Two Months. Whaaaat?

I have officially been in South Africa for two months. I have no idea where the time has gone. Well, I do. I am still shocked by how time is flying past me. It feels like yesterday I nervously boarded through a glass jetbridge at JFK having no clue what would be in store for the next six months.

If you have been following my blog then you do know what I've been up to so far. Since I last wrote not a whole lot has taken place. I started my new school, Herzlia, which is located in Cape Town. I was a bit nervous to start at a new school group and meet yet another new group of people. After having been at Herzlia for a week I can say that I have adjusted well.

On Saturday, I had the great pleasure of waking up at 6:30. If you know me you should know how much I adore waking up early. Alas, I should stop digressing. My host mom, Astrid, along with my sisters, Yael and Abbi, and I got in the car to Stellenbosch. My host mother's nephew had a rugby match there, and so did my host sister's boyfriend. A South African high school rugby match may appear to be different than an American high school football game, but the two have quite a bit in common. There is a bunch of rahurrah at the beginning, with singing and chanting, followed by other traditional festivities. Really, it didn't seem much different. It was pretty interesting from an intercultural, as well as sports fan's perspective. It's probably something I wouldn't volunteer to attend again early on a Saturday but it was definitely something to see. A visit to Stellenbosch would not be complete without walking around the town. I took a stroll through the town for a few hours. There's a great deal of European architecture and influence in the university town. Pictures are to follow. Before I left, I made a point of indulging in what makes Stellenbosch world-famous–wine. Not that I am a wine expert, but I found the South African varietals very nice. The car ride home felt a bit more unusual than it did going there earlier that morning!

On Sunday we had a braai for my host dad's birthday. It was fun, and most importantly, delicious. People at home tend to grill using charcoal or gas. Here, people literally use fire. I'll let you go to wikipedia to figure out what I mean. A braai is central to any family related event. It brings people together, like American summer barbecue. Cultural differences are just as much cultural similarities. 

Pardon the length of this post. I've been sick today so I found more time to write.


Here are some pictures from the last month:

 V&A Waterfront. The lego-looking guy is actually made out of Coke crates!

 "Proof" that I'm in Africa. Taken on my game drive last month.

 An autumn day in Stellenbosch.

 Is this Africa? 

Me in Kalk Bay, a part of Cape Town 

08H00 rugby

View from Kalk Bay looking inland. 

In Cape Town you get four seasons in one day.

A New Start in a New City

It's been one week since I've moved to Cape Town. Am I a changed person? Probably not. Am I happy here? Yes.

I've written about why I made the move and how I got to my current family, so I won't elaborate any further on the subject. I will say that I am thrilled with my new family, the Meilechs. I met them on Tuesday, when they picked me up at the Hofmans, the people with whom I stayed when I arrived in Cape Town. When we arrived at their (or our?) home, I couldn't believe it. When you look out of the windows in the family room and kitchen, you can see Table Mountain, the Ocean, and all of Cape Town. It was quite a change from living in Heiderand, Mossel Bay. Compared to my surroundings with my last family in Mossel Bay, this is palatial. Actually, this home is palatial for anyone's standards. I have a room in the basement, which is literally the size of a house! I have a massive bathroom to myself that is bigger than my bedroom at home. Seriously!

The past few days with my new family have been really fun. I've met some of my host sisters friends, went to the Waterfront (think Navy Pier, all you Chicagoans), and have enjoyed the last few days of the vacation. I'm starting school on Monday. Yes, that's correct. As a second semester senior with less than eight weeks until graduation, I am starting a new school. Perhaps it wasn't what I planned on when I signed up to go on an exchange, but I'm okay with it. The lesson I've learned since going on exchange is to be flexible. If something isn't working out, only you have the power to voice your feelings and opinions to change the situation. I did, and I'm much happier now.

As exciting as all these changes are, I am beginning to miss home. Maybe it's the two or three month blues. I'm not sure. I think that as long as I keep myself busy, I won't miss home. This can be hard during vacation periods. I would not trade this experience for anything, though. Like anything in life, living away from home in a foreign country can be challenging. This experience will prepare me well for college this fall.

I'll be sure to post some pictures soon!

Capetonian

Hello from Cape Town, my new home!

Yes, I now live in Cape Town. I've never been so enthusiastic to call a place home. Why? Cape Town is perhaps one of the most physically and culturally diverse cities I've ever been to in the world. Now I understand why it receives so much attention as an international destination. It's an amazing city.

I'm getting quite ahead of myself. Here's a bulleted list of things I have done in the past twelve days. It's also a quiz to see if you can understand South African slang.

• Rode in the back of a bakkie 
• Went to not one, but three braais
• Went on a game drive
• Ate a Naartjie 
• Saw Table Mountain's veil
• Rode in a lift
• Traveled in a coach
• Ate milk tart

I'll let you non-South African readers try to figure out what I did. First one to email or comment me gets an acknowledgment in my next post!

Like I mentioned earlier, I am now living in Cape Town. In short, I love it here. I'm currently with a temporary family until Tuesday, when I move in with my new permanent family. I'm very excited to meet my new family! I had the pleasure of going to a Passover Seder at Temple Israel, in Cape Town. It was a bit different than the Seders I've been to in the past. Interestingly enough, they used the same Haggadah that my family at home uses. Small world? Perhaps. 

I apologize for the briefness of this post. I will post pictures of the activities shortly. The internet here isn't fast enough to let me post. 

Cheers!

Danny