It's been one week...

Ah yes, the opening lines of one of my favorite songs, "One Week", by the Barenaked Ladies.

Yes, it's been one week here in South Africa. Actually, it's been one week here in Mossel Bay. Seven days, a bad sunburn, and lots of Afrikaans phrases later, I can honestly say I love it here.

In my last post I discussed the differences between school here and at home. Yes, it is different. Even at home, schools vary widely. Point High School is different than North Shore but I don't feel that it represents every school here in South Africa.

That brings me to my next point: generalizations. We all have them. Before I left, my friends joked around with me thinking I would be going to school next to elephants and giraffes, and that I'll live in a clay hut. Obviously, it is not the case. Mossel Bay resembles a Caribbean island, like Curaçao. There's a great deal of history, charm, and culture here, while situated in a sub-tropical locale. The architecture is more Dutch than it is "African". I like it a lot. My friends at school ask me if I've seen famous people in the street. The concept is lost upon them that Chicago is 2,000 miles away from Hollywood, and our only real celebrity is Oprah, whom I've never seen in person. Shocker. Therefore, generalizations go both ways. My image of South Africa before I left is obviously very different than the reality. I'm happy with the reality of it. In many ways it is like home but in other ways it is quite different. Beautiful estates are only a few kilometers away from abject poverty. Dichotomy is a reality here.

I'm starting "hockey" next week. No, not ice hockey like back home. This is field hockey, and yes, guys play it. Should be interesting! Need not to worry, there are no skirts!

I'm not sure if I posted this, but I found out the day before I left that I got into my top choice college, the University of British Columbia. It's in Vancouver, Canada and I can't wait to go in September! Life is good. South Africa today, Vancouver in September. Can't wait.

I hope all my friends and family are doing well back home. I miss you all but I'm having an amazing time here and it only gets better everyday! I noticed on my ClustrMap that I have 211 visitors....wow! Also, the diversity of countries represented of those visitors is amazing as well! I feel so international.

Feel free to comment or ask me a question! My email is danny.schur@gmail.com