3/23/08
Happy Easter! I am exhausted but it was by far the best Easter ever! We had to wake up at 4:45 AM to be ready to leave at 5:30. All of us piled into these trucks and left for the game reserve that was ~30 minutes away. The game drive was 6 hours long through this huge reserve. There was a bunch of roads, dirt and semipaved, that were interconnected and we went on whatever one the driver thought animals would be on. For the things we saw: warthogs, tons of zebras, tons of giraffes, rhinos (black and white), water buffalo (all I could think of was 'everybody's got a water buffallo, yours is fat but mine is slow. Where they get them I don't know but everybody's got a water bufallooooooo'), impalas, a cheetah (really far away), vultures, antelope and wildebeast. oh and a vervet monkey! Plus some baboons in a tree. No lions, hippos or elephants today. :( Hopefully we will be seeing hippos tomorrow on our St. Lucia estuary tour. At first, seeing all of the animals was really exciting but after our millionth zebra and giraffe, it wasn't as exciting anymore. Both the zebra and giraffe came really close to us. When we stopped for breakfast, there was a zebra family, running around and I could almost touch the zebra (John did and they ran away scared). Often, we got stuck behind zebra, buffalo or a giraffe that was walking down the road. I do have to say that I love zebras and giraffes now though. Giraffes are so majestic and peaceful. Our driver explained to us that zebra and giraffe are usually seen together because the zebra use giraffe as protection. Since giraffes are so tall and can see farther, they can notice an approaching predator and will warn the other giraffes. This is also a warning to the zebra. I thought that the learned relationship was really interesting. We got caught in another downpour while driving around the game reserve but within an hour, it was blue skies again. The weather changes so quickly here, it is unbelievable! Anyways, I have tons of pictures of animals, particularly giraffes for Ari. Hope she enjoys them! No polar bears yet :)
Monday, March 31, 2008
Beginning of Spring Break: Game Reserve!
View of the Cape when flying to Durban
At the Sand Forest Lodge - the sun was going down. This field is where a ton of animals were
Some sort of antelope
And a zebra right behind my hotel!!
And the hotel - that was actually the eating area and bar. Where we slept was behind it.
I am copying the entries from my journal - sorry it has taken so long for me to do this, I have been really sick...:(
3/22/08:
So I am on the plane to Durban for the start of our spring break! I am so ready for a week of relaxation where I can just take in the scenery of South Africa and forget about all of my responsibilities. Good news, I also got into John Hopkins! I actually never thought that I would and now that I did, it is not an easy decision, or as easy as I thought it would be. I built up UMD so much and built down JHSPH so that I would not be upset about going to UMD. Now though I am torn. Yesterday I wanted to go to UMD, today I am leaning towards JHSPH. Who knows what I will feel tomorrow? A big problem is that I am doubting myself and my own capabilities. Honestly, I am terrified of going to JHSPH because I am afraid that I am not good enough. Mom is right though, I am turning my anxiety towards the fear of the unknown into a lack of confidence in myself. If I wasn't qualified, I would not have been selected I guess. I know that I have until April 15th to make a decision but I was never good at waiting. I just want someone to tell me what to do and where to go. Everybody has been so supportive of me and my fears. They are always willing to talk it over with me. I am being a brat though because I got into two amazing PhD programs, more than some people can say, and I am complaining about my decision. What if I can't do it though?
night of 3/22/08:
So we traveled all day today. It took about 4 hours to get to the game reserve from the Durban airport but we took an hour lunch at Steers at a gas station (really crappy food - don't ever go there!) This part of SA is what you would think Africa looks like, at least more so than Cape Town. It was rolling hills of grass with Zulu huts, rows of planted trees with a dirt lane in the middle, leading off into never never land. Men and women were walking alongside the highway, the women carrying baskets on top of their heads. Mia and I were listning to my iPod as we drove by houses the were falling down, rural shacks with naked children playing in the dirt, no electricity. Coincidentally, the song that came on was "Waiting on the World To Change". I could totally relate to those words as we were driving by extreme poverty, the people who are forgotten.
Anyways, the lodge is amazing! We are staying at the Sand Forest Lodge and we saw a giraffe, actually several, on the way here and right outside our little house is a huge field with some type of antelope, wildebeast and a zebra. Sarah, Amanda and I almost got run over by a stampede. I got such good pictures! They were so close that it was unreal! After that, a huge thunderstorm rolled in. We got soaked by downpouring rain and it felt like stereotypical Africa - a storm running in and within 20 minutes, completely gone. If you watched the field, when the lightning would strike, you could see the animals standing there - it was kind of creepy. Currently I am in a house with Joelle, Ruth, Steph, Abby and Mia (who I am sharing a bed with and consequently have gotten sick from). Yay for interhouse correlation! Tomorrow is game drive at 5:30!!
Friday, March 21, 2008
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Explaining The Awesomeness of Yesterday
So....yesterday - an amazing day and very eventful.
It started out at work (like all Wednesday do) and I was following up on a couple of patients that I had seen in the ICU a month earlier. They were on ventilators and had pneumonia so I was taking down their information. Today, I did a follow up on them in the burns ward. One of the boys that I saw intially was very close to dying - they were not sure if he would last the rest of the week. He was on a high frequency oscillating ventilator and when you are on this type of ventilator, you know that their condition is bad. Because of the frequency of the ventilator and his condition, it blew his body up and he looked at least twice his size. I saw him yesterday - he was a happy, healthy 18 month old baby. All he needs is one more graft and he should be all set. Need I tell you how amazed I was? I did not even recognize the child! The mother had to go somewhere and basically asked me to watch him. I sat there, for an hour, holding this child that, a month ago, was on the brink of dying. Obviously the child was a little bit scared of me because I was a brand new face and his mother had disappeared but I could not help believing that I was holding a miracle. It was not the treatment that saved him - the doctors withdrew treatment. Dr. Rhode told his mother that his name should be changed from Lorenzo to miracle man. It was such an amazing experience though, to see not one but both boys so healthy, smiling and laughing.
After I met with those two kids and went over their files to determine how they contracted pneumonia, I heard music playing outside. the Friends of the Children's Hospital raised money and put on a parade that went around the hospital for the little kids. It was a parade for easter so there was a guy dressed up in a bunny suit, lots of clowns, a horse drawn carriage, a little VW Bug carring people all dressed up and waving. There was also a contest to see who could make the funniest/ most creative hat. The children got their faces painted and had an easter egg hunt outside, along with one of those huge blow up things to play on. It was so touching, especially because most of these kids have never even seen a balloon...they have never even seen a lot of the stuff that they got that day. Dogs came in on leashes to see kids in the oncology ward. To see their smiling faces and look of surprise was priceless.
I had to leave work at around 3:00 so that I could be home for 3:30 in order to have an interview with Pfizer. I actually have two interviews with Pfizer (one of which I am waiting for right now). The one that I had yesterday was with a pharcokinetics groups and I would be designing a protocol to use RNAi to study, in a more indepth manner, what the drug actually does to the body. Not really sure the details or how it would work but I love RNAi so I thought that it would be cool.
Oh, to interrupt my train of though, I just had my interview with Joe from Pfizer. It turns out that it is the Joe that I used to take blood from all the time during my first internship with Pfizer when I worked with Paul. I was so excited that it was him! I loved him! Basically, with this job, I would be looking at heat shock proteins, specifically heat shock protein 90 I think and how it affects the lining of arterial walls in terms of obesity. So once more I would be on an obesity project but they are trying to purchase this brand new really cool technology for me to use. I am soo excited! I will find out next Monday whether I have the job or not. Joe said that the other candidates are really good so I am not sure...I think he said that my enthusiasm about the project would make his decision easier but the phone was kind of staticky so he could have said harder. I don't know but I am really excited! He said that Paul told him that he has to hire me. I said that I would totally understand if he didn't because there are much more qualified people out there but he stated that I bring enthusiasm, work ethic, passion etc. to the table. And he likes that I always want a lot to do and am always looking for more work to do. So, hopefully I got the job!
Anyways, back to yesterday, I had an interview with University of Maryland right after my interview with Pfizer. Last time I updated, UMD was saying that I would be put on the waiting list until I could have an in person interview with them and that although my credentials are very good, the committee was concerned about my GRE scores. I emailed Jeff (the graduate director), saying that it would be impossible to have an in person interview because I am not getting home until the beginning of May and that I need to make a decision regarding other schools prior to April 15th. Also, I explained my GRE scores to him, especially the fact that my SAT scores were only an 1110 and that score was not indicative, in any way, of my performance in college. Thus, if we are using that train of logic, my GRE scores will not be indicative, in any way, of my performance in graduate school. I also made the argument that the GRE tests your ability to take a test whereas I feel that I bring a lot of other aspects to the table such as my motivation, work ethic and passion. All of those combined make me who I am and I feel that there is much more to graduate school than your testing ability. So, after ranting and raving to my friends about how stupid the GRE's are and how stupid UMD is, I get an email saying that Jeff would be willing to have a Skype video interview with me on Wednesday at 4:30 my time (10:30 at home). I was really nervous yesterday and was all ready to be grilled during the interview, in order to show that my GRE scores really aren't indicative of my knowledge. The interview was not really even an interview. It was Jeff trying to sell the University of Maryland to me. Apparently they are in a brand new science building (a definite plus), told me all about the program and explained that he felt that the stipend was one of the highest (which it isn't since UConn would pay me $4000 more, to live in a cheaper area, I might add). Throughout the 'interview', Jeff kept hinting at giving me an offer but I did not really believe him. He never once asked me a scientific question, just what my interests were. I felt like I needed to ask questions so I thought of some random questions to show that I was interested. Then, at the end of the interview, he said that he really hopes that I do well in whatever I do but really wants me to choose UMD and I will be getting an offer from him shortly. I got the offer in about 1.5 hours. So, I am really excited because now I have options! I will probably choose UMD but the only thing holding me back is that at UConn, I would be closer to family and being in South Africa right now has really showed me how close I am to my family and how much I miss them. That is the only downside to going to UMD. Besides that, I need to do some research on what Uconn is working on to see if there are multiple projects I am interested in. I will go to the school that is doing the coolest research.
So all in all, it comes down to the fact that if I did not email UMD and fight them about the GRE's, I never would have gotten an interview and I never would have been accepted. That kind of makes me mad in a way but also makes me proud of myself. So, that is what has happened in the past couple of days. I am on a personal high right now and could easily jump up and down, screaming in a very high tone but I will save everybody the agony of hearing me go into an octave that only dogs can hear. Miss you all!
It started out at work (like all Wednesday do) and I was following up on a couple of patients that I had seen in the ICU a month earlier. They were on ventilators and had pneumonia so I was taking down their information. Today, I did a follow up on them in the burns ward. One of the boys that I saw intially was very close to dying - they were not sure if he would last the rest of the week. He was on a high frequency oscillating ventilator and when you are on this type of ventilator, you know that their condition is bad. Because of the frequency of the ventilator and his condition, it blew his body up and he looked at least twice his size. I saw him yesterday - he was a happy, healthy 18 month old baby. All he needs is one more graft and he should be all set. Need I tell you how amazed I was? I did not even recognize the child! The mother had to go somewhere and basically asked me to watch him. I sat there, for an hour, holding this child that, a month ago, was on the brink of dying. Obviously the child was a little bit scared of me because I was a brand new face and his mother had disappeared but I could not help believing that I was holding a miracle. It was not the treatment that saved him - the doctors withdrew treatment. Dr. Rhode told his mother that his name should be changed from Lorenzo to miracle man. It was such an amazing experience though, to see not one but both boys so healthy, smiling and laughing.
After I met with those two kids and went over their files to determine how they contracted pneumonia, I heard music playing outside. the Friends of the Children's Hospital raised money and put on a parade that went around the hospital for the little kids. It was a parade for easter so there was a guy dressed up in a bunny suit, lots of clowns, a horse drawn carriage, a little VW Bug carring people all dressed up and waving. There was also a contest to see who could make the funniest/ most creative hat. The children got their faces painted and had an easter egg hunt outside, along with one of those huge blow up things to play on. It was so touching, especially because most of these kids have never even seen a balloon...they have never even seen a lot of the stuff that they got that day. Dogs came in on leashes to see kids in the oncology ward. To see their smiling faces and look of surprise was priceless.
I had to leave work at around 3:00 so that I could be home for 3:30 in order to have an interview with Pfizer. I actually have two interviews with Pfizer (one of which I am waiting for right now). The one that I had yesterday was with a pharcokinetics groups and I would be designing a protocol to use RNAi to study, in a more indepth manner, what the drug actually does to the body. Not really sure the details or how it would work but I love RNAi so I thought that it would be cool.
Oh, to interrupt my train of though, I just had my interview with Joe from Pfizer. It turns out that it is the Joe that I used to take blood from all the time during my first internship with Pfizer when I worked with Paul. I was so excited that it was him! I loved him! Basically, with this job, I would be looking at heat shock proteins, specifically heat shock protein 90 I think and how it affects the lining of arterial walls in terms of obesity. So once more I would be on an obesity project but they are trying to purchase this brand new really cool technology for me to use. I am soo excited! I will find out next Monday whether I have the job or not. Joe said that the other candidates are really good so I am not sure...I think he said that my enthusiasm about the project would make his decision easier but the phone was kind of staticky so he could have said harder. I don't know but I am really excited! He said that Paul told him that he has to hire me. I said that I would totally understand if he didn't because there are much more qualified people out there but he stated that I bring enthusiasm, work ethic, passion etc. to the table. And he likes that I always want a lot to do and am always looking for more work to do. So, hopefully I got the job!
Anyways, back to yesterday, I had an interview with University of Maryland right after my interview with Pfizer. Last time I updated, UMD was saying that I would be put on the waiting list until I could have an in person interview with them and that although my credentials are very good, the committee was concerned about my GRE scores. I emailed Jeff (the graduate director), saying that it would be impossible to have an in person interview because I am not getting home until the beginning of May and that I need to make a decision regarding other schools prior to April 15th. Also, I explained my GRE scores to him, especially the fact that my SAT scores were only an 1110 and that score was not indicative, in any way, of my performance in college. Thus, if we are using that train of logic, my GRE scores will not be indicative, in any way, of my performance in graduate school. I also made the argument that the GRE tests your ability to take a test whereas I feel that I bring a lot of other aspects to the table such as my motivation, work ethic and passion. All of those combined make me who I am and I feel that there is much more to graduate school than your testing ability. So, after ranting and raving to my friends about how stupid the GRE's are and how stupid UMD is, I get an email saying that Jeff would be willing to have a Skype video interview with me on Wednesday at 4:30 my time (10:30 at home). I was really nervous yesterday and was all ready to be grilled during the interview, in order to show that my GRE scores really aren't indicative of my knowledge. The interview was not really even an interview. It was Jeff trying to sell the University of Maryland to me. Apparently they are in a brand new science building (a definite plus), told me all about the program and explained that he felt that the stipend was one of the highest (which it isn't since UConn would pay me $4000 more, to live in a cheaper area, I might add). Throughout the 'interview', Jeff kept hinting at giving me an offer but I did not really believe him. He never once asked me a scientific question, just what my interests were. I felt like I needed to ask questions so I thought of some random questions to show that I was interested. Then, at the end of the interview, he said that he really hopes that I do well in whatever I do but really wants me to choose UMD and I will be getting an offer from him shortly. I got the offer in about 1.5 hours. So, I am really excited because now I have options! I will probably choose UMD but the only thing holding me back is that at UConn, I would be closer to family and being in South Africa right now has really showed me how close I am to my family and how much I miss them. That is the only downside to going to UMD. Besides that, I need to do some research on what Uconn is working on to see if there are multiple projects I am interested in. I will go to the school that is doing the coolest research.
So all in all, it comes down to the fact that if I did not email UMD and fight them about the GRE's, I never would have gotten an interview and I never would have been accepted. That kind of makes me mad in a way but also makes me proud of myself. So, that is what has happened in the past couple of days. I am on a personal high right now and could easily jump up and down, screaming in a very high tone but I will save everybody the agony of hearing me go into an octave that only dogs can hear. Miss you all!
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
I GOT INTO UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND!! It is not official but he said that they are going to be sending me an offer. OMG!! I will explain more later and how I actually was able to get an interview. I have to get ready to go to Shocko. Oh and I might potentially be working with RNAi this summer at Pfizer (that is if they want to accept me). One more interview to go! (tomorrow at 3:30 with more Pfizer people). I AM SO EXCITED!
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Spring Break Itinerary
This is my itinerary for our spring break starting the following week. Sooo excited!!!
March 22
Depart from Cape Town International Airport at 8am
Themba will pick us up at Durban Airport for transport to Sand Forest Lodge
Dinner, settle into rooms, etc…
March 23
6-hour morning game drive through Omfolozi Hluhluwe Game Reserve
Visit traditional village/homestead in the afternoon
March 24
Ferry boat tour through St. Lucia Estuary and Wetland
Depart for Durban in the late afternoon
Check into Blue Waters Hotel on Durban beachfront, dinner/dancing at jazz club
March 25 & March 26 spend days in Durban
Meet with Narissa Ramdhani (time and place depending on her availability)
Spend time on the beach,
Ushaka Marine World (if some students are interested)
Possible visit the Old Courthouse/Gandhi Memorial, Indian Market
Depart for Drakensburg Mountains
Settle into Mont-Aux Sources Hotel, dinner, etc…
March 27
Drakensburg experience- hiking, craft markets, etc…
March 28
More of the Drakensburg Mountains, Blood River Tour (if some students are interested)
March 29
Depart for Durban in the morning for 11am flight
Return to Cape Town in the early afternoon
March 22
Depart from Cape Town International Airport at 8am
Themba will pick us up at Durban Airport for transport to Sand Forest Lodge
Dinner, settle into rooms, etc…
March 23
6-hour morning game drive through Omfolozi Hluhluwe Game Reserve
Visit traditional village/homestead in the afternoon
March 24
Ferry boat tour through St. Lucia Estuary and Wetland
Depart for Durban in the late afternoon
Check into Blue Waters Hotel on Durban beachfront, dinner/dancing at jazz club
March 25 & March 26 spend days in Durban
Meet with Narissa Ramdhani (time and place depending on her availability)
Spend time on the beach,
Ushaka Marine World (if some students are interested)
Possible visit the Old Courthouse/Gandhi Memorial, Indian Market
Depart for Drakensburg Mountains
Settle into Mont-Aux Sources Hotel, dinner, etc…
March 27
Drakensburg experience- hiking, craft markets, etc…
March 28
More of the Drakensburg Mountains, Blood River Tour (if some students are interested)
March 29
Depart for Durban in the morning for 11am flight
Return to Cape Town in the early afternoon
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Update on Graduate Schools
I just wanted to update everybody on my status with graduate schools. I found out today that I did not get into Columbia, which I was not surprised by seeing as I was never even asked for an interview. Using that logic I am guessing I did not get into Emory or Georgetown. I did get into Uconn PhD program in Biomedical sciences. That is exciting - at least I have somewhere to go to next year, although it is far from ideal. Today I emailed University of Maryland to determine when I would hear from them. The lady I emailed, who originally emailed me a while back asking for an interview, stated that if I had not heard from the program director that meant I was no longer considered for the program but that she thought my application was very good (like that is any consolation to me now). I am a little angry because they stated that they wanted an interview with me but when I asked for a phone interview, they said that the program director would contact me if I needed one. So does this mean that because I am in South Africa I am not being considered? Do they realize that I am in South Africa solely for an internship? I am broadening my cultural and research horizons, is that not important? I am pretty disappointed right now because it looks as if I am going to UConn next year. People say that you should not go to the same place for graduate school that you went to for undergraduate. Plus I really want to get out of UConn, even though I would not be at Storrs but at the Health Center campus. I know that with John Hopkins, I am 'on hold' and will find out at the end of this month/beginning of April but I highly doubt that I will be getting in there. It is the number one school of public health. Why would they want me if University of Maryland, Columbia, NIH, Emory and Georgetown do not want me? I could always take a year off but to do what? I do not regret coming to South Africa because I have had the most amazing time here and this experience has changed my life but I really wish that it, along with my bloody GRE scores, did not put me at such a disadvantage.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Bungee Jumping and Zip Line Canopy Tour Pictures
After the jump (these are out of order but you can see the tears in my eyes)
Canopy tour! Ziplining my way over some gorgeous waterfalls
The bungee jumping crew, minus Noelle since she did not jump.
The zip lining crew!
The bridge that I jumped off of. Crazy I know.
Before the jump, getting my legs tied up like a mummy. I was laughing from nervousness
Being carried to the edge of the bridge. This is where I started to cry.
And off I go (you can tell I am already screaming)
Long way down
Pictures from Plettenburg Bay Trip
On the beach during our Robberg Peninsula hike. At this point we wish we brought bathing suits so that we could swim. :(
On the sand dunes looking down onto the seals
Seals - there were hundreds of them. If you couldn't see them you could most definitely hear them
Our home sweet home for several days: Starling backpackers
Feeding Harry a treat after a nice ride
Swimming in the Indian Ocean - very warm by the way
Our mode of transportation. This is us before we said goodbye.
Playing the drums
Jung and I riding Harry the elephant :)
Robberg Peninsula. That little patch of sand is where we hiked to but we did a big loop.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Warning: a long post
I really do not understand why I was so anxious about this trip that we took over the weekend. It was amazing. Warning: this will be a long post.
What was supposed to have happened this weekend:
1) get on bus at 6:45 and arrive in Plettenburg Bay at 3:30 AM. Get picked up by Starling Backpackers
2) go to Nature’s Valley (via cab)
3) Hiking
4) Beach days
5) Total relaxation
What actually happened this weekend:
1) got on bus at ~ 6:45. Broke down ~ 2:30 and arrived at around 4:30 A.M.
2) went hiking at Robberg Peninsula
3) went to Knysna Elephant Sanctuary where I rode an elephant
4) Two hour long canopy tours consisting of 6 zip lines over waterfalls
5) Bunjee jumping off of the world’s highest bunjee jump. A 7 second free fall
6) Beach
7) We never made it to Nature’s Valley
Now time to explain the strange course of events that made up one of the most exciting weekends ever! The whole premise of this vacation was to go to Nature’s Valley, a secluded beach area. To this day, we still don’t know what Nature’s Valley actually is. Anyways, after an entire day of several people trying to figure out how we would get to Nature’s Valley, which is a point along the Garden Route, we decided that the best course of action would be to take an Intercape bus from Cape Town to Plettenburg Bay, a town right next to Nature’s Valley. There, we would stay at a hostel, which wound up being Starling Backpackers, and then take taxis to and from Nature’s Valley. Eventually, after much planning and rearranging Marita’s class, again, which I felt horrible about, we arranged for taxis to meet us at UCT right after we finished in order to rush us downtown so we could catch the bus. I was anxious about sleeping on the bus, since it was an overnight ride, but Mia was great, gave me some melatonin and made sure that I slept which I did. I passed out, so much so that I did not realize that we had broken down on the side of the highway. In my defense, we had been stopping at various stops along the way to pick people up and drop them off so my unconscious state probably thought that it was another stop, a long one. Mia apparently had to poke, prod and yell at me in order to wake me up to tell me we had to get off the bus. I was so confused. We were in the middle of nowhere. Unbeknownst to me, another bus was coming to take everybody that was going to Plettenburg’s Bay. We wound up sitting on the side of the road for a good 30 minutes (the broken down bus was still there). It was fairly amusing. Starlight backpackers picked us up and drove us there to a place that was more of a farm bed and breakfast. I packed my stuff into my single room, assembled my fan (yes I disassembled a fan to bring it with me to sleep) and once again, passed out but this time on a comfortable bed and not a bus seat with people snoring behind me.
The next morning, I realized how amazing our location was. It was serene – absolutely gorgeous. We were on a farm, a place that was originally a mental institution but they bought it and turned it into a backpackers lodge. Vicky and Matthew, the owners, made us breakfast which consisted of mueli (granola with yoghurt in our language) and fruit, a little breakfast (two eggs, bacon, toast and a fried tomato) or a large breakfast (little breakfast + mueli and fruit). After eating breakfast, Vicky and Matthew proceeded to tell us various things that we could do that was in the area. We wound up splitting into two groups, one wanted to do the canopy tours which is essentially a zip line through the forest but this one took you past several waterfalls while the other group that I was a part of wanted to do some hiking. The plan was that we would hike and then come back in time to ride horses through a local game reserve (which I was very excited about).
Robberg Peninsula was gorgeous, that is all that I can say. There were three routes you could take: 45 minute, 2 hour or 4 hour hike. Obviously the longer the hike, the more that you see but we did not have time for the 4 hour hike so we resorted to the 2 hour hike. Our driver, Tyrrone, told us to be on the lookout for dolphins, whales and sharks – you can see them while walking around the peninsula. Unfortunately, we did not see any of those but we saw a ton of seals. Before we saw them, we could hear them. There was at least several hundred seals in the water or sunbathing on the rocks. There was not a good path to get down closer to them but it was cool to watch them all the same. Eventually the path led us to steep sand dunes (which are really fun to run down) and then to a secluded beach with maybe two people on it. I wish I had worn by bathing suit because I would have gone in the water. There we found a washed up puffer fish, which I proceeded to play with because I am a little kid. The water was so blue, the sand was so soft – everything was gorgeous. I wish we could have spent more time there but unfortunately, we had to get back in order to go to the game reserve.
After the end of the hike, we planned on calling Tyrrone to come and get us but he was already there (just a hint at how great these people were). He had some bad news though: the game reserve overbooked and there were no horses left for us to ride. We headed back to the lodge in order to determine what else to do. The alternative given to us was just as amazing: go to Knysna Elephant Sanctuary and ride the elephants throughout the park. Obviously we said that would be amazing. Tyrrone took us to The Lookout, a really good restaurant that he works at, in order to eat. Most people got fried calamari or calamari steaks. I opted for the fish and chips but it was soo good, some of the best that I have had. Apparently, the Lookout used to overlook the best beach in all of Plettenburg Bay but due to heavy rain, it was flooded several months ago, to the point that most of the parking lot is under water. There is no hope of it going down and that is too bad because it might start to affect the infrastructure of the restaurant. Some people have doubts on whether or not it will survive, due to the intense flooding.
Tyrrone picked us up and we drove to Knysna. The drive itself was almost as much fun. He had an open jeep – the weather was so nice that we climbed into the back and just looked at the scenery as we sped through the streets of Plettenburg, the wind whipping through our hair. Plettenburg is one beautiful town. Just the scenery, atmosphere and basically everything, reminded me of Nantucket. Knysna was amazing as well; just the fact that we were getting a chance to ride on elephants was exciting enough. According to the video that we watched, Knysna elephants are going extinct. There were hundreds of them at the Knysna forest at one point but hunters and poachers dwindled their population down to three. In 1994, the sanctuary was started and two elephants, Harry and Sally (for when Harry Met Sally) were the start of the sanctuary. Now, thanks to Harry and Sally, there are 10 Knysna elephants and these are the only ones in the world. The sanctuary is an open piece of property (there are fences so that elephants don’t wander into people’s back yards) that is a part of the Knysna forest. We had 4 elephants waiting for us. Jung and I wound up riding the biggest of them all, Harry. Unfortunately, it was not like Aladdin where you have a little hut thing on top of the elephant that you sit on. You are sitting on a blanket, on top of the elephant. Lets just say this would never become my favored mode of transportation. It was uncomfortable, especially since I was the farthest back. First of all, you need to stay in the center of its back, which is really hard. I kept slipping to the left and elephants are very high up, especially Harry. It was a really interesting experience though and elephants are such gentle creatures, except of course when their baby is being threatened (there was a mother and a baby – she was very protective of the baby). I sung Baby Elephant Walk in my head. It was like a train of elephants since there was four in a row (which also reminded me of the marching elephants in Jungle Book). As we were walking through this field, we got to see the other elephants that are part of the sanctuary, out in their environment. It was such a cool experience. I have an “official” picture but no scanner so you guys will have to make do with the pictures Mia took of us since my camera ran out of batteries.
That night kids from local townships came to the Starling for a camp. Vicky and Matthew are such amazing people. They allow these kids, who have to deal with being raped, abused, being exposed to violence etc. to come to their place, as part of the Born In Africa program. The kids are loud, naughty, what little boys usually are but they are actually allowed to be boys. At home, they grow up too fast due to everything that they are exposed to. We played a game of soccer with them and had our dinner, which was lamb, potatoe salad and something else. The lamb was pretty good but I had to keep telling myself it was a cow. After that, they took us on a “pub crawl” which is the South African term for bar hopping. The pubs had such a different, better atmosphere than the ones in Cape Town. It was a lot of fun.
The next morning we awoke to rain – downpouring rain. Since it was muddy, we could not ride the horses through the game park because the horses could slip in the mud. We needed to come up with a different game plan. Unfortunately, most things in Plettenburg Bay are outdoors so when it rains, you are really limited for options . The other group went to go and ride the elephants and we went to do the canopy tour. It was a lot of fun and even Noelle, who is scared of heights, was able to do it. There is a whole system of breaks and you can pause in the middle of the zip line to look at the scenery. It was such a blast. After that ordeal, Katie and Alyssa wanted to go bungee jumping, which the other group was doing as well. We drove out there and it turned out that Sarah and Lauren, the only people who were going to go originally in the other group, were joined by Christine, Jeff and Alex. From our group, Mia, Katie, and Alyssa signed up to bungee jump. John from the other group decided to go with them and Noelle, Jung and I walked out to watch them. Well I think the euphoria of jumping off of a bridge was a little too much for me. You know the saying “if all of your friends jumped off a bridge, would you?” Well apparently I would because I did. Free fall of 7 seconds. My throat hurt all night because I screamed so loud and so hard. Right before I jumped I was wondering what I was getting myself into. I don’t even like the Tower of Terror yet I am jumping off of a freaking bridge! So yeah…it was lekker though (that means really cool in Afrikaans). I still cannot believe that I did it but I have a video and pictures to prove that I did. The video is pretty funny. I am all excited right until they put me on the edge and I say “I can’t do this” and then they push me off. So I am psycho…pretty crazy.
We had a traditional African dinner that night which was an ox tail stew. I cannot remember the actual name of it or anything like that but it was essentially an ox tail stew. It was good! The ox tail tasted like roast beef. I did not want to leave last night though. That place was so much fun and soo cool. I was so relaxed while I was there. Before we left I played drums with some of the guys, we went for a joy ride in the car. I would love to go back there. If Amanda and I had more time, I would take her there to stay. The people there are just amazing. I am so glad that I forced myself to go on this trip. Thank you to everybody for telling me to go even though I was so anxious about it. I have such good memories and do not regret a single second of it.
What was supposed to have happened this weekend:
1) get on bus at 6:45 and arrive in Plettenburg Bay at 3:30 AM. Get picked up by Starling Backpackers
2) go to Nature’s Valley (via cab)
3) Hiking
4) Beach days
5) Total relaxation
What actually happened this weekend:
1) got on bus at ~ 6:45. Broke down ~ 2:30 and arrived at around 4:30 A.M.
2) went hiking at Robberg Peninsula
3) went to Knysna Elephant Sanctuary where I rode an elephant
4) Two hour long canopy tours consisting of 6 zip lines over waterfalls
5) Bunjee jumping off of the world’s highest bunjee jump. A 7 second free fall
6) Beach
7) We never made it to Nature’s Valley
Now time to explain the strange course of events that made up one of the most exciting weekends ever! The whole premise of this vacation was to go to Nature’s Valley, a secluded beach area. To this day, we still don’t know what Nature’s Valley actually is. Anyways, after an entire day of several people trying to figure out how we would get to Nature’s Valley, which is a point along the Garden Route, we decided that the best course of action would be to take an Intercape bus from Cape Town to Plettenburg Bay, a town right next to Nature’s Valley. There, we would stay at a hostel, which wound up being Starling Backpackers, and then take taxis to and from Nature’s Valley. Eventually, after much planning and rearranging Marita’s class, again, which I felt horrible about, we arranged for taxis to meet us at UCT right after we finished in order to rush us downtown so we could catch the bus. I was anxious about sleeping on the bus, since it was an overnight ride, but Mia was great, gave me some melatonin and made sure that I slept which I did. I passed out, so much so that I did not realize that we had broken down on the side of the highway. In my defense, we had been stopping at various stops along the way to pick people up and drop them off so my unconscious state probably thought that it was another stop, a long one. Mia apparently had to poke, prod and yell at me in order to wake me up to tell me we had to get off the bus. I was so confused. We were in the middle of nowhere. Unbeknownst to me, another bus was coming to take everybody that was going to Plettenburg’s Bay. We wound up sitting on the side of the road for a good 30 minutes (the broken down bus was still there). It was fairly amusing. Starlight backpackers picked us up and drove us there to a place that was more of a farm bed and breakfast. I packed my stuff into my single room, assembled my fan (yes I disassembled a fan to bring it with me to sleep) and once again, passed out but this time on a comfortable bed and not a bus seat with people snoring behind me.
The next morning, I realized how amazing our location was. It was serene – absolutely gorgeous. We were on a farm, a place that was originally a mental institution but they bought it and turned it into a backpackers lodge. Vicky and Matthew, the owners, made us breakfast which consisted of mueli (granola with yoghurt in our language) and fruit, a little breakfast (two eggs, bacon, toast and a fried tomato) or a large breakfast (little breakfast + mueli and fruit). After eating breakfast, Vicky and Matthew proceeded to tell us various things that we could do that was in the area. We wound up splitting into two groups, one wanted to do the canopy tours which is essentially a zip line through the forest but this one took you past several waterfalls while the other group that I was a part of wanted to do some hiking. The plan was that we would hike and then come back in time to ride horses through a local game reserve (which I was very excited about).
Robberg Peninsula was gorgeous, that is all that I can say. There were three routes you could take: 45 minute, 2 hour or 4 hour hike. Obviously the longer the hike, the more that you see but we did not have time for the 4 hour hike so we resorted to the 2 hour hike. Our driver, Tyrrone, told us to be on the lookout for dolphins, whales and sharks – you can see them while walking around the peninsula. Unfortunately, we did not see any of those but we saw a ton of seals. Before we saw them, we could hear them. There was at least several hundred seals in the water or sunbathing on the rocks. There was not a good path to get down closer to them but it was cool to watch them all the same. Eventually the path led us to steep sand dunes (which are really fun to run down) and then to a secluded beach with maybe two people on it. I wish I had worn by bathing suit because I would have gone in the water. There we found a washed up puffer fish, which I proceeded to play with because I am a little kid. The water was so blue, the sand was so soft – everything was gorgeous. I wish we could have spent more time there but unfortunately, we had to get back in order to go to the game reserve.
After the end of the hike, we planned on calling Tyrrone to come and get us but he was already there (just a hint at how great these people were). He had some bad news though: the game reserve overbooked and there were no horses left for us to ride. We headed back to the lodge in order to determine what else to do. The alternative given to us was just as amazing: go to Knysna Elephant Sanctuary and ride the elephants throughout the park. Obviously we said that would be amazing. Tyrrone took us to The Lookout, a really good restaurant that he works at, in order to eat. Most people got fried calamari or calamari steaks. I opted for the fish and chips but it was soo good, some of the best that I have had. Apparently, the Lookout used to overlook the best beach in all of Plettenburg Bay but due to heavy rain, it was flooded several months ago, to the point that most of the parking lot is under water. There is no hope of it going down and that is too bad because it might start to affect the infrastructure of the restaurant. Some people have doubts on whether or not it will survive, due to the intense flooding.
Tyrrone picked us up and we drove to Knysna. The drive itself was almost as much fun. He had an open jeep – the weather was so nice that we climbed into the back and just looked at the scenery as we sped through the streets of Plettenburg, the wind whipping through our hair. Plettenburg is one beautiful town. Just the scenery, atmosphere and basically everything, reminded me of Nantucket. Knysna was amazing as well; just the fact that we were getting a chance to ride on elephants was exciting enough. According to the video that we watched, Knysna elephants are going extinct. There were hundreds of them at the Knysna forest at one point but hunters and poachers dwindled their population down to three. In 1994, the sanctuary was started and two elephants, Harry and Sally (for when Harry Met Sally) were the start of the sanctuary. Now, thanks to Harry and Sally, there are 10 Knysna elephants and these are the only ones in the world. The sanctuary is an open piece of property (there are fences so that elephants don’t wander into people’s back yards) that is a part of the Knysna forest. We had 4 elephants waiting for us. Jung and I wound up riding the biggest of them all, Harry. Unfortunately, it was not like Aladdin where you have a little hut thing on top of the elephant that you sit on. You are sitting on a blanket, on top of the elephant. Lets just say this would never become my favored mode of transportation. It was uncomfortable, especially since I was the farthest back. First of all, you need to stay in the center of its back, which is really hard. I kept slipping to the left and elephants are very high up, especially Harry. It was a really interesting experience though and elephants are such gentle creatures, except of course when their baby is being threatened (there was a mother and a baby – she was very protective of the baby). I sung Baby Elephant Walk in my head. It was like a train of elephants since there was four in a row (which also reminded me of the marching elephants in Jungle Book). As we were walking through this field, we got to see the other elephants that are part of the sanctuary, out in their environment. It was such a cool experience. I have an “official” picture but no scanner so you guys will have to make do with the pictures Mia took of us since my camera ran out of batteries.
That night kids from local townships came to the Starling for a camp. Vicky and Matthew are such amazing people. They allow these kids, who have to deal with being raped, abused, being exposed to violence etc. to come to their place, as part of the Born In Africa program. The kids are loud, naughty, what little boys usually are but they are actually allowed to be boys. At home, they grow up too fast due to everything that they are exposed to. We played a game of soccer with them and had our dinner, which was lamb, potatoe salad and something else. The lamb was pretty good but I had to keep telling myself it was a cow. After that, they took us on a “pub crawl” which is the South African term for bar hopping. The pubs had such a different, better atmosphere than the ones in Cape Town. It was a lot of fun.
The next morning we awoke to rain – downpouring rain. Since it was muddy, we could not ride the horses through the game park because the horses could slip in the mud. We needed to come up with a different game plan. Unfortunately, most things in Plettenburg Bay are outdoors so when it rains, you are really limited for options . The other group went to go and ride the elephants and we went to do the canopy tour. It was a lot of fun and even Noelle, who is scared of heights, was able to do it. There is a whole system of breaks and you can pause in the middle of the zip line to look at the scenery. It was such a blast. After that ordeal, Katie and Alyssa wanted to go bungee jumping, which the other group was doing as well. We drove out there and it turned out that Sarah and Lauren, the only people who were going to go originally in the other group, were joined by Christine, Jeff and Alex. From our group, Mia, Katie, and Alyssa signed up to bungee jump. John from the other group decided to go with them and Noelle, Jung and I walked out to watch them. Well I think the euphoria of jumping off of a bridge was a little too much for me. You know the saying “if all of your friends jumped off a bridge, would you?” Well apparently I would because I did. Free fall of 7 seconds. My throat hurt all night because I screamed so loud and so hard. Right before I jumped I was wondering what I was getting myself into. I don’t even like the Tower of Terror yet I am jumping off of a freaking bridge! So yeah…it was lekker though (that means really cool in Afrikaans). I still cannot believe that I did it but I have a video and pictures to prove that I did. The video is pretty funny. I am all excited right until they put me on the edge and I say “I can’t do this” and then they push me off. So I am psycho…pretty crazy.
We had a traditional African dinner that night which was an ox tail stew. I cannot remember the actual name of it or anything like that but it was essentially an ox tail stew. It was good! The ox tail tasted like roast beef. I did not want to leave last night though. That place was so much fun and soo cool. I was so relaxed while I was there. Before we left I played drums with some of the guys, we went for a joy ride in the car. I would love to go back there. If Amanda and I had more time, I would take her there to stay. The people there are just amazing. I am so glad that I forced myself to go on this trip. Thank you to everybody for telling me to go even though I was so anxious about it. I have such good memories and do not regret a single second of it.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Pictures from Two Oceans Aquarium from last weekend. Look! I found Buddy in South Africa! :)
I found Nemo!!! Apparently Nemo got frisky and made lots of little nemos.
Madiba and I. We make a really cute couple if I may say so :)
Dun dun dun dun....JAWS! Just for you Amanda! :)
So those are the end of the pictures that I feel like putting up. More are on my picture website, now onto this past weekend. This weekend past by quite uneventfully. I did not go out at all because I am exhausted and bored of the club scene. Instead, I stayed home at night and watched some movies.
On Friday, I went to Rondebosch center with Sarah to do some shopping. We went into Vertigo (my new favorite store) and I did not buy anything, even though there was a sale! I was proud of my self control. Then later, I took a MBT (mini bus taxi - they sound much more legit when you say MBT) to Observatory to meet Mia. We had fun, tried on some dresses. I tried on this gorgeous dress that I thought looked really good on me but it was the type of dress that you can only wear to a club. Since I do not go clubbing, I saw no point in spending money on it (it was not cheap at all) if I am going to use it once or twice. We went to Obs cafe for tea (big thing around here) and dinner. My dinner was a blueberry muffin and a delicious slice of chocolate cake. The waiter was really confused when he was asked to bring an Italian Job (a really good burger according to Mia) and a piece of cake. Whatever, I was happy with my selection.
Saturday was a little confusing and disappointing. I was supposed to go to Khayelitsha and start my soccer lessons with the girls but the vans did not show up on time to pick us up. We were supposed to be picked up at 10:30 because some people had tickets to a soccer game for 3:30 and needed to be back early. I was very dismayed that people did not tell me about the soccer game when I told everybody about the rugby game that I was invited to but that is another story. Anyways, the vans did not arrive at the house until 12:30 which was too late for anybody to go. I still would have gone but it would have only been me paying for the entire car, which I cannot afford to do. I was really disappointed and I am sure the kids were too. I understand that things run on Africa time, but 2 hours late is late even for African time! So, after that disappointment, I decided to go to the soccer game, if I could get tickets. Some people walked to Checkers to try and get them there but they were sold out. There were tickets at the actual stadium but we called and you had to buy tickets at a different stadium then where the game was being played it. It was confusing so I decided it was more of a hassle to try to do all of that. I will go to another game with Alyssa since she did not get to go either and shares a love for soccer. I wound up wasting a day and went running because I was pissed. After the run I jumped in the pool with all of my clothes on. The pool was so disgusting, I could get a UTI from jumping in there but it was fun. The boys bought inflatable pool toys, like a basketball hoop, and we were running in and dunking. It was crazy but fun.
Today, I went to Clifton Beach again. Soo gorgeous. I have a slight sunburn even though I once again lathered many many times. I found a Little Mermaid rock where I can pose like her. All I need now is a wave to come crashing at just the right minute and bam...I offically am a Little Mermaid freak (moreso than I am now). Oh! I got Amanda's postcards from Belgium! The Atomium structure was my favorite postcard and people are beginning to realize just how much of a science geek I actually am. And Dad's package came in. It came into a post office that is far away so I am going to get them to transfer is to the Rondebosch post office that is down the road. Why it is in Cavendish...I have no idea. The postal system here makes no sense to me.
I am very excited for next weekend. I still have my doubts about it but I think it will be fun. A bunch of us are leaving Thursday night on a bus to go to Plettenburg Bay (we will arrive at 3:30 in the morning). We are going to stay in a hostel and right next to Plettenburg Bay is Nature's Valley, a very secluded area where in order to get to the beach, you have to hike there. I am excited about it because it is supposed to be gorgeous. Since the beachs are hard to get to, they are empty even though they are gorgeous. The mountains are supposed to be gorgeous as well. Also, the worlds tallest bungee jumping is in the area. Don't worry, I am not bungee jumping - I would be psycho if I did that but I will watch everybody else doing that. We are then leaving Sunday night at 10:45 and will arrive in Cape Town at 6:45 in the morning. Hopefully I will be able to sleep the entire bus ride so that I can just go to work right after I arrive back in town. It will be nice to get out of the city because we are slowly running out of things to do. I want to plan a trip to Outdshoorn, the place where I can ride ostriches and see the Cango Caves. Also, there are a lot more nature reserves that I would love to go to. It is just so hard with so many people. All of them want to do everything but when it is such a large group, it is so hard to get things planned and get them done since we have to take everybody into account. And if you only want a select few people to go, it hurts other peoples feelings if you don't invite them. So basically, it is freaking hard to plan things around here. I always feel bad if certain people are not included but hey, it is not my job to make sure everybody has a good time right? Anyways, I love and miss you all!!
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