Monday, July 25, 2011

Today was my first official day at UCT! Academics are a bit different here; first of all, there are only 3 years of university (“varsity”) and additionally, each student typically only takes 3 courses per semester. That being said, I am registered for 3 courses, which actually add up to more than a typical semester’s worth of units at USC. Two of my classes meet 3 times a week with a discussion section, while my science class meets 5 days a week – yikes –. The class sizes aren’t very large, and it will be easy to get to know South Africans through discussion sections. Finding my classes was a bit of a hassle because they weren’t posted on our student accounts and I had to wander around the department buildings to find the class lists. After looking like a freshman all over again, however, I was able find my way about on the relatively straightforward campus. I’m really looking forward to my “Defense and Disease” class, which discusses immunology and vaccine research. There are going to be guest lecturers from the medical school who will present on their specialties such as HIV, malaria and TB (the top infectious diseases in Africa and the world). I had to take a Jammie shuttle to the medical school to sign up for SHAWCO health, another thing I’m really excited for, and it was pretty straightforward. SHAWCO health is a student run volunteer org at the UCT medical school that runs weekly night clinics in townships around Cape Town as well as weekend pediatric clinics. I’m really looking forward to participating in these clinics and getting a firsthand experience of the healthcare situation of most South Africans.

This past weekend, our house did a range of fun activities around Cape Town. Saturday morning we woke up early to head down to the Old Biscuit Mill, which is like a gourmet farmer’s market. There are cute delis and antique shops, but the most important part of it is the food stall building. As soon as you walk in, you can see dozens of stands set up with delicious, fresh food, ranging from pastries to Greek to charcuteries. I was in HEAVEN. I barely ate anything for lunch because I was so stuffed on samples from each of the vendors. We had to rush back to the house for another trip so we couldn’t stay for long, but I’ll be sure to head back on another Saturday. When we went back to Highstead we met up with the rest of our housemates to drive up to Signal Hill. Initially, we had intended on staying until sunset, but because the winds were so strong, we ended up leaving after an hour or so. When I say the winds were strong, I mean so strong that they will push you over if you stand too close to a ledge.  This was our first experience with the Capetonian wind called, the Southeaster, and is definitely not the last. The winds bring down the clouds that enshroud Table Mountain so that they roll downwards, appearing like a falling avalanche. The following day, we took a house trip to a place called Mzoli’s that’s well known for its large braais. Mzoli’s is in the middle of a township and is relatively inconspicuous, save the billowing smoke and delicious smells being pumped out of the tented establishment. We had to wait about 2 hours until all of our meat was done, but in the meantime we were able to walk outside to a couple stands that men had set up to sell knick knacks and crafts. Two men had competing tables of glasses that they had made from recycled liquor bottles, and I picked up a set of 4 Savannah Dry (alcoholic cider) drinking glasses for R20, i.e. $4. When it was time to eat, it was time to feast. A giant white plastic bin was dropped on the table, filled completely to the brim with meat. There was boerewors, chicken, mutton, and who knows what else, all piled in there and ready to eat. Everyone had to use their hands because there were no utensils, plates, or napkins (except a roll of toilet paper). There was also a bag of amazing bread that was being passed around made by being placed over steam so that it puffs up and stays moist. The bread is also covered with some curry to give it a bit of flavor. The whole braai took about 20 minutes to eat, but the anticipation really gets you in that savage mood to eat with your hands.

This weekend is our homestay in Ocean View and I’m generally looking forward to it. I do wish I had a day to relax a bit, but with only 100 days here I also really need to make the most of it. There is so much to do here and I’m a little stressed that I won’t be able to do all of it! I’m doing my best to organize everything into manageable outings that can be done in a day. 

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

It’s been a few days now since arriving in Cape Town and I’ve loved every second of it. Although most of my time here has been structured around orientation programs, we have had a lot of free time in the evenings to go out and see the nightlife here. We moved into our house on Saturday and it’s been really fun getting to know everyone on our compound. Our compound is called Highstead and it’s composed of 3 different “houses”. There is one larger house with about 15 people that is what you would think of as a traditional house. The other two are mainly just large hallway/living areas with bedroom doors that open up into the large open space. I live on the bottom floor of the “house” with 7 other students and an RA. It’s been really nice to start cooking again, and I know that we will have some fun group dinners during the semester. Our first night at the compound we had a traditional South African meal called a braai. It’s essentially a barbeque, but any South African will quickly deny that fact, with chicken and sausage like links called boerewors. One of our RA’s, Jaryd, grilled all of the boerewors and chicken and all we had to do was prepare some salads. You eat the boerewors and chicken with a spicy (possibly pickled) veggie condiment called chakalaka and a roll. It was such a delicious welcome meal; I don’t understand how vegetarians last here because all South Africans seem to eat is meat! Since then I’ve spent most of my time getting to know my direct housemates and other people living at Highstead. The weather has continued to be absolutely gorgeous with warm mornings and afternoons and clear chilly evenings.
One BIG event that we did on Sunday was the Cape Peninsula tour. We all boarded buses Sunday morning and drove through downtown Cape Town and the waterfront on another wonderful day. Eventually, we began driving along the scenic coastal road that wraps its ways around the mountains. Our first stop was on the water to admire Table Mountain and the 12 Apostles mountains. The mountains are terrific in their size and I could barely accept the reality of them being right next to me. We moved up and around the mountains and viewed all of the coastal towns and beautiful waterfront homes. If I could retire anywhere in the world at this moment, it would have to be in one of these beachfront cottages; there are white sandy beaches, turquoise waters and even a little protection from the Southeastern (the strong winds that plague Cape Town). We also stopped at a penguin beach that day J! As we were getting closer to the park, we saw a penguin just waddling down the street! The penguins are pretty small and are what used to be called jackass penguins (because they bray like donkeys), but apparently Americans complained about their name so they have since been renamed the African penguin. Although we had to view the penguins from a boardwalk, they were really easy to spot (there were babies too!). We stopped for lunch in a town called Oceanview, where we will be spending a weekend in two weeks with a homestay, which used to be a township for “colored” people. Racial terms such as black, white and colored don’t have the same derogatory connotations that they do in the states. Colored is a term that is used to describe people of mixed race. During Apartheid, colored people were forcibly removed from the nearby city Simon’s Town with beautiful sea views, to the inland area of Oceanview. Now, there is obviously free movement throughout the town, but it remains mostly colored. We went to the highschool to have some delicious food (which had an Indian influence) and watch performances by the students. Afterwards we finished our day at the Cape of Good Hope (the most south western part of Africa) and trekked to the old lighthouse as well as all the way to the bottom of the cape. Our hike overlooked more turquoise seas and sheer cliffs, but the pathway was tricky with the wind so you couldn’t always admire the views. This rocky terrain is also ostrich territory, so we saw a view lone ostriches along the way. Once we made it to the bottom we took pictures with the Cape of Good Hope sign and loaded up onto the bus to head back home. We were all exhausted so we made sure to sleep all the way back home. Since then, nothing much has happened except for more boring orientation talks…but fun free time J
On a side note, yesterday was Mr. Mandela’s 93rd birthday! People here don’t call him Mandela, however, and instead call him by Mandiba, which I think is his Afrikaans name. We missed the festival yesterday because of orientation, but are thinking about going to the second day of the festival down at the waterfront in the evening.
I have preregistration today, which is essentially just getting clearance to sign up for courses on Friday. I don’t think any of us are ready to start classes so soon; honestly, I’ve been trying to keep that thought in the back of my mind for some time now because it’s just been so much fun enjoying the scenery.  I’ll be adding pictures to the previous facebook album, so just click on the link in the last post and you should be able to see pictures soon!

Thursday, July 14, 2011

The Beginning

These past few days have been surreal. This all began with our 16 hour flight into Dubai, and ended with the much anticipated arrival at the University of Cape Town and Table Mountain looming overhead. After flying Emirates into Dubai, our 15 hour layover enabled Ricky and I to leave the airport and check out the sights. As soon as we left the airport we were confronted with 104 degree weather and overbearing humidity. Luckily, we ducked straight into a cab to head to our reservation for afternoon tea at the One and Only Mirage. We pulled up to the gates of the hotel where we had to prove our reservation; afterwards, we were directed to the proper hotel (there were 3 separate ones within the larger complex) and at last were led into the Arabian Court Hotel. The hotel made it seem as if we had entered Aladdin because of its Arabic décor. Our tea was in the Al Samar lounge and it was hands down the best tea I’ve ever had in my life. First, we were presented with a double decker platter of deluxe sandwiches, scones and cookies; second, a glass jar was placed on the table. As we opened it, we could see that it was filled to the brim with sugary treats: marshmallows, macaroons, truffles and more. Lastly a special pastry tray was brought to us displaying five rows of beautiful desserts. It was nice to relax a bit after our long flight, but we were both eager to get up and see town. Before leaving the hotel, however, we took a peek in the back. We were once again confronted with the humidity, but it no longer bothered us. We wound our way through a labyrinth of gardens and pools as we made our way to the white sandy beach next to the Palm Jumeirah (palm shaped peninsula). The beach was like something from a movie; there were crystal clear warm waters and the sand was littered with tiny sea shells. In the near distance, gigantic skyscrapers were competing to be the tallest in the hazy summer afternoon. Soon afterwards, we took a cab to the metro station. The stations look like something from Star Wars or some other space movie because they are so futuristic. We sped through downtown on the sleek train to reach the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa. From the distance, the Burj Khalifa is intimidating with its angled sides and jutting spire 828 meters in the sky. We were able to buy tickets for the 8:30 time slot, and in the mean time were able to explore the gigantic Dubai Mall. This mall is unlike anything I had ever seen, with multiple corners of the mall, each containing different features. One corner had a full sized ice rink with stadium seating, while another had a 3 storey aquarium wall. At last it was time to go to the Burj Khalifa. We handed our tickets in and walked through an exhibit underground to reach the tower on the other side of the street. We soon reached the fastest elevator in the world to get us to the 124th floor observation deck. While in the elevator, we couldn’t even tell we were rising, except for the fact that our ears kept popping. From the top we could view all of downtown, as well as the gorgeous Dubai fountain show far below us. We had to return to the airport for our 3:50 am flight, so we rushed to catch the bus to get the last metro. While we ended up missing the metro, cabs were waiting, and we hailed one with our last 32 dirhams. When it was time to board our flight, we discovered that we were upgraded to business class! Best news we had ever heard after being smushed in our 16 hour flight to Dubai. Despite being exhausted, we were able to feel somewhat better upon our arrival in Cape Town because of the giant seats that we had (along with a 5 course lunch…). Cape Town is beautiful, and the weather is surprisingly unpredictable. It has been fun to meet new students, all of whom seem adventurous and outgoing. We did a scavenger hunt to explore upper campus (where classes are located) and it was beautiful. Have to leave for dinner now, but will move in to my house on Saturday. Will post again soon. <3

Visit this link for photos:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2011446079636.2105952.1048260152&l=df98054659