Two Weeks Left?!

Hello!

So I realized that I suck at keeping this updated. My last post was from our spring break adventure...which began two months ago! I cannot believe how fast time is flying by...I only have two more weeks until I have to leave this beautiful country. I am excited to go home, but I am so sad to be leaving the places and people that have become my home for the past four months. I never thought November would actually show up (speaking of the date...HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALLY!) and now that it has, everyone is starting to freak out. Many of my friends are off on some cross country / inter country adventures (I had my own for spring break so I'll be sticking around Stellenbosch for the last few weeks with some friends). My roommate is on a safari in Kruger national park and then she is going to Victoria Falls in Botswana. Lots of people are exploring the other big cities in South Africa like Durban and Jo'Burg. I am trying to remember some of the interesting stuff I did in the past month or so to tell you about, so here goes!

Back at the end of September there was an AIFS exursion to the whale festival in Hermaus. There was alot more festival than there was whale...but that was okay. According to Mike Leslie there are usually tons of whales that come to that particular bay, but we came a little bit earlier in the season than usual so perhaps they had not all arrived yet. We explored the town and got some delicious gelatto and scoped out the handful of whales that were in the bay. We also got free t-shirts and had a rather lengthy discussion on how much Americans love free items (especially t-shirts). On the way home Mike felt bad because he promised us whales and we didn't see very many, so we stopped at a huge penguin colony and walked around for a while.

The first weekend of October my Econ professor took our class to a Western Province rugby game at Newlands stadium in Cape Town! The Western Province team (WP) is comparable to the Paw Sox...they aren't the major national team but just one step lower. They beat Boland 50-7. It was really fun to actually see a rugby game and hear the chants the crowds came up with. Newlands is also the stadium where the national team (the Springboks) play, so there were tons of advertisments and concessions all around us. Before the game we got a tour of the brand new world cup soccer stadium in Cape Town. The stadium, called Green Point, is massive (capacity of about 68,000 people) and still under construction. We didn't get to play on the pitch because the grass had not arrived yet, but we did get to walk around the seating areas while wearing hard hats and neon construction vests. Learning about the stadium and how the world cup and FIFA are going to affect the country has been very interesting, and I cannot wait to watch the games on TV back home in June/July. I have seen two of the ten stadiums (Green Point in Cape Town and the stadium in Durban that looks like a giant spaceship) and some of the semi-final games will be played at Green Point.

As October progressed the weather got continuously nicer as we approch the summer months. It has been about 70 each day, occasionally reaching 80 and quite sunny. The South African sun is HOT! Much worse than the sun at home. However I have been using enough sunscreen and have not burned yet! There was another AIFS excursion in October to Cape Point and Boulders Beach. It was one of the rainy days in October, but a group of us had the chance to go sea kayaking despite the weather. We climbed into tandem kayaks and paddled around the bay and harbor. The weather was creating massive waves so our guides taught us how to paddle through them and let us go off into the surf for a short while before bringing us back home. We were lucky enough to see some seals swimming beside us as we kayaked. After kayaking we stopped by Boulders Beach to see the penguins that live there. We found a few hiding under some rocks and we also saw an animal called a Dassie which looked kind of like a groundhog. After this we went to Cape Point (I had already gone earlier in the semester with some friends) and explored. The major difference between my first time there and my second time was the amount of baboons! The first time we only saw a few from the car. However this time they were EVERYWHERE, and they are MEAN. They will come right up to you and snatch food from your hands. As we were walking up to the restaurant for lunch, we saw a baboon go running toward a baby who was holding his hands out toward it. The Dad grabbed the baby and then monkey went into the trunk of their car and grabbed a bag of chips instead. After it around the car and got in the front seat, while the other two children were screaming. It was a really crazy thing to see! We saw many more baboons just walking around as we explored Cape Point and there were tons in the road as we left. If you ever come across one, do not feed it! They will never leave you alone after that!

October 23 was the offical last day of classes and then the start of exams. My Econ and Afrikaans written exam were during the last week of classes so I was finished with most of my work pretty early. Our Service Learning final presentation went quite well! We were all relieved and excited that it was over too. That morning we had to get dressed up and ready to present and they gave us a free breakfast before we got started. Two of my site supervisors as well as Hestea and Mike and my professors were among the audience which made me pretty nervous! However we all made it through successfully and they gave us a free lunch afterward! That afternoon our class got together and headed to my professor Antionette's house for a braai and potjie celebration. We hung out by the pool and just relaxed because we were finally finished with everything. It was a really great way to end the semester, especially for this class. I am officially done with all of my school work so I can just relax now and enjoy the rest of my semester. Our grades should come out tomorrow but I already know that I got an A in service learning, which was a huge accomplishment.

October was the busiest month activity and academically-wise during my time here. I cannot believe how quickly it went by and how soon my departure date is approaching. It seems like there is so much left to do, but it is amazing how much we have actually done. At the end of October we had our AIFS end of semester excursion, which was quite sad because it was our last time getting together as an entire group, drivers included. We got all dressed up and piled into the vans (as usual) and drove off to an unknown location which turned out to be MamaH's house! We stopped there for appetizers and drinks as well as a video and picture slideshow put together by the group. After this we got back in the vans and were taken to a beautiful wine farm called Dorneir where we sat at a giant table for 35 and enjoyed a delicious three-course-meal. MamaH made a few speeches about the drivers and about us. This is unfortunately Mike Leslie's last semester working for AIFS so it got pretty emotional for everyone. However we still enjoyed ourselves and the company. After dinner we got a little restless and eventually found a huge pirate ship playground which entertained us for quite some time. Once dinner was over they brought us back to Stellenbosch where we went out as a big group. I am really going to miss these people! Next semster there are supposedly about 55 students coming (6 of which are from Saint Michael's! that's an incredible amount from such a small school!) but I really enjoyed our smaller group.

Today is rainy and pretty cold, so I have been snuggled up watching movies but I forced myself to come out and get some other work done too. I am officially all registered for classes this Spring back at SMC. Everything seems to be winding down now. We are all trying to fit in last minute souvenir shopping and exploration. I still don't know how I feel about coming home, but I know that I am excited to walk through the gates at Logan's Terminal E and see everyone again :)

I will write again soon, I promise!

Totsiens,
Megan