March 12th

I am a third year student at UC Berkeley in California and this second semester of school I have been attending the University of KwaZulu Natal in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, as part of a study abroad program.
As I write this, I want to acknowledge that I cannot fully describe the reality of what it is like to be here, but i will try.
So, it did start a little rough (I am going to reflect for a paragraph or two), but now, man, I feel like I have always known the people and places I know here, I feel at ease, and like there is a place for me as long as I am here.

Upon arrival on the 28th of January I did not know who I would cross paths with or what I might enjoy doing and seeing in the months to come. To be honest, I was freaked out, I remember that first night alone in the dorms, all the other international students (I didn't even know there were any....) had gone out, and not come back yet. I had gotten off the plane, been given a pack of English cookies from Bill (the on campus advisor who I rarely see now, but hasa huge help in getting settled in) not talked to my parents and not really gotten that tired cause I had slept just fine on the plane...and this was not going to change, cause there was no way to "swipe" in and out of my building, i had no access untill morning, so I waited, and waited, and when I heard laughs from down the hall I leapt off my bed and bombarded the other international students, man was I excited, I actually tripped in a puddle (yes, inside), on my way! That's another thing, South Africa is rainy in January, yes, wet summers, why did I not know that before I left...with out my nice Cal umbrella...
And that first week there were no others moved in to the dorms yet because we all arrived well before classes commenced, enough time to check out the local bars, walk around the (contaminated) Duzi River that runs through town, check out Howick Falls, and just get to know how each other and how we ended up so far from home. It feels like those first few nights were quite a while ago, but really only about 6 weeks ago.
The internet was slow to come...did not have access for a while...But obviously, now I got it, and my friends over here told me exactly how EASY it was to start a blog, and even they were tech illiterate and managed to do it so i must at least try, so, now, here we are.

I think in the future my postings will be briefer.

I hope this is a good way to relay information to people, about my activities, and about the culture and whatever else people send me emails about.
For now, I am going to just mention a couple things that I have already written home about:
-The exchange rate is unbelieveable: 1o rands to the dollar, a beer at a bar is 8 rand, at a club it is 10. Bottle of wine at Checkers (their equivalent to Safeway, a 5 minute walk from the residence) is 25 rand.
-There is a strong Zulu culture here, while there are other African tribes, Xkosa (click at the beginning of that word), Sotho, and then a lot of students from Zim and other countries in Africa too, the Zulu culture as the provincial name may imply, is prodominant.
-I know a few Zulu words: Sawubona (we see you) Yebo (yes) Ungani (how are you) Ng'yaphila (I am alive) Ubuntu (about people helping each other) Daga (weed), and there are a few others...not coming to mind at the moment...
--Everyone is very friendly, always greet each other, on campus, hallways, with "Howisit" a rhetorical statement you both say...sometimes resond with "good, and you?"
--A lot of Indian food! Bunny Chow is a cheap (4.5 rand at Kara Nichas, two minutes from the dorm, or 12 rand at Bollywood Curries, where its spicy and meaty and the owner likes to tell us stories about local history and politics) and tasty, basically take a loaf of white sandwich bread and cut it in half, scoop out the middle and scoop in curry, you have bunny chow, like a South African version of chilli bread bowl.
--They do get snow around here, in the mountains, and at nearby elevations, too.
--the Drakensberg mountains are breathtaking, we did a silly silly thing and hiked (hitched...a couple k's) the Sani Pass into Lesotho, wow! 26kms in a day, that is what happens when you get a lot of young, dont know betters in the same crowd...haha! We stayed at the "Southern Hemisphere's Highest Bar" YEAH
--I have been volunteering at the KZN Church Council, doing intake work on HIV patients, working with a community advocate, Sanele, and at the Ubuntu Children's Center outside Edendale, cool place, good for the kids with no where else to be, they go to school, eat meals, practice praising God, take care of one another, too. lovely, affectionate kids and teens.
--I am taking classes, I swear, Animal Science (Herbivore Physiology), Microbiology (Virology), Food Science (we talk chemistry and get to cook :), Poli Sci (internship based, ie, the above volunteering)

Read what you can from above, long, I know, but really I could go on, I want to go on, but Emily is sitting next to me saying "Wow, going to town on that first entry" so i am thinking I won't get many readers if I ramble much more.
Ciao.