Quick News....

It has been a while since I have written. This has to do with a number of factors. One reason is because there is SO much to write and to tell that I don't really know where to start. Life is getting a little hectic here with papers, tests, and projects. I just talked to Bridget and I am so happy and excited for her that she is home-I'm sure Nicaragua misses her as much as she misses Nicaragua. I am getting excited for our trip to Victoria Falls. We are staying in Zambia but going to Botswana and hopefully Zimbabwe. The flight was pretty expensive but we think it will be worth it. It is basically our last trip while we are here. Eeek! The other part that kind of stinks is paying for visa fees. It costs $80 for multiple entry into Zambia plus an additional $30 for Zimbabwe. It should be fun and I'm sure we will have a lot to post when we get back. The following will just be filled with random musings so that I can procrastinate writing a paper that is due tomorrow....

I'm hoping to do a post soon about more observations in South Africa. One of my favorites is that in the kitchen and bathroom you can only get hot OR cold water. I am serious. There is a hot water faucet and a cold water faucet. To get "medium" water you have to just switch between the two!! I will post a picture soon. I didn't really think it was that weird until I looked and realized that the nozzles weren't running into the same faucet and how strange it looked.

Classes here seem weird. I don't know. They aren't exactly easy--just different. I know that some people are in some incredibly difficult classes but I haven't really experienced anything too tricky. I will note that there isn't a ton of critical thinking in the classes. At UNI it seems like there is a lot of reading, thinking, discussing and applying. Here it is more just about knowing. There is very little analysis and class discussions seemed very generalized without actually gaining a lot of knowledge. I realize that not all classes are like this but my experience has been this way. I also get asked a lot for my "American Opinion". I can assure everyone that I DO NOT speak for America. I'm not saying that in a negative way, I know people are curious. It is just often said more mockingly (from a particular professor) and that can be frustrating.

The American thing also brings me to a ton of other issues. I never realized what being American can mean when you are in a completely different part of the world.The rest of the world's opinion on America..is...well...not the best. And I get it. When I say "rest of the world" I mean that we are not only surrounded by South Africans but also international students from all over. Literally. I knew that America wasn't the most well loved country but I was surprised how much I personally am judged for being an American. In some situations, I find myself agreeing and in others I am defending the US. It is a weird thing to experience. I'm sure I will have more to share about that when I get home.

We had one of the craziest thunderstorms I've ever experienced last night. It was super loud and my head was right by the window. I was asleep but the storm woke me up. I thought the whole room was going to explode so I rolled as far away from the window as I could!! I'm sure that was a irrational very smart thing to do. It is getting rainy and cold here now that it is becoming winter. I'm sure the States will be warmer when we get back.

Ok, well Shawn told me I had better start on this paper because he doesn't want to hear me complain as I finish it minutes before it is due. (On a side note that really did happen here. I submitted a paper at 11:45 when it was due at midnight. It was barely completed. One of the unfortunate times procrastination did NOT work in my favor. I'll let you know my grade when I get it back!)

We get back soon and I can't wait to see everyone. I am missing friends, family, Triscuits, and TLC like crazy!