Rub a Dub Yay Communal Bathrooms

Today I had the longest most awkward non-cleansing shower of my life. My first class wasn’t until late morning today so I woke up late and headed for the bathroom. In my res, the bathroom nearest my room has one room for a toilet, one room for a sink and a shower stall, and two separate rooms with a bath tub in each. My preference, for those of you who care, is the shower stall. Said shower stall was otherwise occupied when I needed it and I had to resort to one of the bathtubs.

The bathtubs have nothing at all around them. No shower curtain. Just wide open air and cold hard tile. The faucet has a hand held spray nozzle but no place to hook it on the wall. Any part of your body that is not actively under the spray of water (about 98% of your body) is completely freezing. I tried lying in the tub but it’s so narrow that it doesn’t accommodate my wide child bearing hips. Great way to feel when you are naked and cold and tired. Also when the tub filled, the water had a delightful brown tinge to it.

South African tub: 1 Rachel: 0

Anyway some updates.

Last night a bunch of us braved the cold night air to go to a rugby game at the great field. Zach is a rugby player and was able to answer our questions and help make the game make a little more sense. I know understand that there is something called “scrumming” involved. That is the extent of my knowledge J Rhodes won!

We regrouped and went to a club called PRIME to celebrate. The sterile white tile of the place was not unlike my bathroom experience this morning and it was so crowded I had about the same amount of hip room. It was fun though and we met a guy named Simon who kept introducing us as simply his “American friends”.

We ended the night at Champs for some karaoke. That ish is my jam! Sean and I did a lovely duet of Jason Mraz’s I’m Yours. Is this becoming a regular thing? Quite possibly.

Day One of Classes

Day One of Classes

July 22, 2013

Okay I have barely gotten it through my head that I am in South Africa yet let alone that I am here to take classes in the middle of summer. This isn’t going to be pretty. Physically I am unharmed, but my brain is not doing well. I came back into academia with a running start to find that the race has already begun and I am way behind. Mantra of the day: Everything will be alright in the end. If it is not alright it is not yet the end.

So I woke up this morning at 7, having showered the night before. Thankfully my phone alarm went off, but I soon realized that event though my phone had been plugged in all night, it hadn’t actually charged at all. I flipped the switch on the outlet and tried again while I frantically got ready. My first class wasn’t until 8:40 so I still had some time.

My throat is killing me. I think the sudden transition from Summer to Winter weather has finally caught up with me. I’m not as sick as other people here, but I can feel the creeping crud coming for me. Product placement ad for Airborne: Here

I get dressed carefully, knowing full well I will be stared at all day today. A simple blue sweater and black jeggings are my fashion armor today. I walk out of my room with my key, close my bedroom door behind me, which automatically locks, and walk to the bathroom. I place my key (for which I have no keychain) ontop of the toilet paper dispenser, consciously telling myself that’s not the best place, Rachel. I figured the worst that would happen was that it would fall on the floor and my a loud clattering noise. Oh how wrong I was. When I ripped toilet paper out of the dispenser I heard a small metallic on tile sound but saw nothing fall. Getting up I realized that my key had fallen behind the dispenser and wedged itself between the dispenser and the wall. 7:20 in the morning on the first day of my classes. All my books were in my room and I was wearing my showershoes!

I seriously considered ripping the dispenser from the wall with my terrified, desperate, Hulk-like strength, but thought better of it and sought out to find my subwarden. Poor, sweet, wonderful Buks was dead asleep in her room when this obnoxious stupid international student banged on her door and begged for help. She let me in and was a sweetheart about it, but now I just have no key to my room. Awesome. Gonna have to pay for a new one.

Breakfast was fine. It was in a familiar dining hall where we had eaten all week, but now only a few international students were assigned there. Lauren, Caitie, Gillian and I ate cold eggs and rice krispies with hot milk, sharing our concerns for the day ahead.  We also watched a bird eat butter off the table next to us…

Rhodes Fun Fact: Red winged starlings apparently get in the dining halls all the time here and eat the butter. The dining staff saran wraps the stick of butter to a plate then places the plate upside down on the table. It’s kind of weird to see all these face down plates of butter. The more you know*

Next we need to get our fingerprinting done. Don’t freak out! It sounds intense but that is how students here register for their res’ and for meals. You have to register your left and right pointer finger print. Up until this point we have been essentially locked out of our res until someone comes in or goes out, and then we look like a serial killer when we slip in the door behind them. I live here! Honest! That whole process wasn’t so bad. We are finally registered and now the kitchen staff can’t get mad at us and refuse us food anymore. Also now I feel like a secret agent. So sneaky! Though now I’m paranoid something horrible with happen to my fingers and I’ll be locked out of my res…

My first class (Drama 3 – a third level course full of drama majors who know each other really well and recognize me as foreign right away. I am the only exchange student in this class btw) is at 8:40. I scurry off to go find my class. The course coordinator for Drama 3, Haike, a severe though sweet and passionate den mother of sorts with high expectations, was kind enough to meet me in the lobby of the theater to show me to my class. It took me forever to actually get into the drama building though and she was a little late which stressed me out to know end, but again, it was alright in the end.

My very first lecture of my junior year of study abroad was taught by a guest lecturer. I quirky granola hippie feminist Muppet of a woman. I loved her energy! She launched right into talking about Judith Butler and referencing things that had been taught last semester. I felt totally out of place but tried my best to hang in there. I’m going to have to work really hard to keep up with all of this. I loved what was being taught and the lecture was only 45 minutes long, but by the time I exited the classroom with the other student, I was totally drained and a little dazed. I marched down the stairs back to the lobby on autopilot, to be greeted by the shining faces of Gillian, Patrick, and Anne-Laure who are all in my Drama 2 class.

My Drama 2 class is in the exact same room as my Drama 3. With a bit more familiarity and friends by my side, I go back up the stairs for the next lecture. The room again is filled with drama students. They are hard to miss. They are loud and energized, shouting at people to ask how their holiday was, teasing each other, catching up on gossip. They are all dressed with a particular, hard to copy style, that probably suits their personality perfectly. I get a taste for the dynamic of the room just by looking around and listening. Under the din of the drama veterans catching up, Patrick, Anne-Laure, Gillian and I catch up on how our days have been so far.

Heike comes in and introduces the four exchange students, as if we needed to be pointed out, then introduces the course coordinator, Rob, and his gravity defying spiky hair. Then they both leave to make room for our lecturer for the day….who never shows up. After maybe 10 minutes of first-day-of-school-no-teacher- ness two students go in search for the professor and for Rob. Rob returned minutes later to say he had forgotten to remind the lecturer and that no one would be there to teach us. Bye!

The time wasn’t completely wasted. We met 3 very nice girls in our Drama class, 2 of which I have now seen other places on campus. We exchanged waves – a true sign of endless friendship. Clearly I’m the most popular thing on campus at this time.

Each of my Drama classes has a set of outside of lecture instruction, kind of like the South African equivalent of lab times in America, I guess you could say. For Drama 2, I have a voice tutorial (tut) and one practical (prac). I can choose from 4 available pracs. For Drama 3 I have to take 3 pracs. So that’s 8 lectures a week, 3 pracs, and 1 tut. I can’t believe that that actually makes sense to me now. Weird.

Anyway. The reason I explained all that is after lectures we had to go haphazardly sign up on the Drama bulletin board for our tut and prac times. I had a heck of a time trying to figure out what I was eligible for and making sure I don’t have clashes. For now my fingers are crossed. I hate synchronizing schedules and by the time the process was done, my brain felt like a wrung sponge. Also, my voice tut and my applied theatre prac for Drama 3 were scheduled for later that day. Two classes I didn’t even know I had would be taking place, God knows where, in a couple hours. Time to go lay down

After a brief respite, Gillian and I headed to our voice tut. We had been told it was in the “Upper Studio” and then been directed by a vague gesture towards the ceiling. We walked all over the building, found a list that said it was room 301, found 301, wiggled the handle, panicked when it didn’t open, then followed the group of people that laughed at us then walked in the open door behind us to the studio. The tut group was much smaller than our lectures and everyone again seemed to know each other really well. There was a very clear dynamic as to who the (excuse me) Head Bitch in Charge was. Gillian waited quietly for the professor to arrive.

The professor, Push, was awesome. She was so cool and funny and just so glad to see everyone. Again, the entire group spoke about last year’s class and assignments without trying to give us an idea of what was going on. Wide-eyed Gillian and I looked at each other while being left out of what felt like an enormous inside joke. All that really happened was the students talked about their holidays. HBIC sighed and flipped her hair about how tired she was from being involved in the Arts Festival. Then Push talked to them individually about papers they had submitted last term. Papers we had never written, which left Gillian and me with nothing to do and unsure of whether or not we should leave. Awk sauce.

Eventually the class got smaller (people were permitted to leave once they got their papers) and Jeff and Hannah came and talked to us. Jeff is typical theater guy – slim build, black hair, slightly scruffy beard, loose clothes for easy movement. I think he has some dance experience. He also was involved in the recent Arts Festival. Hannah is just adorable. Quirky with a big mane of blonde hair. I was glad we met them and they invited us to yoga later that night.

Next I ran off to History 2, which is actually full of exchange students. We took up an entire 2 rows. Finally some familiar faces! I sat next to Sean with Paul and Anne-Laure and, later, Nora. Behind us was Caitie, Zach, Jennah, Katie, and Becca. Finally I relaxed and tried to just enjoy the class, get a feel for what it would be like to take the course all year. At this point I was so exhausted from Drama drama that I was seriously considering dropping History on the spot.

The professor was actually pretty great, had little to no accent, and handed out helpful powerpoint slides. Overall the course felt a bit like a high school social studies course. We shall see.

Finally: Lunch! Anne-Laure needed help signing up for her pracs and tuts, but we got to the bulletin boards the sign up sheets were gone. We had searched out Rob first knowing that he was the Drama 2 coordinator and when we couldn’t find him we asked Heike. She was less than helpful and reiterated that she was the coordinator for Drama 3. Also, Grahamstown and Rhodes fundamentally shut down at lunch time. The campus looks deserted and good luck getting anyone to help you.

Back at Courtney-Latimer dining hall I met Becca and Nora. We all slumped exhaustedly over our plates and exchanged horror stories from the day while the birds ate the butter around us. General consensus report of the day: we all feel stupid and tired, and the regular students here gawk at us then mimic our accents and confused looks as we search for classes. Yes I’m new here. Get over it.

Life Lesson: I have a new found appreciation for the international students who come to WAC. I don’t know if I’ve ever stared at them the same way that I have experienced here, but I am going to make a conscious effort from now on NOT to stare and to reach out and say hi. For the record I have never mocked a visiting student’s accent. This whole fishbowl effect on display is not fun.

Thankfully, everything got better after lunch. That was actually true for most exchange students. The morning sucked, but things got better as the day went on. After lunch I had to go back to the drama dept. again for my Applied Theater prac.

I got lost like I did for my Voice tut, but this time I was alone. Once again I ended up passing back and forth in front of people who ultimately ended up being in the class. The good news is the was a very small and the people in it recognized me as that random white girl who showed up in their Drama 3 class today. A girl named Phiwo pointed me out immediately and welcomed me. The group all seemed to know each other really well but they were just as happy to talk to me as they were to talk to one another, which heartened me.

I connected most with a girl named Benita, who goes by Bens. She is a beautiful spirited blonde haired girl who lives at home and commutes to campus. Our shirts were the same shade of blue too #girlbonding. She gave me some insider tips and got me psyched up for the class.

The professor was semi late again, and made me feel awkward for introducing myself as a courtesy to her. Oh well. Awkwardness is always a fleeting feeling. We launched right into some icebreaker warm ups. We were each given a strip of black cloth – our tails – and told to attach them to our pants, flag football style. Next thing I knew I was running and stalking people I had met only moments before, trying to get their tails. I failed horribly but I participated whole heartedly and that’s what matters.

Reasons I love theater: Everyone looks stupid at the same time. The one trying to look cool often looks the dumbest.

Next the professor told us to grab a partner. Bens and I teamed up. One partner was told to tell a one minute story to the other about something interesting that happened over break. The other partner was only allowed to listen. Then the listening partner had to tell an interesting story about the weekend. Stories still fresh in our brains, we were then instructed to one by one to silently portray a significant part of our partner’s story. My over the top impression of Bens painting her nails and girl chatting (she had a slumber party over the weekend) was apparently an accurate representation and was very well received.

Soon the games were over and the class began an assessment of things that had happened at the end of last term, when I wasn’t here. Unlike other classes however, I didn’t feel as though I was being horribly left out. It was a great opportunity to learn more about what applied theater is. Plus we were in small groups so I got one on one time with a girl named Bantu and boy named Benji, who were delightful. Benji made a Mean Girls reference at some point that had Phiwo rolling on the floor in laughter haha. Aw theater kids how I’ve missed you.

 For those of you who are interested: Applied theater has to do with utilizing theater mechanics and backgrounds as a means of creatively facilitating activities in the real world community. This class, for example, went to a high school last semester and helped a classroom turn a novel into a short play performance. Acting out the elements of the play helps the students to give the text meaning and make connections to the real world. I actually see it as a type of community service. Pretty nifty right?

We were dismissed for the day and I left with a satisfied smile on my face. Soon after, Caitie and I reunited for some much needed first day venting and a trip to Under the Arch for some love from Sisa (learned how to spell his name finally). Mochaccinos in hand we headed to town to find some books we suddenly discovered we needed for classes. I had held off on getting notebooks until I knew what my professors expected of me. Turns out it didn’t really matter.

At dinner, people were in better spirits and happy to talk about their days even if we were nearly too tired to talk at all.

As a celebration of our very first day of classes (being over!) Caitie Gillian and I watched Crazy Stupid Love in Gillian’s room while sipping Honey Badger wine. Yes! You read that correctly. Honey Badger wine is a thing. At Pick n’ Pay (the local has everything store) I bought Kleenex, rooibos body wash, and Honey Badger wine. A strange assortment of things that I’m sure the cashier judged but….HONEY BADGER DON’T CARE!

Huzzah friends we did it! Immediately after the movie we disbanded to do…homework. I had to read an entire play in one night that was not found in the nearby bookstores. I went to the library which mercifully had it, but available on short loan. The librarian told me I could only take the book in one of two circumstances. 1: Read the book in the library for an hour. 2: Take the book out at 10 PM and return it before 9 AM. Why couldn’t the local bookstore just have it?!

Strange as it sounds it was good to be in classes and to be doing work again. I have this barely conscious urge to really prove myself while I’m here. To myself or to my professors or to all those gawky students who keep staring at me is yet to be determined. In the end…everything was alright

Thanks for reading, kids. Cheers!

Orientation Week: Part 2

For those of you that have just joined us… nearly 30 international students have just decided to attend Karaoke Night at a local bar in Grahamstown, South Africa. Let’s see how they’re doing.

Down the road from the Rat and the Parrot is a smaller, dingier bar called Champs. A handful of us walk through the door and immediately we are aware of how awkward we are. You know how in those older movies a character walks into a particularly awkward situation, everyone in the room stops what they are doing, the music stops and you hear that zipping sound of the record skipping? That’s pretty much exactly what happened haha but we just kept on going.

There wasn’t anywhere to sit and everyone was still watching to see what we would do next. Champs is darker and more smoke filled than The Rat and the Parrot and on this particular night, there were much fewer people. Apparently karaoke doesn’t start until 9… Well no turning back now...

We killed time at the bar just talking and getting to know each other. Any gaps in my recollection of what we have been doing with our time so far can probably be accounted for by hours of fantastic conversations with some really spectacular people. In this particular gap I spoke with Paul and Anne-Laure (Anna) – exchange students from France. They study together at Albert le Grand and are quite possibly some of the most casually awesome people I have ever met. It’s curious that even though we are all technically foreigners here we still approach non-Americans as if they are the internationals. We have several students here from Germany and one from the Netherlands. I personally think that they stand out less than we (the Americans) do. We spend hours just asking semi-ignorant questions about culture differences. We’re such a curious bunch. The overall consensus is that the world is confusing and awesome. Go see it!

At some point I hopped over down the bar, where Jake and Zach are huddled together talking. Jake as I said before is from near my hometown in Pennsylvania. Zach goes to school at Willamette on the complete other side of the country. They never knew each other before this trip, and let me tell you, these kids became Insta Bros. They are best friends on this trip and it is a source of endless amusement to me. Completely awesome guys. So glad I’ve met them. I keep calling them Jach and Zake by mistach (see what I did there?). Really I should just call them Burt and Ernie J

Eventually the karaoke gets started, the bar is more crowded and the energy of everyone there is at an all-time high. In the back left corner of Champs is a small stage with a DJ set up, a flat screen karaoke monitor, fringed with strands of fuchsia twinkle lights. The first couple of performers are locals and, dude, they were GOOOOOOD. A list of available songs came our way and we seized it! Nothing but seven pages of alphabetized American pop songs. We joked about which ones we should do, thinking that we probably wouldn’t end up on the stage, but then two girls from our international group got up on stage to sing Bohemian Rhapsody. Other people from our group sang Diamonds. Patrick gave a spectacular performance, complete with tasteful stripping during awkwardly long instrumental breaks. Zach sang Pretty Fly for a White Guy and he was indeed…pretty fly.

My friends and I had wanted to do a Fun song, but someone else did it before we could. Pffft whatever. Over it. We decide to grace the Wednesday night bar goers of Grahamstown with a loud rendition of Call Me Maybe by the ever talented glorious Carly Rae Jepsen. (Please Hold Applause)

A few minutes after submitting our song to the very nice DJ, about 18 of us mounted the stage to sing (shriek) Call Me Maybe. Caitie and I pulled out our lyrical dancing skills. A video of us is, I am certain, floating around the South African YouTubes as we speak. No regrets!

It had gotten late by the time we finally got to sing our song. Our voices were destroyed and we were ready for bed. A few people stayed on at Champs, but Caitie, Gillian, and I headed back to campus ready for bed. Of course, yet again we stayed up forever talking, completely dashing any thoughts of a good night sleep.

When I decided I really should go to bed, of course I skyped my wonderful handsome boyfriend well into the night. Do you say goodnight, sweet dreams when only one of you is going to bed and the other is getting ready for dinner?

All in all, a spectacular night. I can now cross karaoke in South Africa off my bucket list.

Thursday July 18^th

This day of orientation week was reserved for departmental visits. Basically, if you told Aidan or Helen you were interested in a class you were meant to go visit the department to get some info and get a registration slip signed.

I came here with the intention of only taking Drama classes, but I had heard about so many great courses while talking with other students that I started getting interested in courses other than drama. We are a very well rounded group. Some are interested in communications, journalism, and business. Others are all about psychology. A couple people are taking botany and zoology to fulfill their home institutions’ science requirement. Zoology courses go on field trips. Casual. A large group of people are very interested in history. The more I heard them talk about it the more I wanted to take it. Maybe I'll audit everything. What could possibly go wrong.

I went to the department meeting with everyone to get a better idea of exactly what history would be covered. In a large building that surrounds the koi fountain behind the iconic clock tower of Rhodes, we met Professor Gary Baines. A delightful (I’m assuming) well-learned man with a South African accent and a groovy sweater. They offer some really cool history courses here. I wish I had time to take them all! I think I’d be really curious to learn world history through the lens of South Africa. I am currently signed up for History 202, a course that focuses on South African history. Where better to study it, eh? I may end up dropping it but for now it’s on my schedule.

After the meeting, some people scurried off to other departments. I headed back to my room for some nappage and blogging. I didn’t have any other departmental meetings scheduled until the following day. It was nice to recharge for a bit.

Caitie returned from her disappointing meeting in the Politics department. Apparently they don’t offer the one class she has to take during this semester. Shame. (Just to clarify: In South Africa, people say “shame” to genuinely indicate they empathize with an unfortunate situation. I’m not a jerk geez, guys)

We both had some questions for Aidan so after lunch we ventured to the international offices to consult with him. While we were there a MASSIVE thunderstorm rolled up out of nowhere. You really can’t predict what the weather will do here. Aidan joked early this week in his posh Pretoria accent that “We don’t really have a climate here. We have weather”

Next Caitie and I braved the weather for Under the Arch coffee. Y’all don’t understand. Even if there was a hurricadonamieruption I would try and make it to Under the Arch. (Exaggeration?) The surrounding area was a bit deserted in lieu of the approaching ominous clouds, but Seesa (I don’t know how to spell his name sorry! That’s how it sounds) was happy to see us! He was playing music and looked pleased to have company. While he poured our mochaccinos, he told us about a Barista Championship in Port Elizabeth for which he was preparing. I had no idea there were such things and was thinking it must regional thing when he pulled out a barista magazine as if it were a Sports Illustrated to show us more about the competition. He’s been doing them for a couple years now and wants to be a judge next year. He even pulled out his blackberry to show us a video of his performance last year. The things you learn when you talk to the guy who makes your coffee. Thanks Seesa!

Thursday night is supposed to be Girls Night at the Rat. While everyone was getting gussied up for that, Caitie, Gillian and I decided we were far too tired and settled in for a long night of talking and bonding. Turns out Girls Night doesn’t start until the school year does so we didn’t even miss out on anything, not that I would have traded Thursday night for anything in the world. By the end of the night we had a lot of really great conversations with Becca, Meghan (from New York) and Danielle (from the Netherlands). Topic of conversation centered around language. I am now horribly aware of how much I say “like”. It’s a disease, people. The entire conversation was really pretty fascinating. Sorry I keep going on about just talking with people, but I have really gotten to know a lot of people here in a very short time. I’m already thinking about how much I will miss everyone when we go home.

Friday July 19^th

Another day was set aside for departmental visits. I started my morning with Patrick, Gillian, and Anne-Laure at the Drama Department. It was SO good to finally get a straight forward break down about what was and wasn’t available to us. I was super intimidated, but the meeting also got me psyched for the opportunities headed my way. We also scored complimentary tickets to two drama dept. productions happening this weekend.

I turned in all my paperwork for classes to Aidan and went back to my room for a congratulatory nap. A very long very needed nap.

That night we went out to dinner at a very Americanized chain restaurant named spurs. We had eaten at the Kimberly dining hall every day for orientation. Friday night was our night to get adventurous. I got a peppamelt burger, which was like a cheeseburger with Cracker Barrel gravy on it. Not exactly like how Momma used to make, but it was much needed regardless. We finished off the night at the Rat and the Parrot. Highlight of the night: a guy with a tongue ring came up behind me and said he could see my soul. It was a very beautiful soul. Was I from Connecticut? Oh hey, Jesse McCartney…is that the one state you can name? Good bye. Gotta love creepers J

It’s hard to believe that at that time the week before, Caitie and I were sitting in the Philly airport anxiously speculating what our trip would be like.

Saturday July 20^th

Nothing to do all day!! We slept in so hard! It was wonderful. Mary, Nora, Caitie, Gillian and I went into town for some brunch. Must go place in Grahamstown? Red Café. It was such a hip hidden little treasure. The café is upstairs on High Street with outside and indoor seating. You can buy old used books and just look at the funky artwork while you wait for your food. I got a breakfast tramezinni – kinda like a breakfast sandwich on a giant English muffin but not quite – and some much needed coffee. Mary got an iced coffee in milkshake form which was to die for.

Some major girl talking and shopping went on throughout the rest of the day. I bought a book at an Antiquarian bookstore that featured the biography of Cecil Rhodes (for whom Rhodes University is named)

It was a perfect relaxing day. Not so fun fact of Grahamstown: Everything pretty much closes at one so people can go home and watch sport. But I want to shop! Accommodate me and my neeeeeeeeeeeds!

That afternoon the skies opened up and exploded with a massive thunderstorm and torrential down pour which of course we got stuck in. We took refuge near the library waiting for it to clear up enough to run to Kimberly Hall for one last dinner altogether because the next day we would be moving into our allocated residence halls. Regular students will be returning and our magical summer camp of an orientation will be over.

Sunday July 21^st

I woke up to Gillian knocking on my door to go to breakfast. Afterwards, I slowly packed up my room to move 10 yards to the right into my new res Jameson. It was an exciting and sad day as we all moved across campus from the people we had grown to know and love and rely on in this new country.

I like Jameson. I got lost a couple times trying to find my way out and trying to get back in but I’m getting better at it. Enough things are different from things I liked in Oriel house that were already strangely different from comforts of home that I feel even more out of place than I did when I first arrived the week before, but I’m adjusting. My warden and subwardens are nice, if a bit strict in my opinion. Everyone else seems to have settled in okay.

The view from my door

The view of my door. Love the mirror cubbies. I'll miss having a sink in my room too

Dying to know the story. I couldn't stop laughing when I saw this in my carpet

Gillian was my first visitor in my new res and we sought out Caitie for some in town essentials shopping. Not so fun fact of Grahamstown repeated: People close down their shops after 1 to go watch sport. The only thing open was Pick n’ Pay. People made fun of us as we perused the aisles, mocking our accents and the like, but, whatever haters gonna hate.

The move had wiped us all out. We agreed on taking a nap then reuniting to climb up to the nearby monument (‘cause that’s a restful thing to do) Early evening we ascended the hill in the botanical gardens towards the monument only to be met with a very pointy looking fence half way up. We climbed back down and re-ascended on the road. Once we figured out the correct way to go, the climb look no time and little to no effort (hahaha) at all. We had a gorgeous view of the township with the sun setting to our left and the moon rising to our right.

Pitchas!

View of monument from the base of the hill in the bot garden

View of monument as we reached the summit

View of Grahamstown

Me at the top!

Gillian, Me, Caitie

Clearly the best jumping photo around

More of the monument atop the hill.
The monument marks the success and struggles of the 1820 settlers

The moon on the hill

The sun on the other side

Funky graffiti on the monument

headed back down after a long day

We ended the day with our first separated dinners, which was a little sad. By the time dinner was over, all res’ could only be accessed by the finger print scanner, which of course, Aidan, wonderful fella that he is, didn’t register us for. Not wanting to risk being locked out all night, my friends and I decided not to hang out together into the late evening, but rather to get used to our new dorms and prepare for the first day of classes that lurked only a few hours away. I went back to my room and tried to remember how to be alone after a week of 24/7 human interaction.

Orientation week….fin

Orientation Week: Part 1

Happy Saturday!

My orientation week is now over! I am registered for my classes, which start (gasp) on Monday! To all of you people in the states… enjoy your summer :P

This week has been a bit ridiculous. Busy and relaxed at the same time. We spent the week attending organized information sessions and exploring the town and campus during unstructured time. Overall it’s felt a lot like summer camp. At the beginning of the week, everything is new and you want to try everything, you have high expectations, you could burst from anticipation (not advisable). By week’s end, the anticipation has faded and everything feels routine. Thankfully, because I know I’ll be here for a while, there are plenty of things I have yet to explore and experience. Plenty more to discover and learn, but I no longer feel like a blind baby giraffe trying to walk on a boat for the first time.

Sunday Night June 14^th

I mentioned before that Caitie and I arrived Sunday afternoon and joined the other internationals for dinner in Kimberly Hall (all the way up the hill. A giant hike, in high elevation for my first decent meal in days. More on the food later). That night we were invited into town to The Rat and the Parrot for some drinks. (Dear future employer, the drinking age is 18 here. K thanks.)

We actually went to KFC first to get some free WiFi. So American. Gillian, who is from Kentucky, got a great picture out front to show her friends and family lol

The Rat has a cool, clean pub atmosphere. It wasn’t terribly crowded (the night life picks up once all the students are back). We spent most of the evening in the upstairs area at a long table. We kind of took over and made an international students section. Not all of the internationals had arrived yet, but we took up a lot of space nonetheless.

I sat with my back to a giant projector screen that was showing cricket - a confusing sport that I’m sure someone somewhere enjoys very much. We spent the night drinking Black Label, Castle Ice, obscenely named shooters, and sinfully sweet Mojo Jam Jars. (Dear Mom, Gam, and MomMom,  not all at once I promise! Love, Your Baby Girl) It was a great way to bond and get to know one another better. We shouted across the table at one another to find out each other’s’ names, majors, hometowns etc. Met a guy, Jake, who apparently swam for one of my high school’s rival teams. I traveled around the world to meet someone who lived in the next township. Go figure! So glad I went J definitely will visit again.

Back at the res Caitie, Gillian and I stayed up really late girltalking. We didn’t have any internet set up yet so we had no reason not to enjoy each other’s company. This tech cleanse is actually pretty awesome. My only need for the internet at this point is to tell my family that I am actually alive and well at my destination.

After saying good night, I went up to my room and let my mind stop racing for a little bit. I took a much needed shower (more on the showers later) Then what should I hear but the infectious unmistakable laughter of my friend Patrick (also a WAC student). Patrick had traveled separately from me and Caitie and it was such a relief to know that we were all together at last. We caught up briefly before deciding sleeping sounded like the best thing ever.

Monday July 15^th      

                                                                                                                                                         

Our first official day of orientation began the next day. We rose bright and early (lol jk its winter here. It was dark when my alarm went off and I had no idea where I was for a solid 3 minutes) and then stumbled downstairs to the adjoining dining hall for breakfast. (I just know you wanna hear every detail about what I’ve been eating (so nosy, geez) but you have to wait)

Next we went to the Eden Grove administration building – a fairly modern looking building with a lot of offices, a diorama map of campus, and a few lecture theaters – to register as students. We waited around and got insurance and other documents photocopied before getting our student IDs printed. It’s good to know that the DMV phenomenon of cuing and waiting for IDs and paperwork is universal. They initially misprinted my name on my ID (they thought my middle name was Miss…my card said R ISS DILLIPLANE) and had to reprint it. My picture….is acceptable. Starting to feel like an official Rhodent! (Rhodes +Student. BAM!)

Overall, the whole process barely took any time at all, and our next scheduled event was a walking tour of campus in the afternoon, so we had time to walk into town for errands (lots of people needed cell phones and various living essentials). On the way back onto campus from town for our lunch we stopped at a coffee place called Under the Arch.

Let me make this very clear. I love coffee. 90% sure I’m addicted to it and it is one of my favorite things in this world. Black, sugary, hot, cold, whatever I love it. This coffee place is one of my new favorite places. It is located under the archway (hence the name) of the gate of the main entrance of campus. Stay tuned for pictures.  The place is tiny and gives off a cool dude, hip, well kept secret vibe plus it has an apparent sense of humor. The place is owned and run by one of the sweetest guys on the planet. There is barely enough room inside for two people to stand and order a drink (imagine a walk in closet with an espresso machine and a toaster oven inside). The barista chatted with us while made coffee art with the foam of our drinks. (I got a heart in my mochaccino thank you very much!) Coffee always has the ability to improve my day somewhat, but it is impossible to leave Under the Arch, coffee in hand, and be in a bad mood. When my bank account is empty…we will all know why. Worth it, though. Worth it.

After lunch we had a walking tour with Aidan. By that time, my jet lag had settled in a bit and I was jonesing for some more Under the Arch coffee. Regardless of my grumpy fatigue we trekked all over campus. It was helpful to have certain buildings pointed out, but I quickly lost track of where I was and got turned around. I also don’t feel like I learned a whole lot of the history of the place. If you were able to walk near the front of the pack you could maybe get some cool info from Aidan (who once attended Rhodes as an undergrad). 

Aidan outside of Provost Cafe. Isn't he adorable?!

Highlights of the tour were seeing the koi fountain, a the second ever discovered coelacanth (living fish fossil), learning about some prehistoric trees on campus, and the Provost Café, which used to be a prison, but now serves meh coffee and pastries. People mostly go there for the atmosphere. 

prehistoric plant. They are everywhere here!

Coelocanth.Delicious embalmed giant fish..

Open air dining at the Provost Cafe

The oddly beautiful path to the bathroom at the Provost Cafe

Patrick and Caitie imprisoned in the Provost Cafe

It was also super hot for our tour. I had packed anticipating winter and I was beginning to panic that I was horribly unprepared for the weather here. (It had gotten colder, though, which is a relief. More on the weather later!)

That night a lot of people from the group went to the bar again. Patrick hadn’t gone with us the night before so we introduced him to the Rat and the Parrot. It was a more casual night, but the bar was a bit busier. We hung out in the downstairs/ main part where we encountered 3 game reserve rangers that behaved like frat boys past their prime. They were friendly, loud, and certainly entertaining.  Caitie and I and a few others left earlier than everyone else to try and combat our jet lag with a good night sleep. Of course we all stayed up really late talking anyway, completely defeating the purpose. Worth it, though. Worth it J

Tuesday July 16^th – The Day of Semi-Informative Lectures

Tuesday was spent in an upstairs seminar room listening to a number of lectures about the programs and services of Rhodes. Most of the speakers Aidan had arranged to speak to us pulled out at the last second so Aidan did a lot of the presenting. The best lecture was about the service opportunities available at Rhodes. I can’t wait to get involved in the community! I will let y’all know what I end up doing.

The good news is they fed us a lot. We had donuts and sandwiches and other familiar treats, but also glazed-donut –like pastries called Cook Sisters – braided fried dough dipped in deliciousness – and Milk Tarts – quarter sized pastries topped with something creamy. They sort of resembled deviled eggs but they were delicious too.

That night people went out again, but a lot of us stayed in for a lazy evening. Sean, Jennah, Caitie, Katie (awesome girl from BC who knows her South African ish!), and I found the common room and watched Invictus on Katie’s  Mac. Great movie if, if you haven’t seen it, about how Nelson Mandela used the South African rugby team as a mechanism of mitigating post-apartheid prejudices. Arguably a bit idealized, but I’m not gonna be the one to tell that to director Clint Eastwood.  Jennah and Caitie started falling asleep half way through (I did too a little bit) and went to bed. I enjoyed what I remember of the movie, and it was really cool to watch it knowing how close we are to Nelson Mandela’s birth place. Sadly, Nelson Mandela is in very poor health currently. I’m anxious to see how if he will improve or worsen during my time here. (Not to say that my presence in his country is directly correlated with his health. Though if he lives for the next couple years, I totally helped.)

It was another very late night, but instead of going to bed, I Facebooked with my boyfriend J Worth it.

Wednesday July 17^th

Wednesday was reserved for individual meeting times organized according to our colleges for the purpose of discussing intended courses. By the time Patrick, Caitie, and I arrived for our meeting, Aidan and the other administrator, Helen, were running an hour off of schedule. So we braved the rain to visit Under the Arch again for some coffee. I got a cappuccino that the barista decorated with a Teddy Bear in the foam J Then we decided we should probably head back for our meeting.

A word on course selection: Everything you are told about courses before you leave on your trip will be immediately contradicted during your advising meeting. Be flexible. All schools have different systems. Ask lots of questions. I’m in a bit of a unique situation because, though it is my first semester of my junior year, students here are entering their second semester of the school year. Be careful when considering what courses are actually available. Get as much information about classes before leaving for your host institution, but also keep in mind that there are no guarantees. Don’t show up with a totally inflexible hypothetical schedule. You will be in for a world of hurt if you do.

At Rhodes the classes are run very differently than what I’m used to. You have a class at least 4 times a week with Tuts (tutorials) and Pracs (Practicals) in the afternoon – think of them as extra lab time or a more hands on lecture. A typical class schedule here reminds me of high school schedules more than my college schedule. The Drop/Add system here is also more flexible than I’m used to. You can shop around for classes and then drop them any time leading all the way up to the, say, the day before your final exam. Consequently, they recommend you take a heavy course load and drop a class as needed.

Aidan and Helen helped me devise a hypothetical schedule that comprised of Drama, History, and Psychology. I’m not really sure how to explain how they do their classes here. They have very set curricula for specified majors. For example: A drama major takes Drama 1 one year, then Drama 2, then Drama 3. Drama 2 for instance is comprised of a series of lectures and practicals. At my institution I am used to a set of requirements for the major that I am responsible for filling through any combination of courses that are available from semester to semester. Make sense? No? Good.

Wednesday Night is Karaoke Night at Champs – a slightly dingier pub down the road from The Rat and the Parrot.

I’m going to let you mentally prepare for that story.

Talk to you soon! Thanks for reading! More to come J

Thoughts on Campus

The campus is exactly and not at all the way I imagined it. The beautiful pictures from the website made it look like the buildings were more spread apart. In the residential part of campus at least, the buildings are rather nestled together, distinct buildings, but they give me the sense of being closed in like a city block or large neighborhood.  (Disclaimer: my verb tense is/was/will be/has been all over the place…womp)

My Washington College campus suddenly feels tiny and flat and boringly organized in comparison. Because the building all look uniformly the same but uniquely distinct at the same time I get turned around and just let the one-day-on-campus veterans lead the way. The campus is probably smaller than I think and I will become more familiar with it eventually. The entirety of campus is fairly uniform and identifiable. There are some newer buildings and some departments that used to be Grahamstown residences. The buildings are also intimidatingly tall to me. Most buildings at WAC (Washington College) are 2 stories (3 max) tall. At the bottom of a hill, staring up at the solid flat façade of a monochrome 4-5 story building I feel miniscule.

Okay…how to describe the buildings…They look familiar to me but somehow unlike any architecture I’ve seen before. They feel more familiar to me now, but that is perhaps because I’ve been here a week. The novelty and strangeness has worn off somewhat. Perhaps also, the buildings are comprised of an eclectic combination of architectural elements I’ve known throughout my life. But actually.

The base of most buildings resembles Wisahicken shist (sp?) (the type of stone common in the Philadelphia area). The rock looks like it belongs on the side of a cathedral or at Bryn Mawr College. And that only goes on until about a foot off the ground. The majority of any given building looks like off-white plaster of some sort. I thought it was a bit bland and boring at first, but it’s starting to grow on me. The windows have white frames and black shutters that remind me of my grandparents’ Friends Meeting house. The roofs are terra cotta rounded tile that look like the roofs in Spain at the beginning of Dreamworks’ The Road to El Dorado (but that could just be because I watched that movie with my love last night. Yes we watched another movie together. It was glorious. Also Tulio and Miguel are my favorite <3) Anything else is brick, which I associate with my beloved Washington College campus. (I belovedly hardcore stubbed my toe on a protruding brick in the sidewalk this morning. It was awesome. Be jealous)

For your viewing pleasure, here are a variety of shots from campus:

Final word on campus: No matter where you are going YOU WILL WALK UPHILL….

Spot the new guy #feelinawkward

The actual date of this post is July 14, 2013 (oooh aaaah time travel)

Up until reaching Port Elizabeth, I had felt like just another nondescript traveler. It was easy to careen through airport terminals, disregarding everyone else, focused solely on my gate, my destination. In London, other travelers could be headed anywhere. We were all out of place – in transit. Now, in Port Elizabeth, where I was actually supposed to be, I realized how out of place and far away from home I truly was.

Exiting the plane onto the tarmac, we walked into the airport to a singular baggage conveyor belt, mercifully collected our bags and searched for the bus service that would take us to Grahamstown. Not gonna lie… I was hoping for a beautiful strapping South African to be standing at the gate with my name on a sign. No such luck. We did however find Blunden Bus services. The office was surrounded by other tired unsure travelers, who I assumed were other internationals en route to Rhodes. Turns out there were only two other students headed to Rhodes, Jennah and Sean – two delightful people from Boston College.

After some extreme Tetris-like packing of suitcases into a tiny trailer behind the bus (because of course the smallest trailer available should be provided to accommodate college kids who packed for 5 months of travel. Duh.), we climbed aboard and road along the coast to Rhodes. Eventually we lost sight of the coast, but we did see was stunning. It was less cold than I expected, but it was drizzling a little bit as we headed further inland, specks of rain hitting the windshield as we wound our way up and down hillsides.

For your reference:

I drifted in and out of unattractive mouth-hanging open bus ride sleep, waking up in time to see cows and…wait for it…..ZEBRAS!

Eventually we arrived at Rhodes. I recognized buildings from their website and saw the school seal hanging on walls and banners. Here at last! But where were we supposed to go…? The only information we had received was that we would be shuttled by Blunden Buses to our “vacation residence” where we were to stay for the duration of orientation before moving into our permanent res halls. (Res = what everyone here calls their dorm/ resident hall. They love to abbr.) So there we were in front of Jameson (my soon to be home), but that couldn't be right.

The university is also hosting a conference right now so a bunch of people are indeed being housed in Jameson Hall, but I was pretty certain that we were not. We called Aidan, our International Office host, to let him know we had arrived but had no stinking clue where to go. The bus driver meanwhile packed and unpacked our luggage from the trailer, not knowing if we had to drive to a new destination. Aidan told us to walk up to the corner where there would be someone to meet us.

The bus pulls away. The four of us lug our collection of suitcases up the hill to the corner where we meet…no one. The rain is heavier and no one is there. Womp. We go back down the hill considering calling Aidan again or running after the bus. I run into Jameson to ask if they know what we are meant to do. They don’t know. I run across the porch to the next building called Oriel and meet the sub-wardens of the residence. The two girls in the lobby flash two beautiful smiles and ask me to verify my name is on the list before confirming we are where we are meant to be. Sweet relief floods over us as we drag our suitcases across the awkward cobble stone and brick courtyard up into Oriel House, where we are given keys and directions to our rooms. Of course, I’m on the third floor.

My frustration at having to lug my suitcase (that now sports a sticker that says just how damn heavy my bag is) up to the 3^rd floor is mitigated somewhat by the beautiful view from my window.

I’m also just so relieved to have actually reached the place I had traveled 2 days straight to see. But I know I can’t relax until I actually see my room. And…

My temporary room is wonderful! We are all in singles, equipped with a decent sized bookshelf, a desk, a bed, a bureau with a mirror, a heater, a bulletin board, a spacious closet (good thing I brought hangers….) and a little sink in the corner with a mirror. I gently tug the curtains apart and I am greeted with an amazing view of trees and terra cotta roof tiles of neighboring buildings. On the horizon are colorful buildings cascading down the side of the mountains at the edge of Grahamstown.  Despite my exhaustion I am thrilled with my accommodations and can’t wait to settle in.

The first person I meet is the lovely, bubbly, perfect Gillian from Furman University. She has become easily one of my very favorite people here since her friendly greeting in my doorway. 

Study Abroad tip: As a general rule, people who study abroad are driven, adventurous, smart, amazing people. Get to know everyone.
*** Also, remember that you are awesome, too and people are just as interested in getting to know you.

The commotion of new arrivals attracted other international students into the hall way to meet us. We exchange names, share travel stories, and get the scoop on life at Rhodes so far. Everyone is so nice and we bantered for a long time. It was great how readily we befriended one another. Being the only ones on campus, and having Rhodes in common made for easy conversation. One of the students, John (also a BC student), helped me take my biggest bag up to the top floor. Thanks John!

A handful of us decide to kill time walking around campus before dinner. It’s a lovely night, not terribly chilly and we are anxious to see the campus. The people who have been here for a day than us have already been to town and already walk the sidewalks of campus with more comfort and sense of belonging. I hope I start to feel that soon.  (Though we all looked stupid when a car approached us from the left side of the road and we scattered desperately to get out of the way. Smooth)

For the first night I felt pretty out of place, but now (almost a week later) I keep forgetting that I am the stranger here. For orientation week, the majority of the student body is comprised of the exchange students. We walk around and talk about how strange and different everything is, until, abruptly, I remember that I am the thing that is out of place. The trees, the plants, the birds, the terrain all look and feel totally different here. I want to hold on to this feeling of how exotic and new everything feels, but I know by the end of my time here even the most novel thing will become common day. “That bird of paradise outside my window? Whatev they’re everywhere.” “Hadeda Ibis chillin’ in the courtyard? Pffft they are just like Canadian Geese. Over it!!” But for now…I’m still painfully, unabashedly, obtrusively the new guy.  

Travel tip: It's okay to feel completely out of place. Ask questions. In many circumstances there is absolutely no hiding that you are foreign. Go with it. Find little ways to feel like you belong (ex: become a regular customer at a cafe or be able to give someone directions)

The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.

~Eleanor Roosevelt