Indian Ocean

I haven't been able to blog as much as I would like to but it is starting to get really busy on campus. Our six week intensive classes are starting to catch up to me. Remember how I said I was having a hard time doing my homework? Well lets just say thats over with. This coming week is going to be crazy I have papers galore and am dreading it. Besides school I am loving being here in South Africa. I know I have said that numerous times but I am really starting to get in a routine and I feel like the group of 54 is starting to really mesh. It is actually hard for me to recognize that two weeks ago a lot of these people I did not know and now I feel like I know them so well. I am loving all the new friendships that our being formed. This week I got to do a lot of things. Went out to the Mugg and Bean again on Tuesday night and got the best drink EVER. It was a Iced Mocha but its not what we think back in the states it was a milkshake with coffee in it. I also got to hike up three waterfalls. There is some waterfalls on our campus that is quite a hike up on a path that really isn't a path. Anyways its a hike where you have to climb over trees and climb up waterfalls. I of course scraped my knee right at the beginning of the hike even before we got to the waterfalls. It was a scary but exciting hike. I literally probably slipped and fell at least 8 times. Let's just say I was incredible sore the next day. We came back extremely dirty and wet and even put some war paint on our face with mud and puts some leaves and such in our hair. Everyone said we looked like tribal girls. Yesterday we went to the keg and hedgehog again with a bigger group and had a blast! We all were loving the fact of having food besides the stuff we get here everyday! I got a milkshake that was the best! We all came back and had a spontaneous dance party which was super fun. Today we had a field trip for intercultural communications to Durban. Our field trip was from 9 am to 9 pm so a pretty packed day. We first headed to Durban which was about an hour and half drive. We stopped at a market in a little town and was able to explore the town in groups for about two hours. We were able to see a hindu temple and learn all about the religion there. We had to take off our shoes and walk around the temple three times before we were allowed to even go in the temple. Then we went in the temple and saw all the gods they pray too. Some of us even participated in one of the prayers they do. I ended up doing it just to experience what they do when they worship their gods. It was the practice of burning incense and circling this rock three times and then taking a leaf dipped in water and doing that three times and then putting the hindu dot of white ashes onto your forehead. Then you are instructed to kneel and pray. It was then that I prayed for all the lost people in this religion and how they waste their time on rituals that mean nothing. When we left the temple our teacher told us about the dangers in practicing their rituals and it made me realize how lucky I am. The lady at the temple told us an interesting fact that not a lot of people are coming to pray at the temples because most of them are converting to Christianity. What I wondered is why she hadn't converted or that I wondered if she has ever thought about it because so many have converted. We then walked the markets and it was then that I finally felt like I was in another country. We were the only white people in this entire town. The town was filled with indians and black people. Everyone was staring at us as we walked through the street even some trying to pick pocket us. People of course approached us to buy them things or to buy there things they were selling. It was a great experience to see how other people live. After that we headed for the beach where we spend the rest of the afternoon and dinner. The Indian Ocean is beautiful and the waves are crazy. I went in a couple of times but the undertow was so strong that it kept taking us away. For dinner we got to experience a South African Braii which is what they call barbeque. They cooked us so much meat it was insane. The whole day was a blast. I am beat though and incredibly sunburned again.  Hopefully it won't be so long again for me to update this.