(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