Side Note

Before I move on to The Real World: Southern Africa Pt 3, it has been brought to my attention that I have forgotten a very important detail about our trip up Table Mountain.

Our dear friend Samantha Montana Francesca Giglio suffered a grave injury. Yep, you guessed it. A dassie bit her. Now you may find yourself asking "How on earth did that happen? Dassies are the most wonderful creature to walk the planet! Sam must have provoked the poor dear." And that is exactly how it went down.

For shame, Sammy, for shame!

Luckily, the dassie and Sam made up and parted on good terms. As for Sam's lil' injury, we got her some Purell and a cold beer and all was well.

The Real World: Southern Africa Pt. 2

After Bulungula we flew from Mthatha to Johannesburg, where we stayed for about 3 days. And lucky for us, our good friend Dara was able to join us for this leg of the trip. We stayed in a backpackers in Soweto, which is an abbreviation for Southwestern Township. Soweto is home to about 5 million people, most notably Nelson Mandela and Bishop Desmond Tutu! The backpackers was right in the center of the township, which we loved. The owner, Lebo, was probably the coolest person ever. He started the backpackers when he was 19, after he got sick of selling arts and crafts outside of the Hector Peterson museum. He told us that he really just wanted to party with internationals, and opening a backpackers was a good way to do that and still make cash. Sounds like a solid business plan to me!

            On our first full day in Soweto, Annie, Corie, Dara, myself, and our new Norwegian friend Katrinne went exploring in the historic part of Soweto. First we went to the Hector Peterson museum, which commemorates the riots that were held in the 70’s, protesting the use of Afrikaans as the dominant language used in schools. We were all very moved by what we saw and read. The riots got so bad at one point that the United Nations had to intervene. Despite how big of a deal these riots were, this was the first time any of us had ever heard of them. It’s upsetting how little history of apartheid is taught in American schools. But enough of that! So much more awesome stuff happened that day! After the museum we meandered over to historic Vilakazi Street. This is where both Mandela and Tutu’s homes are located. The street is gorgeous and colorful and lined with restaurants and vendors. We had a great time. First, we went to Mandela’s old house. For those of you familiar with Mandela’s family history, you know that he and Winnie lived at 8115 Vilakazi, and how important 8115 was to Madiba. The house was very small, and the walls were lined with tons of awards and honorary degrees given to Madiba and Winnie. It was awesome. It was definitely one of my favorite things that we did. We also stopped by Bishop Tutu’s home, but we couldn’t go in. We think it’s because he still lives there when he isn’t in Cape Town.

            The next day, we planned on heading into Joburg to visit the Apartheid Museum, which is one of the things I was most looking forward to doing in South Africa. HOWEVER, we were unaware that literally NOTHING in Johannesburg is open on Mondays. NOTHING. So we didn’t get to go to the Apartheid Museum, which was a huge bummer, but we made it work. We were able to go to the Top of Africa, which is at the top floor of the highest building on, you guessed it, the continent of Africa. We got a pretty sick view of downtown Joburg, so I’d say it was worth it. Afterwards, we grabbed some melkterts (kind of like a buttermilk pie) and headed back to Soweto. After all, we needed to rest up before our trek up to Zambia!

See you in Livingstone!

-       G

The Real World: Southern Africa Pt. 1

After the semester ended, we had about 3 weeks to do whatever so Chris, Annie, Corie and myself went on a little adventure around Southern Africa!

First stop: The Wild Coast!

We boarded an overnight bus to Mthatha and we were off! This bus was ridiculous. First off it was a double decker, which was awesome. Also, it was about 85 degrees inside. It stayed 85 degrees the entire 14 hours. They also played a lot of Xhosa gospel music. It was great. When we finally got to Mthatha, we took a series of bakkies (weird pick-up trucks) to our little village of Bulungula. There are about 5000 people in Bulungula and it is the most picturesque little town ever. We stayed in a little backpackers and it ruled. It was so cute and there were tons of animals roaming around. Our other friends Maureen and Elyse also met us there! Each day the lodge provided us with some great activities to do within the village. The first day, Annie, Corie, Elyse, Maureen and I did the ‘Women in Power Day!’ We went into the village and sort of shadowed a local woman. She painted our faces from clay rocks, taught us how to balance water on our heads, and showed us how to make mud bricks. It was awesome. We also went canoeing another day. Chris and I decided it was more fun to just drift in our canoe than actually paddle.

Out of all the places we traveled, Bulungula was probably my favorite.

Next Stop: Johannesburg!

-       G

Table Mountain - That Shit Grey

Reasons why going into labor is better than climbing Table Mountain:

-       You have A/C or heating

-       You get to eat ice chips

-       You are in a stationary position

-       You don’t have to wear pants

Reasons why climbing Table Mountain was still super fun:

-       Creating new lyrics to ‘Ni**as in Paris’ so they fit our current circumstances

o   Example: “Fog so thick motherfuckers can’t find me…that shit grey”

o   To clarify, my comrades and I literally chose the worst day to climb this mountain. We had five months to do so, and we chose to do it when you can’t see the view of Cape Town because it’s the dead of winter and the mountain is covered with clouds, a ‘tablecloth’ if you will.

-       We saw lots of dassies, which are quite possibly the cutest and greatest animal to ever walk the planet

-       I was with my favorite people

o   Sam, Chris, Meg, James, Hallie, Shana, David, and Kelly

-       We took way too many snack breaks, which is the only way to climb a mountain as far as I’m concerned.

-       Once we got to the top, it was great! They had a great lil’ café place and we had a nice post-climb lunch.

All in all, I think I would do it again. Just kidding! I’m totally taking the cable car up next time I’m in Cape Town.

-       G

Langebaan Lovin'

This weekend, a handful of us Ad-Libbers (plus Sam) visited Liz’s beach house in Langebaan for the weekend! It was the most perfect weekend ever. When you throw a bunch of weirdos like us into a house for 48 hours, we’re bound to keep ourselves entertained. Honestly, we did nothing terribly special, we just sat around goofing off the whole time and it was AWESOME. A good bit of time was spent trying to teach the South Africans how to improve their American accent and vice versa. None of our efforts were very successful. Saturday night we made a potjie, which is a traditional South African dish, and had another fines night. And of course, the weekend just wouldn’t be complete unless we played a few improv games.

The weekend was one of the best weekends I’ve had since I’ve been in South Africa. Spending lots of time with my favorite people in this country was so special and I honestly wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world. Words cannot describe how much I am going to miss these people. I’ve blogged about it before and I’ll blog about it again: I have literally found the most amazing group of people to be friends with at this university and in this country. I know that I have not simply found people that I can say I befriended for a semester, but I have found people that I will be friends with for the rest of my life. Thanks to y’all I will now constantly be in debt because of all the plane tickets I’ll be buying to come visit you! But, hey, be sure to head on over to my side of the world at some point so we can work on that accent J

- G 

Kalahari - Let's get granola, y'all!

We just recently had our very last all AIFS excursion. ‘Twas sad, but that trip was ridiculous, so that made up for it. We ventured into the wild unknown that is the Kalahari Desert. The part of the Kalahari where we were was right at the border between Namibia, South Africa, and Botswana. Here is a brief rundown of what all we did.

Day 1

- We left Stellenbosch at around 9pm on a huge safari truck. I’m not really sure what exactly it was, so I’m going to go with “safari truck.

- It took us about 14 hours to get there, so we all slept for the vast majority of the ride.

- Once we got there, we had a walking tour of part of the desert with a few of the San people, an indigenous people of Africa. They showed us some of the edible plants, and their meaning and such. It would have been more fun if it wasn’t so freaking hot outside, but I mean, I am in Africa.

Day 2

-       Game Drive Day!

-       We left our camp site bright and early (or rather, dark and early) the next morning to go on our game drive!

-       Pretty much our whole day consisted of driving around looking for animals, and I’d say we were pretty successful!

-       Here are some of the animals we saw:

o   Leopard! (apparently very rarely seen, so we were lucky)

o   Cheetahs! (we watched them kill a springbok and drag him under a tree and nom on him for a bit)

o   Giraffes! (They cam every close to us, which also apparently pretty rare)

o   Springbok!

o   Gemsbok!

o   Steenbok!

o   Red Hartebeest!

o   Blue Wildebeest!

-       We tried our very hardest to find a lion, but to no avail.

Day 3

-       We packed up out tents to head to our new campsite, but made a few stops on the way.

-       First stop: the weirdest boat ride ever

o   We hopped on what seemed to be a wannabe booze cruise. They played a combination of Afrikaans pop and things that one might hear on radio Disney. The “captain” kept spinning the boat around in circles despite the cries of despair from the passengers. The whole thing was super weird.

-       Next was the Augrabies Falls. We walked up to the falls and saw many a dassie on the way. For those of you who don’t know, the dassie is probably the greatest animal in the world. It is the closest living relative to the elephant, though you wouldn’t know by looking at it, and they are hella cute. We got to the falls right at sunset and it was perfect. We could even see the Namibian border! All was well until Corie dropped one of her crutches down the cliff and into the falls, then we figured it was time to head back to camp.

-       At night, we did a fun little activity called “Fines Night.” It was fantastic. Essentially, people write fines for you for saying something stupid, or doing something silly. All of our fines were read out loud, and then we funneled from a vuvuzela. A few of my fines included:

o   Taking motion sickness to a whole new level

o   Not knowing how to ride a bicycle

o   Telling an inappropriate story without realizing our guide was right behind me.

Day 4

-       White Water Rafting!

o   First thing in the morning we donned our swimsuits and headed down to the Orange River for some rafting!

o   Bernie was my partner and we were with Julie and Kristen in the guide’s boat, so we were the first to go down every rapid and we didn’t capsize once! The weather was perfect and the water was cool, it was perfect for a quick dip. It was my first time ever rafting and I loved it.

o   After we got back to camp, we backed up and got on the road back to Stellenbosch

Overall, I’d say it was a very successful safari. Dare I say we bonded even more? This trip was just one more reminder of how much I love the people I’m here with, and how much I’m going to miss them when we get home. Although it will be much easier to visit them than my South African friends since we’re in the same, y’know, hemisphere.

-       G 

Ek is snaaks!

About two weeks ago I had my very first improv show! It was great! I had so much fun! I channeled my inner Tina Fey and even managed to make the crowd laugh once or twice. I don’t really have much to say about it other than I wish you could have been there.

-       Ginny

Garden Route 2012 - It's a Christmas Musical!

You’d think that after 3 months of being here, I’d learn to blog regularly. Apparently not. Nevertheless! Here is yet another for your reading pleasure and/or obligation.

For our fall break (or spring break, depending on which hemisphere you live in) all of us AIFS people took a road trip on South Africa’s beautiful Garden Route! To be honest I’m not really sure how to explain what exactly the Garden Route is, but look it up on Google images, and you’ll understand why it’s such a big deal. Here’s a lil’ rundown of all that we did!

Day 1

-       Leave Academia at 5 am. Woof.

-       After a number of hours on the road, we make it to our first destination. The Cango Caves!

o   It should also be noted that I only threw up twice on the way there! Yipee!

o   The Cango Caves are these absolutely insane underground caves that were discovered in 1780.

o   Being the agile young explorer that I am, I took the adventure tour of the caves! This means that I got to climb around in the dark and wet crevices of the caves. It was super cool.

-       After we left the caves, we went straight to the ostrich farm!

o   First we had a little sit-down session to learn some fun facts about ostriches.

o   Then we got to meet the ostriches! They were super soft, and they even gave us hugs!

-       Our final stop was the backpackers we would be staying at for the next 2 nights. They had puppies running around all over the place, so I was a-ok with our accommodations.

Day 2

-       Kloofing!

o   Kloofing is quite possibly the coolest thing ever. It’s kind of like canyoning, hiking, and swimming all wrapped into one.

o   We put on wetsuits and climbed on some big boulders and floated down some rapids. It was sick.

o   Only downside: We were so cold!

-       Horseback riding!

o   I hadn’t been horseback riding in forever! So much fun! A little scary at first, but I had the best horse ever, so it worked out great.

Day 3

-       First Stop: Knysna!

o   We spent the first part of our day in a small town called Knysna. It was on the waterfront and was too cute. However, they clearly knew that it was frequented by tourists, because it was insanely overpriced! But that didn’t stop me from treating myself to a clock with Nelson’s Mandela’s face on it :) 

-       Knysna Elephant Park

o   After lunch, we visited Knysna Elephant Park. Our visit mainly consisted of us feeding them pineapples and butternut squashes, petting them, and taking tons of pictures. They were so friendly!

-       Antler’s Lodge

o   We stayed at the best backpackers ever! It was so beautiful! And our accommodations were nice n’ fancy! Plus, this place also had 2 dogs frolicking about, so, again, I loved it. There was also a nice big campfire, perfect for AIFS bonding.

Day 4

-       Big Time Bungee

o   First thing in the morning, we drove to a huge bridge just outside the border of the Western Cape, and watched some of our friends bungee jump off one of the highest bungees in the world! Sam and I hung out in a nearby café, documented the festivities and kept our feet planted firmly on the ground.

-       Playing in Plett

o   After the bungee, Sam, Raemy, Miranda and I spent the afternoon in downtown Plett. We had lunch and did some souvenir shopping. Nothing too special, but we enjoyed ourselves quite a bit.

Day 5

-       More playing in Plett

o   We spent the morning in Plett again, but Sam, Meg, Halie, Kelly, Janien, Corie and I went to the beach and played in the Indian Ocean!

o   They keep telling us that the Atlantic coast is much colder than the Indian coast, but we thought it was quite chilly in the Indian Ocean! But we stuck it out and kept swimming! It was the clearest and bluest water I’ve ever swam in. It was amazing.

-       Big Cats / Monkeyland

o   In the afternoon we visited a sanctuary for big cats! We got right up close with some cheetahs and a few other fairly obscure but equally cute and ferocious kitties. We even saw a leopard! But he was very shy.

o   After the big cats we went to Monkeyland! Monkeyland is a big sanctuary for, you guessed it, monkeys! They have tons of different species and they basically just run around you, bein’ cute. They said that sometimes Monkeyland is where they send monkeys after they retire from show biz! So basically I was in the presence of celebrities. Do y'all remember Ross' monkey Marcel from those early 'Friends' episodes? He lived in Monkeyland!

-       Talent Show

o   In the evening, since it was our last night, we decided to do something special and put on a talent show for each other. Chris, James and I put on a little concert for our comrades. I created instruments by filling empty beer bottles and filling them with various amounts of water. I’m so innovative. Sam and I also did the Tina Fey dance for James since it was also his bday. Everyone had great acts and it was super fun to just be silly for a few hours (as if that’s not what I do all the time anyway).

The next morning, it was back to Stellenbosch! By the time we got home, we were completely exhausted, but it was so worth it. We had such a great time!

-       G Dawg

I don't hate it!

Y'all. They put feta cheese on everything here. It rules.

TIA (This is Africa)

Greetings, loyal readers (or lack thereof)! I know you all have been waiting to read the next chapter of my African adventures with bated breath. Stress no longer, my comrades! Here it is!

To be honest, not too much has been going on the past few weeks. Due dates are looming, so I’ve been doing quite a bit of schoolwork during my free time. And by schoolwork, I mean napping. But I’ve also done a good bit of exploring.

Sam, Meg, Halie, Jelly Roll, and myself all went to the Stellenbosch Farmers’ Market a few weekends ago and it was AWESOME. I would compare it to the Old Biscuit Mill (see previous post), but on a smaller scale. Lots of delicious food, local vendors and shops, and excellent people watching. I bought a spring roll for R5! That’s less than a dollar! And it was fantastic! I’m going back next weekend, and I’m definitely bringing my parents there when they get to Stellenbosch.

Last weekend I had quite the adventure. Sam, Corie, Zack, Brooke and I joined our Ad-Lib friend Liz and her roommates for a wine festival in a nearby town called Paarl. R70 bought you all the wine you could ever drink, shuttles to and from 13 different wine farms and a wine glass. I also had my debit card stolen! But, I digress. At the very last farm we went to, a relatively famous South African band called Zebra and Giraffe were playing and they were so good! Google ‘em!

This weekend was also packed. Saturday was St. Patrick’s Day, so most AIFSers booked it to Brazen’s (the Irish pub, which also happens to be our most frequented bar) for some green Guinness and good times. We played about 30 rounds of UpChickens, (which is one of the greatest games ever, I’ll explain later) and just enjoyed each other’s company. Some of our South African friends also made appearances! Then, on Sunday, we all went to Kirstenbosch, which, if I’m not mistaken, is a giant botanical gardens complete with a concert pavilion! We saw a band called FreshlyGround and they were great! They even played Waka Waka! We packed little picnics and all sat on the lawn listening to some sweet tunes. It was fantastic.

Blog posts will be more frequent, I promise. April will literally be packed with activities so I’ll have plenty to write about.

- G-dawg 

Token Americans

Since we arrived, Corie and I have been working very hard on our mission to get some South African friends. Well, not only have we succeeded, out of a campus of 25,000 students, we have literally found the greatest group of people to be friends with.

A few weeks ago, we joined Stellenbosch’s Ad-Lib improv society, in efforts to become as funny as we already think we are, and to make equally funny South African friends. And as luck would have it, we’ve been pretty successful! In one of those categories, at least. Last week, Ad-Lib had their first show of the school year, and that night was probably the most fun I’ve had since I got to Stellenbosch. I cannot emphasize enough how great these people are. They have gone out of their way to make us feel welcome and to introduce us to new people. Since Tuesday, we’ve hung out with various groupings of these new friends on a few occasions and each time I get more and more excited that I know them.

Until next time,

Ginny

P.S. Hi Jaco and Adriana! 

If it's yum-yum, I send it back!

This past weekend, Sam, Meg, Chris, James, Bernice, Halie, Sully, and myself all went to Cape Town for the weekend! Here is a brief rundown of our whereabouts:

Friday:

-       Finally made it to Cape Town after missing not 1, but 2 trains.

-       Drank more margaritas than I care to admit.

-       Tried to tackle Long Street, got too sleepy.

Saturday:

-       Went to the Old Biscuit Mill!

o   Had way too much delicious food including ice cream, hot dogs, thai noodles, sangria, etc.

o   Befriended lots of dogs

-       Went to the beach at Camps Bay!

o   Tried exploring with Sam, got lost

o   Did a little bit of swimming

o   Did NOT get sunburned!

-       Mama Africa for dinner!

o   Traditional African food, live music, good friends

o   Warthog, ostrich, springbok, and crocodile, oh my!

§  Warthog and springbok were tied for my favorite

-       Tried to tackle Long Street again, got too sleepy

Sunday:

-       Went to a cute lil’ café for breakfast

o   They had real iced coffee, so we were all happy campers

-       Missed only 1 train back to Stellenbosch

o   Sam and I resurrected the game of MASH (note: it’s still awesome)

-       Made it home to Stellenbosch

-       Stopped at Trumpet Tree on the way home

All in all, it was a fantastic weekend, and the moral of the story is Cape Town is great, and Cape Town is fun, but Stellenbosch is still number one.

 - G

Mail Call!

Alas! It just occurred to me that I haven't posted my mailing address on here!

Ginny Sanborn
PO Box 3271
Matieland
Stellenbosch
7602
South Africa

Now go forth and write me letters!

-G

Who Run the World? Backwoods Bitches.

This past weekend, we AIFS kids went on an excursion to the Cederberg Mountains. They are about 4 hours away from Stellenbosch and absolutely beautiful. We were under the impression that we were going to be camping, but we turned out to be living better in the mountains than we do back in Academia (my dorm)! We stayed in several very nice mountain cabins complete with a big ole braai pit out front. The first night, Hestea (our resident advisor and temporary mama) made us some sausages complete with her special secret sauce. We then rested up for the big day ahead of us. We got up bright and early to head over to the trail that leads to the top of the mountain.

The first half of the climb was about 2 hours and brutal, mainly due to the fact that we were in direct sunlight almost the whole time. The second part, however, was absolutely fantastic. It was nice and shady and instead of basically just walking uphill, we were climbing over big boulders. I felt like Indiana Jones. Not sure why, but I did. Once we made it to the top, we had the most bitchin’ view ever. Mama H told us that we were over a kilometer above where we started from. What an accomplishment, especially for someone like me who has no muscle whatsoever. We stayed at the top for about and hour and a half, and then made our way back down.

After our hike, we changed into our swimsuits, grabbed some beers and headed down to the little river next to our cabins for a swim. The river was the perfect temperature and the water felt amazing on our skin and muscles. Mama H also told us that the water in that river was cleaner than our Stellenbosch tap! So we took a couple gulps. We did a little bit of chicken fighting and played a few rounds of sharks and minnows and then called it a day. Swimming in that river has been one of my favorite parts of the past month. The fact that I was wading in a fairly remote African river with some of the best people I know overwhelmed me. I couldn’t get enough. I can only hope that I have similar experiences in the Kalahari and on the Garden Route, but I’m gonna go ahead and say that I probably will.

Ginny

Barf City, Barf Barf City, Bitch!

So, as many of you know, I have been very excited about going shark cage diving for a while now. Sure, I was a little anxious, but whatever! I’m in South Africa! The day finally arrived. I woke up at the crack of dawn (5:30), ate a bland breakfast and tossed two Dramamines down the hatch. The 2 hour drive to the spot was painless, and I was hopeful that the boat ride would be as well. But because I’m Ginny Sanborn, it wasn’t. Not even 20 minutes in, I start getting seasick. Very very seasick. So I did not shark cage dive that weekend. I spent however many hours curled up in a corner of the boat with my little baggies. Luckily, I have been blessed with friends who have strong stomachs who sat with me the entire time.

            I should also mention that before I got sick, I saw 2 insanely massive great white sharks. And on the way back to shore, we saw about 50 little seal pups! So even though I had the most inconvenient ab workout ever, I did get to see some lil’ critters.

            On that note, should you feel the urge to send me a care package (which you should), Dramamine is always needed!

            Until next time,

7 bag Ginny