The Night

It has gotten better today. I went out on a little adventure with a few of my friends from Rutgers. We went over the mall across town at around 4pm. Taking a combi (comb-BEE), which is basically a 12 passenger van that acts like a bus, from our local shopping center to a transfer station, techno music thudded in our ears. At the transfer station, there were lots of people and lots of combis. We finally found the right one to get us to the mall and paid our fare. Once at the mall, we walked around for a bit, noticing how peaceful it was to browse without flashing lights, bright colors, and large fonts glaring at you from every direction. I even got to see those "cute" couples who walk around the mall hand-in-hand who were probably in their freshman year of high school. Ah yes, the familiarity of home.

South Africa has a lot of those moments. Moments that are distinctly South African but have obvious Americanizations. This occurs when you go to the grocery store, walk down a particular path in the middle of school, or when you attend a nice restaurant. It is really quite interesting.

Then - it was night.

Oh yes.

Night.

We took the combi back to the transfer station. And...as we were driving...it was a different city. Trash covered the streets. People were lined up outside soup kitchens that I didn't remember seeing before. There were barrels of fire on every block. Mattresses were lined up on the pavement. The sun had just set and there was just an extraordinary difference in a matter of minutes. The three Rutgers kids I was with were obviously American if you looked hard but they are African-American. They can blend for a few golden moments. Me, on the other hand, am quite white. And tall. Suffice to say, I was pretty on edge. We formed a small ball and walked confidently with a purpose. Did we know where we had to catch the next combi? Hmmmm...

Well, we found a nice looking lady who pointed us in the direction of our desired combi. We got in, paid our 4 rand (about 75 cents) and left. It was about a half hour after sunset but wow, what a change.

So...the lesson of the day is to plan for an early departure. Find good directions and walk confidently. I'm not going to chance the city night for a while.

One of Those Days...

Deep post ahead. Very personal. Please be respectful and know that I just need to get this off my chest. More information of my journey in South Africa later; this is what is happening with the introspective journey of my heart.

It's been one of those days where you wake up and you just know it's going to be a bad one. You are in a bad mood and you are tired and stressed and you write run-on sentences. South Africa is great and the people are nice. I love it here. It is fun and exciting and challenging. However, today is just one of those days where you realize that you have four months left and you really miss home. Where you just want to drive twenty minutes and hang out with friends and family for the day and then be able to come back. Today is the day where you start to ponder what's important in life and what do you need to change.

I have been in a relationship with a girl for over a year and a half. We have grown tremendously close since our first date and people have seen this and know that we are. We are close. Very. We help each other deal with issues and problems as well as provide solid entertainment to make each other feel better. She's my companion and my friend. I can depend on her and I have placed a lot of trust in her. Throughout our relationship, we have been working on not just making room for God but letting Him be at the center of it. Which has been and is very difficult to do. I don't think we have that down yet. But we're trying. We haven't had the perfect relationship. I haven't been the best boyfriend. We're not along for the ride and just superficially saying, "I love you." When I say it and when she says it, we mean it. We're trying. That's the best we can do. I'm glad that people talk about us and have been concerned about us when it's been rough. We have a lot of good friends. Things are going really well for us. We are making steps everyday. I am happy with where our relationship is going and I hope you are too.

There are going to be a lot of changes in the next few years. I have to find a place to stay in the winter, learn to pay rent and how to use a credit card, decide what kind of job I want after college and what are the next steps with my relationships. These are all things I'm praying about and giving up to above. God is giving me strength and courage. It may not come in large doses, but it's there and it's ever-present. I just have to trust in Him. I haven't really had the easiest walk with God lately and I need to fix it. I need to fix it before I move forward with anything else.

I know some of you who are reading this aren't religious and I'm sorry if this was weird or if it didn't make sense to you. This is my faith and you have to accept that it is a part of me. I hope you have been able to see this side of me through my actions and words. If you haven't, then I sincerely apologize. This faith is not easy

Thank you for taking the time to read this. I'll give you more on South Africa tomorrow. As I said before, this is just something I needed to get off my chest so you know where I am in my spiritual and mental journey. I figure this way, I can look back when I am done with my trip and see how far I've gotten. I'm glad I was able to open up with all of you. It has been a while and I need your support. Thank you.

A Snail's Pace

This place moves as fast its internet connection: slow. I woke up this morning with two scheduled classes. I woke up with one class that didn't have a time or place. It took me about an hour to find someone for each department for each class. For some buildings, it was hard enough finding the right door to go in (one said, "try side door" while another said, "go in through main entrance). I finally attended an art history class, taught by an elderly woman who speaks softly and likes the lecture hall dimmed to a cave-like atmosphere. I think it will be my favorite class.

Organization and efficiency are definetly not South Africa's strong points. People litter on the streets to give others jobs to do. To register for a class, you have to get approved by the administration, travel to the head of the department's office for a signature, ask for UC approval, and then back to the administration where they review and ultimately tell you whether or not you can take that class. Housekeeping shows up in your apartment at 7am. They make toast. They sit on the couch. They talk. They will clean windows today but it is no big hurry. This is South Africa. You learn patience. You learn to let things happen.

It has been fun trying to figure out what to do and where to go. I know that I will figure everything out and that it will all work.

I just found out that my girlfriend is registering right now.

Yep. It all works out.

So Much to Say!

Yesterday was definetly my best day in South Africa since I have been here. The first couple of days were a blur because I was stressed out (mainly for my girlfriend's situation, who is going to find housing on Wed. and hopefully get registered for classes on Monday) and hadn't really made any friends yet. But yesterday, I went on a tour of Pietermaritzburg (PMB) and got to see the jail where Gandhi was imprisoned, the city centre, and a Zulu village. All of this was done on a tour with all of the international kids. There are a lot of people from Germany and I've met some others from Canada, Norway, Singapore, and Zimbabwe. I'm really close with the others from the UC system and Rutgers since we have the same advisor. Our advisor took us out to dinner two nights ago and is taking us on a trip today.

Btw, I got to dance with the Zulus yesterday! I have some really good pictures that I hope I can share with you all soon. We ate goat meat (really good!!!) on the bus along with some crazy gooey bread which I appropiately titled, "Jello Bread."

For the remainder of today, I'm going to go get some groceries and other necessities and hope that I can find my classes tomorrow. Half of them don't have a lecture hall yet and one of them, I don't even know what time it is at. But that is pretty much how it is for everyone. I'm actually one of the lucky ones who has four classes approved. Many only have one or two classes and are going to have some extra work this week. Hey, it's Africa. This is how it goes. You learn to live with it and just be patient. God knows my girlfriend has. If it wasn't for her really close group of friends she's made and the fact that she's in a very nice and safe area, I would be pulling my hair out. I talked to her on the phone last night (we finally got our phones working) and she is having a good time regardless of all the difficulties. I'm probably going to take a trip to see her this weekend if her housing is all sorted out.

Well, this semester promises to be an interesting and challenging experience. I'm not even happy with this post because I feel as though I've left so much out. I'll just let you all know that I am having a good time despite missing you all terribly.

I will give you an update on my classes this week and let you know what school is like. I will also give you an idea of what my housing is like and what is in the surrounding area.

Cold Yet Safe

Hello everyone! I made it to South Africa without too much trouble. Two very long 9hr flights have left me in the clouds...jet lag is not fun! Anyways, I have a decent room which has a bed, sink, lots of storage space, a desk, a chair, and a window. It is very very cold here at night! Southern hemisphere = winter! Luckily, I brought a few long sleeve shirts. It actually gets pretty warm during the mid portion of the day so it's very difficult to plan what to wear.

I did get in touch with my girlfriend and her housing situation is kind of weird right now. She's staying at a house with a bunch of international students because the on-campus housing isn't open/available yet. They told her good things today and she was able to register for classes. I also registered for classes. Lots of red tape and roundabouts and missing information. Welcome to Africa. Everything has slowed down considerably. Which is nice. But when you want to add classes and it takes a few hours, you miss the fast-pace of America.

I am getting along with the international kids (mainly the 3 from California). It's a fun group and we're going out to dinner tonight. We have a bus tour around Pietermaritzburg tomorrow and then a trip to a Zulu cultural village on Sunday. Classes start Monday and I just realized that I need to go to the store to get some paper/pencil/etc.

Anyways, that's what has happened so far. Thank you for your prayers and I shall update you all soon!

Here I Go!

So I have just a few days before I leave for South Africa. Tuesday, I will be traveling for about 2 days. OH boy...I just hope that the leg room is adequate. Anyways, when I get to South Africa, I will be meeting with an advisor and getting an orientation about the way school and society is run. After that, I get to see how it really is.

There is a computer lab on campus so I hope that I will be able to access this website from there. I'm almost 99% positive that this will work.

I have one big favor for everyone that is reading this. I am really excited to go but I have one major worry: safety. I have a feeling of what to expect and it's not all that bright. So I hope the country is different from what I am anticipating because I really do not want to get mugged, shot, or kidnapped. So, with a prayer, a thought, a blessing, etc., please ask for safety.
(Recent world events have not made this trip any less foreboding)

Now, I really am excited to go! It'll be life-changing and different and eye-opening. I just found out about this class that combines some poli sci with community service. I'm going to try to get into that class because it would be really fun to travel to all these different parts of the Natal region to help out people. The whole meeting people and connecting with them is probably my number one goal. I don't usually step outside of my shell until I get to know people so that will definitely be a challenge.

Last but certainly not least, my girlfriend is also going to South Africa. She's going to a school about forty-five minutes away so she and I will be making frequent visits to each other. I'll keep you posted about her experiences as well (I'm sure her mom would like that very much!).

So, I bid you all adieu. I will be talking to you all soon. Please bookmark this page and comment so I can get a little slice of home when I go online. Peace out!