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September 21, 2006

Earth Dance KZN

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

Posted by Lauren Lester at 02:24 AM

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September 13, 2006

Swaziland

(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

Posted by Lauren Lester at 04:18 AM

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St Lucia and Hluhluwe

(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

Posted by Lauren Lester at 04:15 AM

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Durban, S Africa

(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

Posted by Lauren Lester at 04:13 AM

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Just arrived in SA

(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

Posted by Lauren Lester at 04:09 AM

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Cheers

Hi Everyone,

I have been in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa for almost two months now. I graduated from UC, San Diego, in June, wasn't ready to face the adult world just yet, so I decided to take to opportunity to travel as a student one more time. The first few of these entries will be made up of old e-mail updates I have been sending home.

Cheers!
Lauren

Posted by Lauren Lester at 04:06 AM

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