Hello All!

I am getting ready to move out of my res and leave for Capetown, then Namibia. Then I'll be back in Pietermaritzburg, then I am coming home! Time flies ...

I'm not sure what kind of internet access I'll have, but I'll post updates when/ if ever I can. Take care and have a happy and safe Thanksgiving!

Cheers!
Lauren

Cheers Everyone!

Sorry it's been a while, but things have been crazy lately. Time is really ticking for me here - I leave for home in a little under three weeks. I am conflicted about this. On one hand I am more than ready to get back to my loved ones, my relationship, and to start moving forward with my "real" life. But on the other, my "Africa Life" feels like my real life. I have connected to this place, to these people, and living here feels normal; I don't feel like an outsider anymore and I'm not ready to leave. A few nights ago a big group of us (me being the only American, I don't really hangout with other Americans in "Maritzburg anymore) were hanging out at my friend Mbo's flat. Later one of my other friends commented that he was listening to me talk (I have picked up some really kiff South African slang) and watching me interact, and he said it didn't seem like I was foreign anymore - i was just part of the group. And that's how I feel. Leaving home was really hard, but I knew I was coming back and that I would see everyone again. When I leave here I don't know when I'll be back or if I'll ever see these people again, and that is REALLY hard.

Anyway ... Instruction ended on the third of November. Then we had a few day "study break" before exams started. So early on Tuesday the seventh Shannon and I headed up to the Northern Drakensburg Mountains for a little r&r. We took the Baz Bus up, which worked out really well since they stop in Durban and 'Maritzburg. Were we in the mountains at the Amphitheater Backpackers by 2 pm. The Burg is beautiful - flat green highlands surrounded on all sides by beautiful mountains, with high craggy peaks interesting rock formations. There are baboons EVERYwhere! You wouldn't necessarily think baboon and immediately associate them with the mountains, but when you see them climb you think again. They are really cool animals, but really dangerous (a male baboon's jaw is stronger than an adult lion's) and we got really close to a few of them. Our backpackers was really nice. It had a thatched roof and a Zulu-country club -esqu feel. Shannon and I had our own room with a private bathroom (it's so nice to be able to lock your door and know that no one else had the key). The Backpackers had a big restaurant where everyone took their meals and a bar (with a hookah pipe!) where everyone hung out at night. It was very communal, people were very friendly, and I actually felt like they took and interest in getting to know us and each other.

The first afternoon, after we settled in, we went hiking in the Royal Natal National Park. Shan and I hadn't seen each other in a bit, so we spent the majority of the time laughing at inside jokes, talking about our roomies from back home, and generally being silly and annoying. That night we ate at the restaurant and then hung out in the bar. The next day we got up ridiculously early for breakfast and to join our group Sentinel hike up the Amphitheater (a well known part of the burg) to the top of Tugela Falls (the highest in Africa, and second highest in the world). The hike started as a difficult walk up the coutours on the mountain. Most of the way we walked along narrow ledges looking down the cliffs into valleys filled with rippling earth, folding over itself like green and brown cloth until it disappeared at the hazy horizon. But at one point our guide pointed to a narrow gapgoing up the rockface further that we could see, and said "climb up," so we did. We climbed up the side of a mountain with no equipment, warning or experience. There were times where I wasn't sure if I could do it, but I pictured my mom at the top shouting about "warrior women!" or my sister yelling "towanda!" and I kept going. One we got to the top, we were at the top of one of the highest points in the Burg. The views were amazing. We sat near a ledge eye level with circling vultures and ate our lunches - soggy tomato and cheese sandwiches - ie the most delicious thing I've ever tasted. From there we walked to the top of the falls - more breathtaking views. Then to get down we walked over th "the chain" - a series of metal ladders which go down the side of the mountain. This was the scariest part for me. the start on top of the ledge and then disappear into oblivion. You climb down for what feels like forever. At certain parts my knee was shaking so badly I thought I might make myself fall, and my hands hurt from gripping so tightly. I was super relived to be back on the trail. On the way down we came across a family of baboons, they weren't nearly as excited to see us as we were to see them. Finally, after 7 hours (7 HOURS!) of hiking/ climbing, we were back at the van on our way back to the backpackers. We ate dinner and crashed, we didn't even bother with the bar that night.

The next day we woke up super early again to eat and meet up with out tour going to Lesotho. Lesotho is an independent country in the middle of South Africa - a weird outcome of the colonial process. Needless to say, Lesotho is tiny, and very remote. Set in the Burg it is the highest country in the world; that is that it has the highest low point of any country in the world. It is also one of the poorest with one of the highest AIDS rates. We were driven though poorly maintained mountain passes in a 4 x 4 to get there. The Amphitheater backpackers is the only group that takes people to this part of Lesotho, so it was extremely UN - touristy. Lesotho is beautiful, mountainous, with green valleys filled with willows and traditional round huts. The people are substance farmers who also raise domestic live stock and get around by way of horse. First we went to a school, where the youngest children sang to us and then surrounded Shannon and I, touching our hands and posing for pictures. The were SO adorable! Then we hiked up to a spot where there is preserved cave paintings done be the nomadic hunters and gathers who lived in the area 1,000s of years ago. The painting we say told of game not far away, but warned of Zulu warriors in the area who terrorized the ancient people's of Lesotho. Then we hiked back down and drove to the Sangoma's hut. A sangoma is a traditional healer, unlike a witch doctor a Sangoma can only do good and must be called to the occupation (?) by a vision. She was awesome, she allowed in into her home and answered our questions while our guide translated. Ironically, as we were leaving the healer's hut I slipped and fell down a steepish portion of a hill and scraped up my knee and the top of my foot pretty badly, miraculously I actually brought a first aid kit with me and was able to clean it. So it didn't get infected, thought it is still pretty angry looking and it's been a week. After the Sangoma we tried traditional Lesotho pineapple beer (not to bad as far as beer goes, and I don't drink beer) and food. Then it was time to leave. As we drove, everyone we passed waved and we waved back. I started thinking about how warm and welcoming everyone through out the course of my stay here has been so warm and welcoming - I was really touched.

We had out guide drop us off in Harrismith where we caught a grey hound back to our respective hoods, I got in late on Thursday night. I wrote my first and only exam on Saturday, and then entered a mad rush to finish all of my drawings and my animation for submission on the 14 and to get all of my painting and printmaking done and hung for the exhibition that started on the same day. And now I am done and don't know what to do with myself. I start traveling again soon - I leave for Capetown and then Namibia in a week, then I'll be back in Maritzburg for a few days and then I leave for home. So I feel like I have to be really careful about prioritizing my time here while I have it. Mostly I've been spending it with friends and exploring previously undiscovered aspects of Maritzburg.

Lauren

Hi Everyone,

It has been a whirlwind here the last little bit! There is only a week and a half left of instruction before we enter our exam period, which will take up most of November (they get three weeks for finals here - THREE WEEKS! At home we only get one). So I am in the midst of a school work overload - writing papers and getting my portfolio ready for my art exhibition. There just aren't enough hours in the day - such is life I guess.
Anyway ... Last weekend I went back down to Durban, and this time with a purpose other than just visiting Shannon and soaking up the Durban night life. I left late on Friday, and haven't been feeling very well, so I just let myself into Shannon's room and crashed. Saturday afternoon Shannon, the other Durbs girls and I went to Agape - a AIDS orphanage A bit north
of Durban, to volunteer. Basically we just visited, brought toys and games, and played with the kids. Shannon, et all had been there once before with RAG - the collegiate community service organization common within the UKZN system (2 of the RAG girls, Norma and Linda, actually came with us), but this was my first time. It was an overwhelming experience.

The kids at Agape range between 3 (ish) and 17. All of their parents have either dies because of AIDS, or are too sick to take care of them themselves. Some of the children are infected as well. At the moment they are living in a cramped little cement building, one kitchen, and I think
two bedrooms jam packed with bunk beds. They had a larger place, but it burnt down, so the are living in the shoe box while a larger place in being built. The kids, though dirty, barefoot, and otherwise impoverished - seemed happy. Most don't speak English. but they were excited to see us, especially the little ones. We painted their faces (they painted a few of ours), danced, I gave a piggyback ride or two, and played the "fishing game" (Shannon's Idea). Shannon hid behind a blue sheet, while the kids (holding a makeshift fishing pole) dropped their line behind the sheet and Shannon put either a small toy or sweet (eSweetie as the kids kept shouting) on the end of their line. It was just a more entertaining way of giving out the things we had brought for them. One little boy, around 4 years old, got a whistle - he started blowing away like crazy and doing
this rhythmic hopping kicking dance (I held his hand and joined him). Later Norma and Linda told up that he was mimicking the moves of the adult men here when the go on strike - where he learned that we have no idea. We could only stay a few hours, though I think we all would have stayed longer if we could. I just wonder, what happens to these kids when they turn 18 and are too old to stay? What resources will that have? What choices will they make? What kind of people will the grow into? I don't think anyone has these answers. As Shannon said, places like Agape are more about immediate survival - they don't exactly have the luxury of a long term plan.

We were on our way home when Linda invited us to her brother's best friend's wedding. It was in a township outside of Durban and they were holding the traditional Zulu portion and Linda thought we would enjoy seeing it. We agreed. Typically, Zulu families will hold the "white wedding" or Christian ceremony first, and then follow with the Zulu ceremony. A Zulu ceremony is held at either the bride or groom's family home (usually the groom's), consists of lots of singing, the exchange of blankets (the bride brings blankets to her new husband's family, to please
them and ease her transition into their home - the groom's family will have previously exchanged either cows or an agreed upon sum of money for the right to marry the bride), and a braai. The atmosphere is very noisy and joyful - it made our ceremonies back home seem reserved and snooty. We wanted to blend in and just observe from the side lines, but since we were
the only white people there - we ended up being a bit of a spectacle. We were, greeted, hugged (I got kissed on the lips by a drunk old woman) and generally welcomed. When it came time to eat, men and women ate off of two different platters, with two different cuts of meat (a cow they had slaughtered earlier) - you can guess which platter held the nicer cut. The food was very hearty, lots of bread, beans, potato-y stuff, either cow or goat innards, and cow and goat meat ... I ate mostly bread. =)

The guests were very curious about us, and why were were there, understandable so - we were crashing a wedding after all. They were really enthusiastic about sharing and explaining. Almost too enthusiastic at times. It was interesting to see how people live, and to be a part of such
an intimate familial ritual. But it was sad as well, or maybe it was just a big dose of reality. It is startling how polarized South African society is in terms of class, the divide between the rich and poor is astounding, and often follows racial and ethnic lines - there is barely a middle class. We ended up spending a good deal of our time playing with the the little kids (it is amazing and refreshing how color blind children are - what happens along the way? Where does that go?). They tried to follow us when we were leaving. They ran into the street, it made me really nervous.
I tried to herd them back toward the sidewalk and a group of adults, when one little girl wrapped her arms around my neck and her legs around my waist, and wouldn't let go. I couldn't pry her off for the life om my. Finally her grandmother came to my rescue - and we were off, exhausted and
a bit more enlightened. The whole day was a cultural overload.

Other than that no news is good news. It is strange that I only have a little more than a month here. This town, my friends here, my day to day life, all feel so normal - going back home is going to be a shock. It is the beginning of summer now - spring is somewhat nonexistent. So we are teeter tottering between scorching heat and thunderstorms. The Jacaranda trees ( a non-native species introduced by the British) are in full bloom. There is purple every where you look - either peppering the skyline or carpeting the ground. Purple blossoms fall like snow. They make a stark contrast to the barbed wire that decorate most of the buildings and fences, but even that seems normal now. Strange ...

Cheers!
Lauren

Sawubuona All,

Few things are crazier than a Jay-Z concert in Africa, except maybe sleeping in a tree or hanging in a harness from a wire stretched over one of South Africa's largest natural canyons. Maybe I should elaborate.

This past Friday Jay-Z played in Durban, and a large group of international students, from both Maritzburg and Durbs, went. We all had tickets for the "Golden Circle," the closest section to the stage, standing room only. Not surprisingly, tickets were less than half the price they would have been for the same show back home, that's why we all went. My Friday was hectic. I didn't get much sleep the night before on account of an early class and a late Thursday night with a bunch or crazy Zimbabweans. I had class pretty much non-stop (Friday's are my busiest days, shame) and then hoped on a bus for Durban at 3:30, then hopped in a cab at the station during rush hour. So I didn't get to Shan's res until 5:30, and we (Shannon, Vanessa, Meg M, Clara, their friend Anele, and I) left for the concert at about 7. Whew!

We missed the first act, and then fought (literally) our way through the crowed when Rihanna started. We were able to get really close, about 4 or 5 "rows" back on the left side of the stage, and managed to stay there for the whole show. Rihanna was alright – she lip-synched, but Jay-Z was awesome! Anele had our arms around each other the whole time and just danced. Toward the end of the show I reached down and felt a big gash in the side of my bag. At first I thought I ripped it some how, but it was to strait and sharp feeling to have been just torn. I had to wait until after the show to look. When I did, it was obvious that it had been cut, through the leather outside and through the lining. And the scariest part was that there was a good amount of blood (luckily not mine) on outside by the slash. The only things missing were Clara's wallet, I'd been holding it for her, and a roll of toilet paper that I had taken from the porto potty earlier (just in case one of us had to go later and there wasn't any left). The bag was pretty thin and not very full, laying flush with my side; so it was quite possibly that roll of toilet paper which stopped the knife from slipping further and cutting me as well. Thank God for random turns of fate (what if I hadn't taken it from the porto potty? Don't think about it). Then we found out that Megan's phone had been stolen – she'd gotten pick pocketed. So in total, my bag was slashed, Clara's wallet was taken, and Megan's phone was stolen – that was the low point and it was only 11pm. Instead of going home to bed and letting our spirits be defeated by the urban crime, we went to a nearby club, Eighties, for one of the many unofficial after parties in Durban that night. And we ended up having a great time. So overall, the night still turned out to be a really good one.

Meanwhile, Megan H, Lindsay, and April had been in Umzumbe, a town on the South Coast, about 90 min south of Durban. Umzumbe was once home to cannibalistic tribes (according to my Coast to Coast backpackers guide, the town's name was possible derived from the Zulu word "umuziumbi," meaning "bad homestead") who were wiped out by Zulus under Shaka Zulu in the early 1800's. In any case, the cannibals are long gone and the area is absolutely beautiful. Saturday morning (way too early for our aching heads and bodies) Meg M, Clara, Vanessa, Shan and I hired (rented) a car, blasted the Credence Clearwater Revival, and drove down the coast through dense sugarcane fields to meet them. We stayed at the Mantis and Moon Lodge (kiff name, huh? www.mantisandmoon.net), quite possibly the most beautiful backpackers/ hostel I have ever been to, and one of my new favorite corners of the world. You can either stay in the dorm, or in a tucked away cabin, or in a tree house. A tree house! We had eight girls, so that meant 2 tree houses and a cabin. Shan, Meg and I were the three in the cabin, though not as awesome as a tree house, was still really lovely: Sliding glass doors, comfy bed, porch (complete with hammock) and an "attached" out door bathroom. The whole place was over run with wild banana trees, tropical flowers, ferns, and vines. To get around you have to navigate the winding pathways made from slatted wood. There were vervet monkeys, parakeets, a four of the sweetest, largest, sleepiest dogs I have ever met. Two were Rhodesian (colonial Zimbabwe) Ridgebacks – originally bread by the colonial farmers to hunt lions – yeah, they're BIG. The whole place was like one deep cleansing breath. It was amazing, and so nice to get away and recharge, even if we could only stay one night.

It we spent that afternoon at the beach, and that evening/ night at the Monkey Bar, the bar at Mantis and Moon, for a braai and then cocktails and wine. We stayed up way to late talking, playing drinking games and sitting in the Jacuzzi. I was lulled to sleep by the constant incest buzzing and then awoke to a chorus of bird song. We checked out (sadly) the next morning, and headed through the sugar cane to the Echo Valley coffee plantation. There we ate brunch and did a coffee tasting in a quaint restaurant on a cliff over looking a flourishing valley. The owners were so nice to us. They were originally from the Belgium Congo, and then moved to South Africa during the revolution. People down here have the most intense stories; people who have lived through things we can't even imagine back home – we are really lucky for so many reasons.

After brunch, we drove just a bit further through the cane fields to Oribi Gorge, one of the largest natural canyons in South Africa. And home to the Wild Swing (like bungee jumping, this is the longest free fall in the world) and the Wild Slide (a zip cord stretched across the gorge, you hang from a harness and slide across, the dangle, and then are pulled back). When you get out of your car, you are literally at the top of a water fall looking down past shear craggy cliffs and pillar-esque rock formations into a river valley overflowing with exotic green plant life. It was so beautiful; we were all speechless for a moment while we tried to take it all in. We were looking around, taking pictures when Vanessa and April decided to do the Wild Slide tandem. After watching them, and the guy who worked there bungee jumping, Shannon and I decided to do it together. I was petrified! But, when would be the next time I'd have the chance to zip cord across Oribi Gorge in South Africa? The harness is like a rock climber's and is attached to a clip on the thick zip cord, then you are hanging there, literally about to go over the edge of a cliff, and there is nothing you can do but hang on and try not to think about falling. The cord is pulled back a few meters from the edge, so you start over solid ground, then suddenly there is nothing, and your are just hanging on a wire 160m (about 500 ft or around 40 stories) up. Shannon just laughed hysterically and cried a bit, while I let out a short scream and then hyperventilated the whole time. It was really incredible though – like flying, and the view is amazing.
While we were hanging there I asked Shannon "What would our parents say if they could see us?" She said, "I don't know, there children are dangling 160m high from a wire." A few seconds later, I said "This is our life." We were both a bit dismayed.

After that, we said goodbye to Oribi and to South Coast, and headed back up to Durban. A bit later, Megan H, April, and Shannon took me back to Maritzburg in one of the rentals. It was a really good weekend – ups and downs, but mostly ups. And even though the lows were pretty low, the ups were up enough to more than compensate. The South Coast is beautiful, I'd love to explore it more, but I only have so many weekends left. Class ends at the end of this month, then exams, then a bit of travel, and then Home. I'll be back in California in less than 2 months. That feels so soon!

Salakahce,
Lauren

Cheers All!

What a week! This is going to be a LONG one, consider yourself forewarned. I got back to South Africa, from Mozambique, on Sunday. I spent Saturday night in Durban with Shannon and the rest of my traveling buddies and then got back to Pietermaritzburg the next afternoon. My own bed has never felt so nice, despite the heat and humidity here. Hello African summer, I've been told that we can expect the storms soon.

My vacation (or vac as the South Africans say) started 2 Fridays ago with a 6 hour or so bus ride to Jo'Burg. I was meant to be on the same bus as Shannon, and my other traveling buddies (Clara, Lindsey, the Megans (Meg M and meg H), Vanessa, and April) who are all living in Durban. Pietermaritzburg is on the bus route from Durbs to Jo'Burg. Our bus was leaving at 11 pm, and I was waiting for the call from Shan saying they were on there way before I headed to the bus station (everything here is notorious fro running late and I didn't want to wait at the station alone at night). But then I got a frantic call from Shan saying that there were 2 buses leaving Durban for Jo'Burg that night, one stopping in "Maritzburg and one not, I was on one and they were on the other, there's was late and mine was on time. So not only was I unexpectedly on an over night bus to Jo'burg by myself, there was a good chance I could miss it! I got to the station as my bus was preparing to leave and just made it on. I made it to Jo'Burg at about 5:30 am and had to wait at Park Station for the girls until 7am - I was so excited and relieved when they finally made it. As much as I try to blend in, I stick out here like a sore thumb, and I am fully aware of how vulnerable I am - especially when I am alone in an unfamiliar place and even more so when that place is Jo'burg, a city notorious (even here) for it high rate of violent crime. Our next bus, headed to Maputo, Mozambique's capitol, was due to leave at 8 am, but actually left at 8:40 - on time by South African standards.

Out bus was a "luxury" bus, complete with reclining seats, sweltering stale air, no air conditioning or windows that opened, a clogged toilet with no toiled paper, and mysterious bug that invaded our seats half way there - we screamed (an embarrassing scene) and moved seats. What can you do? Other than the bugs, the ride was uneventful - except for the border crossing. To enter Mozambique as an American, you have to have a visa. The other girls had gotten visas from the American consulate in Durban. I wasn't able to since I have class 5 days a week and the consulate isn't open on the weekends. You can buy a visa at the border, but it's a hassle and a half. I had to wait in a separate line from everyone else, meaning that I had to walk alone to the other side of the border crossing, to a small immigration office, filled with frustrated people, stale air, and an all too human smell. The man incharge of the bus told me to go strait to the counter, skipping the que, and ask for my paper work; which I tried to do, pissing several people off in the process. I was yelled at by a very angry South African woman, and told off and called a B*tch (both in English and Portuguese) by a Mozambican man, only to find that I was in the wrong line. I held it together and managed not to cry. Everything was compounded by the language barrier - they speak Portuguese in Mozambique. After being sent to 3 different lines, the man from the bus finally found me and was able to help me get my visa. I met back up with the girls, and we walked a cross the border. I was so out of it at this point, that as the guard was checking my passport, I was almost hit by a bus - the guard yelled in Portuguese and pulled me out of the way, I think I almost gave Shannon a heart attack. The border town was depressing, as borders tend to be (Tijuana - case in point): lost of children begging and trying to sell stuff, rows and rows of lean-to shanty houses over barren hills.

Mozambique is considered a high risk malarial area, so we were all covered in deet (which is really only safe to use if your trip is on the shorter side, other wise you should use regular bug repellent and hope for the best) and on anti malaria pills the whole time. Most hostels will supply mosquito nets, but some (like the Base) don't, so it is a good idea to bring your own - which I did, along with some citronella spray (you can make your own with citronella oil and water in a spray bottle) to use on your clothes and bed. Despite all this, there is only so much you can do, and I still got eaten alive. Fingers crossed my pills are effective ...

We got into Maputo at 6:30pm (ish), just as the sun was setting, and walked to our hostel, The Base. Walking the few blocks was no easy feat in the dark and with whole chunks of the sidewalk missing. Mozambique just came out of a civil war in the mid 1990's ... and there is evidence of it everywhere. After checking in we walked to Mimos, a nearby restaurant, (avoiding the persistent locals trying to sell us things like wood carvings, and the homeless children asking for money - so sad) and ate a long dinner before calling it a night. The next day we got an early start and set off to explore the city.

Maputo is an interesting place. It must have been amazing in its hay day - beautiful, colorful art deco style buildings, tree lined streets, but now it is falling apart. Like I mentioned, whole chunks of the sidewalk are just gone, there are cars and buses without windshields, everything is in disrepair and shabby, whole buildings are abandoned and looked bombed out, homeless children run around with out shoes in torn clothes, what happened to there parents? who will take care of them? what kind of adults will this life turn them into? It was at once beautiful, interesting, and gut wrenching. We saw a young boy begging in the street, he was holding a stick leading around an elderly man who was holding the other end, the man didn't have eyes. I cried. We bought them food. We walked all over that city, we saw the cathedral, city hall, went through the market, saw an old Portuguese fort, went to the contemporary art and revolution museums, and saw a couple renewing their wedding vows in the park on their 50th anniversary. We looked into the park because we heard singing, the wedding party saw us and called up over to be in their wedding photos! I had my arm around the bride, so random, I'm still not sure why they invited us in, but it was really fun. Bartering at the market was also an experience. I love markets! I love the sights, the smells, the hectic atmosphere and complicated alleys of vendor stalls. 1 Met (the local currency) is equal to 3.5 rand (there are about 7 rand in $1), so the exchange rate was really good. Needless to say, we were all pretty pooped by the end of the day. We went out for Indian food for dinner. Afterwards, the rest of our ground hit the hay, and Shan, Meg M and I went to this random out door bar with some peace corps people who were also staying at the base. The nightlife in Maputo is not, as they say, hopping - the bar was basically some chairs on a patio in front of what looked like a deli in a random alley - needless to say, we didn't stay very long.

The next morning we got up early again and headed down to the harbor where we were catching a ferry to Inhaca Island. There are several islands off the coast of Mozambique, Inhaca and Portuguese Islands are the 2 main ones off the coast of Maputo. Our "ferry" was not what we expected - you know a huge cruse like ship with cars in the hull that lumbers slowly and smoothly over the water - what we were in was more like a large, shallow, motor boat with rows of seats and a covered deck. The ride was almost 2 hours long, and the water was REALLY choppy, our little boat was thrown all over the place while water sloshed over the sides. I would have been really nervous, except that I was a bit seasick and otherwise occupied. I was sitting between Shan and Linds; Shan is EXTREMELY phobic of waves and Linds was really really sick. So I had one arm around Shan, trying to reassure her that we weren't going to die, and the other arm over Linds who was lying in my lad trying not to throw up on my feet. The other girls weren't doing much better. We were all so happy when the island finally came into view. It was beautiful and wild looking, a two toned ribbon of reddish sand and dark green jungle stretching out between the deep blue of the sea and the paler blue of the sky. The tide was extremely low, our ferry stopped a good distance from the shore, then we hopped into speed boats who took us as far in as was safe, then we waded the rest of the way. Because of the low tide, fishing boats were strewn all over the sand like beached wales. The island isn't very big. There is one resort and a surrounding village. We wandered through the village and ate seafood at Restorante Lucas. We wandered around some more, gave some sweet coconut cookies to the local kids, who then posed like kung-fu masters for pictures, before stretching out on the sand for the rest of the afternoon. The ride back was much better. We sat up on the bow of the boats, with it's owner and a few other people. It was a lot smoother and we all relaxed, and spent the ride back laughing and talking.

The next day we got up really early, we had to leave our hostel at 5:30am to get to the bus station with enough time to purchase tickets and catch our Olivera bus north to Tofu. When we got to the station it was complete pandemonium. As soon as we pulled up, local men opened the cab and grabbed our bags, without our asking for help (they expected tips). We stood in line, so with the bags while a few went in a bought the tickets. When it came time to board, another man grabbed my bag (despite my loud and repeated protests) and "helped" me put it in the luggage space below the bus. They charged me an extra 100 Mts for the bag, and then the man expected a 50 met tip. I'm glad Shan was there - my head was spinning - and she gave the man 15 or 20 mts and told him that was all we had. He wasn't happy, but neither were we. Our bus looked like an about-to-break-down-school-bus from the 1970's. It was crowded, and most of the seats weren't even bolted down, at least the windows opened making the 9 hour ride bearable. We all slept most of the way, and got in to Tofu at 4 ish that afternoon. From the station we took a 20 min mini bus ride to Bamboozi, our hostel. Our mini bus flew down the sometimes paved, sometimes dirt or sand road - throwing us all over, there were no seat bets of course. But when we finally made it to Bamboozi, it was literally like arriving in the promised land after spending years wandering through the dessert.

Tofu is paradise. Our hostel was like a mini village, consisting of reed and palm from huts, palm fon covered wooden walkways, a restaurant/ bar on a sandy cliff over looking the most amazing beach I have ever seen, and showers that were heated by fire! The whole place runs off of a generator that shuts off after midnight, so from then on there is NO electricity, not even a light in the hut. There was no dirt or pavement anywhere, meaning that there was sand and coconut trees everywhere. We stayed in our own hut (Safari Hut 2), complete with sandy mattresses, mosquito nets, geckos, a rat, and a bat. We were lucky to get blankets, and there were no pillows. I used the same towel on the beach as I did after my showers. Still, I felt like it was one of the most luxurious places I've ever been.

As soon as we were checked in, we changed and got ourselves to the beach. The ocean has never felt so good - just what I needed after the bus, and, as a bonus, the Indian ocean is unbelievably clear and warm! That night we had food and drinks at Bamboozi's bar. The food wasn't amazing, but the atmosphere was really fun and laid back. There were people there from all over the world, and a lot of international students on spring break. After a while we decided to wander down the beach to Fatimas, another backpackers, and check out the bar there. The atmosphere was pretty much the same, international students on spring break - generally a good time was had by all. We walked back to Bamboozi along the beach. It was so nice to listen to the surf and look up at the stars of the Southern Hemisphere. The night sky is really different down here, the stars seemed closer, brighter, and more alive. I'll never forget how the palm trees looked silhouetted against those stars.

The next day we allowed ourselves to sleep in, and then spent the day laying on the beach. I journaled while others read, napped, or "studied." There were little local boys all over the sand. Some playing soccer, but most were selling either bags of coco bread or biscuits, or were selling shell jewelry. Some of the jewelry was already made, but if you had a special request they would make it for you on the spot. A bunch of us requested long single shell necklaces (a trend Shan started). They are very persistent. The same boys came up to us every day, the all ask "Sister, what's your name?" and then introduce themselves as well. It was really cute, but got a bit old. We even had a few who decided just to sit on our towels with us for a while. Later that afternoon we wondered further down the beach to the out door market in Tofu. And then took our time walking back to Bamboozi as the sun was setting. We were facing East, so t was strange to be at the beach at sunset, and not see the sun dip down into the ocean. That night we went back to Bamboozi's bar for dinner (pizza buffet), and music. Towards the end of the night, Shan and Meg M even got up and sang a bit with the musician. It was so funny, they sang a song they had made up about Mosquito nets - had to be there I guess. At the end of the night, some of the girls went back to our hut, while Clara, the Megans and I decided to go swimming, it was so liberating. It was so nice. I'm in love with the Indian ocean - it seems to be warm ALL the time, or at least every time I've been in it. After that we called it a night, we had to be up at ready at 6 the next morning for horseback riding.

Despite being groggy - horseback riding was amazing. I rode on a beautiful Bay called Ancona. Our guide was a German man who said he left the crazy Euro city life for a simpler existence at the beach with his family - not a bad move. We went riding down the beach, which was breathtaking in the morning sun, the sea glittered as our horses trotted through the shallow surf. Then we went up the sand dunes and wandered through the palm trees by feilds and villages. We saw children playing in front of their huts, who all shouted at us in a language we couldn't understand, a few knew English and then it was the customary "sister, what's your name?" We saw men building and women working, washing clothes, or walking with huge bundles on their heads (everyone does this here - I even saw a woman with her suitcase balanced on her head in the Jo'Burg bus station). Poverty is definitely everywhere in Mozambique, but the small huts, and the people who live in them, didn't seem as desperate in Tofu, as they had in Maputo. People seemed poor, but happy. It just felt like a different lifestyle that seem to fit in with their tropical surroundings. As a Nick, a man in one of my art classes at Varsity (south African for University) said, its amazing how creative and ingenious people become when they are literally working with nothing. Once we got back, our guide asked if we'd tried the coconuts yet. We hadn't, so he asked a man in Portuguese to get us some. We expected him to grab some off the ground or something. But he grabbed a machete and just shimmied up a tree like it was nothing! He whacked some off and then prepared them for us. Coconuts are amazing - all you need in one neat little delicious package. He cut the tops off and made gourds so we could drink the milk, and the split them in half so the we could did out the meat with spoons made from the cut coconut tops. So delicious, fresh coconut tastes nothing like the dried coconut and processed coconut milk we get in the states. The taste is sweet, but fresher and lighter - basically, better. I'm allergic to horses, so by this time I was ready to take some meds and a long shower.

Shan, Linds and I spent the rest of the afternoon lying on the beach while the other girls went on and "ocean safari" to snorkel with wale sharks. The when the tide is low, the beach seems huge. It stretched out flat and endless to my left and right, in front of me the turquoise Indian ocean rolled out toward Madagascar and then to Indonesia beyond, behind me, the sand cliffs sloped up wards toward our backpackers and the little villages surrounding Tofu. Lying there it was really easy to just succumb to the idea that I was in some remote paradise, separate from the rest of the world, then a woman would walk by with a bundle of reeds on her head, or a group of men with their fishing spears would appear down the beach, reminding me of exactly where I was - Africa. That evening, we walked back to the market and then had long dinner at an atmospheric French-Mozambican restaurant. But most of us were feeling kinda sick, so it wasn't as enjoyable as it could have been. Some of the girls were still nauseous from the sea sickness they got on the snorkel trip, and I think I caught a minor stomach bug. Later walking back to Bamboozi, I experienced my dinner again when I threw it up on the beach. I think 6 out of 8 of us threw up that day.

The next morning, Friday, we had to leave paradise, and start the 2 day journey back to Durban. We checked out at 10, so the we would have time to take a mini bus to the Olivera bus station and catch our 11 am bus to Maputo. Our mini bus was late (of course) so we were all totally stressed, the 11 am bus was the last one of the day, so if we missed it we were pretty much s.o.l. But once we got going we all relaxed. The mini bus drives are crazy, so we were more concerned about our luggage falling off the top, then one of the guys working on the mini bus (a friend of the driver maybe) put on this silly straw hat and started dancing - then we all started singing alone to the cheesy American R & B. We made our bus, and this time they only charged us 50 Mets a bag. It was also less crowded which made the ride way more comfortable, even if not all of our seats were bolted down. We got back to Maputo and the Base backpackers late that night, went to sleep, and got up early to catch out Panthera Azul "luxury" bus back to Durban.

Since we didn't have to go through Jo'burg this time, the ride home was considerable shorter. We took a different route, so we went from Mozambique, through Swaziland, and back to South Africa (three countries in one day - not bad). The irritating part was that we had to go through immigration (and the accompanying lines) twice, instead of just once. Pulse it was sweltering, and the buses windows didn't open. In any case, we made it back to Durban around 5 that evening. We went out that night in Durban, celebrating out safe return and nicely wrapping up to our spring break adventures; and then I went back to 'Maritzburg, exhausted but satisfied, the following afternoon. I slept most of Sunday, and now classes are going at full force once more. We only have five more weeks of instruction, so that gives us some time to formulate the rest of our traveling plans.

Anyway, I hope everyone is keeping well.

Lauren

Cheers All!

So the first part of the term is winding down and we are all gearing up for our mid semester vacation (or vac as they call it). On Friday I'll be going to Mozambique with Shannon and our friends from Durban for about a week. Friday night we are taking an over night bus to Jo'Burg (the ride is about 8 hours) then another bus from Jo'Burg to Maputo in Mozambique. We'll spend about 2 nights there and then head up the coast to Tofo and spend another three nights there, then start making our way back to South Africa and down into to KwaZulu-Natal (the province where Both Pietermaritzburg and Durban are located). I am REALLY excited, school's been hectic and overwhelming lately so it will be nice to have a break. I don't really know what to expect from Mozambique except for some beautifully untouched beaches and hopefully some interesting cultural experiences. The country is still in recovery from their civil war, and though the violence is over, the effects remain. The infrastructure is underdeveloped and apparently the roads are in bad shape - but that's why we are taking buses and won't be renting our own car (we learned that lesson in Swaziland). So until then I'll be packing, taking my malaria meds, and learning how to say "Hi," "Thank you" and "bye" at least in Portuguese. I've found that you should at least be able to say those three things when you go to a country where you don't speak the language. Hopefully my Italian, Shannon's French, and our combined Spanish will help us out. We'll see.

Other than that I have been spending a lot of time with the "artsy" kids here at Varsity (local slang for University). It is a good group to be a part of, they do a lot of really interesting and obscure things. Plus there is no better way to get acquainted with local culture than by spending time with your local friends. In the past week or so we have gone to Site Specific Dancing - modern dance built around specific locations on campus where the environment it integrated into the movement, an art opening at the CVA (center for Visual Arts - where I practically live), Listened to Bolivian folk music at a local spot called Folk Club. Last Friday they threw a really vibe-y party, we all sat out on blankets on my new friend Lisa's patio, surrounded by candles while someone played the guitar, and we all chatted and drank wine. It was a really cool evening. It is a relatively racially integrated group, especially for South Africa. It is interesting to get to know these people, to observe their interactions and just try to take it all in. Saturday night we (myself, some of my American friends, and my South African friends) went to EarthDance.

EarthDance in an annual trance music and dance festival help all over the world for peace. It was held way out in the Bryne Valley, which is a beautifully foggy and green valley, surrounded by trees and old farms in the middle of nowhere KZN. It was all outdoors. The whole place is terraced, I think the location used to be a farm. The DJ, dance floor, main bonfire, and hut that served as a bar was on the top level. That's where the fire dancers, jugglers and crazy raver dancers hung out. People parked cars and pitched tents on the lower level. And there was a crazy black-lit "Bedouin" tent in the middle where you could sit on blankets and hay and drink homemade chi. We spent a good deal of time there, as well as dancing. My friends Annie, Rael and I spent most of the time mimicking the "moves" of this crazy guy in robes who was skipping and spinning all over the place. Half the time we couldn't even dance because we were laughing so hard. The only downside was that it was freezing and raining - so everything was muddy and wet and cold. The only warm spot was by the fire. We slept in a makeshift shelter, constructed out of a tarp stretched between a parked car and a tent; it was all muddy on the inside so we had to fill it with hay. When we were ready to sleep (4am or so) we wrapped ourselves in blankets and sleeping bags, snuggled into the hay, and tried to get warm. Sometime during the night, the tarp sprung a leak and I woke up in a puddle, freezing and muddy. So we went home to "Maritzburg at about 6 am or so. Needless to say I spent pretty much all of Sunday sleeping. It was an experience to be sure.

This week has been about getting ready for the Vac. I have a paper, three paintings, and a digital image, and two drawings all due by Friday, and I actually have a handle on all of it. Other than that, I just need to figure out my Mozambique Visa, but you can buy those at the border so I'm not worried about it. So that's all the news from over here, I'm sure I'll have more interesting stories after the Vac. Hope all is well with everyone.

-Lauren

(from Sept 12, 2006)

Hi All!

Two weekends ago Shannon and I, plus 4
other girls went to Swaziland for the reed dance ceremony (all the virgins
go to dance for the king and he picks his new wife. He is in his 30's and
already had 14 now I think, crazy huh?). But first we had to get there. We
all thought we could just rent a car (a mini van) and
drive there, no sweat. Well ... We left late and ended up in the middle of
nowhere south Africa, in the dark, driving through sketchy impoverished
towns,on road that were un-lit and under construction. We had to stop and
get a hotel for the night. Oh, and did I mention
that the Swazi border closes at 10pm - so were were trying to beat the
clock too. The scary part was that we all realized how vulnerable we
actually were. At the hotel we all broke down and just cried and hugged.
But we learned a valuable lesson about traveling in Africa, we got lucky
and won't make the same mistake twice.

The rest of the weekend was great though. Swaziland is beautiful.
Saturday, we saw
traditional Swazi dancing (which is a lot like traditional Zulu Dancing).
The singing and drumming are really beautiful and complex, plus they do a
lot of kicking and stomping. We took a tour through the village, and our
guide kept saying things like "In our Swazi culture the woman must always
be submissive to the man. She must never eat the head or feet of the cow.
If she eat the head she will be more intelligent than the man, and if she
eat the feet, she will walk away to the man."

Sunday, we went on a game drive, Shan and I gave all the animals ridiculously
normal human names, like Bruce, Mel, Eric, and Geoff. We thought it was
hilarious - maybe you had to be there. We also had a moment with a zebra
(named imbali - Zulu for flowers) that I can only describe as
magical - zebras are the closest you can get to unicorns in real life. She
was up on a hill overlooking the Ezulwini Valley. Shannon and I got
emotional, and started talking about how luck we were to be able to see
such things.
After the game drive we went to the ceremony itself. We didn't have time
to stay for the
dance, but we saw all the girls in rows walking to see the king. Hundreds
and hundreds of girls - in traditional, beautifully colored Swazi skirts
and bare chests. Even we had to wear the traditional skirts, which a bunch
of 11 and 12 year olds helped us tie, but we got to keep our shirts. It
was amazing and Shan and I had another moment. But the strange
thing was that the girls seemed even more excited to see us than we were
to see them. They grabbed our hands and tried to pull us along, called out
to us, wanted us to take their pictures, and hugged us. It was crazy and
incredible. The whole time I just kept thinking - moments like these are why I love
traveling.

Plus, Shan was proposed to. It went like this:
Man comes running up in front of her, shakes a stick in her face and says:
I want you to be my wife!
Shannon freezes, I run up and put an arm around her
Me: She's already married
Man: Then what about you?
Me: I'm married already too
Man: What about them? (points to our friends)
Me: They're married too.
Man: I don't even get one!?

He was very disappointed. It was a moment.

We left in the afternoon, we wanted to drive home in the dark for as
little as possible. After we got back across the border, the ride went
very smoothly, except for a patch of fog. I got home late and fell into
bed. It was quite the weekend.

This past weekend I just hung around 'Maritzburg. The first weekend I've
been home since the first weekend I was here. I have made a lot of art and
drama student freinds. I went to a student film screening and spent a lot
of time just hanging out in people's flats. 'Maritzburg is a small town,
so there isn't a whole lot to do - so it's nice to have people (both South
African and American) to spend time with. It's September here now, which
means its spring approaching summer. Very strange, but nice to be able to
study by the pool.

Other than that, I have been doing a lot of art, and
have joined the girls' soccer team. We had our first game just this past
Saturday. I'm horrible, but it is a lot of fun, good
exercise, and a good way to form bonds with South Africans. During the
games the people watching sing these beautiful Zulu songs. I have no idea
what they were saying, but when I heard them I stopped playing and missed
the ball. What can you do?

Hope this finds you all well.
All my love,
Lauren

(from Aug 25, 2006)

Ello ello ello!

So, I have already been here a month. It is very surreal. Classes are
REALLY picking up and I am staring to develop a routine, for instance I
have discovered a coffee shop (with good espresso) within walking distance
that I go to before classes in the mornings. I am becoming more and more
confidant moving within this environment, my actions are feeling more and
more fluid and less and less forced. It is still strange having to keep
everything locked up, and not being able to go anywhere on my own after a
certain time, but I am not afraid anymore. It feels good.

Anyway ... So this past weekend my friends (Annie, Josh, Rael, Karli,
Caitlin) and I went to St Lucia. St Lucia is a tiny little beach town
north of Pietermaritzburg on the Indian Ocean. The town is only one shop
and resturant lined street long, really it's only a vacation destination.
The town is right on an estuary and is considered to be a World Heritage
Site. It was breathtaking, lush, grassy, and jungle-y, with lots of exotic
flowers and birds - and monkeys! We saw one eating a bag of Lays Potato
chips out of the trash just outside of our backpackers lodge, which was sad, but it
was pretty awesome to just see them running around everywhere, like it was
no big deal. We rented a car and drove down last Friday night. That was an
adventure because Karli drove and it was dark, on the left side of the
road, shifting with her left hand. The drive from here to St Lucia, we
were told, should take around 4 hours. We made it in two and a half. We
stayed at Bib's International Backpacker's Hostel. It was great; a few
main buildings and a courtyard/ bar area surrounded by a collection of
huts. We had a multi- colored "Rasta" hut all to our selves, with lumpy
bunk beds, our own shower and toilet - luxurious by hostelling standards.
That night we walked around the town a bit in search of hippos. The town
is RIGHT on the estuary and sometimes hippos roam the streets after dark.
Rael and Caitlin were the only ones who saw them in town though.

Saturday morning we were up at 8 am (the latest we slept in all weekend)
for a walk organized by our hostel. We really had no idea what we were
getting ourselves into. We met up with the group and out guide, who
promptly told us "shorts only - no shoes!" Maybe it was the malaria pills
making affecting our judgement or the deet seeping into our nervous
systems, but we obediently went back to our hut to change and take off our
shoes. I didn't have shorts, so I had to borrow a pair of Josh's soccer
shorts. Josh is 6'1" and must out weigh me by close to 100 lbs, needless
to say they were huge and bright green - I rocked them anyway. When we got
back we all piled into the back of a huge open bed truck and drove to a
nature reserve about 15 minutes or so away. We walked past "beware of
Hippos and Crocodiles" signs and into a rolling grassy savannah. The walk
lasted 2 hours. We walked though the grasslands and the shady mangrove
groves until we reached a huge fence - alla Jurassic Park with what looked
like a huge wooden step ladder going over it. We walked over the ladder
and into the a wild animal nature reserve - barefoot. We walked through
more grassland and marshes. There were patches where the mud reached up
almost to my knee. We emerged on the bank of the estuary with what must
have been 25 or 30 hippos in the water maybe 75 feet away. Our guide waded
through the after to a sand bar about 50 feet from the hippos, and we all
followed. I wasn't worried about the hippos, (even though they are
responsible for more human deaths each year than any other African Animal
- they have to be SERIOUSLY provoked), just that our guide kept saying to
look out for crocks, and you can't see them coming. On our way back to the
truck, and once we were on the other side of the fence again, we came upon
a zebra family. Our paths were parallel for a while and we were able to
get really close. So far I think that zebra are my favourite - there are
so beautiful, it's hard to believe they actually exist. We all piled into
the truck again, and our guide, Sandile, drove us to where the river opens
into the ocean to get a better look at the crocodiles. We were able to get
close to them as well - but they pretty much just lay there, so it wasn't
too thrilling.

The rest of the day we just hung around St. Lucia's one street, ate and
looked through the market. That evening we took a boat tour of the
estuary. Our guide was German or Scandinavian and insisted on translating
everything he said into English, German, Dutch and Italian - I don't think
he spoke any well - except maybe German. Anyway, it was really beautiful.
The estuary is huge. We saw all kinds of exotic birds, some more
crocodiles, but the highlight was the hippo family. There were about 20
adults and several babies. The babies were in the shallows and they were
playing! They wrestled, splashed, climbed up on their mothers, and swung
plants around. It was SO cute. We finished up the tour just as the sun was
beginning to set.

The next day we were up and kinda awake at 5 am for our game drive around
Hluhluwe game reserve. Hluhluwe is one of the oldest reserves in the
country, and they have the whole Big Five, elephants, lions, black rhinos,
buffalo, and leopards - the five most dangerous animals to hunt on foot.
Our Guide's name was Shaw, and he was a Crocodile Dundee - Indiana Jones
type. He used to be a ranger who specialized in rhino tracking - exactly
who you want driving you around in a search for exotic and unpredictable
animals. The open air Safari jeep picked us up at our hostel. We climbed
in the back and wrapped ourselves up in the blankets Shaw gave us as he
drove the hour or so the reserve. It was a dark, windy and freezing cold
drive. The sun rose quietly, and by the time we got to the reserve the
pale light was strong enough for s to get started.

Hluhluwe is beautiful. There are rolling grass lands, sporadic wind
twisted trees, lush undergrowth, and steep mountains. The whole place is
teaming with life. Even when you can't see any animals you are hyper aware
of their presence all around you. The air buzzes with insects and bird
chirps. The day started of with a rhino and zebra spotting and only got
better from there. We saw lots and lots of zebra (including a baby one
that was still fuzzy!), buffalo, all kinds of antelope (especially
impala), monkeys, giraffe, and wilder beasts. We even saw a lion pride,
which is really rare, but they were far away. we saw black rhinos (which
are REALLY rare) and two young male white rhinos fighting - they were
right beside the jeep, we stopped to watch them and I don't think anyone
breathed. We saw lots of birds, a baboon family with lots of babies, but
the best part was the elephants.

After lions, they were what we wanted to see the most. We saw the lions
really early on (7 am or so), so the rest of the day was an elephant
search. They seemed to be one step ahead of us the whole day. Shaw even
extended our tour to look for them. We were about to give up and call it a
day when we stopped at a park restroom and restaurant on the top of a
hill. Annie, Caitlin and I went out back to look at the view, when someone
cried "elephant!" We looked at the next hill over and there was a huge
male elephant, tusks and all, coming towards us. He walked over the hill
where we were standing one and came as close as 50 feet away! It was
amazing, we were all beside ourselves and high on adrenaline (there was
absolutely NOTHING, not even a tree, between us and this enormous
creature) when someone shouted "elephant" again. There was another
elephant following the first and he came just as close. We were all pretty
much freaking out as we got back in the jeep. Just as we were driving a
third elephant walked right in front of us and showered himself in a mud
pile right next to us before walking away. We couldn't believe it. The
only animal we didn't manage to see were leopards, but they are stalkers,
so basically if you do see one, it is already too late.

We got back to the hostel at 3 pm or so (3 hours later than we paid for so
we gave Shaw a big tip), ate and walked around. We watched the sunset on a
dock on the estuary (while I badly sang "sitting on the dock on the bay").
The next morning (Monday) we got up at 5 am again so we could watch the
sunrise on the beach. It was totally worth it because it was one of the
most beautiful sunrises I've ever seen. We sat in the sand, looking at the
deserted beach and out over the Indian Ocean. I did a few sun salutations
(yoga) before we all ran into the water (only up to our knees), even at
7am it was super warm. We decided right then that we have to go back
sometime before we leave South Africa.

It was an amazing and exhausting weekend. We got back to Pietermaritzburg
at noon, an hour before my first class, even though going to class was
kinda anticlimactic after elephants and lions, but what can you do?

This week has flown by. I have spent it pretty much trapped in the studio
- not that I mind. It is all work that I enjoy. So that's the latest. I
hope this finds you all well.

lots of love,
Lauren

(from Aug 17, 2006)

Hello All,

So I have been to Durban twice now. Durban is an hour south east of
Pietermaritzburg, right on the coast of the Indian Ocean. It is the 2nd
largest city in South Africa, just behind Jo'Burg. Parts of Durban are
really unsafe, but for the most part the city is really beautiful. It's
very cosmopolitan, filled with restaurants from almost every region of the
world. And Durban has the largest Indian population of anywhere outside of
India. I've been going so frequently because my roomie and one of my
closest friends from back home, Shannon, is studying there for the
semester while I study here.

The Saturday or the weekend before last I went down just for the day.
Shannon's friend Lindsey, who is in her program, has an older sister,
Leah, who was doing graduate work at my school. Leah and her boyfriend,
Sid, were going to Durban for the day on Saturday and let me tag along. It
was great! They were really nice people, and it was safe and really
simple.

We got to Durban at around 1-ish, and then the 5 of us decided to go to
uShaka - South African Sea World (random huh?). The park is beautiful,
right on the Indian Ocean in the part of Durban which is kinda like
Miami.We walked through the aquarium, saw the penguins eat, but the best
part was the dolphin show. At one point during the show they asked people
to raise their hands if they wanted to be picked to meet a dolphin. I
raised my hand, being silly, and they picked me! I had to go on stage in
front of the whole audience. I sat up their and got to pet, splash,
command, and KISS the dolphin! It was the coolest thing. But then just as
I was finishing, the crazy announcer lady introduced me and asked me how
kissing the dolphin made me feel inside. I totally choked and said that I
just felt really excited and happy. SO EMBARRASSING! But really cool. =)

Later we all went out for dinner and cocktails at this really cool place
called Beanbag Bohemia. It was SO pretty inside: gothic, meets morocco,
meets Alice in Wonderland. They served fusion Thai and Mediterranean food
- delicious. After Shannon and I caught up in her room for an hour or so
before it was time to go.

Sunday all of the American students went on a planed excursion to a
traditional Zulu village to watch the dancing, which was awesome and
surreal. It was kinda like Zulu Disneyland filled (oddly enough) with
Russian and Chinese tourists. Then we walked over to the adjoining reptile
park (random, I know). I held this HUGE python around my shoulders and got
some cool pictures. Though I look terrified, which I was, in all of them.
Then we all had lunch at this restaurant overlooking The Valley of 1,000
hills. It was breathtaking, this enormous valley filled with folding green
earth. While we ate, a bunch of monkeys played in a tree nearby.

Last Wednesday was South Africa's National Women's Day, so we didn't have
class. That meant Tuesday night Braai! It was BYOM (bring your own meat)
so my friend Katie, the two Norwegian guys (JC and Andy), and I went out
for Chinese food before hand. JC and Andy are hilarious, but most of the
time they're not trying to be. They are grad students and have been
friends for years, just watching them interact in their dorky Scandinavian
way is super entertaining. The braai was really fun - they always seem to
turn into big house parties under the guise of a barbecue. 'Maritzburg is
not a big place, and you can only go out so many times before you've gone
everywhere, so braais are popular. I really like them. It's a good chance
to get to know local people better, and they are an interesting slice of
local culture. I like that about this program. I feel like I am really
getting to know South Africans. I have made friends in my classes and am
getting to know the girls in my residence better, Thabiso in particular.

This past weekend a large group of Americans from my school, myself
included, all went down to Durban. I didn't see then much though since I
spent all of my time with Shannon. Getting there this time was kinda a
fiasco. I rode a bus down with my friends Annie and Josh. The bus was an
hour and a half late, and we had to wait for it on a random 'maritzburg
corner. I'm glad Josh was there. It was crazy. A man passed out in the
street, another lit a fire in a trash car (a little to close to a parked
car for my taste), and another guy was running around with an old bike
wheel attached to a long piece of wire. I don't know what was going on,
but we were more than a little relieved when the bus arrived.

The weekend was nice. I spent it going to restaurants and bars with
Shannon and her friends. There was also a good deal of coffee and the
occasional heart to heart. Exactly what I needed. Shannon and I both agree
that this time here is going to be very formative for both of us. I'm glad
that she is so close.

This week flew by. Classes are in full gear. This weekend my friends and I
are thinking about taking a trip up north a checking out a game reserve.
We shall see. I miss you all. All my love ...

Cheers (they say that here),
Lauren

(Written on Aug 4 2006)

Hi all!

So I have been in South Africa, specifically Pietermaritzburg at the
University of KwaZulu-Natal for about a week and a half now. I would have
sent this out sooner, but I just got access to the on campus computers
this week, and they are usually SO slow and crowded. Sorry in advance for
the length of this e-mail, but so much has happened.

I left the US 2 Sundays ago. Getting here is an arduous process! I flew
from LAX to Paris (10 hours), had an 8 hour layover, then flew to Jo'Burg,
SA (10 hours), and then to Pietermaritzburg (1.5 hours). It all went
pretty smoothly. I met interesting people along the way, had an
interesting/ overwhelming/ eye-opening run-in with a men's SA soccer team
in Paris (they were on my connecting flight), met a very nice Parisian/
South African guy who helped me through the Jo'Burg airport, and then flew
on the smallest plane I've ever been in to Pietermaritzburg (terrifying, I
half expected it to fall apart in the air). Since I arrived it's been a
blur.

Things are really different here. Safety is a big concern. We have to lock
up everything in our residences (doors, closets, kitchen cabinets, etc).
After dark it isn't a good idea to go anywhere alone, not on campus and
especially outside of it. There is a lot of crime, especially muggings.
The campus is fenced in with security gates all over, to get in and out of
these you have to swipe your ID card. That's also how I get in and out of
my, all female, residence (Lodge) and into some of the buildings on
campus.

The campus is really pretty. The older part, where I live, is over 100
years old, built in the British colonial style. The ordered red bricks and
clean white pillars are in sharp contrast to the unruly ferns, trees,
vines, and flowers which grow all over the place. The wild life is really
different too. The nights and mornings are filled with strange bird calls,
iridescent ibises and stray cats (weird I know) roam all over. My
residence look like what you'd imagine a British boarding school for girls
to be like. There are 2 floors, two communal kitchens, and four communal
bathrooms. There are large windows, long wide halls, and a big double
stair case. It is picturesque in its own way, and I sure at one time it
must have been beautiful, but now it is in slight disrepair and is shabby,
though clean. I like it. I share a room, with a girl named Erika. She is
from San Diego, and was here last semester as well, so that has been
really helpful. She is quiet and very nice. Our room is partitioned for
privacy, so I have my own space. There are a few Americans in Lodge, but
mostly local 3rd and 4th year honours students live there. The people who
live on campus ten to be the poorer black students whose families can't
afford to live in town or live in villages in more rural areas. It is
really interesting to get to know these girls, and get a more well-rounded
perspective on the culture and environment here.

Pietermaritzburg is mainly made up of black South Africans, but there is a
large Indian population as well, and a smaller white population. Watching
social interactions is really interesting and eye-opening. People tend to
mainly stay within their own ethnic groups. But as an outsider, I've been
able to meet people across the board. I have so many questions I want to
ask, but I am worried about crossing personal boundaries that I shouldn't,
so I'll have to wait until I get to know people better.
The first weekend here we had 2 planned excursions for all of the
international students. There are a bunch of us from Cali, some from New
Jersey, one from Germany, and 2 really funny Norwegian grad students. It's
a pretty good group, and I've met some people that I click with, we all
look out for each other which is nice. On Saturday we went on a tour of
Pietermaritzburg (the most well preserved colonial city in SA, so a lot of
the architecture is really pretty, albeit a bit rundown), the surrounding
townships, and some natural landmarks - like Haywick Falls, which was
really beautiful. Going into the township was a surreal and eye-opening
experience. It felt strangely voyeuristic. Hills, and hills, rows and rows
of tiny homes with tin roofs, which all looked like they were barely
standing up, I've never seen anything like that before. The township was
huge; I almost cried just looking at the immensity of the poverty,
comparing it how life is back home. I can't really even explain it. That
night we went to a braai, a Zulu style bbq (so yummy) - which soon turned
into a really big party. All of the international students were there, and
we got to meet a lot more of the local South Africans.

Last Sunday we went to the Tala game reserve. We rode around in those
safari jeeps a looked at all the animals. We saw rhinos, impalas, wilder
beasts, zebras, water buffalo, giraffes, and hippos! We got SO close! We
were about 10 feet from the giraffe and about 20 from the rhinos (we saw
five - 3 were babies!), we stayed a little further from the hippos. They
didn't have any large cats there, so we'll just have to go to another
reserve and see those later. Our guides name was Kalvin, he was really
knowledgeable about S African wildlife and environmental conservation, so
we got some good information along with our pictures. I'm still pinching
myself, I look at those pictures and half way can't believe that I am
actually here.

Classes started on Monday. I have three art classes - digital design, 2-D
studio work: oil painting and printmaking, and drawing, and one history
class, Making of the modern empire, focusing on Britain and America, as
the only American in the class, it should be an interesting experience. =)
I've also ridden in a Kumbi, which is kinda like a van that the locals use
as a cheep public transit system, they are crowded and not the most
comfortable, but I really like them, they feel more authentic than the
cabs. And I'm learning a little Zulu here and there which is really cool.
Most of the girls in my building grew up speaking their traditional
languages, and learned English later. So the halls are usually filled with
chatter, and the occasional song, in a language I cannot understand for
the life of me, but love to listen to.

So all in all, things are really good. This weekend we are going to
explore our new town a bit more, and we have another excursion to the
Valley of 1,000 hills, a traditional Zulu village, I'm excited. I think my
time here will be really valuable. There are so many things I want to do
and see that I don't know where to start; including seeing Shannon, my
roommie and one of my best friends form back home who is in Durban, a
large port city only an hour or so away. She and I have talked a few
times, and I feel better being here somehow knowing that she isn't 1,000's
of miles away, like everyone else I care about.

I hope all of you are doing well. I miss everyone soo much!
All my love,
Lauren