...and that is about all I have to say. My trip went relatively smoothly, especially since I didn't see anyone I knew at the JFK airport when I was lugging over 100lbs of luggage in various forms (massive suitcase, trekker backpack, small backpack, shoulder bag). I was a huge mess. But I arrived in one piece into my parents' loving arms at noon in Boston today. It is wonderful to be home and to see my family.
Love,
Linda
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Sunday, July 5, 2009
All my bags are packed.
Somehow.... they actually are. I don't know how it happened, but I know my good friend Liz had a lot to do with it earlier this afternoon.
Leaving is bittersweet, and goodbyes over the last few weeks have been really difficult. This semester has been defined by the wonderful and beautiful people who have entered into my life and changed it! It is very hard to close this dynamic chapter of my life, even if it was only for five short months.
I am THRILLED to be seeing my family in two days, and then working at my favorite place in the world - camp deer run. I am blessed to be going home to a very supportive and wonderful family and community as I begin to process this semester.
My last two weeks here have been amazing. I had a fantastic trip to Johannesburg and spent time with good friends and their families. Some highlights: went to the Confederations cup final game (USA vs. BRAZIL!!), Cradle of Humankind, Constitution Hill, game drive, Soweto, and saw a lot more of the city. I think the best part of that trip was meeting the families of my good friends and spending time with them :)
Arts Fest has proven to be absolute sensory overload, as expected. Some shows have been AMAZING, some not so good, but I don't regret going to any of them. Grahamstown truly comes alive during fest, and it has been really fun seeing it overflowing with people from all over South Africa and the world.
Please pray for my safe travels starting tomorrow. It will take me 24+ hours to get home. Here is the breakdown:
1.5 hrs from Grahamstown to P.E. Airport
a few hours in P.E. hanging out with my friend Katie who lives in P.E.
1.5 hrs P.E. to Johannesburg
a few hours in the JHB airport
8 hours JHB to a stopover in Dakar, Senegal
8 hours Dakar to JFK
a few hours in JFK airport
1.5 hours JFK to Boston
2 hours Boston to Wolfeboro
That is a rough total of 24 hours, give or take (I don't remember how long I am waiting in airports)
WHAT A TRIP! STARTING TOMORROW MORNING!
All my love to you faithful readers.
Much love,
Lindapants
Leaving is bittersweet, and goodbyes over the last few weeks have been really difficult. This semester has been defined by the wonderful and beautiful people who have entered into my life and changed it! It is very hard to close this dynamic chapter of my life, even if it was only for five short months.
I am THRILLED to be seeing my family in two days, and then working at my favorite place in the world - camp deer run. I am blessed to be going home to a very supportive and wonderful family and community as I begin to process this semester.
My last two weeks here have been amazing. I had a fantastic trip to Johannesburg and spent time with good friends and their families. Some highlights: went to the Confederations cup final game (USA vs. BRAZIL!!), Cradle of Humankind, Constitution Hill, game drive, Soweto, and saw a lot more of the city. I think the best part of that trip was meeting the families of my good friends and spending time with them :)
Arts Fest has proven to be absolute sensory overload, as expected. Some shows have been AMAZING, some not so good, but I don't regret going to any of them. Grahamstown truly comes alive during fest, and it has been really fun seeing it overflowing with people from all over South Africa and the world.
Please pray for my safe travels starting tomorrow. It will take me 24+ hours to get home. Here is the breakdown:
1.5 hrs from Grahamstown to P.E. Airport
a few hours in P.E. hanging out with my friend Katie who lives in P.E.
1.5 hrs P.E. to Johannesburg
a few hours in the JHB airport
8 hours JHB to a stopover in Dakar, Senegal
8 hours Dakar to JFK
a few hours in JFK airport
1.5 hours JFK to Boston
2 hours Boston to Wolfeboro
That is a rough total of 24 hours, give or take (I don't remember how long I am waiting in airports)
WHAT A TRIP! STARTING TOMORROW MORNING!
All my love to you faithful readers.
Much love,
Lindapants
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Wrapping up.
I am finished with exams, and leaving Grahamstown tomorrow. I will be back in a week for the Arts Festival, but it will be VERY different because most of my Rhodes friends (with the exception of a few other exchange students) will be gone. Tonight is my last night in Dingemans (my res)! Tomorrow I leave for Johnannesburg and will be staying for one week with a few friends. I’m currently avoiding the project of packing up my room. I don’t like packing, and goodbyes are even worse. I am definitely REALLY excited to see my family and thrilled to be working at camp, but I also really don’t want to leave.
I just got back on Saturday evening from an amazing trip to the Wild Coast to the Bulungula Lodge. It is an eco-friendly backpackers run mainly by locals in the MIDDLE OF NOWHERE. I felt like I was on the end of the world. I took approximately 250 pictures and I would love to show you some, but this site isn't letting me upload pictures at the moment. Don't worry, I will post more soon, but I might not for a few weeks.
Since I will be moving out of res, I won't have the regular access to internet that I normally have. I will definitely make a point to check email when I can. Hopefully I will be able to post once or twice more before I leave SA.
My prayers are with those of you preparing for the summer at camp!
Much love,
Lindapants
I just got back on Saturday evening from an amazing trip to the Wild Coast to the Bulungula Lodge. It is an eco-friendly backpackers run mainly by locals in the MIDDLE OF NOWHERE. I felt like I was on the end of the world. I took approximately 250 pictures and I would love to show you some, but this site isn't letting me upload pictures at the moment. Don't worry, I will post more soon, but I might not for a few weeks.
Since I will be moving out of res, I won't have the regular access to internet that I normally have. I will definitely make a point to check email when I can. Hopefully I will be able to post once or twice more before I leave SA.
My prayers are with those of you preparing for the summer at camp!
Much love,
Lindapants
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
WINTER WINTER WINTER
Happy summer to those of you in the northern hemisphere! To my fellow southern hemisphere-ers, welcome to winter! It has been getting cold in Grahamstown lately, sometimes so cold that I wish I had a hat (and some more sweaters) but sometimes I have my window open (like now, for instance). Today was a beautiful "winter" day, reminiscent of an early spring day in the northeast - sunny and beautiful, but a little chilly when the wind blows.
With winter always comes the flu, unfortunately, and I have already paid my dues... twice. Last weekend I had a bad cold/flu, and then this past weekend I came down with a stomach bug. Yay for a little taste of South African medicine...! Today I feel MUCH better - maybe even ALL better by tomorrow! yay!
Last weekend I went to the Mariya uMama weThemba Anglican Monastery and spent a night there with two dear friends, Cortney and Liz. It was a really refreshing weekend both spiritually and physically after finishing up term and moving into the exam time (and the last phase of my semester here). We concluded the weekend with an amazing girls' night at Cortney's house (where I have dinner every Thursday night) with our friend Sarah. (Sarah is a close friend from my res, and she is going on exchange to Bellarmine University in Lousiville, Kentucky next semester! So we have bonded over that American connection :) !! ) We made peach cobbler, chocolate cake, and gluwein, and watched way too many episodes of 30 Rock. Gluwein (pronounced glue-vine) is hot spiced red wine. The way you make it is like hot spiced apple cider - you just let it simmer for HOURS...and the kitchen smells amazing :) I will definitely be bringing this tradition back home and to BC!
Last week was swot week, a week dedicated on the Rhodes academic calendar solely to STUDYING. If you know me and my academic tendencies, I am very deadline oriented, and can't really study for anything more than 2 days in advance (unless it is like a HUGE test like the SATs or NCLEX or something). So I found myself frolicking around Grahamstown, discovering two different museums, becoming a regular at local coffee shops, and just hanging out with friends. I also finally extended my visa in Port Elizabeth so I can stay (legally) for the ARTS FESTIVAL in July.
I had a weird realization today, that I will be in New Hampshire in four weeks exactly. On July 7. That time is going to fly. Between now and then, I will be taking my last two exams, spending five days at Bulungula Lodge on the Wild Coast (an eco-tourism sustainable lodge - check out the link, it looks beautiful! I can't wait!), spending a week in Johannesburg with three of my closest friends from South Africa, and then spending a week hopping around the festival, and seeing as many shows/exhibitions as possible (it will basically be sensory overload and overall speechlessness for 4 days straight).
I hope I haven't bored you with my ramblings.
Much much love from SAFRICA,
Lindapants
With winter always comes the flu, unfortunately, and I have already paid my dues... twice. Last weekend I had a bad cold/flu, and then this past weekend I came down with a stomach bug. Yay for a little taste of South African medicine...! Today I feel MUCH better - maybe even ALL better by tomorrow! yay!
Last weekend I went to the Mariya uMama weThemba Anglican Monastery and spent a night there with two dear friends, Cortney and Liz. It was a really refreshing weekend both spiritually and physically after finishing up term and moving into the exam time (and the last phase of my semester here). We concluded the weekend with an amazing girls' night at Cortney's house (where I have dinner every Thursday night) with our friend Sarah. (Sarah is a close friend from my res, and she is going on exchange to Bellarmine University in Lousiville, Kentucky next semester! So we have bonded over that American connection :) !! ) We made peach cobbler, chocolate cake, and gluwein, and watched way too many episodes of 30 Rock. Gluwein (pronounced glue-vine) is hot spiced red wine. The way you make it is like hot spiced apple cider - you just let it simmer for HOURS...and the kitchen smells amazing :) I will definitely be bringing this tradition back home and to BC!
Last week was swot week, a week dedicated on the Rhodes academic calendar solely to STUDYING. If you know me and my academic tendencies, I am very deadline oriented, and can't really study for anything more than 2 days in advance (unless it is like a HUGE test like the SATs or NCLEX or something). So I found myself frolicking around Grahamstown, discovering two different museums, becoming a regular at local coffee shops, and just hanging out with friends. I also finally extended my visa in Port Elizabeth so I can stay (legally) for the ARTS FESTIVAL in July.
I had a weird realization today, that I will be in New Hampshire in four weeks exactly. On July 7. That time is going to fly. Between now and then, I will be taking my last two exams, spending five days at Bulungula Lodge on the Wild Coast (an eco-tourism sustainable lodge - check out the link, it looks beautiful! I can't wait!), spending a week in Johannesburg with three of my closest friends from South Africa, and then spending a week hopping around the festival, and seeing as many shows/exhibitions as possible (it will basically be sensory overload and overall speechlessness for 4 days straight).
I hope I haven't bored you with my ramblings.
Much much love from SAFRICA,
Lindapants
Saturday, May 30, 2009
So... I think I can dance.
Helllooooo friends and family!
I am officially finished with classes for the semester! The only academics I have between me and summer break are four exams to be taken over the next four weeks. I have already taken two of my finals, both for different aspects of ethnomusicology. On Wednesday, I had my transcription final, where we had to listen to two different pieces of music and write them down. That one was easy. Yesterday, I performed a Shona Mhande for my performance final. The Shona people are from Zimbabwe, and the Mhande is a rain-making dance ceremony that happens at the beginning of the summer to ask the ancestors to send rain for the crops. The lyrics are call and response style:
Leader: Dzinonwa muna Zambezi, dzinonwa muna Sawa (We drink in the river)
Response: Mhondoro dzinonwa, mhondoro dzinonwa (the lions drink)
Lindsay videotaped it and posted it on youtube (Dancers are me, Lindsay, Sarah, and Lisa and we are accompanied on drums and singing by the rest of our class)... so you should probably check that out. And apparently, our dance was effective. We were in the first group and by the time the third group went, it was really cloudy and looked like it was going to rain. I really loved this performance class and looked forward to it each week - I'm sad it is over!
Love,
Linda
I am officially finished with classes for the semester! The only academics I have between me and summer break are four exams to be taken over the next four weeks. I have already taken two of my finals, both for different aspects of ethnomusicology. On Wednesday, I had my transcription final, where we had to listen to two different pieces of music and write them down. That one was easy. Yesterday, I performed a Shona Mhande for my performance final. The Shona people are from Zimbabwe, and the Mhande is a rain-making dance ceremony that happens at the beginning of the summer to ask the ancestors to send rain for the crops. The lyrics are call and response style:
Leader: Dzinonwa muna Zambezi, dzinonwa muna Sawa (We drink in the river)
Response: Mhondoro dzinonwa, mhondoro dzinonwa (the lions drink)
Lindsay videotaped it and posted it on youtube (Dancers are me, Lindsay, Sarah, and Lisa and we are accompanied on drums and singing by the rest of our class)... so you should probably check that out. And apparently, our dance was effective. We were in the first group and by the time the third group went, it was really cloudy and looked like it was going to rain. I really loved this performance class and looked forward to it each week - I'm sad it is over!
Love,
Linda
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
HIV/AIDS and South Africa
I forgot to write about a very memorable experience I had last week.
I went to an HIV/AIDS candlelight memorial service in the township on Friday. It was a really exhausting and sobering morning, especially considering to think about the many people affected by this horrible disease. Just to give you an idea, 5 new people are infected each week by HIV in Grahamstown alone.
The service lasted from 11:20 until 2pm, and was filled with singing and speeches. There were hundreds of people there, and a few high school groups came. There was so much joyful and hopeful singing despite the tragedy of AIDS, and the reason for the gathering. I was touched and amazed by the resilience of people, especially those who are daily affected by the tragedy of HIV/AIDS and the challenges of poverty.
I went to an HIV/AIDS candlelight memorial service in the township on Friday. It was a really exhausting and sobering morning, especially considering to think about the many people affected by this horrible disease. Just to give you an idea, 5 new people are infected each week by HIV in Grahamstown alone.
The service lasted from 11:20 until 2pm, and was filled with singing and speeches. There were hundreds of people there, and a few high school groups came. There was so much joyful and hopeful singing despite the tragedy of AIDS, and the reason for the gathering. I was touched and amazed by the resilience of people, especially those who are daily affected by the tragedy of HIV/AIDS and the challenges of poverty.
I like icecream.
I think my favorite flavor is moose tracks, but icecream actually has nothing to do with this blog post.
Classes are wrapping up. Everyone has assignments, tests, essays, etc. going on this week. I do too. And I still somehow manage to find the time to write this entry… can we say procrastination?
While many of you were celebrating Memorial Day with various parades, picnics, and other patriotic family festivities, Africa was celebrating Africa Day! South Africa is unfortunately not among the many countries that observe it as a public holiday, but Rhodes celebrated Africa Day by inviting the former president, Thabo Mbeki, to lecture students and staff. It (obviously) drew a large crowd, and even though I arrived an hour before he was scheduled to speak, I didn’t get a seat in the main theatre! Nonetheless, I am really glad I went. The main theme of his speech was to empower the future leaders of South Africa to own up to being a part of the African continent! The influence of South Africa in the rest of Africa is enormous, and he challenged the students to be leaders in the country that, in many ways, leads the whole continent.
I have had a few unique healthcare opportunities over the last weeks. I went to a developmental clinic in the township a few weeks ago with a team of occupational therapists, a speech therapist, a physiotherapist, and a dietician from the hospital. The clinic assesses and treats children with developmental delays including Down’s syndrome, autism, meningitis, and some who suffer from cognitive delays due to neglect and malnutrition. Last week, I went with some of the therapists to the preschool for children with developmental delays, and we helped out with their music class. Those children are just precious!
Yesterday, I went on occupational therapy home visits and we visited patients who needed fitting for wheelchairs. The wheelchair situation in South Africa is frustrating, because the government-provided wheelchairs are backordered for months, and even years. The Rotary foundation has therefore stepped up and donated wheelchairs. The problem is that the rotary wheelchairs are poor quality and made in China, so they don’t fit right, they break quickly and the spare parts are thousands of miles away. All of this makes for a very difficult challenge for the occupational therapists who work with these patients. After spending a few months in different places in the hospital, I have learned that the government often fails to provide the necessary means for quality care. This is often very frustrating for the doctors, nurses, and therapists who do not have the proper resources available to care for the patients in the best way.
I haven’t done much traveling lately, hence the lack of pictures, but it has been really nice to chill with friends around Grahamstown. I also have a few trips coming up in June, and so it is nice to have some down time. Honestly, the time has passed so quickly! I have about six weeks until I board the plane in July. That time is going to fly.
I hope summer is going well back home! Please keep me posted on your lives. I love long emails and skype dates!!!
Love From South Africa,
Lindapants
Classes are wrapping up. Everyone has assignments, tests, essays, etc. going on this week. I do too. And I still somehow manage to find the time to write this entry… can we say procrastination?
While many of you were celebrating Memorial Day with various parades, picnics, and other patriotic family festivities, Africa was celebrating Africa Day! South Africa is unfortunately not among the many countries that observe it as a public holiday, but Rhodes celebrated Africa Day by inviting the former president, Thabo Mbeki, to lecture students and staff. It (obviously) drew a large crowd, and even though I arrived an hour before he was scheduled to speak, I didn’t get a seat in the main theatre! Nonetheless, I am really glad I went. The main theme of his speech was to empower the future leaders of South Africa to own up to being a part of the African continent! The influence of South Africa in the rest of Africa is enormous, and he challenged the students to be leaders in the country that, in many ways, leads the whole continent.
I have had a few unique healthcare opportunities over the last weeks. I went to a developmental clinic in the township a few weeks ago with a team of occupational therapists, a speech therapist, a physiotherapist, and a dietician from the hospital. The clinic assesses and treats children with developmental delays including Down’s syndrome, autism, meningitis, and some who suffer from cognitive delays due to neglect and malnutrition. Last week, I went with some of the therapists to the preschool for children with developmental delays, and we helped out with their music class. Those children are just precious!
Yesterday, I went on occupational therapy home visits and we visited patients who needed fitting for wheelchairs. The wheelchair situation in South Africa is frustrating, because the government-provided wheelchairs are backordered for months, and even years. The Rotary foundation has therefore stepped up and donated wheelchairs. The problem is that the rotary wheelchairs are poor quality and made in China, so they don’t fit right, they break quickly and the spare parts are thousands of miles away. All of this makes for a very difficult challenge for the occupational therapists who work with these patients. After spending a few months in different places in the hospital, I have learned that the government often fails to provide the necessary means for quality care. This is often very frustrating for the doctors, nurses, and therapists who do not have the proper resources available to care for the patients in the best way.
I haven’t done much traveling lately, hence the lack of pictures, but it has been really nice to chill with friends around Grahamstown. I also have a few trips coming up in June, and so it is nice to have some down time. Honestly, the time has passed so quickly! I have about six weeks until I board the plane in July. That time is going to fly.
I hope summer is going well back home! Please keep me posted on your lives. I love long emails and skype dates!!!
Love From South Africa,
Lindapants
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