I'm actually living here...

So it has been 10 days since my last entry and I realize that old habits die hard and that I am not being as diligent as I would like. However, life here has actually been relatively normal, which is strange to me. I have finally realized that this is not a vacation and that Rondebocsh (my neighborhood) will actually be my home for the next 5 months. Classes have started and I have finally began to adapt to a daily routine.

Every weekday morning (except wednesdays) I wake up and catch the Jammie (UCT shuttle) and go to 2 classes from 11-1 and then take the Jammie back to Main road to meet my friends for lunch....or I go to the beach depending on the day. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I go to African dance, where I make a fool of myself for about two hours. On Wednesdays, I have no class in the morning which is a blessing! This Wednesday (tomorrow) I will begin SHAWCO in the afternoons. SHAWCO is an after school teaching program for UCT students and students living in various townships. I have not really learned a single thing about what I will be doing, so my first session will be interesting to say the least. Then after SHAWCO, I have my Core Class....where all the students on my program sit in a lecture room for 3 hours and learn about everything South Africa. For now, it is something I flat out dread on a weekly basis. But I know that I will come home and have actually learned something which will be exciting, especially seeing as I sadly knew very little upon my arrival.

And that is my life here..very simple for now. It is strange having time during the day. Usually at school, I fill my schedule with as many clubs and jobs and activities as I can...but it is nice sometimes to just decide to have a last minute surf lesson, or go for a quick hike after dinner. I just love that there are so many things to do.

and now that I have been here for about a month, I think I have a pretty good idea of my favorite and least favorite part about this place. We played a game at dinner once called Rose and Thorn, where we have named the highlights and low-lights of our time in Cape Town so far. Here are my top 5 roses and thorns of Cape Town, South Africa

ROSES (in no particular order)

1. The views: the back drop of a huge thriving city is the coolest and most beautiful mountain that I have ever seen

2. The weather: waking up to a warm sunny day every is the best thing ever. I love coming home from the beach and looking through my friends pictures wearing jackets in Europe or seeing pictures of my friends trudging through the snow up in rochester-how to students get anything done at the university of Miami?

3.THE EXCHANGE RATE. no explanation necessary

4. the people. I have not met an unfriendly South African since I have been here. whether I am on the wrong bus, lost on campus or wondering the which best mueseli to buy (all of these things have happened) there has been a South African ready and willing to help!

5. The nightlife. There is literally always something going on. being of legal drinking age is never a bad thing either ;)

THORNS

1.public transportation: I am sure the trains and busses run on a legitimate schedule, but my friends and I have yet to figure that out. I feel like I have wasted hours running around bus stations asking where it stops and then having to repeat myself 4 times over because I was not understood the first, second or third time. Although cheap, they are just not my cup of tea. However, a ride on the train or bus will teach you very quickly about the race and class issues that are still VERY prevalent down here.

2.not being able to go anywhere alone. If I want to go someplace at night and my roommates want to go some place else, I am forced to go with the majority. Whether it is going home early or staying out late, I have to plan who I am going out with ahead of time so that there will be somebody to share my cab home because you cannot take one by yourself.

3.the crazy drivers. If there is one thing I learned during my time here so far...it is to be careful while crossing the street. Pedestrians do not I repeat DO NOT have the right of way down here. the drivers WILL run you ever

4. All of the stores close here WAY to early. 3:30 is closing time for many stores and 5:30 for all the rest. This is in part to avoid much of the crime that comes full force at night, but frustrating nonetheless

5. the crime. Although I have been lucky enough to have come through unscathed as of yet, I still have 4 more months to go. I have heard terrible stories of pick-pocketing, muggings, robberies and violence, from American students but also from people who have lived here all their lives. You are always at risk here.

And I think that is it for now. I will try my best to write more often.....and even harder to make good memories that worth writing about!

a different view of the city

So it was Monday afternoon and my roommates came into my room and said, "Hey, wanna go skydiving tomorrow?" and I said "sure." Just like that. It was the one thing I had explicitly promised my parents I wouldn't do...but they couldn't come down here and stop me! (I also chose not to tell them because they would have totally guilted me out of it).

The whole night before and day of I was surprisingly calm. I researched to make sure Skydive Cape Town (I think the most popular place down here) was a reputable company....but there was no way I was watching any of those sample videos...what I didn't see wouldn't hurt me. We got there, picked a partner to go up with and waited our turn as if we were going to visit the doctor. Naturally they called me first....and then I started to freak out. I tried to appease myself with the seriously beautiful views of the city in 2ft plane we were squished into...but the pictures say a thousand words....I was anything but appeased.

My friend, Amy, went first. When we hit 12,000 ft above sea level...they strapped her to the parachute and she just jumped out of the plane. and I screamed "OMG AMY YOU JUST JUMPED OUT OF A PLANE" and they said "okay danielle let's go," and I asked if we could just wait a minuteso that I could catch my breath and process what was going to happen. "Nope," they said, and before I knew it I was screaming my head off, free falling 4,000 feet in the air. The free fall part lasted about 30seconds. Those were 30 of the best seconds in my life ( Missed the first 5 though because me eyes were closed) The feeling is indescribable.

Before we had jumped out, my guide told me exactly what to do. Where to put my arms and when....and how to position my legs in between his like a banana. I totally understood. But when I jumped out of the plane...I did not do one single thing he said. My style included more of the arms flailing about and legs kicking in the air type of thing than anything else. When the parachute opened..everything was silent. I could see everything. The Indian and Atlantic oceans, Table Mountain, the city, the beach I was at a few days ago....everything. I learned how to fly myself (which made me extremely nauseous) and before I knew it I was learning to land. I think the best part was being able to cal my parents and say "Guess what I just did." I'm glad they didn't have heart attacks over the phone.

I will try posting photos later....there is a video as well that is definitely worth watching but I don't think there is a way to post it here but I will do my best to try!