IT IS ABSURDLY HOT

That is all.

And It's March

Happenings of the past couple weeks:

Last Monday, my friend Matt was hit by a car on the way to school!  He was walking to the Jammie stop (the shuttle bus up to campus) and apparently he looked the wrong way.  He shattered his tibia, broke his ankle, and chipped a few teeth.  He was actually in ICU for a couple of days after getting a tissue clot in this throat, but he has been stable for about a week now.  Both of his parents have flown in from Virginia and are staying the week with him in the hospital- we're expecting him back tonight and we're having a springbok party in his honor. (Springbok are antelope like animals that he's obsessed with - both living and on his dinner plate - so there's talk of dressing up like them  We'll see how that one goes.)

Classes continue to be good and I'm actually doing a fair amount of work.  My Natural Resource Economics professor is scary as hell - she will actually tell people to "stop wasting her time" when they ask silly questions or can't answer hers.  The material itself is very cool though and it's the first class I've taken where I've actually been able to use econ (or ecos as they call it here) theory for anything - cool stuff.

I'm still running with Athletics and I'm actually racing for UCT tonight in a 10k.  I'm psyched despite the 90 or so degree weather!  I've been getting some beautiful and hilly runs in here, although I've been experiencing more leg pain than I'm used to.  I talked to the coach to make sure that I didn't have stress fractures, and he basically told me that I probably wasn't in very good shape (weak calves was the way he put it, to be exact.)

In other news, Mustache March has officially begun, meaning my friends Bart and Evan are going to be very unattractive very soon.  As of day 5 nothing too alarming has happened yet on the facial hair front, but check back in a couple weeks.

This weekend, I'm renting a couple cars with 7 friends and we're going to Namibia!  I'm a little worried about the amount of driving we'll be doing (about 6 hours a day) but the scenery should be great and there's talk of sandboarding!

Good times to check Skype: weekdays from 9:00 - 10:00am or 3:00-5:00(E.T.), weekends from around 11:00am to 1:00pm.  My username is carolineott and I'm under the South Africa network (of course).  Also I'm now using my gmail (carolineott@gmail.com) primarily, although my Columbia mail should be forwarded.

 

The Garden Route

Hello friends and fam.  It's been a while since my last post and a lot has happened here! I just finished my first week of classes and it's been reassuring to finally have a schedule. Before I get into this week though, I need to jot down a few stories from my fabulous road trip on the Garden Route.

On Sunday,  10th of Feb, five of my friends (Rachie, Seth, Bart, Evan, Matt) and I took off in our very stylish mini-van.  (For those of you who knew Sheila the Honda, I have to say our rental was a bit sexier.) Unfortunately, it cost a lot of money to have more than one driver on the insurance, so after a bit of debate, I let Matt take the wheel. In retrospect, that was probably a wise decision.  Me driving + left side of the road + stick shift = DANGER.

After taking a few pit stops, we arrived in Stormsriver around 6:00 at the Tube 'N Axe Backpackers Lodge.  Unfortunately, we were too late to get in on their braai and ended up having a feast of apples, mangoes, peanut butter, and banana on the floor of our cabin.  We then hung out at the bar and when the electricity went out, we played pictionary by candlelight.

Monday was a packed day.  The Tube 'N Axe offered us a "bitch breakfast" (two cups of coffee and a cigarette) but we opted for eggs instead.  We then took off for zip-lining in Tsitsikamma Park.  There, we met the McNamaras (pictured in the last entry) and had a blast swinging through the forest.  Later that day, we went on an incredible hike by the ocean - part trails, part rock scaling.  About halfway through the hike, it began to pour which of course made the hike that much better.  We came across an enormous cave at one point but no one had a flashlight so we only explored so far.  The hike ended at a gorgeous waterfall and after weighing the possibility of parasites, Bart and I decided to take our chances and go for a swim.  As far as I can tell, no parasites yet.

That night, we drove to Knysna where we checked in at the Island Vibe.  We had an amazing meal in town (really the first meal we had on the trip) at a restaurant called Oude De Frauk. (Actually, I'm really not sure what it was called, but it was something Afrikaans like that.)  I had crocodile stew and kudu - so delicious.  Towards the end of the meal, a British couple approached our table to tell us that they were absolutely fascinated by our conversation and "group dynamics."  Like many people we have encountered, this couple was dying to know why we were studying in South Africa of all places.  The idea of somewhat undirected study abroad is clearly not very popular here.  After chatting and basically being quizzed by the couple for twenty minutes or so, we finished up our dinner and headed back to the Island Vibe.

Tuesday was the animal day.  We saw elephants in the morning and monkeys in the afternoon.  Although the elephants were cool (we even got to feed them) I have to say that the monkeys were far more entertaining.  Seth took lots of great pics of both which I'll upload later.  Other highlights of Tuesday included watching the boys eat avocado, bacon, and banana sandwiches (so disgusting), chasing a peacock in a parking lot, and eating a huge dinner at a beautiful beachside restaurant.

Wednesday was a bit of a bust.  We had planned on going skydiving, but after waiting for the wind to go down for a couple of hours, we were told that we might be seriously injured if we tried.  So we drove to Mossel Bay, our last stop on the Garden Route, where we checked into the Santos Express, an old train on the Indian Ocean.  As Katie pointed out, the whole experience made me very nostalgic for The Boxcar Children, my first chapter book series. After dinner, we dragged a bunch of tree branches to the beach and attempted to make a fire for a couple hours.  After breaking two lighters, we finally settled on just hanging and treating ourselves to some J.C. Le Roux, champagne from my Stellenbosch tour a couple weeks ago.  All in all though, it was a very fun trip and I can't wait until spring break when we can get back on the road again.

The Past Couple Weeks - Pics

Registration Madness

The past week has been a bit more relaxed and I'm beginning to feel more at home in Cape Town.  For the past few days, I've spent a lot of time being lost on campus and trying to figure out the hilarious disorganized registration process (all paper - no computers allowed).  During pre-registration, all undergrads have to run around to various departments to get course approval.  In my most successful venture, I managed not only to speak to an actual professor but also to learn when the class would be meeting! What a productive morning.

Yesterday, I successfully completed the actual registration process.  I am really pumped about my classes, and it looks like I will have most of my afternoons free to volunteer, run, or whatever else.  For now, I am signed up for Natural Resource Economics, South African Politics, Statistics, and African Instruments.

A couple of days ago, I went into town to The Book lounge to hear Martin Meredith speak about his new book, Diamonds, Gold, and War: The Making of South Africa.  (I was thinking of taking a course at UCT called South African History until 1900, but after hearing this lecture I think I'll just ready his book.)  He was a very smart and engaging speaker and really impressively managed to answer a few unintelligent audience questions in an interesting way. I was psyched to get to talk to him afterwards.  The bookshop also served delicious wine and hors d'oeuvres - overall, a very satisfying evening.

Another highlight of this week (and really the only valuable part of UCT orientation) was the drum circle on Monday.  It was basically a giant call and response djembe lesson.  There were 300 or so rhythmically challenged Americans banging as hard as we could on miniature drums, led by five of the happiest looking African dudes you can imagine.  My friends and I had such a good time that we followed them downtown to the Zula Bar on Long Street and met some of their musician friends.

Now that registration and orientation are done, we have another week to explore before classes start.  Five friends and I are renting a car and taking off tomorrow morning on the Garden Route.  We're driving about 800k east to explore the coast of the Western Cape.  I'm especially excited about the hostiles that we've booked.  At our last stop, Mossel Bay, we're staying in a broken down train on the beach!  Also on the tentative agenda are Tarzanian tree-swinging and ostrich riding.  I can't wait!

Stellenbosch, Table Mountain, and The Black Out

Recent Highlights

- falling down Table Mountain and landing in a bush

- eating springbok while out to dinner in the black-out

- making a modest yet delicious contribution of rosemary carrots to a potluck dinner

On Tuesday, a bunch of us left for an overnight trip to Stellenbosch, one of South Africa's oldest European settlements located about a half-hour drive from Cape Town. Having explored Cape Town for the past couple of weeks, Stellenbosch seemed like a whole different country, or at least a different era.  It was a bit of an apartheid throwback.  The whole town was very segregated, old-fashioned, and quiet in an unsettling way.  Compared to the diversity of Capetownians, the people of Stellenbosch (to completely generalize) were pretty homogeneously upper-class Afrikaaners.  

Of course, we didn't visit Stellenbosch for the time travel; we went for the wine.  On Wednesday morning, we began our tour of the vineyards.  Because we are cheap (or maybe just because we would rather spend the money on wine), we decided to take the unguided hiking/wine tasting tour (not the classiest combination but definitely rewarding.)  The first winery was J.C. Le Roux which specialized in sparkling wine.  For just twenty rand (less than $3) we each got five glasses of wine, a video presentation on how to make sparkling wine, and a tour of the cellar.  What a deal!  After sipping the wine and spitting it out (apparently the proper way to wine taste) most of us decided it was much too good to waste.  My favorites were La Chanson and Le Domains, the dessert wines of course.

After returning from Stellenbosch, I had a pretty low-key day.  I did, however, go on a run with the UCT Athletics Club, aka the running team.  There were a few women, but they were all doing a track workout.  Preferring hills and trails tot he track, I stuck it out with the guys.  After our 6k warmup, we did repeats son a really, really steep hill.  The hard-core guys did 15 x 60 seconds hard up and down the hill; most of the guys did 10 and I called it a day at 6.  Dion, the crazy coach, is determined to get me, Evan, and Cam (other interstudy guys) to do a 56k before we leave South Africa. Ha.

Already aching from the hill workout, we then climbed Table Mountain on Friday.  The pictures should speak for themselves, with the one exception of my epic fall, unfortunately not captured on film.  Feeling strong and determined (in other words dehydrated and lightheaded) after our four hour hike up the mountain, I was ready for the descent.  I was chatting with Craig, one of the many South African tour-guides and we were leading the pack at a pace that seemed dangerous only when I looked down.  Everyone had a couple of slips, so when I slid on one rock I figured I could pull off some impressive twist or turn and recover.  Nope.  Instead, I actually tumbled down the rocks fora  few yards before clutching a prickly bush to stop myself from falling.  Bart and Jeremy, my two friends behind me, said that all they caught was the rustling of the bushes and then suddenly finding me turned upside down in the bush.  So, with just a few scratches and bruises, I am proud to say that I survived my fall down the mountain.

After returning from the day's hike, we were all exhausted and ready to eat.  Just as we were about to head to dinner though, Eskom decided that Friday night would be a good time to cut back on power.  Hungry and determined, we called Boogie Steve (our favorite cab driver) and headed down to Obs for dinner anyways.  That was a fun ride.  While Boogie Steve usually can take 15 or so in his van, he only had his five seater last night.  We impressively fit 10, two girls and four guys in the back seat, another guy and girl in the front, Boogie Steve, and his son Roman.  After piling out of the cab, we had a charming candlelight dinner where I tried my first springbok.  To our surprise, the electricity didn't come back until long after we came home and went to bed.

Stellenbosch Pics

Adventures In Cape Town - Part I

Hello friends.  It has been a very busy few days but I have way too many fabulous pictures to neglect this blog any longer.  Unfortunately, I've been having a few technical difficulties, so the pictures are in no way chronological.  Take a look anyways (next entry), and if you want the actual story, read below.

Before I delve into my day-by-day account, here are a few random observations and experiences:

1.  I have TONS of bug bites on the left side of my body.  Yes, only the left arm, left shoulder, and left leg.

2.  I have begun to buy things that I do not need: a keychain shaped like a red pepper and a tapestry made in Zambia.  Please tell me to stop.

3.  I have used half of my 12oz bottle of aloe in the past three days.

4. Without any pots or pans, I actually fried an egg in a brownie pan.  It was delicious.

5. The restaurant business is very laid back here to say the least.  When we didn't have exact change one night, the waitress rolled her eyes and then replied that she would have to go to the bank.

Last Friday was the first of our many "vacation" days.  We technically do not begin classes until the 18th of February, so besides the sporadic orientation events, we're on our own to explore Cape Town or wherever for the next couple of weeks.  A few people have actually already taken off for a week trip to Namibia.  While I've stayed around Cape Town, I have over the past week visited many beautiful beaches, museums, and I've even taken an overnight trip to the vineyards at Stellenbosch.  Here are a few highlights:

Friday, January 25 - Muizenberg and Kalk Bay

A bunch of us took a half hour train ride down to Muizenberg, a beach on False Bay.  After stepping off the train (actually jumping off because it apparently did no have time to stop) we were immediately stunned by the landscape: the enormous mountains one one side and the vast ocean on the other.  We attempted to set up on the beach, but combination of gusting wind and dry sand soon quickly became quite painful.  We then decided to walk along the shore to Kalk Bay, an apparently less windy spot.  My favorite part of this walk was finding myself in a pool built into the ocean, complete with hand-railings and steps.

Saturday, January 26 - A History Lesson

After experiencing the luxurious and touristy Kalk Bay, we headed into town for a more education excursion.  We first toured the Castle of Good Hope, one of Cape Town's oldest buildings.  (Nay, I know if you've made it this far you are making that snoring sound.  You can stop if you want.) We then continued to the District 6 Museum, an amazing museum focusing on apartheid.  I especially enjoyed reading various snippets of newspaper articles from the 60s (when District 6 was demolished) and the 90s (when it was restored).

Sunday, January 27 - More Beauty

On Sunday we visited Camps Bay, another absolutely stunning beach.  I was the only one to brave the very chilly Atlantic water, but it felt damn good.  We later caught up with other interstudy students at Kirstenbosch, a weekly outdoor/picnic-style concert.  We especially enjoyed watching the old folks dance to bad covers of Billy Joel and The Beatles.

Monday, January 28 - Bo-Kaap and Signal Hill

Let me just say that the Noon Gun Tearoom and Restaurant (where we had a delicious Malayan dinner) played "My Heart Will Go On."

Tuesday and Wednesday - STELLENBOSCH - more on this amazing trip next time. 

Adventures In C.T. pics

A few chronologically jumbled pics (I'm having major formatting issues, hopefully to be resolved soon.)

January 28 - Isaac, Ian, Alex, me, and Jeremy at a bar on Long Street (downtown Cape Town).

January 28 - Table Mountain and the "tablecloth," the name given to the clouds that form on the top of the mountain and creep down its sides.  

January 28 - Alex, me, and Jeremy about halfway up our hike to Noon Gun Tearoom and Restaurant. We walked through the very cool neighborhood of Bo-Kaap and up Signal Hill before experiencing delicious Cape Malay food and breathtaking views from the restaurant. 

January 25 - Me and Alex in front of the changing rooms at Kalk Bay.

January 25 - The Brass Bell - an incredible restaurant in Kalk Bay. This place was actually built into the ocean! There were glass panes next to our table to protect us from the splashing waves. And the food was delicious. 

January 25 - Jeremy, Fran, Alex, and me on a stroll between Muizenberg beach and Kalk Bay.

January 25 - Adorable children in fabulous swimsuits. We sketchily took many pictures.

First Impressions

It's day 2(ish) in Cape Town and I am having a fabulous time!  It has not surprisingly been a very busy and tiring few days.  Rather than giving you guys that play by play, I'll just catch you up with a few stories. 

The trip from Boston to Cape Town was about 24 hours start to finish - air time accounted for about 17 of those hours.  There are a total of 62 students in my program and about 30 of us were on the same flight.  The food was surprisingly good, but then again I'm not a picky eater.

I am living in an apartment building called Helena Court that is about a ten minute walk from campus.  There are 8 or so apartments in Helena Court, each with 2 or 3 people.  I'm living with Justin, a foodball player from Amherst College, and Taylor, a fellow Barnard '09er.  I have my own very spacious room (my first single in college!) and the three of us share a bathroom, living room, kitchen, and patio.  We were all very content with out housing until we went to a braai (that's what we call BBQs here) at Osbourne, one of the beautiful student houses.  Jealousy aside, it was a very fun party that culminated in me climbing a tree and breaking the swing.  Needless to say, everyone in Osbourne just loves me.

It is HOT here.  We toured teh campus today (more on the absolutely beauty of campus later) and I think it was in the 90s!  I'm very happy to have met quite a few runners and I've been on a couple of beautiful and challenging runs.  (85 degree weather + running up a mountain = insanity?)

Another random tidbit: in South Africa, they drive on the left side of the road!  This has been the root of much confusion and a few near death experiences.  For a while, I just looked the wrong way when crossing the street, but after a couple of close calls, I have developed a very attractive head-shake move that allows me to cover all ground.  

Though I've been here for a couple days, I am still very much disoriented.  No one here seems to be as concerned with food as I am (go figure) so I've actually skipped a few meals.  When we arrived, interstudy had left us quite an assortment of "staple" foods: Cadbury chocolate, bread, sugar, peanut butter, and apples.  I have mainly been working the peanut butter and apply diet, although I hope to expand upon this soon - very soon.

Everything is very cheap.  The rand makes me feel like I am spending a lot of money (the exchange rate is currently about 7 rand to the US dollar) even though most items aremuch cheaper.  Our cab home last night for example was about 15 rand for 6 people.  

I am also proud to report that I have not yet lost a thing!  Though I have been accused of being "the worst," one of my friends here actually left his computer on the plane in Johannesburg!  He realized this at baggage claim and of course ran back to plane but somehow had already snatched it up.  He also left his drawing on the plane which he had been working on for pretty much the whole 17 hours.  I would laugh harder, but he's actually a pretty good guy, so you can all laugh for me.

Lastly, I want you all to have my cell phone number and address:

0712281177 (that's the cell)

Caroline Ott

c/o IAPO

3rd Level Kramer: Law Building

Middle Campus

University of Cape Town

Cape Town, Western Cape

7700

Republic of South Africa

If you don't are to spend that much money to speak to me, shame on you!  Actually, I think Skype would be a better idea all around.  I get very good and cheap wireless here, so send me an email (still using the columbia one - co2151@columbia.edu) and let's set up a date.

Missing you all!

First Impressions - Pics

From top to bottom: University of Cape Town in all its glory (I must say, this building might even beat Low)

A tour of campus

Putting on sunblock with Olivia

Fine dining on South African airways