All you see is crime in the city....

"What'd you do last night?
We did umm, two whole cars. It was me, Dez, and Main Three right?
And on the first car in small letters it said 'All you see is..'
and then you know big, big, you know some block silver letters that said
'..crime in the city' right?
It just took up the whole car?
Yeah yeah, it was a whole car and s**t..."

-intro to "Respiration" by Blackstar
(originally from Style Wars, a famous graffiti-writer movie)

Crime....

So it's a big thing here. And I'm sorry to start my blog post w/it cos it's a bit depressing...but that's life sometimes. And also it fits in so well w/the quote above (those words above popped into my head instantly after my incident) and a small part of my fabulous weekend in Cape Town. Crime here takes many forms. You've got the full spectrum with everything from petty crime to really violent crime. Like folks getting stabbed and shot for absolutely no reason. I feel like most people I've talked to here, from all walks of life, have some sort of misfortune in their lives to do w/crime. People that have been affected by relatives being stabbed or shot. People dying. Even this past week, one of my friends in Joburg has a cousin who was shot in an attempted robbery at the restaurant he manages. Life is on a much more tenuous thread here. Basically I know that I am destined to be robbed (again that is. You'll understand this comment soon...) or something in the time I'm here. The longer I stay, the more the likelihood increases. We take this for granted in the USA...cos overall things are safe. I don't even feel as vulnerable anywhere in Chicago (save maybe parts of the deep southside that I haven't been to...farther than the Thornton house at 95th St) as I do here. Even just walking home from places at night I feel like I gotta constantly be on top of things. Cos I do...not cos I am paranoid. It's weird for me to have to be at such a heightened state of awareness at all times. And it's probably the one thing I have had to adjust to (and am still adjusting to the most).

For example, today I couldn't get my bike into the complex for my dorm because the security guard wasn't at the gate. (S)he usually has to unlock a gate for me to get my bike into the dorm complex. My complex is regulated by a perimeter fence that has 2 openings for cars (which I don't have access to cos you have to pay for parking) and 2 turnstyles (which my bike doesn't fit thru). So I locked up my bike outside the fence and was just going to leave it til I left the complex again in the afternoon. But then there was this nagging in my head saying "Lynsee, don't be lazy! Go back downstairs, find that security guard and get your bike inside. It could make the difference between you having a bike and not having a bike." So I went back after maybe 20 minutes and found the guard and got my bike locked up inside the complex. These little behaviors (like making sure your bike is locked up in a secure place) are things that need to be added to my patterns. That's the adjusting I'm talking about...and I'm working on it...cos I value my life!

One interesting thing to note...the president of S Africa (Thabo Mbeki, said: THAI-bo M-becky) recently made a comment that crime was only a perceived problem in S Africa. That people/media are blowing the problem out of proportion. That REALLY caused an uproar!!!! He said this because overall crime statistics are declining in the country. But the situation on the ground doesn't feel like this. I mean there is razor wire on everything, security systems, guards everywhere, etc etc. Crime IS a problem here. I wonder how many guards and security systems keep Mr. Mbeki safe at night?? It was an extremely insensitive comment by the president that doesn't empathize at all w/what people are psychologically/physically dealing w/everyday in SA. Honestly this is just one in a string of many bad comments by Mbeki about issues in the country. (said w/grain of salt...Bush: Like a rock, only dumber) I remember when I was here in 2002 that Mbeki was absolutely convinced that HIV did not cause AIDS. For those of you not in the know...HIV is a virus that causes a disease called AIDS. I'm not trying to be patronizing...it's just that I know many folks use the 2 terms interchangeably. It's not correct. A person can have HIV and not AIDS. Mbeki insisted that the HIV/AIDS problem was caused by poverty...but gave no credence to the scientific link between HIV and AIDS. Now that REALLY caused an uproar!! He is right in getting at the fact that the AIDS problem is exacerbated by poverty/hunger/lack of resources...but, dude, HIV causes AIDS...it's just a scientific fact.

But I digress...

So this weekend I was in Cape Town and it was great!!! Cape Town is a brilliant venue for anything...as I'm sure those of you who have heard me ranting about how it's the greatest city in the world have already heard! Cape Town, also called the 'Mother City', is down in the far SW corner of the country. It's been an active center for a long time, as this is where most of the foreigners that have ever landed in SA initially arrived. The Dutch, British, French, folks from Indonesia, etc. It's a great city w/a mountain (Table Mountain, it's #1 well known feature) smack dab in the center. There's great beaches, great people, great nightlife, and great history. And it doesn't hurt that it's just a hop, skip, and a jump from one of the lushest wine producing regions in the world. Clara, when you come, this is where we will go!!! I could go on and on... but just google or Wikipedia this place to learn more basic info.

I flew down there for a Rotary International scholars orientation (remember those are the folks hooking it up w/the scholarship). Basically all the inbound scholars in Southern Africa (like me) were invited...but mostly just folks studying in SA showed up. There were also folks who were outbound (like going to study in other parts of the world after this semester). There were 2 girls from Namibia and the rest were from SA. It was a great chance to network w/other folks going thru the same thing as me. Just a way to chat and see what other people were experiencing about Rotary, what they were planning, etc. And it's always a comfort to be able to talk 'American' and have people understand phrases like "kickin' it" and "it's all good." Yeah!

We had a great host/hostess that planned everything superbly such that there was a good mix of informational speeches about Rotary and SA as well as fun activities. We went to the Cape Town Chamber of Commerce, had a sundowner on Lion's Head (part of the Table Mountain mountain complex), did some drumming, went dragonboat racing, had an afternoon at Rustenburg vineyard/dairy farm, and learned lots and lots about Rotary. I was very tired when I came home!

Some vocab from the preceeding paragraph:

sundowner-a particularly SA activity that usually involves wine, champagne in this case! You get together w/a group of people and watch the sun go down over drinks/food. Usually you make a point to get to a cool venue for this event (like a rocky outrcrop on Lion's Head) or a massive sand dune overlooking the ocean.

dragonboat racing- a type of boat race from Asia somewhere (Japan, China?). It's very team-oriented sport in the same sense that crewing/rowing is. Check out the pictures on the link below and you'll see what I mean

One really awesome thing is that my scholarship coordinator, Brent, was there. This is the dude who holds my Rotary scholarship bureaucracy in his hands. It's his job to make sure I get my money and deal w/any issues that might arise to do w/my scholarship. An important guy, non? Evanston, Illinois is the Rotary International headquarters...so he's based in Chicago. It was cool to vibe w/someone from Chicago proper! He's a hiphop DJ, still a skater (at 31!), and seems to be into the same sort of scene as I would be into if I was still in Chicago...so it was great to talk shop in that sense. Mostly I'm just relieved to know that my administrator "gets" me. Sometimes I feel like administrators don't get me and what I'm after, cos I think it's not really the norm of what most folks are after. I guess I mean that I'm not your typical "button up shirt" overachiever. I'm wacky. It took me a lot of time to come to terms w/this at U of IL...the fact that I could be wacky and also acheive. I think that there is this perception that you have to be a model whatever to receive accolades, scholarships, whatever. It's not true. You just have to be good at what you do and you have to be able to express this. Mageria boys...if you are reading this...take note!! This is the other part of my worldy college advice that you should take to heart!!! So, this makes the Dr Keslers, Dean Olsons, Julie/Daves, and Brents of the world very special to me indeed. I can just be myself w/out having to walk on eggshells in administrative dealings. Nice! Synergy rules! I guess even now as I'm plopped into a new culture, etc I'm trying to get my sea legs again as far as how I can act and stuff. This same process happens when I'm looking for a job...until I give up trying to be the "right thing" and just be me...which is, ironically, the right thing. This process of really really being myself is something I always give up and then re-adopt thinking "how many times have I learned this?" But...I'll just keep doing it. Even now...

Here's a sampling of photos of the weekend as taken by Trevor, our Rotary host:
http://picasaweb.google.com/wilcopix?pli=1

I also have photos that I want to add, but can't use my computer right now cos I was the victim of crime in Cape Town...

So here's the tiny grain of negative in the overall beautiful beach that was the weekend in Cape Town. I was the victim of theft. I used the word robbed yesterday to someone, but the dude thought I was mugged...which isn't the case. We were out the whole day on Sunday and when we came back to the backpackers/hostel we were staying at, I wanted to wash up. We were on our way to a concert in the Kirstenbosch botanical gardens (which I did miss cos I had to talk to the cops...) and it had been a sweaty and salty day. But I come to find my room standing wide open. No big deal I thought, cos our lock was really shady on the door. Like I could stick 3-4 fingers between the door frame and the piece of wood that was holding the lock to the frame...not good. I was going to mention something to the staff when I arrived, but thought it would be fine since it was all Rotary kids there that weekend. Trust. Yeah, check the signature on my email to see how I feel about that. So I went to get my toiletry bag, but it was gone. After some more searching all over the room...it's definitely gone. And then so is my small stuff sack w/my iPod, USA/SA plug convertor, and batteries. D'oh! Luckily my iPod is insured here (thanks Alan!!) so I know that this is unfortunate, but manageable. But my toiletries...come on man!!!! I've been traveling for awhile now and so my toiletry bag has evolved into the perfectly transportable bathroom unit. So there goes my cool hairbrush that retracts into itself, my rabbit soap dish from Pierre K (one of the most inspirational dudes I've ever met), my collapseable cup/medicine container, and so on...what a drag! Another girl had her entire bag stolen which included the keys to her car and the keys to her house...a major drag!!!!

So we (Loredana from Switzerland and I) stayed behind and filed a police report w/some very nice cops. And that was that. The owner of the backpackers was incredibly insensitive to us regarding the matter and that is why I would not recommend staying at the place we stayed at: Mountain Manor Backpackers. The facilities were fine, but why make someone who doesn't care about you money? People in the hospitality business that are rude to their guests should not be in that industry! For those of you in Urbana...you know my bar blacklisting policy. If you treat me bad (and I don't deserve it)...I don't spend my money there. Boltini, I'm looking in your general direction!!! The owner was only mildly helpful on the theft matter and also blamed our group for leaving her security door open. She didn't seem to think that the lock on our door was inadequate in any way (which is crap...it's the only reason someone was successful in penetrating our room and not everyone else's room) and that the responsibility rested solely in our negligent behavior. On the flip, the rest of the staff was really cool!! They mentioned that things like this had happened before and the owner was also not cool to those other folks...I detect a pattern...anyways, enough about that.

And the great friend train stopped in Cape Town too...I met up w/Tozi, Nolu, and Robert from the old Maritzburg days! It was soooooo sweet to see more of my friends from my S African past. I didn't get to spend too much time w/them cos I was rolling in a big group of Rotary scholars, but something is better than nothing at all!! And this is only the beginning!! Robert had just arrived in Cape Town from Manchester, England so it was lucky to arrive in Cape Town at the same time as him. Tozi's up in Joburg this weekend, so I'm hoping we can negotiate hanging out this weekend too. Nice! That's the homies over there on the right. L-R: Robert, Tozi, Me, Nolu

The weekend was good. It was hard to come back to Pretoria on Monday after seeing the glory of Cape Town ;)

This week I've been trying to juggle Rotary/radio/school...in that order. I went to an international banquet yesterday for the Pretoria West Rotary Club. It was really fun and nice to get out and see another Rotary Club in action. The main speaker was the High Commissioner from New Zealand (the New Zealand ambassador to SA) and the food was great! I am going to speak at this club in 2 weeks.

As far as radio is concerned, just been trying to learn the ropes at the studio. Working the board and the music management system they use here Also been trying to get familiar w/Adobe Audition...it's a very rad program. Carissa (the other production chick) and I have been writing and thinking of new jingles for the station. It's interesting for me because I don't know what cultural context to put some things as far as what SA folks would readily understand cos frankly, this ain't my culture ;) Also I haven't really listened to the station too much. But now that my iPod's gone I'll be listening a lot more ;)

School...well I can't get out of my classes...it's official. Straight from Mrs van Vuuren's mouth today. So I must make a plan to minimize my effort and maximize my grade point average. Secret Agent Brain...I'm talking to you!!! For those of you not familiar w/Secret Agent Brain, it's my secret (well, not so secret) weapon against classes. It's how I can get awesome grades w/out lots of effort. I don't profess to know how it works...but it does. And I can say that I don't use it all the time...just when I need it. Now may be one of the times to dust it off...

I also got a bunch of errands done in the last few days. I have a cooking pot! Woohoo! Also went grocery shopping today in 2 waves. 1: to the fruit/veg store and butcher (they are next to each other) cos the supermarket veggies are not cool. 2: Woolworths to see what the hype is. Woolworths is a supermarket here. (and I think clothing store? in some places) It's very "upmarket" (as they would say in SA). You can find any fancy prosciutto-type meat, rare spanish vegetable, whatever worldly item you want...it's at Woolworths. They have a lot of organic stuff and cool flavors. It's the most expensive supermarket, but probably worth it. I went to a tiny one over in a neighborhood called Arcadia. The big one is on the other side of the university...so I'll check that one out next time.

On a random note...I went to the American Embassy today. It was a hilarious splash of all the homeland security hype I'm happy to leave w/you all over there across the ocean. I had to go thru about 45.6 security hoops (including turning off and locking up my cell phone in a lockbox...?) just to find out that what I came to do could be done on-line and that the embassy is totally worthless for figuring out my drivers license. The woman I initially talked to actually suggested I call the Illinois DMV. I literally laughed in her face. I think she was S African and didn't understand that you just don't call the DMV expecting to get thru. After going back and forth w/her I finally got her to call someone else (who confirmed that you NEVER call the DMV in the USA) who gave me some place in Pretoria to get sorted. Great...what helpful bureaucracy!!! I heard from a guy here that all the building materials for the embassy were brought from the USA so that the security risk was kept to a minimum. Sounds sorta crazy...but I wouldn't put it past the good ol' US of A government. Remember...you are being watched...which used to be a joke on us "crazy liberal hippies" but you all know now that we really were onto something w/that!

On a final up note:

Massive congratulations to Paula and Gonz in Brazil who are going to be tying the knot. Hey Gonz, it's about time you anted up!!! Hearing that, like hearing about Tom and Ofelia's baby, really really made my day. Congrats you guys!!!!!!

Hope you are all well and still alive after spending most of your waking life reading this blog!

Much Love
Lynsee

Gonz n Paula

Those snappin' synapses

Hello hello

I just wanted to get a post out before I go to my Rotary scholars orientation in Cape Town this weekend, cos I'm sure I'll have A LOT to say after that. I'm leaving bright and early tomorrow morning at 6:20am from Joburg...so that means leaving at 4:45am from Pretoria. Commie house boys, you were there when I booked this thing...how could you let me do this so early in the morning...what was I thinking?

Random thought: for a hilarious song listen to "What was I thinking" by Christine Lavin. It has great lines like (when describing a blind date) "what was I thinking? who is this guy? Maybe I'll happen to choke on this pork chop and conveniently die!

This week has been relatively tame, I guess. I've just been trying to unplug the gigantic anger block I have accumulated in my brain due to my classes. I can't bear the thought that:

1. My grades won't be good enough, not because I don't know the material, but because I'm not used to the system I can express my "knowledge" here in South Africa...aka the educational system. It just reinforces that school ain't about what you know...it's about how you can prove you know what they think you should know. Knowledge, what?!? Also my algebra and basic science knowledge are rusty. Causing me to make dumb mistakes in my homework. I get the concepts but the alegebra is something else. Stoichiometry...I loathe!

2. I will have taken these easy, repeatitive classes for one whole year only to NOT get into vet school because my grades aren't good enough. (due to dumb mistakes)

3. That I have to sit in class and hear about microscopes, organelles, DNA replication, and the primary structure of proteins for the 2nd or 3rd or 4th time. Especially w/so much sun outside...or so much anything better to do.

So I'm in the process of unblocking this anger in my brain cos it's only going to make things worse. If I'm going to do this, it's going to have to be in harmony. These classes will not master my emotions! For some reason this whole process reminds me of the pony I learned how to ride on...Missy. That flippin' pony mastered me for a long long time. She bucked me off, kicked me all the time, rolled over on me while I was on her back, and even trampled me one time (but that was Dad's fault). I actually was under the impression that she was trying to kill me sometimes (for real! Ask my dad.) I don't know if I ever really made peace w/her (hey I was 7) but I do know that I have to make peace w/this situation now. So today, I did as much reading and work as I could to try to understand the structure of my classes (something I neglected to do earlier). Also I just generally tried to catch up on notes and studying I should be doing. There's always more studying that can be done, right?!? And I made a mosaic of amino acid structures on my wall...oh I'm going to know this stuff. It's just irritating to have to memorize crap that you already memorized, but clearly didn't retain because it hasn't been useful since. And that's what reference books, wikipedia, and google.com are for...

On the radio tip, I got a radio this week thanks to my production manager, Stav. Still don't have a cooking pot though... He took me out to this gigantic mall so I could get a little boombox. I can't produce if I don't know what the feel of the station is!! After actually listening to the station's mix of music, I have to say, I kinda like it. They play a bit more popular rock than I usually like but they also play a wide range of rock music that isn't common to hear on normal rock stations in the states. Honestly I don't think any radio station could ever satisfy my musical tastes...not even WRFU...but they come very close. Like when was the last time you heard Twisted Sister on Q101...even w/the new format (little bit of old alternative rock/a little bit of new) pioneered by stations like WPGU in CU? I heard a song on TuksFM by Blur that I've never heard on the radio at home (sorry forgot what song it was..."he lives in a house a very big house in the country." I think off Parklife or maybe 13). They also have really good news that covers a wide range of topics (like how the Rand is comparing to the $, Euro, British Pound). When was the last time you heard financial news on a station like WPGU or Q101? They do speak in Afrikaans quite a bit, but it just reinforces that I have to learn Afrikaans. Also I got the computer program (Adobe Audition) and help book for the program so that I can play around w/it at home and learn the ropes. The basic tools are similar to the program that we were using at WRFU, but the program seems much more robust than AcidPro. I think I've done as much as I can w/looking at books and pushing buttons at random...time to make some pieces! Monday our production group had beer and pizza, which I thought was going to yield some actual production training, but ended up just being a bonding time. Hey that's good too! We even went out to a place called the "Drop Zone" which seems to have the same notoriety as Kams, but it didn't smell like vomit. They do have a VIP lounge w/nice couches so you can escape the meat market atmosphere. It was a Monday night though, so I guess I'd have to see it in full swing on a weekend some time.

I have been having insane dreams. Like super vivid dreams every time my head hits the pillow. Today I took a nap and had a dream about being in Buggy Whip Farms hay loft, a party at David Villalobos' house (except he lived down the road from Buggy Whip, like where the Campbells live), and then yelling at this girl that computers in South Africa were too slow. Last night my brother and I flew to Kenya during a lightning storm, but before that we spoke to Leigh Ann Martinez (a girl from highschool that I haven't talked to in ages) and she took some stuff back to Waukegan for me. Then Graeme and I went to England and we had a puppy or something with us the whole time. There have been dreams about tornadoes and giant snowmen filled w/Orange Koolaid, boys I haven't even thought of in years (serious! I had a dream about skateboarding w/Alex Radosevich), and much much more. They've been like that every night. I remember something similar happening to me when I was first studying in Pietermaritzburg. Also I remember every person I saw in Pietermaritzburg reminding me of someone at home. That's not really happening here though. I can't tell if it's the heat or just my brain subconsciously missing home.

I don't mean to rub it in too much, but it's freaking hot here! Yesterday it was a high of 37-38C. 37C = 98.6F so it's been close to 100F the last 2 days. And I heard it was going to be a heat wave for the next few days. Luckily, like I said before, no humidity!! But this heat does dry me out something fierce. I drank over 2.5 liters of water yesterday on top of the hefty dose of fruit juice I have everyday. It's very very dry. I'm actually surprised I haven't gotten a nose bleed yet!!

Random SA knowledge:

"Howzit" is like "What's up?"

"Izit?" is like "oh really?" like confirming something that someone just said.

I have left the land of the malls to come to the land of the malls: SA is mega mall country. Where o where is my precious thrift store, *sniff*??

New Afrikaans phrase: "Hoe gaan dit?"
Which means also: What's up? Literally "How goes it?"
(said: ho ghan dit? well the "gh" has a special Afrikaans sound that I don't know how to write out...it's like you are trying to hock up a big loogie. Like the name of the province here is Gauteng, but you say it HOW-tang...w/the "HOW" part being like the loogie hock. It's not a hard G like in English.)

-tjie in Afrikaans is said or "kie" or "ky" (however makes sense to you)
Like "potjie" is said potkie and means a little pot. -tjie is like calling something cute and small. Like -inho is in Portuguese or -ita is in Spanish (gordita). A term of endearment. I met a guy at the radio station called Loutjie, which is pronounced "Lokie." That is a very rad name.

Well...Cape Town, here I come! I'll give you the scoop on my Rotary orientation when I get back. Also I added some links to my blog of other Rotary students I met in Kansas City, Missouri in case you want to check out what other Rotary scholars from the Midwest are up to.

Take Care
Love Lynsee

The month in review...

Hey everyone

First...the "Day in the life" photos. Please let me know if you took photos also (email me the link) and I'll add it to this post so others can compare our days. The next "Day" will be on March 15th. I sort of fudged some of the times cos, for example, I forgot to take a photo in my genetics lab cos I was getting really angry and irritated w/the class. But for the most part these photos are taken at the top of every hour. There are also some photos from this weekend's radio camp, some photos from Joburg/meeting up w/the Zim boys, and the speech I gave this past week. The "Day in the Life" photos are complete, but the radio camp ones are not...cos I think this lab is closing soon. I'll finish the rest up soon though.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lynseemelchi/

Feb 18 (Sunday) equals one month in South Africa. Here's a recap of what's been on:

Rotary:
Toured programs of Silverton Rotary Club (feeding schemes at various schools)
Attended Silverton Rotary meetings on weekly basis
Been feature speaker at Silverton Rotary 2/14
Stayed w/3 Rotarians
Made plans to hang out w/other Rotarians
Spread my blog like crazy! to share w/Rotarians and non-Rotarians what I'm doing
Reached out (via email) to all the D9250 prez and will soon do the same w/the D6490 prez

Non-Rotary:
Accepted as volunteer at TuksFM, 107.2FM
Got a bike
Been to Joburg to start the "Great Friend Rekindling"
Sent correspondence to other old friends to get back in touch
Had a few braais (bbqs)
Finally met folks that live in my dorm
Got a place to live
Got all my affairs together for Univ of Pretoria and have started classes
Been out for drinks w/a fellow student

Yet to do:
Get a cooking pot
Get a radio
Travel more (going to Cape Town this weekend!)

Although I can be a very impatient person (get busy living, or get busy dying), after considering the time frame I've being working with...I think I feel pretty good about the steps forward that I have made here in SA. And I can live with the things that haven't happened (yet!). But I do need to get a cooking pot soon ;) And also a radio so I can listen to what the heck radio is like here. I'm going to be a terrible producer if I don't know what I'm producing for.

This weekend was spent at a "camp" for Tuks FM, the student radio station on campus. I found out that I got accepted to the station on Thursday afternoon and left on Friday noon. Apparently they are the premiere student radio station for the whole of South Africa. The station manager called TuksFM a "flagship" station, if that helps out. They are competing in the toughest market in SA (the Guateng province, which includes Joburg) and are up against some of the top commercial radio stations in the area and country. But, despite these odds, they are very very good at what they do. They have a HUGE listenership that extends beyond just the campus here. They are primarily a rock station that plays a pretty good percentage of local and South African music, which is something I find very cool. They told us in our training sessions that the station is a rock station because this is a poorly covered niche in South Africa. Most music stations are either pop/top 40 or "urban" (hiphop/house/kwaito). I don't think that the general music they play is the type of music I prefer, but also I'm not 100% about that since I haven't ever really heard their station. I have probably heard the station on the air for a total of maybe 20 minutes since I've arrived in SA. And mostly in people's cars. I'm going to have to do some on air listening and quick!

I've been accepted for a position in the production department. I was originally told that I was the first woman EVER in this position...but that was later rethought. Apparently there was some female producer like 5 or 6 years ago, but it's primarily a male dominated department. So I'm a pioneer! How cool is that? Only 2 people were added to the production department in this selection process. Me and one other girl, Carissa. I think she is going to be doing mostly scripting, though, as opposed to actually producing on-air pieces/commercials/etc. But we will learn the tech ropes together. I'm really excited because the work is going to be fun and I think I'm going to learn a lot. I will be working under folks that have a lot of experience and put out quality products. And the radio folks seem like a lot of fun...which is always a good thing to come into!!! No more drinking in the corner alone for me ;)

The weekend was basically a bonding experience for all the new/old folks. We did a bunch of "get-to-know-you" things like a fake speed dating session. And there was a name game that we played to test how well we knew people's names/departments. The first person to get one wrong had to eat a green chili. The second person, a red chili. Then we were threatened w/giblets and chicken feet...but I think it was mostly for effect. Especially the next day when they hadn't been refrigerated. P-U! I am happy to say that I didn't eat any chilis or feet! And there was a lot of learning going on. And then on Sat night we partied...cos we made it! We had some funky punch, danced around, and generally just celebrated. And there was braai-ing...of course. Which was good because someone on my street has been grilling meat and it's been driving me mad!!!!!!

On the Urbana tip, hats off to the U of IL for finally cutting loose the disgusting and racist Chief Illinwek mascot!!!! Thanks to Kai for telling me about it...cos it's certainly a historical day in the life of U of IL. To be honest, I never thought U of I would get rid of the Chief. The alumni/sportsfans have too much a stake in the decision because they financially support the university and Native American political power isn't strong enough in IL. But the university had a nice and easy way out because the NCAA banned them from hosting certain sporting events...so it's like they were bowing out to NCAA pressure. They didn't have to do the progressive and just thing by just getting rid of the mascot. They were forced. But, the important thing is that he's gone!! Woohoo!

Here's the official U of IL info on the subject:
http://www.uillinois.edu/chief/#content

Here's the alternative point of view thanks to the UC Independent Media Center:
www.ucimc.org

On a similar tip, I guess...one of the books I've been reading here is a book of Martin Luther King Jr's speeches. The guy is a freaking great speechifier!! I mean I hope most of you know the "I have a Dream" speech, but there is way more in this guy's repertoire. They are really great reading if you are interested. In particular, please take the time to read a speech called "Beyond Vietnam." MLK Jr had a great vision of what needs to happen within the USA so that we don't go down in flames in a big way. It's interesting to see how his words, delivered in 1967, are so relevant today to our foreign and domestic policy. I know Vietnam and Iraq have been compared before, so in that this is a tired suggestion, but just switch a few geographical words around, a few communist for terrorist...and you have yourself one apt speech for present day.

Here's audio and text of the speech:
http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkatimetobreaksilence.htm

Hope you are all doing well

Until next time

Love Lynsee

Radio free South Africa

Hey everyone

I just wanted to let you all know that I've been accepted as a volunteer at the student radio station here at the University of Pretoria! It's called Tuks FM and is actually a pretty major force in this province as far as listenership goes. Their website is: www.tuksfm.co.za if you want to check it out...but I think the website is still under construction or something. I am going to be doing audio production for the station (so that means making commercials and jingles and stuff), which is something I would have liked to learn better at WRFU. It seems like they have a strong sense of the community, despite being a commercial radio station...which I like. I'm going away this weekend to be a part of their training so I can let you know more after the weekend. After I've been indoctrinated ;) I mean Re-Ned-ucated...

Before I found out about that yesterday, mostly I was just feeling frustrated. My classes are sooo irritating, as I said before. Yesterday I went to a genetics lab to learn how to do DNA isolation (which is super basic and something I suffered thru in Genetic Engineering at U of IL) but we didn't even do the lab because there was no electricity in the building we were in. I don't know why. I think it's a brand new building (like it's still being built) so maybe some wires got crossed. I really don't understand how the College of Agriculture here says I need to take these courses here when I have done the exact same (and even more in depth) courses at the U of IL. Next week I'm investigating. I doubt anything can be done, but I have to try nonetheless...before I turn into one of those smart kids w/potential that can't be bothered to do their work cos it's too easy for them. At the risk of sounding like a snob, that's how I feel right now.

I did the "Day in the Life" photo shoot yesterday w/varying success. You'll have to wait for photos until Sunday because I'm leaving in an hour-ish for this radio thing. Please send me the links to where your photos are up online and I'll add them when I get home on Sunday. Thanks to all of those who participated and "next time" to those of you who didn't :)

Well, hope you have a great weekend!
For those of you in Urbana...please go enjoy the snow before it's gone! I am actually slightly jealous of the crazy blizzard weather you got!! Please launch a fat snowball in my honor!!

Later
Love Lynsee

Congrats and thanks!

First I wanted to say many congratulations to Tom and Ofelia Coleman who are going to be having a baby!!! Woohoo!!

And secondly I wanted to say thanks to all the folks who have been sending me really really nice emails. Your words have been very uplifting as I sort of feel my way thru this new thing. Even when you have an idea of your powers and talents...there can still be doubt! But it's really helpful to know that I have so many folks behind me, keeping up with me, and who genuinely care about whether I succeed here. But stop making me cry in the computer lab!!! No...just kidding...keep it coming!!

Don't forget: Tomorrow is the "Day in the Life" day for those of you that want to participate.

Until next time
Love Lynsee

A breath of fresh Zim air

If you know anything about the current political mire in Zimbabwe you might think that title was a bit off. But hopefully you are able to distinguish between the follies of a government (leader) and the beauty of the people!! Hopefully!! I mean we have a great example of this in our fearless leader at home...

This weekend was glorious!! I finally got out, instead of stewing in my room, to Joburg to start the long train of reacquaintance w/friends I made in 2002. The train's left the station and there will be many fine stops before it rests!! It's exciting to get back together cos I haven't seen these folks in 5 yrs and when I first met them they were all university freshman...a lot happens after your first year at university!!! Most are graduates w/jobs and stuff.

Friday
Craig, it's Friday. You ain't got no job, you ain't got sh*t to do...

1. I talked for more than about 5 minutes w/someone that lives on my floor! We even shared beer!! It was hot and Friday so I bought some South African 40s...okay they don't call them 40s here ;) They are just big bottles (a quart) of beer. I met a girl named Charlene and she's a Masters Botany/Zoology student. She's just starting a project examing the interactions between a herd of zebra and the plants at park near the university. I volunteered to help her if she needed any extra hands to collect plants or data or whatever the heck she's looking at. Hopefully she'll take me up on it! And if she doesn't...at least I know where to find her to offer my help again :)

2. I talked to a friend of mine (Roisin), who I met at Univ of Natal in 2002, for about an hour. It was nice to catch up and I look forward to taking my reacquaintance train to a city near her :)

3. I got an interview at the student radio station here. The interview is later today...I'm very excited!! The station is very much, so far as I can tell, like WPGU in Champaign. It's a big commercial station that is competing w/other national/regional stations. And I heard it's not doing too bad. I signed up for audio production cos it's the one thing at WRFU that I didn't get a chance to learn as much as I would have liked. I don't think I like the music the station plays that much, so I might as well get something from them.

Knowledge Reigns Supreme Over Nearly Everybody...isn't that what some philosopher dude says ;)

4. I went out for drinks w/a friend of an ex-Rotary Ambassador that studied in Pretoria in 2005...I know it's a friend of a friend of an acquaintance type situation. That's all I got right now people!! And I'm willing to meet anyone new right now, especially a person that comes highly recommended. David is a 5th yr vet student at Onderstepoort vet school (which is where I want to go) and hails from the UK. Northern England to be exact. It was nice to go out and have drinks student style. I've been wanting to go out, but don't know anybody or really a good place to go. I'm not going out and blowing my money in the first weeks when I don't know anyone just to end up in some Buchowski emulating spiral. I'd rather just sit in my room and have a drink of wine! Regardless, I think I've made a new friend which is good, of course.

5. I rode my bike up this huge steep hill near my dorm. Pretoria is in a valley of sorts w/a few hills sprinkled here and there amidst the sprawl. I decided that as soon as I got my bike I was going to ride to the top of one of them. So I chose a hill that was close and had a big phone tower on it...a landmark. I thought I was going to die!! I actually almost passed out, but I did make it to the top-ish w/out getting off my bike...which was sweet. I guess really I just made it to the top of the first major rise w/out getting off and that's when I thought I'd end up on the pavement in an unconscious heap...bad!!!! The ride down was super scary cos the grade on the hill is steep. I couldn't even go at full speed cos I would have come to the end of the hill faster than a bullet...and also possibly in a bloody, but conscious, heap.

Saturday

I went to Joburg thanks to the boyfriend of a girl that lives on my floor. I initially went to meet up w/a friend named Kumbi (from Zim) but for some reason he ended up in Pretoria and I ended up in his town. I don't actually understand what happened to him...but it doesn't matter. We'll hook up one of these days. I did end up meeting up w/another Zim guy named Cliff. I only met Cliff for a few days when I was in Zim, but they were the donkey days...so I'll NEVER forget him!!!! Cliff is the best friend of a guy I was kickin' it w/in Pietermaritzburg and I'm happy that Cliff and I have stayed in touch since we met. He's a really fun guy! Always teasing, making people smile, and generally promoting a good time. Already he is calling me "teddy bear" and rubbing my head...damn that is annoying...but Cliff can get away w/stuff like that! Don't any of the rest of you try it!!

I met up w/Cliff, his girlfriend Chido (who I also met briefly back in the day), and Chido's cousin, Gamu. Then we met up w/Chido's aunt...I didn't really understand what was going on at first, but apparently this meeting was actually supposed to be a "grill" session for Cliff. He wants to marry Chido and the aunt is going to take info back to her family about whether or not Cliff is suitable. I think he did okay! We went out for some food and drinks under a rainy thundering sky. It was pretty chill...until the grilling started. Cliff was like "Lynsee don't you guys want to go sit at that table over there?" I was confused, but eventually left w/the other girls. That's when the girls told me what was happening. I felt kind of bad for just crashing this affair, but in the end I don't think it mattered. Cliff has like 2 degrees in business, is a nice guy, and a smooth talker. I don't see what family wouldn't want to add him to their fam?

After we left Chido's aunt we went back to Cliff's place in Braamfontein...it's near central Joburg and the new Nelson Mandela bridge. The Nelson Mandela Bridge is a new structure for Joburg. It's actually a pretty good looking bridge. We were meant to get a taxi back to the city, but one didn't stop so we ended up riding in the back of this dude's truck...cos he stopped. It was a tight fit, but we arrived alive. And of course, per custom, we met up w/more Zim folks. I'm telling you, folks from Zim stick together. If you see one then you know another is just down the hall or around the block!! But it does make for a good time! We met up w/a guy that I also met in 2002 named Charlie. Charlie took me to the airport when I was supposed to fly out of SA, but missed my flight. He also put Cliff and I up those days and took me to a really kick ass music store so I could get tons of good music before I was supposed to leave SA. Charlie was amazed to see me! It's nice to surprise folks like this...I've been doing it a lot lately!

Next we went out for some drinks at a pool hall. I played a few games of pool w/some very annoying and impatient dudes that were getting pissed off at me cos I was talking too much and not playing. I was talking cos I needed to ask Qs about how the heck to play pool in SA. It's a bit different from USA pool. If I played pool in the USA the way folks play pool here I would be chased out of the pool hall by all the die-hard "no slops" yelling pool sharks. But, things are different here...and I needed to reacquaint. It's going to take some getting used to...my strategy needs to adapt. SA pool is more about strategy as opposed to knocking balls in every chance you can get. Like it's okay just to tap a ball nearer to the hole than to just rock it in. And if someone scratches the other player gets 2 shots...so you need to strategize those 2 shots to make them count. If you pot a ball on the first of those 2 shots then you lose the other shot. When someone scratches you don't have to hit the cue out of the kitchen. It's not ball in hand, but you can hit the ball directly in toward the kitchen instead of having to hit it out toward the length of the table first. I think it just has to be on that kitchen boundary line. Also if you scratch on the 8 ball you don't lose. That pissed me off cos I thought I had won this game and the guy was insisting that I only got 2 shots. Maybe he was fleecing me. If you don't hit one of your balls first then you give the other person 2 shots as well. There may have been more rules, but that's what I remember off the top. Again, readjusting.

Next we went out to a club for dancing and more dancing. It was nice to go out and dance a bit and I had a posse of 4 guys who had my back so I didn't have to worry about anything. I mean this ain't Urbana, I can't just go out to some place in Joburg and stumble home alone drunk at all hours. Which I had to do the last time I was in CU cos I missed the last bus home. I gotta pay attention here, but going out w/the Zim guys (any of them) means I will really be taken care of. Cliff actually got mad because I bought a round of drinks...just one!! He said I shouldn't do that cos guys will think I want them. Hey things are still a bit sexist here. I mean it's not the dark ages, but I definitely feel weird/irritated sometimes. But sometimes it's nice, like when guys look out for me cos I'm the "weaker" sex. But I guess even when I was hanging out w/the Puffin/Commie house crew they didn't treat me like an inferior girl...but also looked out for me. I think the two can exist peacefully together. There are definitely pros and cons to the double standard. When I was playing pool these guys were like "go easy on her she's a girl." If you want to anger me those are words you should say to my face. And you should smile in a sly superior fashion. Yeah take it easy on me and watch me kick your ass!! Okay, once I learn the rules of pool that is! I've always REALLY enjoyed beating guys at their own game. Ever since I whipped Bobby Lowry's tail in one-on-one football back in Salem. Yeah, I remember that day well! He thought he was tough ;) Anyways... I also like the Zim guys cos they always make sure I'm fed and safe. Good boys! Cliff even followed me every time I went to the toilet just to make sure nobody messed with me on the way or the way back. I could get used to this treatment :) Just keep in mind that most of the places we will go together don't have any white people. So I REALLY stick out. Easy target and what not...but not w/good Zim boys to watch my back.

Sunday was just recuperation...as all Sundays, regardless of the number of drinks the night before, should be. Thanks for teaching me that Graeme! We had some Nando's (my fav chicken place here) and then later one of the guys' (Nyika) cousin made sadza and stew. Sadza is a typical Zim dish that is sort of like eating really really thick cream of wheat. In SA the stuff is called pap. It's made from super refined corn meal, and I heard it's sort of like grits. I've never eaten grits, so I don't know if that's an apt comparison. I think that it's a pretty staple food throughout Southern Africa, and maybe even beyond. I'm not too sure about that though...I will have to do some field research. I don't know how to explain it, but there is something different about sadza and pap. They are basically the same thing, cooked the same way, but something is different. I like sadza better...I think because it's so thick. There's this nice skin that forms on the top of a big heap. The way you eat it (if you are doing it African style) is to first wash your hands! You are going to need them! Then you rip off a chunk and sort of roll it into a ball in your palm. You do this motion one-handed. Like rolling those Chinese concentration/meditation balls in your palm. You don't have to roll it up, but you can...sometimes a jaggedy edge is easier to soak up stew with. Then dip the ball or chunk into whatever you are eating it with. Usually it's some sort of meat stew. Most often w/a tomato/onion sauce. But it can be eaten with anything. There's really nice leafy greens that I had in Zim, but I can't remember what it was called. They also go good w/sadza. I was soooo happy to have sadza! I didn't think it would be so soon after I arrived, but I'm happy for it. Nyika's cousin said if I warned her next time I came she would make it again for me. Telegram, pony express, passenger pigeon, something will get to that lady to know I'm coming!!!

So that was my weekend...refreshing. Now it's Monday and now Tuesday and I'm getting irritated w/my classes. It's like being in 7th grade again, except Mrs. Ledet isn't threatening to "get her shotgun out." Today I learned about different types of microscopes...enthralling. And now I'm going to do a lab exercises on spectrophotometry. I feel like I've been kept back a grade or three. But I shouldn't complain cos theoretically I will be acing these classes!!! And I need to. If I don't shrivel w/boredom before that...

Hope you all are doing well. Stay tuned and I'll tell you how my radio interview went. I hope I'm not too square to volunteer for SUCH a cool radio station. Luckily I have a face for radio ;)

Later
Love Lynsee

New photos!

Okay I finally got all the photos I have together. These are leftovers from my time in the USA as well as new photos of my school and stuff. Enjoy.

I'm trying a new website based on a suggestion from another Rotary student. So we'll see how it works. It supposedly has a function where you can tag the place you took the photo on a map on the site, but I'm going to have to play w/that a bit more. It's gorgeous outside and I need to leave the computer lab!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lynseemelchi/


Enjoy!

Love Lynsee

Big ups!

Much love to Helen Inglis-Musselman (is that right Helen?) who was the first person to call from the USA!!!!!! Urbana to be exact. The bar has been set for the rest of you ;) I was just going to bed (okay it was like 9pm...) and my phone rang. I was like "no one knows me here, so who the heck is calling?"

and it was Helen!!!!! What a great surprise!!

Thanks thanks thanks

Later
Love Lynsee

An invitation

Invitation
by Shel Silverstein

If you are a dreamer, come in
If you are a dreamer, a wisher, a liar,
A hope-er, a pray-er, a magic bean buyer...
If you're a pretender, come sit by the fire
For we have some flax-golden tales to spin.
Come in!
Come in!

The first time I came to South Africa I was horrified by the responses of people to what I was doing (leaving for Africa...you'll perish!!!!). Above all my grandmother's response was the most insane knee-jerkism I had encountered to my prospective journey. I will leave out what she said, but do know that one day the letter she sent me will probably be framed on my wall! It was at that point that I decided that a major part of me leaving the country was to share my experiences of being away so that "outside the US" or "outside the Western realm" seemed less frightening to people. More real. More like something they could relate to. Besides educating, I also hoped to inspire folks to push their limits beyond their own personal safety zone. In particular thru travel, but not everyone is built for travel. And I think that's okay. Unfortunate, maybe, but okay in the end. To each his/her own. I feel like I've been moderately successful in that endeavour...my most recent evidence coming in the form of my friend Ben's blog in which he says that I was an "impetus" for his own journey to Costa Rica. Nice! Un peu du success!

My grandmother, although not a staunch enemy of my plan, was my greatest challenge. Or at least I perceived her to be my greatest challenge. I made sure to send photos and cards and such detailing what I was doing in South Africa. When I came home I gave her a book called "A Day in the Life of Africa." The book consisted of photos taken all over Africa on a particular day (I think a day in Feb 2002). I was conveniently in S Africa on the day covered in the book, so I wrote down inside the cover what I was doing that day. It was luckily a memorable day because there was a huge beerfest the day before and I remember sleeping in a friend's dorm room and then waking up late and hungover for a VERY early class...what a day! This book was one of the first in a series done by National Geographic. Now there are books that explore a day in the life of every state in the USA, many countries, and probably all the continents. I think it's a great idea...and now I want to rip it off.

As I was just laying down to cool off for a sec I thought "how can I bring my day effectively to the folks at home so that they can see what I'm REALLY up to?" Thankfully now I am blessed w/digital photography (cheap film!!) and I thought of something. So what I would like to do, on an ongoing basis, is photograph one day in my life. Which I will repeat maybe every month or something. It will be a work in progress. Initially I am going to start on Feb 15th (since I haven't had a 15th yet in SA) and I will take one photo every hour at the top of the hour. More or less.

So what's this bizness about "an invitation?"

I want to also invite you, wherever you are, to do the same. All sorts of folks have digital what not cameras, phones, and cuff links these days. So let's collaborate. I'm starting on Feb 15th...so please take your photos on the same day so we can compare. You can either upload the photos to a photo-sharing website (www.shutterfly.com, www.bebo.com, www.flickr.com, etc) and then send me the link(that would be easiest for me) or you can send the photos to me at my gmail address. It's easiest to send tons of files in a zip folder form. For those of you scratching your heads...

A zip folder is a compressed version (meaning it takes up less space) of a folder. It prevents you having to attach each individual photo at a time. Gmail has an automatic unzipper, I think, so I can just open the folder direct and take out the photos. To zip a folder all you do is go to the folder in whatever drive it is on your computer. Right click it on the folder and move your cursor down to "Send to." This should cause another menu to pop out and you should have an option to send it to a compressed/zip folder. That's how it works in Windows/PCs...for all you Mac-ophiles...you are on your own. Then when you go to "attach file" on your email account...you attach the zipped folder (usually it has a zipper on it). Let me know if you need help...but honestly the easiest will be for you to put your photos on a website and just send me the link.

So in this way we can share what "a day in the life" is for all of us ;) You don't have to be a superstar or have the most exciting day of all time to include yourself. You just need a camera and a computer. Isn't it the Zen folk that take pleasure in the small repetitive processes of each day? I like that a lot. Because after all, most of our day is filled up w/small inconsequential events. And that's okay.

"From such small incidents is a great day made."

Johnny Danja said that y'all.

On the more event-driven tip...I'm mobile!! I bought a bicycle today. A new bicycle. I think the last new bike I bought was in 1993-ish with hard earned paper route money. And that was just an old Huffy junker. P.O.S.H is what I used to call her...Piece of s**t Huffy. But she got me around. And at one point I think she even got Graeme around, which was funny to see his giagantic toothpick frame on a tiny bike made for a 12 yr old. This bike is a Giant bike (that's the brand, not the size...). I bought a women's bike this time...how the heck do ladies carry their bikes upstairs?! The frame is just not conducive for that at all...and I live upstairs! I can feel the muscles popping already! Also it's very exciting to ride around here cos everyone is driving on the wrong side. It's an adventure all right. Graeme, I invoke your intrepid bicyclin' spirit to protect me!!!

Also I've missed my first class already, d'oh! But I sort of made it up today. It was a lab for my biochem classes. I just forgot about the class yesterday and also scheduled a meeting with Prof Webb, the head of the Animal Sciences department here...and a colleague of my fav prof at U of IL, Dr. Kesler. It was very good to meet him and get some ideas on engaging my interests here. And he invited me to come check out his anatomy lab...yeah...guts!! Today though I went to another section and got all the stuff I needed...it was sort of a waste of time cos the prof was an hour late and then I sat at the back and couldn't hear anything. I just tried to take some notes and stuff.

That's about it I guess. My next big event is to buy a cooking pot so I can stop eating sandwiches. Although they are good sandwiches...I love cooking!

SA random tidbit for the day:
Cream soda is green colored here.

Until next time...get those cameras ready!

Love Lynsee

Dates

Not the fruit...
Not the blind kind...
...The calendar kind!

I just wanted to post up here the dates that I have vacations from school...primarily for those of you who ACTUALLY want to come visit. This is for the Claras that have detailed itineraries prepared, either in their heads or on paper, well over 6 months in advance ;) Please let me know if you have plans to come so I can try to arrange something w/you! I am constantly filling up my datebook (even w/vague ideas of plans) so even if I don't have something listed...I might have plans in mind. It would take me ages to fill in all the vagueries of what I want to/might be able to/plan to do in my time here. And just because something is listed doesn't mean it can't be amended!!! Ask my mom, my ex-bosses, and anyone else who has ever tried to pin down my schedule...I'm notoriously hard to plan around. I like to think of it as being capricious, fluid, flexible. But to the planners...it's probably more annoying than anything!!!

As it stands now I hope to travel during my breaks, but that doesn't me we can't team up. Also bear in mind that I live in a dorm now and I think they kick you out for school breaks. But that doesn't mean there aren't folks around who will make sure I don't sleep under bridges.

Here's what I got for 2007:

April vacation: Thurs Mar 29 to Tues Apr 10
*I hope to go to St Lucia to visit my friend from U of IL that's doing snake research there. Gaboon Adders...google it...it's one damn fine looking snake.

5 day weekend (?)...if we get public holidays off
Fri April 27 toTues May 1

Exam period (from lectures ending to exams ending)
Fri May 25 to Tues June 19
*This means I have no lectures, but am supposed to be studying for final exams. Last time I was in SA for school I went on a holiday during this period...but is also probably why I nearly failed Pig and Poultry production. I will have to play this one by ear.

July break: Fri June 29 to Tues July 10
*I will have met various Rotarians from all over District 9520 at this point and during this period I hope to travel wherever I'm invited. Or maybe I will have to announce I'm coming and join in Rotary stuff on my own :) Hopefully Botswana, maybe Mozambique if I'm feeling plucky. If I haven't been to Swaziland yet then I will try to visit my friend Victor's family...if he's around.

4 day weekend: Thurs Aug 9 to Sun Aug 12

September vacation: Fri Sept 21 to Sun Sept 30

Exam period (from lectures ending to exams ending)
Fri Oct 26 to Wed Nov 21

School's out for summer!
Thurs Nov 22 (Thanksgiving!) to probably like Jan 31 2008

So those are the dates that I'm free-ish. I've been tenatively invited to go on a week long hike on the Otter Trail in the Western Cape, but I don't know when that is. Also I've been tenatively invited to join an Urbana Rotary project in Malawi...but I forgot when that is too. Maybe not even til 2008.

Drop in some seeds to fire up the hamster...and get those wheels turning.

As always...

much love
Lynsee

Saturday thoughts

Since I don't know anyone yet, really, I've just been sort of wandering around thinking. And hanging in my room thinking. Also my room is big enough to play hacky sack in and made out of cement...which makes it easy to play w/superballs too. Why I have a superball I don't know. I am addicted to them, so it sort of makes sense that one is just in my stuff. Here's a bit about what I've seen, done, thought....

(it's pretty long cos I don't really have much else to do just yet...)

Textbooks

Buying textbooks is a rip off in any language. The exchange rate and generous Rotary scholarship don't make it a ripoff for me, but I know a general swindle when I see one. I'll just have to see what the buyback prices are at the end of the year to really know how much the students get fleeced. I had to buy new editions (typical!) of big fat science textbooks today. I paid R684 for 2 books (biochemistry and genetics) which evens out to about US$97. In the states that would have been the price for one of those books...unless you are a supreme textbook hustler like I was back at U of IL. Then it might have been free ;) But I think that R300 for a book is probably the equivalent to US$100 as far as a poor student is concerned. I haven't quite worked out the value of money here, so I'm not totally sure on that. Bottom line...I'm ready to pack my juicy brain with genetically enhanced biochemical wizardry. You can add a heapin' helpin' of bacteria to that once I find out the last book I need. One positive note is that I will be able to use the biochem book for 2 classes this semester and maybe 2 classes next semester. Also the genetics book will be useable for 2 classes this year. So maybe this isn't such a bad deal.

Che Guevara vs Bob Marley

Che Guevara is everywhere. I've already seen him like 10x today and it's only 1pm. He must be the newest popular screenprinted image in S Africa. I've seen him more than Bob Marley!! And I've seen Bob Marley quite a bit since I've arrived. (PS: Happy Birthday Bob!! You know we love you. And when I say "we" I sincerely mean the global "we.") Just as when I have seen Che's face on a poster in the states and abroad (he was obviously also huge for young folks in Centroamerica) I wonder what that image means to the person displaying it. Before I left, I briefly tried to read a book called "The African Dream," which was written by Che. He was part of the forces Cuba sent to Angola in the 50s/60s (?...sorry didn't finish the book) and this book was his notes about what happened in Angola. So I suppose that Che may have some revolutionary African meaning for folks here...but I would guess that mostly he's just a general revolutionary force that will be popular w/young people for that reason. An icon.

Random image that just popped into my head: taking a bus from Coyolito to the Crossroads in Honduras. Just left the family on Playa de Burro, about to leave Graeme at the Crossroads. I look through the back window of the bus and see a Che sticker and American flag calmly occupying the same space. Now that's a conflict if ever I saw one... I've been thinking about the fam in Honduras a lot lately cos my friend Ben is in Nicaragua right now and I brought a picture of Mama Jesus with me that is now sitting on my desk. I wonder how they are doing....

Asians in South Africa

I asked a girl at the Chinese restaurant why she thought there were so many Asians in Pretoria (of all places). She mentioned the university and that was all she gave me. There's got to be more than that. I've also seen older Asians here that are probably not going to university. I'm still investigating. She did confirm that it was mostly Chinese (and some Korean) folks here. And also I read an editorial in the newspaper here (Mail & Guardian...check it out online. It's my fav paper here) that talked about how S Africans were going to have to get w/the Chinese times and learn Mandarin. This guy talked about the section of Joburg where he lived that was once a Jewish area but had since turned into a solid Chinese area. Like people only speaking Chinese languages, etc. I'm still investigating...

People are strange when you're a stranger

I forgot how weird it is (or can be) to have folks all around me conducting conversations in all kinds of languages I don't understand. I'm used to Spanish flying all around, but usually I try to listen to what people are saying to see if I can learn more and see if I can understand them w/my limited Spanish skills. I'm not really hung up on being surrounded (because that's pointless), but it does provide an interesting "hmmmm..." from time to time. Either I think about it for a second or I just tune everyone out. Depends on the situation. Primarily I'm talking about Afrikaans, but also languages like Zulu and Sotho. This is a solid Afrikaans part of the country and people ask me things/approach me in Afrikaans all the time. Last week I was coming into the turnstile at the university entrance and this dude was handing out free newspapers. But it was the Afrikaans newspaper so I declined it and said "sorry, I can't read that." It was sort of a strange feeling. Also the names of buildings are all in Afrikaans here which was tough on the first day of school, when I was feeling especially green, but the university does a great job at making sure things are also in English. All the materials given out by the university are bilingual and the syllabi I've collected so far have also been in Afrikaans/English. When I first got here some of folks apologized for speaking in Afrikaans around me, but I don't care. I learned that a long time ago. Folks should speak in whatever language is the most comfortable/expressive/whatever for them. All this means is that I'm going to have to learn Afrikaans!!! Here's what I know so far:

Baie dankie (said: BYE-uh DAHN-key) = Thanks a lot
Baie lekker (said: BYE-uh LACK-er) = Really cool/sweet
(sweet as in "dude, that bike is totally sweet")
Swart (said: swort) = study (like "what are you swarting")
Ayyyy Tuks! (said: tucks) = some rally cry for my univ
(the Univ of Pretoria is called Tuks)
uitgang = exit (I have no idea how to say it, just see it everywhere)

I probably know some more...but I can't think of anything else. I will know it when I hear it :)

Also on the people are strange tip...when I walk around I feel like a total weirdo. Like I'm just some vessel navigating thru a sea of strangers. I know that will change, but it's a new feeling from being in Urbana where I can't walk 5 minutes w/out seeing someone I know...even though the bulk of my friends from U of IL have packed up for Chicago. People even recognize just my voice in that town! Even in the vastness of Chicago I still saw people I knew (Mikey V, remember when I saw you walking your dog!) Hey, life is all about pushing our limits, right? My host told me Rome wasn't built in a day. I told him that I build Rome every night in my dreams. But as I walk around feeling strange, I know he's right. Patience grasshopper...patience (as one of my parents says).

Although I don't really feel like I've always made the effort to fit in at home, I feel a particularly strong need to do so now. It's very dangerous, as I'm sure we have all learned from classic episodes of various after-school specials and sitcoms like Full House. Except Mr T who says "Be cool or be somebody's fool." I'm sure he meant something else by that though...check out his video and report back! People will do crazy stupid things to fit in. I'm trying to resist this at all costs. For those of you who know me, this may sound off, but I really do feel vulnerable to these sort of peer pressures. Especially in a new-ish environment. I remember what it did to me last time I was here and I don't want to repeat past follies. I feel like last time I was here I neglected exploring friendships w/certain folks because they were less cool on the face or maybe because they were harder to pin down(yeah, I know...stupid). People like my Rasta neighbor Pam who was perhaps the awesomest person in my dorm. Beeeee yourself. Beeee yourself. Can someone just keep repeating that in my head for me?

The girl I met the other day (Siza) has already asked me to loan her R200. I've known her for 2 days and haven't really spent more than 15 minutes at a time with her. I felt really uncomfortable with that and told her that although I'm a generous person...I do have to draw the line w/money. I don't even know if I would lend money to my friends at home. I think Ben Franklin (or maybe that senile longwinded dude in Hamlet...Polonius?) said "neither a borrower or a lender be." When it comes to money, I like those words when it comes to my friends. Hey, family is another story all together!

Well basically all I did today besides write this was go to the school library. I'm determined to learn something about:

1. Things to do in Pretoria/SA so I can make a list of perspective things to make me stare less at the green walls of my dorm room. If I don't have a list, I'll just sit at home. Dad...we've talked about this...

2. The history of conservation in Southern Africa and as a model, the history of Kruger Park

3. Flora and Fauna of Southern Africa...obviously I'm way behind my S African contemporaries on this one. Hopefully I can do some hands on research too!!! Gonz...I said, give me a week for the megafauna!

4. The works of Martin Luther King Jr, Dalai Lama, and others known for peace and goodwill as a modus operendi

5. Peace Parks, especially current research and findings


To that end I managed to get halfway thru a book written by a female vet in Kenya in the 50s/60s. It's very interesting and (no offense Danja) more applicable to my situation than the favorite, James Herriott.

And now I'm hungry so I'm going to grab a bite and beer at a place called Cool Runnings, in honor of Bob Marley's (soon) Birthday. Feb 6.

Take care
Much love...or rather...One love!
Lynsee