause, really, you don't know how things are gonna turn out, or what you're gonna learn, who you'll learn to appreciate, or really...anything. We as humans love to think we know everything, but really, we don't know anything. So...you just gotta roll with it and enjoy what you have. :)

And, of course, perhaps celebrate on the beach. :)

Back-- x2

2009-09-28T00:32:00.003+02:00

Hey, I'm back from Durban, (mostly) safe and sound. Due to an unfortunate go-karting accident, my back is temporarily out of commission, but a cardiologist (slash father of my friends slash host of the weekend) checked it out and said it looked okay, and hopefully I'll be able to get some muscle relaxants tomorrow from Clicks (apparently you don't need a prescription for them here?).

Had a good weekend though...I'll be sure to put up pictures sometime soon (i.e. tomorrow). Time for me to get some rest from my vacation though. :)

Of course, a picture to tide you over while you wait:

An important message to remember.

Durbs!

2009-09-24T07:24:00.003+02:00

Hi all. It's really early (7 AM early). Which is not really that early, I know, but shush. It's a public holiday, so I should be sleeping. But, I am about to go on a road trip to Durban. So I'll be gone for the weekend, hope you all have a good one. I'll be sure to take lots of pictures.

Have a good weekend, love and miss you all.

I'd like to be under the sea

2009-09-21T00:20:00.003+02:00

"I'd ask my friends to come and see
An octopus's garden with me
I'd like to be under the sea
In an octopus's garden in the shade"
-The Beatles, "Octopus's Garden"

I apologize for messing up the leg continuity.

This week was a hectic one, ja? Just a lot of work in classes and a lot for my internship. I'm actually quite tired now, had a good weekend though. The new Fencing Pub is up and running, so it was nice going there on Thursday night. On Friday I hung out with Andre, Wayde, Andre's mom, and her roommate, who's basically the Hall Director for the girl's res next door. That was a riot, it was so much fun just having a braai and talking. Although I did find it quite funny when Jan (pronounced "Yan") asked me..."Do you eat pap?" (In case you don't get it: I'm obsessed with pap.) Then on Saturday, Matt and I went to Cresta and I got some shorts so I don't die of heat stroke here, and Saturday night...oh! I went to a Fordsburg, which is a large Indian community, and since this weekend was Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year), Eid ul-Fitr (end of Ramadan for Muslims), and....a Hindu holiday that I've forgotten the name of (sorry!) all this weekend, there was a bit market going on at the Oriental Plaza. It was actually really interesting.

I also bought a stun gun at the market. :D It looks like a cellphone and it's really cool. I'll probably never use it, unless someone wants to volunteer to be a tester...? Haha. I'm super stoked about it, in any case.

Then today, Matt and I checked out Melville and ate at a cute little restaurant called "Lucky Bean" (great food and atmosphere), and we also met up with Andre, who then showed us to this watertower that we've heard so much about...turns out, it has a spectacular view. He was totally right in telling us to bring our cameras. :)

You can literally see the entire city from the hill we were on. Crazy!

Tonight I cooked spaghetti and garlic bread and then I finished knitting a scarf. Good thing I'm 20 and not 65. Oh wait...

Anyway. Going to bed now after a good weekend. Hope you're doing well.

So take it to heart

2009-09-14T21:34:00.003+02:00

"If someone's been trying to change your mind
But don't take it too hard
If it sounds unkind
Be the problem in hell
Or be the black tie
Dragging heaven down
And then at least half of your heart will be safe and sound."
-The Ascetic Junkies, "A Protest Song"

In my time here, I have found many similarities and many differences. Some due to race, some due to culture, some due to SES (socio-economic status), technology...and a plethora of other reasons.

This weekend I went to the EOH (Edward Oppenheimer House) party, and there were...well, a LOT of people there. Upwards of several hundred. It's one of the biggest parties of the year, apparently. ZaZa's friends and I had to wait for a 2nd bus to pick us up because the first one was literally packed as full as it could get. When we got to the party, one of ZaZa's friends made the fairly obvious observation that I was the only white person there [we later realized that was incorrect, there were 3 white people there, but I was the only female]. We joked about it, saying that if I got separated from the group, they could just say, "Has anyone seen a white girl around here?" It was actually pretty funny, because none of us were really bothered by that, it was just an amusing observation. One thing, though, was that people would come up to ZaZa or her friends and ask who I was...and they'd want to meet me. The "white girl" who was brave enough to come to the party. Strange. So, I met several people who were interested in my simply because of the combination of the color of my skin and the location I was in. I don't feel offended by it at all, it's just very interesting to me.

ZaZa and her friends did, however, teach me to dance. :)

This week, I've noticed a cultural disconnect. Wits is set to increase fees, and students are protesting about it. Now, Central has had fee increases in the past, and all we've done is write articles about it for the Ray, or possibly talk to Student Senate. Nothing of this scale has been done.

Now, like I said, maybe it's the cultural disconnect, but I just don't agree with these protests. If there's a reason why fees need to go up...well, then they have to go up. As a person who is paying for her own schooling, it's scary and difficult. But, since neither the US nor SA offers free education, we can't expect the universities to allow us to go to school for free. That's something to petition the government about though, not the school. However, if you are going to protest...why would you protest outside the Residence halls at 10:30 at night? The protests very clearly have everyone's attention...why do you need to disrupt students who don't want to participate? One of my lecturers was telling us last year that her laptop was stolen during these riot-protests, and that students would just storm in and jump on tables and shout until everyone left. It seems things like that are happening this year, too.

I'm all for civil disobedience, but this just seems excessive and...misplaced? I don't know. Like, if you really want to be heard, act like civil adults, y'know? I've been told that "This is how we do things in SA, you might not be used to it, but it's how we get things done." I guess that might be it. I'm trying to stop forcing my opinions on others, so I'm working on that. It's just hectic this week though, and no one can deny that.

Although, a member of the SRC (Student Representative Committee) from my Psychosocial class spoke to us today, and said it was never the SRC's plan for things to get so out of hand, and the PYA (Progressive Youth Alliance) is doing things a bit differently than SRC. Apparently, SRC is now talking to the administration and also reprimanding people who are violent. She said it's one thing to walk by a classroom and say, "Hey, we're protesting, come join us!" and let students get up of their own volition, it's someting completely different to storm into a classroom and shout and jump on desks and drag people outside. I can fully agree to that, at least.

Ach. Seems like I still have a lot to learn...or at least come to terms with.

Also...it is officially my halfway point of being here. I have 2 1/2 months left. Let's hope I can make the best of it.

So come on, wheels, take me far away

2009-09-11T01:11:00.004+02:00

"Where I don't have debts to pay
I can't count on yesterday to find the way home

I know it happens all the time
But they don't have my back
So I'm never looking back"
-Matt Costa, "Never Looking Back"

P.S. Dear unidentified follower,
Please identify yourself. It's very upsetting to me to see that I have 11 followers, but unable to identify one of them. I'd like to know who's creepin'. Thank you.

Your voice is your own, I can't protect it.

2009-09-07T00:45:00.006+02:00

"You'll have to sing
A verse no one has ever known.
Your way will never be too much for me
Your ideas have always been your own
And this moment keeps on moving
We were never meant to hold on."
-Jack Johnson, "Adrift."

So, just finished my Spring Break. It's weird having two in one year, but this certainly didn't feel like Spring Break in the States. As in, there was no talk of going to Cancun to get "totally plastered" and that sort of thing. I decided to stay in Jo'burg for the week, despite invites to Durban and Cape Town, simply due to two factors: 1) Funding and 2) traveling stresses me out. I don't mean actually going to new places, because I love that, it's the getting there process that is really icky. Planes, buses, trains, etc...I get very ill on all of them. Trust me, it is not pretty.

But! I did have a good time exploring Jo'burg and relaxing for the week. I had a small anxiety attack when I was informed that the South African Post Office is on strike and what they'll most likely do is throw away all the piled-up mail from the strike and throw it away, but since the strike is now solved, I hope that means I'll get my mail this week (and the people I sent mail to will also get theirs). But we'll see. Cross your fingers for me, ja?

I don't remember what I did all week, to be honest. Sorry! I know Friday was a party at the Explorer's Pub (which turned out less like a fun party and more like me being an RA again and taking care of a very drunk girl), and Saturday was the closing night of the Fencing Pub. It was quite sad, because "Fencing" is what we do every Thursday night, but now the bar is being torn down because of construction in the area. But, it was a fun night, indeed.

Fish and Rafael doing something that made me snort.

On Sunday I went shopping with Ori and explored a bit of Sandton (we saw an organic/whole food mart that happens every Sunday morning, but were too late to really shop around. I shall have to check it out another weekend). Then we went back to Ori's place and I baked cupcakes for my boss at my internship for her birthday. :) On Monday, Ori and I took said cupcakes to work to deliver to my boss...who, coincidentally, was in meetings all day, so we just left her cupcake (large cupcake) and present (a nice pashmina scarf) on her desk. I haven't gone back to work since then, so I'll find out on Tuesday whether she liked them or not. Then Ori and I went to the Oriental plaza to look at Indian clothes and other cool Indian things. It was really interesting, even though I didn't end up getting anything more than a chicken samoosa (delicious). Tuesday...I don't really remember. Apologies. Wednesday...I think Andre came over, and we watched Star Wars: Episode 1. It was cool, because he knows SO much about Star Wars that he was able to give me all this extra information about the storyline that I wouldn't have known otherwise. Wednesday night, Matt and I went to Gramadoelas, a really classy authentic South African restaurant in Newtown, right by the historic Market Theater. It actually has a lot of history to it, so it's really cool. I tried a few new dishes, like some kind of ostrich dish, some kind of tandoori chicken, a lamb dish, ox tripe, some Koeksisters (syrupy deep fried crullers from Batavia, from the Gramadoelas website), and some Cape Town dessert wine. I'm sure I had more, but I can't remember it all right now. Lo siento.
On Thursday...I went to lunch with Matt (American friend) and Matt (redhead SA friend), then Matt (redhead) and I went for a walk down the the pond on campus that I didn't even know existed. It's quite lovely, and it has ducks (I lied, they're geese, but I think ducks are cooler and have a better name, so that's what I--incorrectly--call them). :D Yay ducks! We then ran into some friends who were having a picnic, so even though Matt had to leave, I hung out and enjoyed the picnic...and of course, fed the duckies. :)

Well, after that, I don't remember what happened. I imagine something cool, but I do not remember. Again, apologies. On Friday, ZaZa, Matt (American), and I went to the Johannesburg Zoo. We took a taxi there, thanks to ZaZa's knowledge of how to use black taxis. We ended up going to the wrong zoo entrance and had to walk a long way to the correct gate. Eish. Of course, ZaZa and I complained the whole way. (It was hot!) Matt somehow dealt with us, and I think he got back at us by nearly killing us on the golf buggy that you can rent at the zoo (you can drive around the zoo in a golf cart! How cool is that!?). He first drove off too fast and ZaZa's bag fell off the cart, then he accidentally jumped up on a curb and popped a tire, and then we traded carts with a zoo worker, but Matt somehow broke the ignition and we had to have 2 different zoo workers help us to figure it out. It was actually quite funny. :)

We saw some really cool animals at the zoo, despite it being just barely not winter anymore. It was a good time. Friday night, Matt and I tried a new restaurant (well, new to us) at Rosebank called Europa. It was legit, I got pancakes, and they were very tasty. :)

On Saturday, we met Ameet at 6 AM (!!) to head off the Pilanesburg National Park and saw some really cool stuff.

I jumped from one rock to another on the top of a mountain, but unfortunately Ameet cut off my head. I'm just celebrating my rock-jumping victory.

We spent most of the day there, and despite being made fun of for (repeatedly) confusing rocks and lions at the Rhino and Lion park a few weeks before, I ended up spotting some really cool animals, and we stopped the car just before a herd of elephants stepped out of the bush. It was way intense.

An "ellie" (as Katie P. calls them) and her baby. :)

I made PB&J sandwiches for everyone, and Keiko (a Japanese student who also lives at International House), Ameiko (her sister who was visiting for the week, though I may have butchered the spelling of her name), and Ameet had never had PB&J before. I told them that it was an American delicacy...and they seemed to enjoy them. :) Saturday night, Ameet took me, Matt, Rosha (again, terrible name spelling....she's a German student here), and Janice (student from Singapore) out to a Portuguese restaurnt. I was texting Erik at the time, because they were playing the Germany vs. South Africa game on the TV inside the restaurant. Unfortunately, I believe SA lost...poor Bafana Bafana. :(

Sunday (today!) was another good day. Slept in a bit, then went to Rosebank with Matt. I intended to buy some shorts for the upcoming summer weather, but it appears that stores here aren't yet ready for summer clothes! The Africans don't seem to be bothered by the heat quite yet, even though I'm already dying. While I didn't find any shorts, I did stumble across the African market that I didn't know existed (well, had never been to before is more like it). I bought some really cool things, including a dress, a Springboks rugby jersey (discounted, oh yeah), a beautiful photo of the Jo'burg skyline, a miniature ficus tree to spruce (ha, tree pun) up my room, and some cinnamon sticks from another country that I cannot remember right now. Not bad, ja? I also went shopping at Wooly's (Woolworths, kind of like Super Target) and got some new tea and some ground beef so I could make hamburgers...which Matt helped me to do, and now I can officially make my own hamburgers. Oh snap I am awesome. (Not really, but I like to celebrate little victories.)

So, that was my week in a particularily large nutshell. I hope all is well with you, and now that the Post Office strike is over, I expect a ton of mail from you! :)

Go well!

I like where we are

2009-09-01T01:06:00.005+02:00

"When we drive in your car

I like where we are...here."
-Hellogoodbye, "Here [In Your Arms]"

I miss my bestie, Erik Donner.

Sometimes you realize how awesome your life is, and mostly because of the people in it. And you realize how much it sucks being apart, but it's one of those things that you've gotta do so you can figure out about yourself and your life and your future and all that important kind of stuff.

But, you also realize how much these people mean to you and how much you'll appreciate them when you are reunited with them. :)

Of course, this doesn't mean I miss any of you any less. :)

Caster Semenya

2009-08-27T14:28:00.005+02:00

For those of you in America, you may not have heard about Caster Semenya, the South African runner who recently broke a world record for the 800 meter at this year's world championships in Berlin.

Unfortunately, if you know even that much about her, you probably also know about the controversy surrounding her...the fact that her sex is being called into question, and people are claiming that she is not eligible to run because she is not a woman.

First of all, as we discussed in my media class, people need to start getting terminology right, and they need to understand important distinctions. Most articles speak about her "gender" and how she isn't a "woman." Gender is not something you can test. Well, I guess it is, but it'd be a pretty simple test, you'd simply ask her, "Are you a man or a woman?" and whatever she responds with, that's what gender she is. Gender is simply a construct...a Western construct, at that. Sex is your biological traits, and even our thoughts on that are flawed. We are stuck in the belief that there are only 2 sexes, and that they are 100% correlated with our genders. This is simply not true. Some people are born with a XX chromosomes, but they feel like men, or they're born with XY chromosomes, but feel like women. That's not the only case though, as some people are born with XXY chromosomes, or XXX chromosomes.

Why are we so stuck on categorizing people and making sure they fit our stereotypes? In my class, people were suggesting that she has "masculine" traits, so they should investigate her. Excuse me? What exactly are "masculine" traits? Do all men suddenly look alike? Are they all exactly the same? Bill Clinton and I probably share more traits than he and Shaq do...but they're both men. We really need to reaccess what defines people and with which criteria we should judge them by.

If it is found that Caster is not "fully" female (explanation in this article), should she be disqualified from the race? I think not. Many other athletes have "deformities," yet they're still allowed to compete. Lance Armstrong has an abnormally enlarged heart and lengthened femur bones, and Michael Phelps has relatively large feet and double-jointed ankles...so should we disqualify them from competitions? Of course these "deformities" give them advantage-- but is that really the only thing that makes them good athletes? No, of course not. They work hard to be in the shape that they're in-- why would we disqualify for something they were born with? The same should apply to Caster.

And for goodness sake, back off of the poor girl. She's 18 years old and she likes to run. Let her! Stop insulting her by saying things like you "can see her Adam's Apple." And start getting terminology correct.

But most of all, have some respect for her dignity. No matter what you think she is, she is first and foremost still a human.

And it wears me out, it wears me out.

2009-08-23T15:45:00.004+02:00

"It wears me out, it wears me out
And if I could be who you wanted
If I could be who you wanted
All the time, all the time"
-Radiohead, "Fake Plastic Trees"

Wow, was this a long, long week. Where should I start? Well, Brett was diagnosed with cancer early in the week, and he was sent home on Tuesday night. I hung out with his mom on Wednesday and showed her the Origins Center (and by that I mean Matt gave her a tour. I just tagged along and had some tea with her in Cafe Fino afterward). But I've gotten a few messages from him and he's keeping his spirits up, and he's responding pretty well to treatment it sounds like, so that's also good. We had an IHRE (that's the name of my program, FYI) get together and we talked about his condition and just kind of relaxed after the hectic week. Sarah G., Neo, and I made signs for Brett's picture.

(Please note that the exclamation point is all by itself. Also; this was the "goofy" picture, so the "we" is upside down.)

That was on Friday evening, and after that I had planned on just relaxing, but my friend Andre kidnapped me and told me I was going ice skating. So...I went ice skating. They wanted to know if I had ever gone ice skating before...fortunately, the Pettit is about a mile from my house. I used to be pretty good, but it's been a long time since I've gone. Luckily since I'm going home in winter, I'll be able to skate at home some more, because I do like skating.

Me and Maria tearin' the place apart.

On Saturday, I was invited to go play paintball with my friend Ori. We went all the way up to Pretoria to go...which I initially thought was very far away, but it turns out it's only about 50 km (about 30 miles) away from Johannesburg. It reaffirmed what I learned last week after going to the Lion Park (which was explained to me to be quite a distance away), that distances here are not seen the same way I would see them. I'd say Carnivore and the Lion Park are about as far as...maybe Germantown is from 'Stallis, or if you're one of my Iowa friends, about Pella to Pleasant Hill. So not that bad to us, but transportation is very different here, since fewer people have access to cars, and petrol (gas) is much more expensive. But anyway, Pretoria is about 30 miles away. It's very Afrikaaner there. Johannesburg is much more English...you could definitely tell by the street signs, since the Pretoria had much more Afrikaans names.

But the best part...paintball. I played a few games with Ori's friends for someone's 21st birthday (it's funny, 21st birthdays are a big deal here, but they can start drinking at 18, so I'm not sure what the big fuss is for the 21st here). I had a lot of fun playing paintball, even though I've got welts now...or as I like to call them, battle scars. It was interesting because they were much more lax on rules than what I'm used to for paintball...for example, people can drink on the course. If they even think you've had something to drink at the paintball place I usually play at, they'll kick you out. Crazy. But, I guess America is a bit more lawsuit happy than South Africa.

One of the puppies of the dog that hangs around the paintball place.

I did get to play with the puppies there after we played paintball, and I got to enjoy a braai. I had some chicken and some vors (which is basically sausage)...quite good. I had a ton of fun, it was awesome...or as they say in SA, it was totally lekker. :) I exchanged lingo with some of Ori's friends. I'm basically a South African already.

Oh, and holding the puppy was good practice for the new niece or nephew that I'm going to have in a few months! My brother's girlfriend is due on March 22nd. I'm quite excited! :)

So, I'll leave you on that positive note and go watch some episodes of House. Goodybye, my chinas!

Karma

2009-08-19T13:46:00.004+02:00

This is why I don't believe in karma.

From Africa - Wits Rural

I do not subscribe to the "Just World" theory.

Belief is a beautiful armor

2009-08-16T22:55:00.003+02:00

"Belief is a beautiful armor
But makes for the heaviest sword
Like punching under water
You never can hit who you're trying for"
-John Mayer, "Belief"

Had a pretty good weekend. A great source of stress started on Friday, but I'm not gonna go into that just yet. I went to Rosebank (mall) with Tiara and my Gender professor, Shatema, and they showed me a fantastic restaurant (Prima Piatti) that has very good drinks...so I ended up going there Saturday night and trying the Raspberry Teapot. (Hint: it's not only tea.) I also got my hair cut on Friday, and then on Saturday I went back to Rosebank for a lot of random stuff. Ended up getting Erik a camera, some new clothes, some food, contact lens stuff, and probably some other things that I'm forgetting in my current delirious state.

Raspberry Teapot from Primi Piatti's in Rosebank, by the Zone. Highly alcoholic, highly recommended.

Sunday was the most fantastic day ever. Ameet took Matt and me to the Lion and Rhino Park just outside of Jo'burg, and we got to see TONS of animals (brown lions, white lions, Siberian and Bengal tigers, Wildebeest, ostriches, rhinos, snakes, leopards, cheetahs, etc.). It was way cool. We even got to watch the animals being fed and we got to play with baby lions (white and brown), and then a cheetah. It was so cool. :)

Playing ball with a baby lioness

This upcoming week is going to be very difficult for me for many reasons, but I just need to remember why I'm doing what I'm doing, and that should help me get through all this.

Anyway, right now I need to sleep. If you'd like to see my pictures from the Lion and Rhino park, check out my album: http://picasaweb.google.com/sarah.moglia/LionAndRhinoPark#

Good day with good people :)

Wow :)

2009-08-13T15:26:00.003+02:00

I just wanted to once again say that the love, support, and encouragement from people is truly overwhelming and humbling. I'm still surprised every time someone tells me that they know/knew I'd "go far in life" and that I would really "become something." Especially due to the fact that I don't think I've become anything yet. Regardless, thank you to everyone who's supported me or enouraged me throughout this process. You're doing more good than you know.

Every so often, it hits me that I'm really here and I'm really doing this. It's really eye-opening to realize things like ubuntu and how I'm affecting other people, but to also realize that I'm still very young, and honestly, kind of just a bug on the earth...but everyone is. I know they're kind of contradictory ideas, but I realize that I can both make a difference in the world, but still be just one tiny person (literally and metaphorically, ha ha).

This is my life, and I hope I'm living it right. :)

Thank you once again.

Not the Same After That

2009-08-12T01:12:00.005+02:00

"You took the word and made it heard

And eased the people's pain and for that
You were idolised, immortalised
And you were not the same after that"
-Ben Folds, "Not the Same"

Just rockin' out to some Ben Folds right now. :) Thought those were some fitting lyrics.

Other Sarah and I rocking out to ABBA at an outdoor mall on Friday

So, when did I last update? Well, let's think on what I've done. I've mostly been going to class and work (my internship...I'm not paid for it, but for future reference, it's easier to say "work" than "my internship") and hanging out with friends when I have the time. Well, let's think. Thursday there was an all day long Cyber Law seminar at my internship, and since it's been an incredibly warm winter here in Jozi (nickname for Johannesburg), the room was ridiculously warm. Hard to stay awake...oops. Then Friday I spent most of the day sitting in Cafe Fino (probably the best place on campus to get food) with friends and downloading things on iTunes...and eating quite a bit. I also may have talked one of the managers into getting some dairy-free desserts, so potential score for me!

On Saturday I went to Soweto with ZaZa to hang out with her family. :) I rode a "black taxi" there...I hesitate to use that term, because I'm not sure if it's racist or not...? But honestly, that's what everyone else (including ZaZa) calls it, so...well, that's what I know it as. Anyway, that was an experience. Hanging out in Soweto was also interesting, because every time we walked past someone, they would talk to us because I'm white, and you don't often see white people in Soweto. We played with ZaZa's nephew (i.e. her "practice baby"), went to Maponya Mall, and I helped to make PAP! So excited about that. :)

What else? I visited my friend Wayde's house, that was pretty cool. I actually experienced my first real bout of homesickness this weekend from seeing my friends interact with their families. It's kind of like...oh, hey, I have a family, too...who I won't see for another 4 months. But, I'm having a great experience here, so I try to focus on that.

Monday was Women's Day, which is actually a public holiday here. Supposedly, we weren't supposed to have class, but our lecturer for our Intership class talked us into having a double class. She's a crafty one. Today in my Human Rights in the Media class we discussed homosexuality in the media, and it became a really intense discussion/debate. The professor and I were basically on the same wavelength, which I thought was really cool. We talked a bit after class, and she echoed some of my frustrations with our class/ the program. She also invited me to sit in on her Gender in the Media course next week, which I'm really excited about.

Well, my aunt Diane is telling me I should go to bed now (she actually told me that two hours ago, but I'm a procrastinator), so I should do that now.There are some pictures of my shenanigans up on Facebook, if you'd like to check those out. :)

Anyone have any questions for me? About my trip? About S. Africa in general? Feel free to post questions and I'll try to address them in my next update.

(Also, another shoutout for Google Reader. It's a fantastic program. Look into it! Google.com/reader.)

Are You a Human Rights Defender?

2009-08-07T02:06:00.002+02:00

Well...what do you think?

You were hangin' in the corner with your 5 best friends...

2009-08-06T00:41:00.004+02:00

Blog title from the new Cobra Starship song, "Good Girls Go Bad" :) So excited about that album, comes out August 11th. I'm definitely going to Cresta (big mall) to pick it up as soon as it comes out.

This is me and some friends on Friday night, getting some Chinese food in the Matrix, which is our student center. [From left: Fuzzy, Andre (in the back), Wayde, Me, Matt...I'm giving you their names because I hang out with them a lot, and if I say their names, at least you can put a face to them.]

Before coming here, I was warned about how difficult classes would be, and how grading is different, and all that. Basically, it's impossible to earn anything above a 90%, and anything above an 80% is very very rare. If you get high 70's, you're doing great. They don't give out letter grades though, it's more like "first mark" or "second mark," etc. I had a group presentation in my media class this week, and I was really nervous, because there are very few assignments in every class, and they all count for quite a bit of your grade. So this one group presentation was worth 20% of my entire grade-- yikes! We had five people in our group, and our job was to summarize two articles and then explain how they expand or undermine the idea of Habermas's public sphere (any other Comm majors out there should know what that is). We had two people summarize each article, and I brought them together at the end to talk about how they relate to the public sphere. Well, we got our grade back today and we got...a 78%! First mark (distinction). :) Whatever that means. The professor (she's actually a professor, meaning she's like the highest in her department) had a few things to say about our presentation, notably..."The conclusion was also well executed, with some key arguments weaved together impressively." :) That made me very happy. I'm glad I can keep up here, I was really worried that I'd be the dumbest person on the program. (Sorry to toot my own horn, I'm just very excited.)

My package also arrive today!! That was a very big deal, as I forgot to bring any shoes that are suitable for dressing up (which I have to do for my internship), and my mom sent me my two favorite pairs. Yay! It was actually a very funny experience, because every day I go to the IHRE office, expectantly run in, and ask Elanza if my package has arrived yet. She also looks sad and tells me, "no it hasn't, I'm sorry." Then I sigh sadly and carry on with my day. Well today I went into the IHRE office, and Elanza had gone home sick. :( So I decided to check my email since I had a little time to kill before class, and there was an email from her, telling me that my parcel had arrived!! She said I was supposed to take my ID and the package slip up to the post office to get it. I ran into Ayesha's office and said, "If I were a package slip, where would I be?!" and she showed me...so I literally grabbed it and ran upstairs to the post office (after getting slightly confused on the stairs as to where to go), ran up to the postal lady, and asked her for my package. But...I needed my passport to get it. I only had twelve other forms of identification (US driver's license, Wits Student ID card, International Student Identification Card, insurance card, student discount card, credit card, two certified letters saying I'm Sarah Moglia and if I don't have my Wits ID yet so please let me onto campus anyway [those are from before I had my ID card, cause you need an ID to get onto campus]...okay, that's not 12 forms of ID, but still, it's close.). Postal lady will not budge until I have my passport. I literally start crying in the post office, freaking out about how I've been waiting so long to get it and I don't have time to run back to my room before they close...but the postal lady holds her ground. So, I start booking it back to the IHRE office, and Matt catches up to me...he helps me calm down. We go to the IHRE office, and luckily they have a copy of my passport in the office, so I grab that, and Matt and I book it back up to the post office, bobbing and weaving around everyone who is walking slow (which is everyone). We get to the post office, and success! Packagey goodness! We tear it open to find the most random assortment of goodies ever. :) A 3lb box of Hershey's (per ZaZa's request), two pairs of shoes, a toothbrush, my Brewers shirt, family photos, disposable razors, corn nuts (which I've never even touched before in my life), fun dip, a flashlight, a replacement light bulb for said flash light (as it does not work), and two things of hand sanitizer. Yeah...a bit random, but that's Joan for you, hey? :)

That was that excitement. Oh, y'all remember how I "Obama'd" my toe on election night? (Obama'd = ran into a door due to excitement over Obama's victory) I did that again today. Except there's no cool story, I just turned around and slammed my toe (the same toe!) into my door here. Now it's all purple and swollen...awesome. I basically rock at life. I'll probably post a picture of it sometime soon, just so you can all enjoy it just as much as I am.

Well, what else has happened? Apparently I'm a "pool shark" here, according to Wayde-- and anyone who's seen me play at Central will laugh at that, since I never win at school.

Oh, I traded my friend Neo (pronounced Nay-oh, not Neo like Keanu Reeves in the Matrix) an Obama button for a Mandela button. :) I so blend in now!

My internship at the South African Human Rights Commission is going well. I sat in on an important meeting about the Golden Key Award ceremony with people from Limpopo and Cape Town and all over...I had no idea what they were talking about the entire time! But hey, I looked really important. There's apparently a big seminar on Cyber Law tomorrow, so that should be really interesting. I'm going to be working with Ori (an IHRE participant from last year) on a training manual about PAIA for security guards-- I'll explain more about that another time.

This blog isn't very contemplative, but I figure I need to keep track of the little things that happen here so I can remember them after I leave.

Anyway, you wanna do me a favor? If you actually read my blog, but don't "follow" it publicly as a Google user, could you leave me a comment telling me that you do read it? That'd be nice, I'd just like to know who's reading this. If you don't have a Google account, you should definitely look into that. Just go to google.com/reader and sign up...then you can follow blogs and you'll automatically be notified when I update this. :) Yay for an RSS feed!

Time for bed for me now...hope you're having a fantastic week!

Not quite the same; not quite different

2009-08-03T01:25:00.003+02:00

What I have had the most trouble coming to terms with here is that life in South Africa is not quite the same as life in the US, but it not quite different, either. Water is still water, college students are still college students, some people are nice, some people are rude, everybody has to eat, and everybody has to go to the bathroom. However, that doesn't mean all those things happen in the same way. Water isn't always accessed from a faucet inside the house (in rural areas), and even in the city, they have two faucets in most sinks-- one for hot, one for cold. Food is obviously different, people have different customs and phrases, and even pit toilets are not the same. Port-o-Johns are a luxury compared to the literal holes in the ground that they have in rural areas.

I think I've just realized that life is still life and people are still people, no matter where you go...it's all just in different packaging and with a different label.

In the swing of things

2009-07-30T00:35:00.003+02:00

Well, I've been in Africa for a month already. I'm shocked that it's already been a month...hard to believe that I'll only be here for another 4 months. I feel very acclimated in certain aspects, but completely like a foreigner in other aspects (still not used to driving on the opposite side of the road).

Some things have been really fun (like all-you-can-eat ribs while watching a Springboks rugby game with friends, then going out to play pool afterward), some things have been really frustrating (like having my internship delayed for several weeks and not being able to use a hair dryer that I bought here because I need an adapter--then not even getting the right adapter), and some things have been scary-- like trying a traditional African dance in front of 50 people you've just met. But, hey, if I can do that, I think I can do anything. :)

On the plus side, my internship at HRC (Human Rights Commission, I was wrong about the acronym in my last post, sorry, HURISA is the Human Rights Institute of South Africa...which makes more sense) starts tomorrow. I'm in the Communications department, which is great for my major. Hopefully I'll get credit for it back at Central. Here's a group of us on the steps of the Great Hall (which I often confuse with Senate House, because they're connected) just before the internship luncheon a week or so ago.

Other than that, things have been really good. I'm hopefully going to a Reggae show down at Bassline tomorrow night (Bassline = hip theater in Newtown)...Friday is a party at the Explorer's pub, and Saturday there's some sort of Indian dance that my friend Ori told me about (Ori is the other person in my dance picture...I'll let you guess which person he is). Should be a pretty fun weekend.

Now that I'm more used to Jo'burg, I'm starting to check out more of the city. I'm hopefully going to a few new restaurants next week, and since I purposely scheduled my internship so I have Fridays free, I might be taking a weekend trip to Durban and/or Cape Town. (Cape Town has penguins! Seriously!)

Anyway, International House (where I live) is pretty nice. Here's the view from outside my door...it's lovely, and not the winter-view I'm used to.

I hope you're doing well! The emails I'm getting are great, thanks so much, everyone!

Tour of my living space

2009-07-24T11:41:00.006+02:00

Well, I've been traveling since June 27th, and I've officially been in Africa for 3 weeks. I've now been in my room for about 2 weeks, and it's beginning to feel like "home." I'd still like to spruce up my room a bit, but I know I can't take everything home, so we'll see how that goes.

Here's my bed...this is where I do most of my sleepings. If not there, then generally on uncomfortable buses.

Here's my bulletin board...if you weren't in attendance, all those handwritten notes are the lovely notes that my friends wrote me at my going-away party. The printed ones are emails from people who were unable to attend, and then pictures that my sister sent me...in the bottom corner is the information for my return flight (leave OR Tambo Airport at 8:05 PM, Saturday, November 28th, arrive back at JFK at 7:40 AM on Sunday, November 29th). All these notes and pictures make me smile though, so if you wrote one of them, thank you. :)

Here's my kitchen...notice the complete lack of any real food? Yeah...I eat out a lot. Although I do make a lot of tea in my room.

Cheers! (This is what I do after sleeping in on a Friday morning when my internship is canceled and I have basically nothing else to do.)

Internships that don't save the world

2009-07-22T04:20:00.002+02:00

So, originally I was supposed to be an intern at CIVICUS (World Alliance for Citizen Participation-- don't ask me why it's abbreviated that way), but on the day we were supposed to meet our mentors, mine "bailed." By bailed, I mean quit the organization a month ago and didn't feel the need to tell the internship coordinator at IHRE even though he had already promised her that he would be my mentor. So Elanza (internship coordinator) went in yesterday to try and get someone else to mentor me, but they're very short staffed and they don't want an intern currently. Which is really disappointing, because I thought CIVICUS would be really interesting, but oh well. It's not Elanza's fault, she did everything she could to help me, and it just didn't work out. C'est la vie. Anyway, now apparently I'll be at Human Rights Commission-- South Africa. I believe it's abbreviated HURISA...again, don't ask me why it's abbreviated that way. (I think it's just HUman RIghts South Africa, but you never know.) Not sure what I'll be doing there, hopefully I'll find out this week.

I keep getting encouragement and comments from people, telling me how proud they are of me for going to South Africa. I don't think I say it often enough, so thank you. :) I don't think you realize how much your support means to me. I really hope that I can...well, live up to your expectations, I guess. I'm not sure how else to say it. I seem to be getting a lot of comments about how I'm saving the world, and several people seem to be under the impression that I'm doing some sort of work with AIDS while I'm here...? I really have no idea where they got that idea, but I'm really not...saving the world or anything here. I'm...well, I'm just a student here. Granted, I'm in a Human Rights program and all my classes are about human rights, but...I really don't feel like a "human rights defender" yet. Mainly because I'm not really doing anything other than homework yet. Maybe after my internship starts I'll feel more like I'm making a contribution, but really, I'm just a student right. I don't want anyone to glorify me or think I'm being a huge world hero when I'm not.

Anyway, I'm starting to get the hang of where my classes are (mostly)...or at least who to follow to get to the right place. :) Still settling in, I'll post pictures of my room and other random things sometime soon. Hope things are well with you, and happy solar eclipse! Watch out for the end of the world!

Settling In

2009-07-19T20:03:00.000+02:00

Well, I've officially been in Africa for almost 3 weeks (19 days, if you want to be technical), and it feels both like an incredibly long amount of time and no time at all. I'm learning new things every day, about human rights, different cultures, and myself. Some things are good, some things are bad (more good though :). The pace of life here seems slower than my life back in the States.
They call it "Africa" time. Every time something frustrates me (generally how slowly things are moving, because I'm a very impatient person-- something I am working on), I'm told T.I.A.-- This is Africa.

This picture is of me with a little girl on our caretaker walk in Bushbuckridge. She was moving my sweatshirt to see if the rest of my skin is white (fact: it is).

This picture is of our host mother and home-based caregiver taking us for the walk to give aid and support. Our group consisted of 2 Americans, 1 Kenyan, and 4 South Africans (plus the host mother and home-based caregiver, who were clearly South Africa). It was a big experience for all of us.

We stopped at several places on our way back from Bushbuckridge, and this waterfall/ river was one of many scenic stops.

We started class this week, and I enjoyed my classes for the most part. The two classes I can already tell I'm going to love are my Gender and Human Rights class and my Human Rights in the Media class. Both classes have really great teachers (at Wits, you only call the most senior teachers professors, otherwise they're doctors or lecturers), and my classmates and I have already had some excellent (heated) discussions.

I'm starting to learn my way around campus, which is good because on my first day I had to ask about 6 people where to go, and finally I started crying and a very nice student walked me to my classroom (not even to the building, to the actual classroom...that's dedication). The size of this campus stresses me out a little bit, but I'm getting more used to it every day. It's just strange coming from a 1,200 student campus to be on a 25,000+ student campus (okay, I actually don't know how many students go to Wits, sorry).

This week we were featured on a South African TV show called "African Views" (I think, I actually already forgot the name of it), and although I wanted to talk I didn't get a chance...by the time I thought of something insightful to say, everyone else did, too. Ah, well. The next day we saw a play/musical called "AMANDLA!" which means "Power!" in Xhosa and Zulu. When someone says that, the people around are supposed to reply, "Awethu!" which means "To us" our "is ours!" It was a big thing during apartheid. Anyway, the play was very well done, but I felt really out of place because they mentioned people I had never heard of, sang songs I didn't know, and spoke languages I didn't understand. My friend Lesedi explained a lot of it during the show, but I don't speak Afrikaans (basically Dutch) or Zulu so it was still a little lost on me. The people around me seemed really into it. It was a good show, just not my personal cup of tea.

Speaking of tea, I drink so much of if here. Rooibos is fantastic, I'm going to have to buy so much of it when I get home. I figure it's healthy, so why not?

This weekend I took it easy, played mini golf on Friday, had a Mexican dinner and "Little Miss Sunshine"-watching party with the other Americans on Saturday, and then had a braai (barbeque) today.

Anyway, I should start doing homework now. I hope you all are doing well...please email me and tell me about what's going on in your lives! I know I'm in Africa but that doesn't mean I don't care about you. :)

Phone

2009-07-15T00:10:00.000+02:00

If you for some reason have an international phone card, or you utilize the wonder that is Skype, you can call my room phone for no charge to me at +27 11 717 1066. Keep in mind that I'm about 7 hours ahead of most of you, and I generally go to bed by midnight here (aka like 5 pm your time). Just thought I'd let you know! :)

(Edit: I fixed the number. You need to dial "011" before dialing it to get out of country calls, then the rest of it.)

Things I've Learned in South Africa (so far)

2009-07-14T00:32:00.000+02:00

-America wanting to assert its independence through EVERYTHING...like driving on the opposite side of the road of everyone else in the world...is actually kind of annoying and pretentious.
-Keep track of all the money you spend, even if you have to convert it all. Well, actually, especially if you have to convert it all.
-Americans are very impatient. South Africans walk...so...slowly. Being an impatient American, this drives me insane.
-You can't generalize about anything, so obviously don't think I mean every single person when I say everyone.
-There's real time, and there's Africa time. Africa time is about 10-25 minutes behind real time. So if someone tells you they're going to do something "just now" or "now now," it does not, in fact, mean they are going to do it immediately. It means probably soon, but maybe later.
-Nelson Mandela is a BA.
-If Jo'burg is freaking out this much about hosting the 2010 World Cup, I would have hated to be in Beijing before the Olympics.
-America not playing or paying attention to sports that the rest of the world likes (soccer, rugby, cricket) is also fairly annoying.
-How immigrants to America must feel. Trying to keep up in a new culture where you only understand half of what someone else is saying...that's crazy difficult. I'm going to make a point to be nicer to foreigners/immigrants/people who don't speak English as a first language from now on.
-As Americans, we are not as smart as we think we are. It's a little embarrassing to be asked, "So what languages do you speak?" "English." "And?" "That's it." Most people here speak at least 2, up to about 4 or 5.
-Even if there is a cheap and tasty Chinese take out restaurant next door, don't get your meals from there every day...and if you do, have plenty of Pepto Bismol on hand.
-Cooking for yourself and keeping a stocked kitchen is difficult, especially without a car.
-If you put your keys in the same spot every time you put them down, you're less likely to lose them, and subsequently, you won't spend 15 minutes looking for them every day.

That's all I can think of right now. I'm sure there's more that I'll think of later.

So, my life, ja?

2009-07-13T00:58:00.000+02:00

So...there's a lot that's happened in the past two weeks, and unfortunately I haven't been keeping a journal so I won't get it all right. Sorry. I'm going to Spark Notes it now, and then maybe go back and fill in details later. We'll see.

Anyway. Stayed at Bard for a few days. Did not like that school at all. Sorry, Bard. What's funny is that Bard is the school that offered me the scholarship when I was a sophomore in high school (to go to the young people's college). Anyway. Flight. Scary. Screaming child. No sleep.

We arrive in Johannesburg, got into our hotel, and passed out for the rest of the day. That night we went out to eat and I tried several African dishes, including a Mopane (Mopani) worm. (http://www.edible.com/shop/browse.php?cmd=showproduct&productId=4) Yes, it's a real worm. It was........interesting. Like, crunchy on the outside, chewy on the inside....and spicy. Just very odd. So, now I've tried it, and I don't need to try it again. Sorry. I forget what else I tried, but I haven't had Biltong yet (biltong is basically beef jerky, but not necessarily made with beef. Sometimes Kudu, ostrich, giraffe, etc.). I'm sure I'll try it soon.

We meet the other inernational students...well, they're from Zimbabwe. So, we do some basic "Welcome to South Africa!" orientations for 2 days, then we pile onto a bus with 30-some South African students and head for Mpumalanga and Limpopo (provinces, i.e. like our states). They were really nice. We got to go to Kruger National Park and saw some way cool stuff. If you check out my photo album you can see the 340 pictures I took there. Oh, but first, when we got on the bus, we just plopped down in the front and fell asleep. A few hours later we had a lunch stop, and I walked out and went to the bathroom, then went to look at the shops. Someone told me that someone was looking for me outside the bathroom, but I didn't think much of it (the only people I knew were the 12 international students, and I had seen them all)....I get back on the bus, and my friend ZaZa sits down next to me. I was so shocked! I knew I'd see her but I didn't realize she was on the program too. She wanted to surprise me. :) It was great.

So, anyway...we get to Wits (my university) Rural. It's a really nice facility in the middle of rural Africa. We do a lot of different things that I couldn't even go fully into because it would take days. Essentially we studied different aspects of human rights. We visited a school run by a group of really awesome women (the ones in the pictures who are grinding up corn), and I was really inspired by them. So many children in rural SA are orphans because their parents have died of AIDS, and they help take care of them. It was great. We also stayed on a homestay with a family...that was intense. Our host mother (I think her name was Annasia, but I'm probably wrong on the spelling) was really nice. She volunteered at the Limpopo clinic and we stayed with her family. Her father is 80 years old and still works on his huge garden every day (I hesitate to call it a garden because it was so big, definitely not like a backyard garden in the states). She and her family made us a really great dinner of chicken, spinach, and pap. Oh my goodness, pap. I had so much pap during my week at Wits rural. (Pap = http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pap_(food) ) It's basically just corn meal (or what they call mealie meal), cooked and it somehow fluffs up. It's bland but good, especially when you eat it with other things. In the morning we walked along with a caretaker to provide home-based care. That was intense. A lot of the people deserved to be on disability or have some sort of pension but a lot of people don't have the proper documentation so they don't get it...or if they do, it takes ages to sort it all out. I say deserved because it is promised to them by their government, but it's such a bureaucracy that...eish.

What else? I'm getting tired so I'll probably start scrimping on details. There's so much I could say about the homestay. I learned a lot, mostly to appreciate what I have. You know how we complain about pit toilets when we go camping (I say "we" as a general term for Americans, myself included). Except those are really toilets and they have toilet paper and they're generally inside a small wooden building....those pit toilets? Yeah, they have toilets across the street from their house, and it's a concrete slab for part walls....so you're basically just out in the open, going to the bathroom on a slab of concrete with a hole in it. Oh, and the pit toilets we have in America usually get taken care of, like the waste will be removed or they put stuff in it to make it not smell...yeah, they don't do that here. I realized how much we complain about stupid crap. I know I still do it, and I'm sure I still will, but...wow. We're selfish. I never really realized how much I take for granted.

We saw a few other cool things at Wits Rural, and if you read my email, I got attacked by a monkey. Okay, so I'm walking to my cabin from the bathroom at night (well, probably not that late, it gets super dark by 18h00-- 6 pm-- because it's winter) and a monkey threw something at me! I freaked out and shined my light at the tree and the monkey chittered at me, so I ran away. (It's really not that big of a deal, I just think it's funny, and go figure that it happened to me.)

We got to go see God's Window on the way home from Limpopo, and it was just beautiful. Pictures are up in my album. I had to climb a mountain to see it, but it was totally worth it. :)

Since getting back to Jo'burg, I've visited Soweto to see the Apartheid Museum, which was really great. There was a big exhibit on Nelson Mandela, who we all know is a bad ass. Maybe I'll run into him on the street or something while I'm here (ha ha, I wish). I've also...well, I don't even know what I've done so far. It's 2 am though, so I need to get to bed. My first class is Gender and Human Rights at 10 am. No idea where class is though. I'm sure I'll find it.

Anyway, I'll close with a quote by Nelson Mandela. "After climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb."

Good night. :)

Not much time

2009-07-10T17:50:00.001+02:00

I don't have much time to update, I need to go buy some cellphone minutes and dinner, but I thought I'd let you know that I'm alive, despite an annoying bout of the flu and a sinus infection (which I did see a doctor for, so don't freak out). Travelling just stressed out my body, eish (eish is a SA word that I've already picked up).

Okay, so I do have a phone now, my cellphone number is +27 791 08 5675...I think. You may need to put a 0 between the 27 and 791 part. Not sure. International texting is weird, not sure if it'll cost you more money or not.

Send me mail!

Sarah Moglia
IHRE, C/O Wits International Office
Private Bag 3
Wits 2050
Johannesburg, South Africa

Gotta go now, bye!

Arrived

2009-07-04T17:23:00.001+02:00

Hi All. This is Erik updating for Sarah. Just wanted to let you know Sarah made it safely to Africa. She's now on a week long safari sort of thing in the countryside of South Africa. She'll update when she gets back to school

Pictures

2009-06-29T06:57:00.000+02:00

I'm not sure if this will work or not, but I attempted to create a photo album where I can put up pictures of my journey. The link is here...let me know if it works: http://picasaweb.google.com/sarah.moglia/Africa?feat=directlink

Arrived in NY

2009-06-29T05:33:00.000+02:00

So, recap of my last week. Let's start with the low, so we can finish on a high note. :)

Basically, money sucks for me. Apparently I was audited by the IRS, and they're trying to say I'm some kind of secret millionaire because I live in Pella and that's where all the millionaires in the world live and now I owe them a bunch of money (really, they're trying to say I made $8,000 extra dollars in 2007 and now owe them $300 in penalty fees). But I'm going to Africa so what are they gonna do, chase me down for 300 measly bucks? Good luck to them. (I'm sure my mom will be able to figure everything out, she's tricky like that.) Oh, and y'know that medical condition I was just diagnosed with? (Neurocardiogenic Syncope, in case you forgot.) Racked up about $7,000+ in bills for the test, talking to the doctor, and the prescription to take to Africa. Awesome. Oh, and my malaria medicine and vaccinations cost me a good $500. Then the Central College financial aid office somehow managed to just...forget about my loan. There's a whole story behind that which I'm pretty furious about, but I won't go into that here. Basically...they kind of sucked and now my payment will be late, so hopefully I won't get a fine or anything for that. (Not to bash Central College, I still love it, they just dropped the ball here.)

But, now the good stuff! My parents totally helped out with money, which I'm super grateful for. My Joan is gonna fight the man (the IRS and insurance company). She's a destroyer of worlds (*pause for laughs from the four people who will get that, everyone else just ignore that*), so I'm sure she'll help me out a lot.

Also, my final week at work was great. I'm really going to miss my coworkers. I did, however, leave behind a legacy that I like to call "Glenn Notes." Maybe sometime when I have nothing else to talk about (as if that'll ever happen), I'll explain what they are. Basically, they're hilarious notes to my boss that they're going to put in his mailbox every day.

On Friday, Erik came to visit. I was so glad that he did. He helped me pack, cause I suck at that...but I'm really good at procrastination, so, you know, I've always got that to fall back on. We went to Summerfest together and saw Carolina Liar, which was *amazing.* I love them, and we got to meet them after the show. Soooo great. Then I took Erik to Kopps, and if you're from Wisconsin, you're probably drooling at this point, but if you're not...just realize that if ever go to Milwaukee, you need to go to Kopps. Take my word for it (or ask Erik). He left after meeting a few of my friends, and then the party started. I'm so glad so many people came to wish me goodbye. I know a lot of people couldn't make it, but that happens. I'm happy for all the good wishes.

I'm actually quite humbled by how many people are interested in my trip, and how many people keep telling me I'll do great. I didn't realize so many people were interested in my life, and it's absolutely wonderful to have such fantastic people in my life. I probably don't say it often enough, but I love and appreciate all of you. It helps calm my fears when people (constantly) remind me to not get eaten by a lion. :) Of course, if I do die in Africa, I totally hope it's something cool like that.

My flight arrived about 20 minutes early, and it was fairly uneventful, minus the landing, during which I threw up everything my parents convinced me to eat (great advice, Jefe). (Warning: next sentence is gross) True story though, a Whopper still smells like a Whopper even after you puke it up. That's gotta be bad, right? Just for future reference.

After a small moment of panic at the airport about finding my driver and getting my bag, I found both, and we started to drive up to Bard College. I thought it was in the city, turns out it's 2 hours north of it. The driver and I had a fantastic talk though...we talked about politics, religion, life, travelling, etc. He's originally from Turkey, and he's a Muslim, and he was shocked by how much I knew about Islam. Thanks, Professor Kleven! He also was surprised at how friendly I was...since I sat in the front seat and talked to him. Apparently most New Yorkers who have a driver pick them up sit in the back seat...but that's weird to me? But he said I was very well educated for a 20 year old, and he was happy with how friendly I was (I may have even convinced him to visit the Midwest, because he said if people there are like me, he'd love to go)...so I feel like that's a good sign, that someone from another country said I was "not a dumb American." Yay! :) That's a big confidence booster, because I'm honestly afraid I'll be the dumbest person in this program...so far, I already found out that my roommate lived in Nigeria for 3 years, is a Poly. Sci. major, and basically a bad ass. I like her. :) Dunno if she'll be my roommate in Africa though. I don't even know where I'll be living there, in the International House or the dorms. We'll see!

Well, I should probably get some sleep now and adjust to the one hour time change... Johannesburg is 7 hours ahead of the Midwest, so that'll be fun, adjusting again. Anyway, my adventure is just beginning...I can't wait to see how things go!

Love and miss you all!

Visa arrival!

2009-06-18T03:44:00.000+02:00

My visa arrived today! Yay!! Oh, I don't even think you realize how happy I am about this. For a while it looked like it wasn't going to go through...that made me extremely nervous. Getting my visa was a huge hassle, but it finally worked out.

I have my vaccinations and anti-malaria medicine...now I need to focus on everything else I should take. Yikes. Any suggestions?

I leave for New York in 11 days, and South Africa in 13. Oh my. :)