Days 21-23

Although I stated last weekend that it was the best weekend of my entire life, this past weekend has proven me wrong. Every weekend that I have spent here in Cape Town has been filled with different adventures, so I'll break down the days for you guys again and let you all know what happened!

The inside of the Side Show Club

Friday: While work is still going really well, Friday seemed to drag by. I was a little tired from going out the night before (our program puts on a drinks night every two weeks) and the weather was really crappy. When I got to work, the office was really dark because all of the lights upstairs were out, and as the day moved on, it got really dark (its winter here, so it gets dark around 5:30) I got a ride home from one of my co-workers and ran to the liquor store to start the weekend (the liquor stores close at 6:00pm here.) Upon returning to the apartment, I was told that nobody wanted to go out. After about thirty minutes of talking, we all changed our minds and decided to go to a club called Side Show. We piled into the cab and arrived in a small alley area that seemed a little bit sketchy. When we got to the door, we were told that the cover charge was 70Rand ($7.00) and we decided to just pay the cover and check it out. When we walked in, I felt a piece of my heart grow, for I had entered the greatest place in the world (if anyone could have seen all of our faces, we looked like little kids seeing Disney world for the first time.) The bar was HUGE and was playing crazy dance music. We got some drinks and made our way to the front of of the dance floor where the DJ was playing on a stage. On our way to the front of the room, we passed a girl dancing on stilts while wearing a giraffe mask, drunk people from all around the world, and fire breathers. We danced and had a great time the rest of the night and are already looking forward to going back this next weekend! Onto Saturday.
  

Inside the Old Biscuit Mill

Saturday: Saturday morning was a little rough, but we all pushed through and got ready to head to Simon's Town for the day. We decided to take the train since it is about an hour away and a taxi would be too much money. We walked downtown and bought our train tickets (we were told to buy first class tickets) and when we got to the "first class" train car I was a little taken back. When one thinks of first class, they usually think of something somewhat luxurious. This was not. The seats were all torn apart and every wall was covered in graffiti. We made a pit stop in Woodstock at the Old Biscuit Mill, which turned out to be a huge market with different food stands ranging from hot dogs to gourmet sandwiches. We all ate and walked around, then got back on the train to continue on to Simon's Town. The train route went right along the coastline (the track was literally about five feet from the water) and we finally arrived in Simon's Town after about a fifty minute ride. The town was absolutley beautiful. We did not have as much time as we hope because the last train home left at 4:20, so we walked around and got some drinks at a local bar. After a long train ride home (the janky train broke down for about twenty minutes) we went and got ready to go out. We ended up at Chrome (once again) and had a really good night.

View from the train to Simon's town

Sunday: Today was a really good day as well. It was the first time that all were able to sleep in, so we all woke up around 11:00. After hanging out for a little while, we went to the Green Market and bartered with a few people to get some cool souvenirs. After we got back,  Caitlyn, Nicole, Nathaniel, Sahar and I decided to go to the VA Waterfront (its my favorite place to go in Cape Town) and went shopping. After getting some cool clothes, we went and got some really good sushi at a seafood restaurant in the mall, then headed home.

The weekends keep getting better and better as my trip in Cape Town continues. This week is Kevin's birthday week, which is going to be a good time, and then we are going to our first rugby game on Saturday. I am starting to realize how fast this trip is going by and feel like I still have so much to do and see. I am excited to keep posting blogs to let you guys know whats going on in my life, and hope you are all still enjoying my adventures. Peace and love.

Day 19

Today was another normal day in the life of Brett, but there were a few surprises that occurred, so here we go. I started Insanity last night (for those of you who don't, its a workout that is supposed to get you ripped in 60 days) and I woke up feeling as though my body was on fire. My lower back, upper back, upper legs, lower legs, shoulders, and god knows what else were in some HARD pain. So, I got up and walked to work. Since I am finally settled in and know more about the company now, my supervisors gave me some tasks to do on my own. I was appointed to social media manager, which means I am in charge of updating all of the different media that my company has and keeping followers informed. They had me write a few blog posts for the companies website and I also had to make a few spreadsheets, so the day actually went by pretty fast. Towards the end of the work day (around 4:00) a bunch of guys came to the building and started setting up lighting and different sets outside of our building. Turns out they were shooting a music video in our building (I'll keep you guys posted as to who it was and if the song ever gets popular, which I don't think it will) but either way it was cool. After work, I came home and made some overcooked pasta and soggy garlic break with Caitlyn (it was my fault) and after dinner I went up to the top floor to do another Insanity workout. Caitlyn decided to jump on the workout train with me and we started our 45 minute workout video. After 45 minutes, I wanted to throw up. I'm really hoping that it gets a little bit easier, but I'm glad that I am starting to workout again. I'm hoping more exciting stuff happens this week so that I can blog, but if not be sure to lookout for another exciting blog over the weekend. Peace and love.

Days 14-16

As you all know, I have not been blogging that much throughout this past week since I have not been doing much, and I know you have all been on the edge of your seats WAITING for me to blog, but believe me, this will be one hell of a blog since I did so many things this weekend. Here we go.

Friday: Friday was another normal day in the life of Brett. Woke up, got ready for work, went to work, and then came home (the day crawled by because I was so excited for the weekend.) When I came home, I found everyone making plans to go out to the club (there is this place called Chrome that is basically our African version of Ricks.) We went out and had a few drink, then came back to the apartment.....typical Friday in Cape Town. Onto the next day.

Saturday: We all woke up early on Saturday because it was finally time for our vineyard wine tour to Stellenbosch. The roommates and I decided to dress a little bit classier (suit jackets and bow ties) and we when we were ready, we met up with the other MSU kids (we are referred to as "the cult" by others kids here because there is so many of us.) Once we got outside of the city, the views of different vineyards stretched for miles and after a forty five minute car bus ride, we pulled into the first vineyard, Neethlingshof. Right away we walked in and sat in a big room with wine glasses and lists of different wines long tables. Once everyone was settled, two people stood at the front of the room and began telling us about the vineyards history. After a brief introduction, they walked around and poured us different wines to taste, each with a different background and story. After the tasting ended, we were released into the vineyards store and were able to shop for a few minutes if we wanted (Mom, you would have went bankrupt.) After we piled back into the bus, we continued on to the second vineyard on the agenda, and pulled into the beautifully landscaped vineyard called Spier. This vineyard was not as pretty, but I would agree that we all had a better time because it was not as formal (and they also gave you a lot more wine to taste.) After our second tasting, we went to a restaurant located at the vineyard called Moyo, which was set up buffet style and was under a giant tent. When we sat down, they took our drink orders and told us to go get our food and it turned out to be nothing that we expected. It was our first "African" meal and the food was excellent. I tried different meats like Impala and some other weird chili that made me nervous, and had some great chicken. After a few minutes of eating, the women who worked there walked around to the tables and painted some type of African designs on our faces, and everyone's was different. We finished our meals and headed back to Cape Town after a long day of wine tasting, but decided to keep the adventure going once we got back. at 3:30, we took a cab down to the VA Waterfront (this is one of my favorite places in Cape Town) and bought tickets to a sunset champagne cruise. At 5:00, we boarded the Spirit of Victoria and headed into the deep blue for our sunset adventure. The cruise turned out to be one of the best excursions that I have done on this trip. As the sun was setting, we were able to see a huge portion of the South African coastline while we sipped in complimentary champagne. After an hour and a half of cruising in the ocean, we headed out for some more drinks (off the Chrome once again) and then called it a night. Saturday easily goes down as one of the best days of my life.

  

Sunday: Sunday was our day of recovery. We all got up, hungover yet again, and went to the waterfront the watch the South Africa vs. Ethiopia soccer game (South Africa lost.) We ended up leaving halfway through because we were all so tired, and then came back and watched a movie. We took full advantage of Sunday being the day of rest and did not do anything.

Monday: Today, it was Youth Day in South Africa, which is a public holiday in which everyone has work off! We decided that, since we didn't drink the night before, we would take on Table Mountain. After arriving on sight at the bottom of the mountain at 9:45am, we started our hike up the 3563 foot mountain, and planned for it to take a few hours (we didn't know that the expected 4 hour trick would turn into an 8 hour hike.) The hike was one of the most intense things that I have ever done. A few times throughout the hike, I found myself about 2000 feet up in the air with only a few feet between me and the edge of the cliff. We got lost a few times, but ended up finding our way to the top. The view from the top was the greatest view that I have ever seen. I could see miles and miles of ocean on one side, and tons of mountains on the other. After hiking down (which was another intense adventure) we made it to the bottom and went out to eat. It is now 8:00pm and I feel like I am going to sleep for three days, but the hike today was an unforgettable experience.

Overall, this past weekend has been one of the best weekends of my life. I tried new foods, climbed mountains, and visited places that I never thought I would before. I am so excited for the next adventure that I go on here in Cape Town, and hope everyone is excited to hear about it! Love and miss you all!

Neethlingshof Wine Estate

Neethlingshof Vineyard

The roommates and I at Spier

Wine tasting at Neethlingshof

Spier Vineyard

View from the sunset cruise

The MSU "Cult"

On top of Table Mountain

View of Lion's Head

Day 11

So I didn't blog yesterday because nothing exciting really happened. I got up, went to work, came home, and just hung out (I'm feeling like most weekdays are going to be like this, which is okay, but its nothing to blog about.) Today has pretty much been the same so far, except for the fact that I would like to blog about my lunch the past two days. There is this gas station down the street from the office called Engen, but its basically like a grocery store (they sell stuff like chicken, ground beef, vegetables, etc.) In the back of the gas station is a little bakery that I didn't notice until yesterday. I went to see what it had to offer, and boy let me tell you. They have tons a pastries and donuts and cookies and cakes, but then they have a salty section with little pies (they look the little chicken pot pies.) I looked at the price and almost crapped myself. For a good sized pie filled with feta and spinach, it was 14.5 Rand (that's basically $1.40.) I snatched that bugger right up and let me tell you, Olga's has got some competition. Like, Jesus Christ. So, today I was pumped to head back to the weird gas station grocery store and try another flavor. I got a little too carried away and ordered the cheeseburger pie, and it was disgusting (it was not real burger meat.) So, it looks like I'm sticking to my feta and spinach one. I have been losing weight on this trip because I eat like two times a day, but now that I found these little guys I'm well on my way to American size. The also have huge salads for 17 Rand ($1.70.) So, I thought everyone should know about my lunch at engine because it was a great experience. Also, throughout the week, I will more than likely be blogging about really random stuff (like my lunch.) Also, instead of doing our own laundry here in good ol Cape Town, we went and dropped it off at some little shop down the street and it only cost $3.50 for a load. After work, I came home and saw that our entire apartment was clean because Hilda the magnificent (the cleaning lady) came over and worked her magic. Kevin, Nathaniel and I went to the grocery store and I got a ton of food because I didn't have anything. Overall, today was a pretty good day, but like I said, weekday blogs are going to be a little dry, but no fear America, my weekend blogs will rock your world. Peace and love.

Day 9

Today started out as a typical Monday and ended in a way that I was not expecting. I got to work around 8:30am and met everyone outside (we had to wait for the girl who had the keys for about a half hour because she got caught in traffic.) The new intern showed up and turned out to be really cool! (she is from South Africa but goes to school in Holland) Most of the people in the office had to leave around 10:00 to go to a photo shoot for a magazine cover that they are featuring this month, and the new intern and I stayed back and worked on a few tasks until about 4:00, and then we got a call telling us to meet the other workers at the restaurant in which the photo shoot was taking place. We drove to the Kloof Street House, which is where the shoot was taking place, and we found that it was a really cool Mediterranean decorated restaurant. The entire restaurant was closed down for the photo shoot, and when we walked in, we found that it was a LEGIT magazine photo shoot (I was expecting some small scale shoot, but they had photographers, hair stylists, makeup artists, and three models) I was fortunate enough to meet the models when I walked in (each was easily a 9.5/10) and right away they grabbed the new intern and I and put us in chairs in front of mirrors. The started playing with the other interns hair and putting makeup on her, and I had no idea what was about to happen to me. (We also had no idea that we were going to have our pictures taken, but we were lucky that we were wearing all black and I had a tie on.) They started doing my hair and put makeup on me (not my proudest moment) but it was so my face wasn’t shiny in the photographs. After the models were done (no, I didn’t get to take pictures with them) they pulled all of us into a room that was decorated like an old fashion library with a huge leather couch and started positioning us for Vivid’s staff picture. The shoot was pretty interesting, seeing as though I had never been to one before, but it ended up being really cool! After we had our pictures taken, we cleaned everything up and headed back to the office. We got back at around 5:20, and I was expecting to start my walk home, but to my surprise our boss wanted to take us all out for a drink since we all looked so nice. We got in the car and went to a place called Mount Nelson, which was a HUGE gated building with security guards and pillars at the entrance. (supposedly it is a widely popular historical place in Cape Town that has tunnels under it from many years ago.) We walked in to a huge building with doormen and servers dressed in suits. We sat down in a room filled with really nice couches and a huge bar, and a server came up to us and put down a champagne glass in front of each one of us. My boss bought us a really nice bottle of champagne and we all sat and talked to about an hour. It turned out to be a really fun evening and I got to know my co-workers on a more personal level. Everyday here in Cape Town seems to be somewhat of an adventure and it is always something to look forward to. The weather was really nice today and I am hoping that it continues (Mark) throughout the week. I am excited to see what this coming week has in store for me and once again, I am excited to share it with you all! I love and miss everyone!

P.S. We bought our tickets to our first rugby game today and we are all going on June 29!

 

 This is Kloof Street House, where the photo shoot was.

 This was the room in which my co-workers and I were photographed.

Day 8

One word to describe today….phenomenal. I woke up with a little bit of a hangover (we all went out to the club last night) and wasn’t sure if everyone was going on the hike up Devil’s Peak at 9:00am. Everyone seemed to be feeling a little rough and decided they were going to skip the hike and do it another time, so I went down to the lobby to tell the people that were going that I we were going to stay back. After talking to Nicole when we got to the lobby, we made a last minute decision to go on the hike. We ran upstairs and put on some hiking clothes, then headed down to the lobby. After a fifteen minute cab ride to the base of the mountain we got out and looked at what we were about to encounter (the mountain was HUGE and the hike was supposed to take an hour and a half to get to the top, and they weren’t lying.) The hike started out good (it was a little chilly) and we were all excited to get to the top. After about thirty minutes of hiking, everyone had removed layers of clothing and was out of breath (don’t drink the night before you hike up a 3,281 foot mountain.) The views got better and better with each step that was taken. Looking out to the ocean, Table Mountain, and Lion’s Head was breathtaking. There were some areas that had little streams and rivers flowing where the land was flat, and then ten seconds later you found yourself at an eighty-degree angle, lifting yourself up rocks. Towards the very top of the mountain, it became very difficult to climb. Everyone was really out of breath and we ended up having to take a few breaks, but once we got to the top, the entire group forgot about all of the pain that we just went through. The view was something that pictures cant even explain (also, it was freezing at the top and the wind started to blow really hard.) We all sat down and took in the views for about a half hour and took some pictures. When we decided to head down the mountain, we all realized what we had ahead of us. The hike up was rough, but the hike down was even more dangerous. Rocks would slide under your feet and you had to constantly grab onto trees and bushes so that you wouldn’t fall, because if you slipped, you were done for. After about two hours of hiking down the mountain, we got in a cab and headed to a restaurant called the Eastern Food Bizarre (it was a huge place with different choices like middle eastern, Chinese, vegetarian, etc) The food was awesome and after we all filled up, we came back to the apartment and went to the roof to sit by the pool in the sun. The weather was absolutely perfect (not a cloud in the sky and in the mid 60’s.) For dinner, we went to a pizza place down the street called Divas, and then went back once again at about 8:30 to get some ice cream. There was a mother and her daughter who were singing all sorts of songs and there was a bunch of locals drinking wine and singing along. I am absolutely exhausted and cannot wait to lay in my bed, but I am so happy that I made the last minute decision to venture out. Although the hike was strenuous and exhausting, it was an amazing experience. We will hike the other two mountains within the next few weeks, and then I’ll be a pro. The weather this week is supposed to be really nice (I’m hoping the rain will cease a bit) and I am excited to learn more about my job. I’m still alive after my dangerous mountain climbing extravaganza and can’t wait to do more activities that I never thought I would have the opportunity to do. I love and miss you all and can’t wait to let keep you posted on my adventures in Cape Town!

 Lion's Head

 View from the top of Devil's Peak

Day 7

Sorry about the missing blog for day number 6. We didn’t do very much and the Internet was absolutely horrible all day. Yesterday was Friday, and work turned out to be really fun. At around 11:00am, I went with my two other co-workers to downtown Cape Town to look at different outfits for a photo shoot that is taking place on Monday. Mind you, I have zero experience when it comes to fashion, and I had no idea what they were talking about, but they took me along just so I could see some side tasks that the company does throughout the day. After meeting a South African designer (I guess he is a pretty big deal around here) we went to the restaurant where the photo shoot will be taking place, and then the three of us went out to lunch to a little café called Marias, and they bought me my lunch. (the food was REALLY good) After work ended, I came home to meet everyone and see what the evening plans were. We went over to Caitlyn, Nicole, Chelsea, and Sahar’s room (the other MSU students) and started drinking and hanging out. After drinks were flowing for a little while, we hauled our drunken butts down the stairs to go to a club called Purple Turtle. The place was really cool and had really weird (but again, cool) music and the people dancing looked so funny (nobody touches when they dance here, everyone just does there own thing and kind of looks like they are on SOME sort of drug.) We left the Purple Turtle and headed to another club called Chrome, and it turned out to be one of the coolest clubs that I have ever seen. Caitlyn, Kevin, Kory, and I (The others went to different bars or went home) walked into the building to pay cover and found that it was really modern and cool looking. After we paid, we were told to walk down this dark hallway to the club (seemed a little sketchy at first) but once we got to the end we entered a HUGE room that was filled with a ton of people and really good music. We drank a few fish bowls, which are really good but really dangerous, and then left around 1:30am. This morning, we got up and went down the street to KFC (were branching out a lot in Africa…) and then we all decided to go to Muizenberg, which is about a half hour cab ride, and it was BEAUTFUL! It was right on the ocean and surrounded by the mountains and we took a bunch of pictures on the beach! We all ate at a fish and chips restaurant on the water and then it started raining, so we decided to leave and come back on a better day. After getting back, we all went to the sauna and ordered a pizza, and now we are all getting ready to go back to Chrome. Today was REALLY cool seeing South Africa’s coastal line, and I am looking forward to exploring some more places while I am here! Each day is getting better and better and I am still loving this trip. I love and miss you all and will try to post some more pictures tomorrow. Were hiking up Devil’s Peak Mountain!

 Me and the roommates

The colorful shacks right on the beach (me, Nicole, Caitlyn, and Nathaniel)

Day 5

Today was a really good day. The weather was PERFECT outside and I think it was the first day that I could see the top of Table Mountain. We all woke up this morning a LITTLE hung-over since we went out last night, but I felt fine after I got ready. I decided to leave a little bit later today since I got to work way earlier than everyone else the first two days, and I arrived right as everyone else did. After saying hi to everyone and having a cup of tea, we went upstairs and started working. One of the girls downstairs had to make a mail run to pick up some magazines for the company and asked if I wanted to go in case I was told to make the run in the future. It was a really nice walk and it is not far at all from the building, and the mountains were visible in every which way that I looked. As we were walking, I asked her what she would recommend for me and the other international students to do while we are here, and she gave me so many ideas. She told me of an amusement park, the different beaches, the wine lands, and so much more. When I came back, I checked my email and to my surprise found out that next weekend, our group of MSU students is going to Stellenbosch (a vineyard a few hours away that is supposed to be beautiful.) After checking a few emails, I had to go through the magazine library at work to find the feature writer information, and after that I had a few more small tasks to complete. I found out that I am going to be helping out with an event called the Big Bottle Festival which is a festival in August that consists of huge bottles of wine (like 6-10 litres of wine per bottle.) So work went pretty good today, and I guess there is another American intern coming in next week! But after work is drinks night tonight (the program has drinks night every second Thursday for all of the international students to meet each other and hopefully find the women of their dreams...just kidding) So I typed this blog earlier today, and now I'm finishing. We went to drinks night and we met a few people, but the Spartans stuck together and I think we are the most fun group out of anyone here (there is like 15 of us and everyone is really cool.) But now I am in bed and I'm super tired once again (this has been the longest week of my life with everything going on) but I am still really happy with everything that I am doing. I am excited for work tomorrow, and even more excited for the weekend that is ahead of me! Obviously, I am still alive, and I am finally getting into the swing of things in Cape Town. I love and miss you all and cant wait to post some awesome pictures for you this weekend! Enjoy!

Day 4

Ok, so the posts are about to become shorter throughout the week since I am working now, but no need to worry, I will still keep you guys posted! Today I got up around the same time that the other guys in the apartment did (around 7:30) and was ready for work around 8:10. It is only a ten minute walk to work (thank god) so I don't have to get up too early. I walked to the lobby again to meet Shelby (you met her in the last post) to walk to work, and we ended up having a pretty good talk. I got to work a little early, and once everyone started showing up, we went inside and had tea/coffee and talked for a bit before starting to work (I am really starting to like tea throughout the day thanks to this job.) Work turned out to be really good! The view, once again, was fantastic because it was FINALLY sunny today, and I could see Table Mountain from the window in the office. I ended up learning a few more things about the company today (learning about magazine clips, press releases, etc.) and I feel like its only going to get more informative as each day passes. Also, the CEO of the company is really great! I have yet to get to know her very well because she is really busy, but I can tell that she is a very successful woman who has worked very hard for the position that she holds today. I had my first meeting with the company at the end of work (I was really confused because they were talking about different companies that they work for) but they did a fantastic job on informing me about anything that they figured I was confused about. After work, I came back to my apartment and found that everyone was going out for drinks and dinner. We went out to Percy's (the oldest bar in Cape Town that I mentioned in the earlier posts) and then went the The Shack (which is another bar, which is REALLY cool because it is three bars all put into one) We all walked back together and now I'm sitting in my bed, about to fall asleep. I am so excited to learn more about the projects that I will be working on this summer! I am getting to know my co-workers more and more each day and I really like them all. As you all know, I am still alive and ready to keep exploring this beautiful city of Cape Town! I love and miss you all!

A Few Pictures

I will have a lot more pictures to post after this weekend, but here is an idea of what I'm working with in Cape Town.

 

 

 The view from the top floor of my apartment complex

 The pool on top of my apartment building

 Another view from the top our apartment complex

 This is what my desk looks out to at work :)

 

 

Day 3

Today was my first day of work. I woke up around 7:45 and hopped in the shower, and began getting more and more nervous for my job. I had my outfit ready, and I left at about 8:30 to meet Jackie (the internship coordinator) in the main lobby because she was going to walk me to work for my first day since I was a little unsure as to where it was (all of the internship coordinators walk the interns to their businesses which is pretty cool.) When I entered the lobby, I saw a girl sitting on the couch, waiting for Jackie as well, and I went to sit by her. I found out that she was from USC (her name was Shelby) and she turned out to be really cool. She told me of a few things that she had already done in Cape Town and some of the things that she wanted to do, which made me realize that there is so much that I need to do before I leave. We talked for a while and realized that it was 9:20 and we were supposed to meet Jackie at 8:40 to be at work by 9:00. Jackie ended up being really busy and fell a little bit behind, but another internship coordinator (Miche) drove me to the building. The building was AWESOME. It is a smaller, two-story building that is decorated with a very modern style inside. I knocked on the door, and was welcomed by everyone at the company. My desk was upstairs next to three other people and they all turned out to be VERY personable and easy to talk to. I felt comfortable right off the bat and was assigned to look up pictures for different vineyards for a press release that the company needed to submit. At about 12:00, my supervisor asked if I was going with him and the others to the MorocanOil media event, and I jumped on the bandwagon. We left the building at about 13:30 and got on the highway, which went up into the mountain a little bit and then back down it. The views, once again, were unbelievable. We parked in a suburb of Cape Town and found that the event was taking place in a little white church in the middle of the town. We were greeted at the front door with the choice of champagne or orange juice, and entered the event to find servers walking around with different h’oderves that tasted so good (quiches, beef wellingtons, chocolate cakes, small pot pie slices, etc.) After about thirty minutes of meeting different clients for the MorocanOil product, we sat down for a presentation of the product. The guy who presented the product was really funny, and he talked for about an hour. In the middle of his presentation, there was a small fashion show that was actually really sweet! The presentation ended, and once again, everyone talked, ate, and drank a little bit more. We were handed gift bags with expensive hair products inside that we were allowed to keep and take home (my hair smells really good right now.) We went back to the office, and the power went out, so I ended up staying there until about 17:40 (5:40pm) and then walked home. The walk home is a little bit sketchy, but since its rush hour, there are a ton of people out and its safer because it is light out. After returning to the apartment, all of us MSU kids went up to the sauna on the 18 floor since we were all freezing (this is starting to become a daily thing for all of us, but its really nice hanging out and looking out to the city skyline.) It’s only 22:00 and I am already about to go to bed (I feel like I’m 95 years old) but I am really happy with my internship so far! Day three has been a REALLY long day, but hopefully I get into the routine quickly and they go by faster. Once again, I’m still alive and doing pretty darn good. Love and miss you all!

Day 2

So today, I woke up a little bit earlier since I am finally getting used to South African time, and it was really nice. I was planning to go to Vida, the local Internet café, with everyone, but I decided to go to the gym on the top floor of our apartment complex. The gym sucks, but I did a little workout and then went and sat in the sauna that looks out to Table Mountain (look it up on Google, it is amazing). After working out, I came back to the apartment and showered, awaiting my orientation meeting at 13:00 (That's 1:00pm, I’m on African time now and its weird, but I’m getting used to it) The meeting was actually VERY informative, and they gave us a TON of information. Our supervisor told us the places NOT to go during day OR night, and we looked at the map and realized that we were in the most dangerous place in Cape Town the day before…Learn from your mistakes I guess! (Mom, it wont happen again, I promise) After orientation, we all planned to go on a champagne sunset cruise, but apparently sunset cruises don’t work out when your boat leaves at 17:00 (5:00pm) and you’re still looking for a cab at 17:30 (5:30pm) After postponing the cruise to this weekend, we decided to walk to Long Street (the tourist street with all of the clubs and restaurants) and we found an Ethiopian restaurant that everyone decided to go to (I honestly was so nervous about getting diarrhea, but I didn’t!) Turns out, Ethiopian food is FANTASTIC, and doesn’t give you diarrhea. The dinner was so much fun, and the nine 9 of us had a great time (I’m making a bunch of new friends that are all so much fun to hangout with) After dinner, we came back to the flats (apartments) and decided to go out to the bar across the street (called Perseverance Tavern) which is the oldest bar in Cape Town, to get a few beers. We drank some local beers and then went to the Kimberly Hotel (which is another bar across the street) and had a few more beers with some new MSU guys that showed up yesterday. We left at about 22:30 (10:30pm) and now I’m sitting here typing this blog. Tomorrow, I start my internship and I am very anxious, but SO excited to meet all of the people I will be working with for the next few months! All in all, I have met some really great people so far that I am so excited to spend the next two and a half months with. I am still alive and well, so no need to worry, and I will try to post some pictures when I have better internet! Love you and miss you all!

P.S. Grandma, I cannot thank you enough for teaching me how to iron and for ironing all of my clothes, they made it to Cape Town in great shape!

First Day in Cape Town

So today was full of adventures. I didn’t wake up until about 12:30 since A. we went out drinking last night, and B. I hadn’t slept in almost 48 hours. We went to a few local bars last night where we met a bunch of people from all over the world. We were all fairly excited to be in South Africa, and therefore drank a little bit more than we should have. When we woke up, we decided to take a taxi to the waterfront today and get breakfast/lunch, and after a 15-minute car ride into the city, we arrived to an awesome little village on the water. We walked around a little and took in the views of the awesome city. The weather was on and off with rain and sun, and when the sun came out, the view of Table Mountain was unbelievable. This city is full of the most beautiful scenery that I have ever seen. We went to eat at a place called Spur’s, which was equivalent to an Applebee’s, but the restaurant had a huge window that looked out to the ocean and mountains. After eating and singing “Happy Birthday” about 100 times, we left to walk around a little bit more and explore. We started walking and found ourselves in the middle of a monsoon rainstorm with no place to go, and we started running along some busy road that looked like a highway. We found some shelter at a really nice apartment building and called a cab so that we didn’t have to walk back in the rain/hail. After we returned, we walked to the Garden Centre, which is a mall and a grocery store. EVERYTHING is closed on Sundays in Cape Town, so it was a waste of a walk, but it was still nice since the sun came out. After we got back from the Garden Centre, we all went to the rooftop of the apartment complex and found a pool, empty hot tub, and a gym WITH a sauna! It was the greatest view that I have ever seen. We could see Table Mountain as the sun was setting on it, and the city below looked beautiful. We all decided to go up to the sauna, which also had a great view, and we sweated our hangovers out. All in all, today was fantastic and I saw the most beautiful views that I have ever seen. I can’t wait to spend the rest of the summer here and see what other adventures I can get into!

 Our living room

My bedroom

Flying to and Arriving in Cape Town

So the trip did not start out as I had imagined it would. I was all excited to get to the airport and meet Caitlyn, Nathaniel, and Chelsea to begin our one and a half day traveling adventure. As I walked up to the American Airlines counter at Detroit Metro Airport, I was greeted with a smile by an African American women who, at least I thought, would be more than delighted to see that I was traveling to visit her homeland. As I handed her my ticket, she looked it over, and with the smile remaining on her face simply said "Your flight is cancelled." I could feel the blood rushing through my body and words started flowing out of my mouth faster than I could think. "What does that mean?" I asked in panic, expecting an answer along the lines of, "we can find something else", or "its ok we can figure out another plan," but all I got out of her was "It means your flight is cancelled." Long story short, she fixed my flight and put me on the 5:45 to Dallas (which still makes no sense to me because that is backtracking, and also, the flight was horrible because the turbulence was so bad) and then it was off to London Heathrow, where we were supposed to be picked up at 11:00am by my friend Sara's mom. She was going to show us around the town of Surrey, England and take us to a castle. Well, we arrived safe and sound in Surrey, England.......at 1:45pm. So, I had no way of contacting Sara's mom without having to use my iPhone, which would have cost me who knows how much for roaming charges. I felt horrible not contacting her, but there was nothing I could do. Chelsea and I (we couldn't find Nathaniel and Caitlyn since they were not on our flight) went to a little restaurant called Wagamama, where we got seaweed salad and two spring rolls the size of my pinkie...for 10 pounds, which is like a shit ton of money in dollars, so that was a bust. After waiting at Heathrow for 8 hours, we boarded the plane to Cape Town, and after a smooth 11 hour flight, we arrived. The city is beautiful (what I have seen so far, which isn't much) but I am so excited for the next 3 months. It is raining and cloudy but it is still great. I am running on zero hours of sleep right now and not tired, but feel that I should sleep. Although this trip started off to a crappy start, it's already turning into a great adventure.

 Almost there!