Today has been the coldest day in South Africa thus far. Add in rain and wind and there suddenly is nothing to write about because you have retreated to classrooms and the computer lab to stay warm and dry all day. I managed to set up a pretty nice weekend for when my girlfriend comes tomorrow. Her Friday classes were cancelled (Thursday being a holiday) and so she has decided to stay in Pietermaritzburg until Sunday. I'm hoping to get in touch with a game reserve so we can do that on Saturday. Yay for animals!
The social culture here is definitely interesting. I don't think I've ever been more aware of my racial identity before. You are treated differently by different races based on your skin color. While I was talking with my friend from Rutgers (who would be titled a "coloured" here), he received very intense stares from some of the blacks walking by and I got the same treatment by some whites. I was talking with one of the German girls who stated that she said "hello" to one of the black girls and the girl seriously did not know what to make of it. Of course, not everyone is like this and many people are indeed friendly. It is just very interesting to experience this kind of culture shock on a daily basis.
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