These last three weeks have flown by. Classes started and societies switched into full gear. I have finally hung up some decorations in my room, found some time to go for runs, and stopped getting …
South Africa
Braais and Banter
I made it! I arrived early Thursday morning with 8 other exchange students from the US. The first few days, I stayed in a dorm on campus with about 200 other study abroad students. It …
Hello (Africa), It’s Me.
Leaving for South Africa is becoming more and more real to me every day! It’s crazy to think that in less than a week I will be in this amazingly beautiful place on the other side of …
I Can’t Tell if it’s Rain or Tears
I’m lying in bed, and I can see my breath. Cape Town’s cold, and since I can’t sleep I’m thinking about all of the random events that happened this semester. I’m sitting on a throne …
A Treevolution
The trees in South Africa are as diverse as its people. I recently went on a weekend retreat in Platbos, an ancient indigenous forest situated a few hours away from Cape Town. The festival was …
Each One, Teach One
I just returned to civilization after experiencing Afrikaburn, the official offspring of the Burning Man festival that takes place in Nevada. Nestled in the middle of the Karoo, spectacularly creative South Africans come together each …
Hippos, Warthogs, and Rhinos…Oh My!
I don’t really know where to begin. Even though our mid-semester break seems like a distant memory, I think it still deserves some written recognition. Let’s start with my close hippo encounter. My wish to …
From Pieces to Peace
Alright, so I’m blaming the delay in this post on my newly inherited African sense of time. Speaking of playing the blame game, there’s this saying, “This is Africa” (TIA), which is used as a …
Howzit?
Howzit Bru? Life in Cape Town has been pretty hectic since arriving! The past two weeks have been a whirlwind vacation, but reality set in this Monday morning when classes started. I’ve walked with lions, …
Imagining Africa
If there is one thing I’ve learned from taking Survey of Africa this semester, it can be summarized by the following statement: Africa is not homogenous. There are, however, many false perceptions in which people …