Like sand through an hour glass, so are the days of our Lives

Greetings fellow blog mates,

I'm going to scale down what I had originally had planned to write on here, as my fingers are stiff, sore, numb, etc.. from the amount of essay writing this past week. I also have an essay yet to start that needs to be completed by the end of this week, so I must conserve my finger muscles as best I can. Fortunately after that I have 3 exams  spanning until the 8th of June. . These exams count for 50% of my final grade, and you must pass them to pass the course. They are essay based, and 2-3 hours long. Wish me luck. And then thats it. I can't even believe it.

I understand there has been a significant lapse from my last blog. Here's an update from a few weeks ago:

I pursued an unforeseen adventure over the Easter holidays to the Drakensberg Mountains--the tallest and largest mountain range in South Africa---, a 15 hour drive north and east of Cape Town. (Closer to Johannesburg.) There were a plethora of public holidays (workers day, Freedom Day, and Family Day) which gave me another 11 day vacation. (Jealous, I know.) It was me and 3 other Mountain and Ski Club members who pursued a 5 day Mountaineering/hiking trip in the 'the berg'. It was my longest mountain hiking trip yet, and arguably the most beautiful. At over 3000m, I was somewhat physically, but way more mentally tested, in terms of exposure and risk to serious  possible catastrophic consequences of doing myself harm. For example, the 3rd night we slept in Rolands Cave (the most epic cave ever. Ever.), but to get at it we had to navigate ourselves along the edge of an escarpment, or cliff wall, with no path, nothing to hold onto, and me and one hell of a drop below. Yes, I was shit scared., but I had never felt so much pure Ecstasy  and feelings of being alive. The views were incomparable to anything I had seen before. The mountains still had their lush velvet coating of green, as the rainy season was just coming to an end. It was cold, the waterfalls were already partially frozen, signaling winter is just around the corner. Since being back in Cape Town, I've been experiencing heavy doses of Mountain Fever. Lucky for me a hike in the mountains is only a train ride away.

I've acquired a new hobby in South Africa, drinking wine. I have been a devoted member to Wine Society at UCT, where the vineyards come to campus every Friday... and well, we taste wines. I was just at another vineyard today through the abroad program. Two weeks ago I went to 4 vineyards out in Stellenbosch and Paarl with some friends. As many of you know, South Africa is very well known for its wine, and in the Western Cape alone, there are 100's of vineyards that one can tour and sample various wines. As my palette continues to strengthen, so does my obsession. I plan on bringing a few bottles home with me.

I toured a township last weekend, Guguletu, and then headed to Mzoles afterwards, a must experience restaurant right next to the township that serves meat. Thats what you eat at this place, meat.Served on Giant plates, and lots of it. You also provide your own alcoholic beverages, and eat with your fingers. I had a great time being three years old again; eating steak  chicken, sausage, and pap with my hands. The eccentric,  atmosphere and experience is nothing like I've experienced before. That was Mother's Day.

Last weekend I also did some Cave exploration in the mountains in Cape Town. Who knew?! Another epic experience to add to the list.

There was a fire in Masiphumelele, another township, a few weeks ago. 1500 homes were burnt to the ground, displacing over 5000 people, who lost everything of what little they had. I thought I would include this because the majority of people living in Cape Town live in Townships, in poor and unsanitary living conditions lacking very basic needs. (I am learning so much right now about vulnerability and people's livelihoods related to vulnerability in my Sustainability and Environment class-- how they can be assessed, and adaptation strategies to improve their situation.)

Aside from academics beginning to wrap up (this last week was hell), I am fully aware my time left here on this end of the world is not long. I have roughly a month left in Cape Town. Ignoring the idea of leaving and saying good byes is unavoidable. I happen to find myself reflecting about my abroad experience and myself as a multi cultural citizen (along with a crap load of other things) more and more everyday. I won't go into specific details now, as my fingers are hurting again, and I'm tired.

Next week I have the lady friend (Lea Abrahamson) coming to visit, along with my new camera :). I'm excited to show her around and for her to experience a taste of a completely unique culture to that of the states.

One last thing:
For the first time (this past week) since leaving the states,  I've found myself wearing Jeans and a sweater. The leaves are changing colours, the sun is setting earlier and earlier, and the days are cooling off. With more and more days of clouds and fog, winter is almost here. I miss those warm days back in Jan-March. I am aware, however, my sense of cold has changed since living here, as I have fully acclimated myself in terms of what I consider warm/cool temperatures.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend, and the photos. Cheers!

South Africa's finest vineyards. Thank you Monday holiday for  yet more play time . 

Mzoles!

Drakensberg Mountains. Taken at the very beginning of the hike. We summited Cathedral Peak  at the top right corner of the photo, and then hiked the Bell Traverse afterwards. You can see the bell in the distance. This trip was surreal.

On top of Cathedral Peak (Over 3100m). We ended up summiting just after 4 PM. We were not able to spend much time on the peak because we had to get down, as nightfall was quickly approaching.

Nostalgia of winter time in the states. Never thought I'd be eating icicles in South Africa. 

Morning View from Roland's Cave.

Roland's Cave.

Guguletu Township. Most people's only access to water is through a communal tap where they have to walk distances to get water. On the weekends, the demand can be so high that the water supply runs out.