Alright, I thought I would have internet right away but everything here runs on "Africa Time". Saying it's a snail's pace would be a compliment so I won't go that far. I will have continuous access once I register for school (sometime Monday-Friday, they haven't really specified). I'm sitting at an internet cafe mooching their WiFi as I nurse a chai latte. Hopefully they won't kick me out!
I wish I had some funny or crazy story about my flight over but it was really just a "plain" flight (get it?). The hardest part was D.C. to Dakar, Senegal. Just as I was falling asleep, we began our descent and I was woken up by the flight attendant. We stayed on the ground for an hour, fueled up, and took off again for Johannesburg. We were given 3 full meals on the plane and the movie selection was amazing. The flight from Johannesburg to Port Elizabeth was pretty easy except for the lightning storm outside but we didn't get struck so it worked out. After 36 hours of travel I was happy to have AC in my hotel room for my first night.
The next morning, I walked with a few of my new friends back to the airport for the 8am shuttle which arrived promptly at 8:20. We then went to the campus and filled out some forms before taking another shuttle to Annie's Cove, my new home. My bedroom takes up 90% of the apartment and calling my kitchen anything more than a glorified hallway is an overstatement but I will survive for the next few months.
After moving in, I went with my roommate and a few others to buy necessary items like pillow cases, cell phones, and rum (sorry mom). Everything is so cheap here! It's about half the price for most items, even things that were imported. We then went back to The Cove and began celebrating my 21st. I took a cab with my friend's Hayley and Emily to a Cuban restaurant Cubanna's (clever, right?). We made fast friends with the cab driver who taught us necessary phrases to use while driving in Africa like, "These mini buses are always in the way" and "Learn how to use a roundabout!". The cabs are different here; everyone is owned by a private company. Once you find a driver you like, you get their personal cell phone number and call them whenever you need a ride.
The restaurant was fun and I had my first legal drink, a huckleberry mojito. I like the looks of the multiple screaming orgasm but thought better of it. After spending a few hours eating and watching the sun go down over the ocean, we went back home and began the real party. I met close to 60 people that night and remember maybe 5. There were a few South Africans who told us where to go for a good time that night. After a few more hours drinking and socializing, we went to the club. Everything starts later here and we didn't go out until after midnight but I still counted it as my birthday. We danced and went wild for a few hours before coming home and passing out.
The next morning I re-met some of the people in The Cove and packed for weekend orientation. There are a ton of people from Minnesota living at Annie's along with French, German, Lesotho, Swiss, and other Americans. We walked to campus and met the bus for the ride to Tsitsikamma Falls, a national park along the Garden Route. It felt like a sleep away summer camp because there were 30 of us in bunk beds in one room. We spent the day relaxing in the sun and at night, looked at the billions of stars. Some of our summer constellations are here now but they are upside-down. I saw the Southern Cross for the first time and a few other new constellations as well.
Saturday was ADVENTURE DAY! We went swimming, hiking, and zip lining. It was beautiful all weekend and my friends and I already have plans to go back for other activities in the area like shark cage swimming and para-sailing.
Today, we drove back to The Cove. My friends and I took a mini bus to the Boardwalk. It is really rainy here so we didn't walk on the beach. Instead, we looked in a few shops and ate a late lunch.
Tomorrow orientation begins and the vacation aspect of the trip will be put on hold. School will be tough but I'm ready ready ready!! This post was pretty boring but I had a lot to remember, I promise the next one will be a little lighter in length but heavy on the comedy.
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