Check out some of my photos at:
http://kittrelle.smugmug.com/gallery/7388627_kyWJw#476091287_gkCjR
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
First Impressions
Molo!
Well, I'm here in South Africa, and after two weeks, I finally have enough time to write an update! Feel free to read or not read as much as you like!
After the (long) flight, the Study Abroad program immediately got us started on a week-long orientation program, which mostly consisted of lots of safety lectures by day and exploring the city by night. That night, we had dinner at a traditional African restaurant with live African music and pap, a meal-y staple food. Other nights, we went to various clubs, including one 30 stories up. One of the things that surprised me here was how much American music they play. It's basically like I still have Pub, at least in some places!
We went to the Cape of Good Hope (Cape Town is not actually the most southern point), saw penguins chillin on the beach, and took a driving tour of the areas around the city, which is huge. It was nice to get a glimpse of places I want to visit! The landscape around here looks a lot like southern California (they both have the rare coastal sage scrub). It's nice to be so close to the beach, even though I haven't gone much yet! It's super hot here, but not terrible. Sunscreen is a must everyday, but luckily the winds here are ridiculous and keep things cooler, especially up on campus, which is on the slopes of Table Mountain (this also creates incredible views!). The campus is really beautiful, probably more so than Pomona, which is saying something. It's all on one big hill, and the buildings are old and ivy-covered. It's divided in the middle by three big rugby fields.
The campus isn't the only beautiful thing here – maybe due to the sun or to the mixed racial makeup of the city, but the people here have a much higher level of average attractiveness – it's fascinating to people-watch! The accent, too – I find myself accidentally (sort of) picking up some of it, but it's sort of embarrassing so I try not to! haha
We have had a week before school starts, so some of my friends and I went on a trip along the Garden Route along the southern tip of the country to the little beach towns of Mossel Bay, Wilderness, Plettenburg Bay, and Jeffrey's Bay. I surfed at Jeffrey's Bay (has some of the best waves in the world) and it was awesome! And no great white shark incidents! We also went on a long hike to a waterfall, where we scrambled up the rocks and explored further down the river. We went on an ATV trip/safari through a game reserve, where we saw a baby and mama giraffe, a baby and mama white rhino, cheetahs, springbok, waterbuck, and zebra! It just unreal.
The drive itself is beautiful too, and the scenery changes so quickly from Iowa-ish farmland to old-growth forest to rocky coast. We also saw some baboons on the roadside guardrail, just hanging out. People drive on the left side of the road here, so that was a new skill I picked up!
The idea was to stay in hostels, and technically that's what we did, but these hostels hardly qualified! Most of them looked like high-end B&B's, without the breakfast, and they cost about $10 a night! The only exception was the consummate surf hostel at Jeffrey's Bay thronging with 20- and 30-something surfers. It was so fun! I'm definitely planning on going back. The only bad thing was that we couldn't go sandboarding because it rained.
It's also very interesting to see what sort of conceptions people have about America here. I met a guy who was shocked to hear we didn't all eat at McDonald's all the time. Also, people here think so much more highly of us since Obama's election. Here, he is a symbol of hope for what nonwhites can become. But they are quick to emphasize that it is not just his color, but his ideas and policies that they admire and are hopeful for.
As for my housing, CIEE (the study abroad program) placed me in a house with 20 other Americans, which wasn't my first choice, but the house is absolutely gorgeous and everyone is nice. It is a huge, sprawling old single-story, and I have a gigantic room with old hardwood floors and wood furniture, and with a view of the huge, treed courtyard. It has also been fun (as well as a learning experience!) to shop and cook for myself. It is nice because everything is so cheap here, especially food. A loaf of bread is $1.20, and a taxi ride is about $1!
One of the biggest differences between the States and here is that you have to be much more careful in terms of crime. You shouldn't flash your cell phone around, or walk anywhere by yourself at night. Part of the reason crime is so prevalent here is that the unemployment rate is about 40%. Another effect of this is the presence of violent xenophobia against people from Zimbabwe and other nations. I'm thinking of volunteering at a xenophobia awareness group.
The crime, however, contrasts greatly with the warmth and hospitality of the people. Basically, I love it here and I know I won't want to leave. I'm excited for school to start and to meet lots and lots of South Africans and explore Cape Town.
Sorry this post was so long; future ones hopefully won't be. Feel free to skim! Also, I'd love for you to write back and tell me what's happening on the other side of the world. I miss you all so much – there's nothing like traveling to remind you of what you love about home, as great as it is to explore new places!
Well, I'm here in South Africa, and after two weeks, I finally have enough time to write an update! Feel free to read or not read as much as you like!
After the (long) flight, the Study Abroad program immediately got us started on a week-long orientation program, which mostly consisted of lots of safety lectures by day and exploring the city by night. That night, we had dinner at a traditional African restaurant with live African music and pap, a meal-y staple food. Other nights, we went to various clubs, including one 30 stories up. One of the things that surprised me here was how much American music they play. It's basically like I still have Pub, at least in some places!
We went to the Cape of Good Hope (Cape Town is not actually the most southern point), saw penguins chillin on the beach, and took a driving tour of the areas around the city, which is huge. It was nice to get a glimpse of places I want to visit! The landscape around here looks a lot like southern California (they both have the rare coastal sage scrub). It's nice to be so close to the beach, even though I haven't gone much yet! It's super hot here, but not terrible. Sunscreen is a must everyday, but luckily the winds here are ridiculous and keep things cooler, especially up on campus, which is on the slopes of Table Mountain (this also creates incredible views!). The campus is really beautiful, probably more so than Pomona, which is saying something. It's all on one big hill, and the buildings are old and ivy-covered. It's divided in the middle by three big rugby fields.
The campus isn't the only beautiful thing here – maybe due to the sun or to the mixed racial makeup of the city, but the people here have a much higher level of average attractiveness – it's fascinating to people-watch! The accent, too – I find myself accidentally (sort of) picking up some of it, but it's sort of embarrassing so I try not to! haha
We have had a week before school starts, so some of my friends and I went on a trip along the Garden Route along the southern tip of the country to the little beach towns of Mossel Bay, Wilderness, Plettenburg Bay, and Jeffrey's Bay. I surfed at Jeffrey's Bay (has some of the best waves in the world) and it was awesome! And no great white shark incidents! We also went on a long hike to a waterfall, where we scrambled up the rocks and explored further down the river. We went on an ATV trip/safari through a game reserve, where we saw a baby and mama giraffe, a baby and mama white rhino, cheetahs, springbok, waterbuck, and zebra! It just unreal.
The drive itself is beautiful too, and the scenery changes so quickly from Iowa-ish farmland to old-growth forest to rocky coast. We also saw some baboons on the roadside guardrail, just hanging out. People drive on the left side of the road here, so that was a new skill I picked up!
The idea was to stay in hostels, and technically that's what we did, but these hostels hardly qualified! Most of them looked like high-end B&B's, without the breakfast, and they cost about $10 a night! The only exception was the consummate surf hostel at Jeffrey's Bay thronging with 20- and 30-something surfers. It was so fun! I'm definitely planning on going back. The only bad thing was that we couldn't go sandboarding because it rained.
It's also very interesting to see what sort of conceptions people have about America here. I met a guy who was shocked to hear we didn't all eat at McDonald's all the time. Also, people here think so much more highly of us since Obama's election. Here, he is a symbol of hope for what nonwhites can become. But they are quick to emphasize that it is not just his color, but his ideas and policies that they admire and are hopeful for.
As for my housing, CIEE (the study abroad program) placed me in a house with 20 other Americans, which wasn't my first choice, but the house is absolutely gorgeous and everyone is nice. It is a huge, sprawling old single-story, and I have a gigantic room with old hardwood floors and wood furniture, and with a view of the huge, treed courtyard. It has also been fun (as well as a learning experience!) to shop and cook for myself. It is nice because everything is so cheap here, especially food. A loaf of bread is $1.20, and a taxi ride is about $1!
One of the biggest differences between the States and here is that you have to be much more careful in terms of crime. You shouldn't flash your cell phone around, or walk anywhere by yourself at night. Part of the reason crime is so prevalent here is that the unemployment rate is about 40%. Another effect of this is the presence of violent xenophobia against people from Zimbabwe and other nations. I'm thinking of volunteering at a xenophobia awareness group.
The crime, however, contrasts greatly with the warmth and hospitality of the people. Basically, I love it here and I know I won't want to leave. I'm excited for school to start and to meet lots and lots of South Africans and explore Cape Town.
Sorry this post was so long; future ones hopefully won't be. Feel free to skim! Also, I'd love for you to write back and tell me what's happening on the other side of the world. I miss you all so much – there's nothing like traveling to remind you of what you love about home, as great as it is to explore new places!
Monday, January 12, 2009
Welcome
Hello!
Welcome to my study abroad blog! If I somehow missed you and you would like to be added to my mailing list for regular-ish emails, email me at dkittrelle@gmail.com.
To give you a mental image of my new home until I post pictures myself, here are some cool photos...
The top is of Table Mountain, which sits directly in the middle of the city.
The bottom photo is of the University of Cape Town (my school).
This is one of the many beaches in the city. It's going to be rough.
Welcome to my study abroad blog! If I somehow missed you and you would like to be added to my mailing list for regular-ish emails, email me at dkittrelle@gmail.com.
To give you a mental image of my new home until I post pictures myself, here are some cool photos...
The top is of Table Mountain, which sits directly in the middle of the city.
The bottom photo is of the University of Cape Town (my school).
This is one of the many beaches in the city. It's going to be rough.
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