My first week in SA

UNION BUILDINGS - Pretoria (my new home)






Pictures from the Fortreker Monument

So it’s officially day four of being here in South Africa (SA) and I am having an amazing time! Everyone once in a while it’ll hit me and I keep saying….wholly shit…I can’t believe I am living in Africa this summer! Right from the moment I got here, things have been non stop. So for those of you that having nothing else to do and enjoy reading my blog about my trip, I’ll try my best to post as much as I can about my adventures. This shouldn’t be a problem since I have internet connection here at the university.

So after two days of flights from Ottawa to London, Dubai, and Johanesbourg I finally arrived in SA. The flight was smooth, and I spent my time sleeping. Ariana and her boyfriend picked us up at the airport, in which we later drove about 30min. outside of J’bourg to Pretoria. Pretoria is the capital of SA and is where I will be staying. Pretoria is very much like Ottawa, since it’s the administrative capital of SA, whereas J’bourg is much more like TO large and very much cosmopolitan. Only hours after our arrival we headed to a party in which I got to meet the MC, some locals, and other members of my LC. Here I encountered my first braie ( ppl here love to drink and bbq). It was here also that I got locked in the bathroom. Somehow the key wasn’t working & I couldn’t get out. I was in the bathroom yelling that I was locked in, but no one could hear me because the music was on too loud. Eventually after about 16 min. this guy heard me and I was saved when I slipped the key out the bathroom window & he let me out. Pretty much something get stuck into being the clutz that I am ….get stuck in a bathroom my first night here.

Day 2: PJ and his friend from Port Elizabeth took Jen & I sightseeing around Pretoria bright and early. We drove up the top of this fortress that overlooked the city, the view was beautiful. Later we went to The Fortrekker Monumental Musuem, which was situated at the top of a hill again overlooking the city. The museum’s walls were carved in stone telling the history of the country. We then headed to Union Building in the heart of the city for a picnic. Later that afternoon we went to a mall/market district close by to campus with Ariana. There is without a doubt that there are lots to do here, and much to see here.

I haven’t experienced too much culture shock here. In South Africa, the cities that I’ve been jumping between Pretoria and J’bourg are rather modern. When ppl think of Africa they think dirt roads & wild animals. However, depending which area of the city I am in…..sometimes I feel as if I am back home. Honestly, everything that I could do and want to buy at home, they have it here (if not better). What you most notice about SA is the extreme differences between the rich and the poor. Those that are well off live in luxury and ease, while those that don’t struggle to get by. For example the easiest things for us, clean water and maintaining a roof over our head for our families, for example, those that live in townships struggle to collect pieces for metal, plastics, etc. to assemble together a shack. Their homes sometime no bigger than a single bedroom back home. Then again, it’s common for ppl to have maids and gardeners here. Heck, everyone I’ve met has one. The house that I am sharing right now with a bunch of international students that work here in SA, gheez we have a maid that comes in once a week to clean up. What shocked me even more on the first day was when I was told that there was a father & his teenage daughter that lived in our tiny garage. I have yet to see a township (basically slums) here. They aren’t exactly the safest places to go venture off into without someone who is familiar with the area. Townships were built during Arpartheid to keep the blacks out of the major cities. Though they were allowed to come into the city to work, once day was done they had to leave. It’s unbelievable that anything like this could possibly happen, harder for me since I’ve been raised in Canada. Again, even just a little after 10 years after the release of Nelson Mandela and the abolishment of it, you can still strongly feel the separatism of the country between it population. SA is best described are being very complex. I hope to join Fred & some of the my roommates on the weekend sometime to visit Soweto, a township near by in which they volunteer for a NGO called Children of Fire (helping young burnt fire victims of the townships).

Despite the strong extremities between classes, the fences and barred homes all around there are many wonderful things to this country. For example, scenic beauty, great food, a diverse ethnic group of locals (Chinese, Malaysian, Indian, Whites, Blacks, etc.) On the other side the weather is absolutely gorgeous during the days.
It’s winter right now here in SA. Before I came I was warned not to under estimate SA’s winters, as many other westerners had. Boy was I shocked, during the day it is always sunny and gets to a high of about 25 degrees. However after sunset @ about 5:30 it just drops to as low as 5 degrees. You are thinking what’s wrong with that? Well, the homes here don’t have central heating so it gets extremely cold at night, I had 2 blankets & 2 fleeces and I was till kind of chilly. I’m so lucky my mom made me bring my blanket, I was going to take it out last minute because it took up so much room in my luggage. I’d describe it exactly like camping in Canada in early spring or autumn. Well, that’s it for now more details later.