Note from Becca in South Africa
Hey Guys,
I have a little more time to write the email this time so let me fill you in on some of the details. It's very cold here, not at all like any of us thought it would be. I did find the harry potter book here the day it came out, but it's very different. The cover is completely different, the text is different, and even the spelling. We went out to eat a couple of nights ago and i ordered the ostrich and impala (which is like an antelope.) They were pretty good. The next thing i want to try here is the lion and sheep. They are both delicacies too.
Yesterday we went to a game park with lions and tigers. It's like a zoo in the US but they are much closer to you and there is less in between you and the animals. It's just a fence between you and the tigers and lions. Then they fed the lions and we got to see that. We also got to hold and play with the baby lions which is something i will probably never have the chance to do again. Then we went to another game park but this one was more like a safari. We all climbed into a jeep and drove through the terrain looking and giraffes and rhinos and even cheetas. It was scary at times because this time there was NOTHING between you and the animals. Our tour guide even got out of the jeep once to chase the rhino away which almost turned into a scene from jurassic park. We went out to dinner after that but it was a seafood place so i just had pasta.
Today we went to the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) for like a campus orientation. We were given a tour and we watched a movie on the university so we were done at like 11 am. Then we went to a local shopping mall because we have all been freezing and so we bought more jeans and sweatshirts. I feel bad buying more clothes because i should have just brought more but nobody was prepared for this weather. It's like October weather here and windy. After the mall we took the public bus home which was interesting. We then went grocery shopping again. The set up of the grocery store isn't much different from ours but it has completely different things in here. The other thing is that the grocery store is 5 blocks from our flat so we have to walk to it and carry our groceries back. Also the closest restaurant is 11 blocks away. So we do a lot of walking.
We have been very tired lately so we think the jet lag is catching up to us. We jumped right into the time difference here because when we got off the last plane it was 7:00pm and we were already exhausted from the flight because nobody got any sleep because it was uncomfortable. So it wasn't a hard adjustment. Things do look different here as i knew they would, but people dress pretty much the same as we do. i think we even stick out a little because we all brought old clothes. The music they listen to is like a blast from the past too. They listen to boyz to men, and celine dion everywhere. It's like the slow r&b hits of the 90's. It's fun to listen to and the bus drivers get a kick out of listening to us sing. The people are very nice and very helpful here and they all speak english so we haven't had trouble with that yet. I would like to pick up some afrikanz or esxhosa but it's hard to understand. The shower is hard to get used to too. It has no curtain and it either comes out scolding hot or frezzing cold. There really is no inbetween.
I also have been trying to keep my eye out for some gifts for everyone, but all i have found were things for myself. I found the perfect centerpieces for my tables at my reception but they are pricy so i'm going to go to local markets to see if i can't find them cheaper.
We are all having a good time and taking lots of pictures. For the rest of the day we will probably just chill because our days are so jammed pack that we are tired. Tomorrow we are going to nursing orientation which should be interesting. I will try and write by the end of the week to tell you about their health care system and the traditional healer on friday before i go to tsitsikamma. I miss everyone!!
Becca