Sawubona!

Greetings in Zulu (the main language in Durban)

I have started working at Isiaiah 54 Children's Home (I will post pictures of the adorable kids later), which has wireless so I can now post pictures! So brace yourselves for a long post...hooray!

Last weekend we traveled up to the Drakensberg Mountains. We stayed in a village called Mnweni for three days. We lived in huts like the one in this picture but thankfully ours had electricity and running water. Unfortunately it did not have heat so, I had to pack on the layers. It brought back warm memories of K-ville.


Our generous guide Caiphus showed us the famous Bushman Rock Art. We traveled on rock, through grass, and up hills to see a couple thousand years old painting. Fascinating.


Caiphus also kindly invited us to his house...which happens to be at the top of a giant hill. We walked about a couple of miles up to this homestead where we were happily greeted by what seems like all the children in the area. A group of women performed traditional Zulu dances for us. It consisted of a lot of stomping. I was very intrigued by the bells on their feet.


That weekend I did so much hiking, I feel like an expert on all things outdoor-sy. I saw so many beautiful sights. I tried to capture a picture of all the stars in sky at night in Mnweni but all the pictures I took came out black :( There are so many stars. So many. Here are a couple of picture I snapped that I wanted to share. I took these. No joke.


The guest house we are staying at is right next to the beach so of course we walked down to the shore. Here is a cool picture of the rocks/coral(?) in the water.


We went to the Merebank Market that first weekend, and stuffed ourselves with fruits and samosas. Should not have had breakfast.


Here is a picture of Dubai International Airport. Niceee.

And so it begins...

I have finally reached Durban, South Africa! What did I learn after 22 hours of flying?

First, flying Emirates is awesome. They offer individual entertainment systems, lunch and breakfast, blankets, pillows, socks, eye masks, and travel-size toothpaste and toothbrush. 13 hours from JFK to Dubai, was almost enjoyable.

Second, having layovers at very nice airports is great. Dubai International Airport is probably one of the nicest shopping malls I’ve been in. Marcus (a fellow DukeEngage-r traveling on my flights) and I walked around gawking at all the high-end duty-free shops and restaurants (including Pinkberry, Cosi, Kiehls and Starbucks) crowded with foreign customers. Another 8 hours from Dubai and Durban!

We (eight other Duke students and our two coordinators) are staying (for the next 10 days) at the Le’Horizon Guest House right on the shores of the Indian Ocean. Due to the lack of Internet, all of us are sharing two mobile modems each loaded with only 300MB, so my posts will be mostly descriptive (I will post a larger photo album when I return). We are staying at this super nice bed-and-breakfast run by the very knowledgeable, community-conscious Praveen Maharaj and his very welcoming wife Meera. We had a lovely dinner of mash-potatoes, vegetables and fried fish. Then it was off to bed, though I didn’t sleep much due to the 6-hour time difference.

Third lesson? Jet-lag.

Pilot Post

Today, I join the 125 million (though 80% of statistics are made up) bloggers in the world. So what sets me apart? Nothing! Then why should you follow? Because that is what friends and family do…duh!

I want this blog to be a place where you can keep track of my adventures and thoughts. Actually it is a place for me to keep track of my own life, because frankly I cannot remember anything. Ask my friends. As I enter my junior year at Duke, I realize how fast time is flying, and how important journal-ing is.

So the first thing I want to remember, is my wisdom teeth extraction. They were pulled last Wednesday…after I returned from a great week in Boston (a subject I will reflect on later). These last few days, I have been on a diet of yogurt, apple sauce, and pudding. Exciting. Sigh, I wish I was still a baby and fat cheeks were acceptable and cute.

Cute? Questionable. I am the baby on the left, clearly, and Justina is sitting next to me. Look at those cheeks. What are those things in our hair, you ask? I have no idea.