The Final Hours and London

Hi guys! Sorry I’m a little behind on blogging! These past couple of days have been crazy due to travel, plus the wifi is really spotty here because I'm sharing it with  the 27 other people in my program and the other residents at the backpackers' lodge we're staying at. Here’s a quick recap of the past few days:

Monday January 28^th, 2013 – The panic sets in as at this point I have two full days left at home and I still haven’t finished reading Nelson Mandela’s autobiography, purchased gifts for my homestay families and miscellaneous supplies for my trip, or started packing. I made plans to meet Mom in Rutland to take care of all my shopping, only to walk out the back door a few hours later straight into a snowstorm. Not cool Mother Nature. I managed to make it safely to the hospital, though I narrowly avoided getting into an accident due to the poor road conditions. Mom and I raided the gift shop, Staples, Joann’s Fabrics, and Michael’s and the two of us were able to find some gifts for my families and children I may meet on the trip.

Tuesday January 29^th, 2013 – Last full day/night at home in the US until May!!! A huge thank you to my fabulous mother for spending a couple of hours after she got out of work in Walmart purchasing supplies for my trip and then helping me to assemble everything. I honestly wouldn’t have been able to get out the door on time the next day if it wasn’t for all her help!!! Love you Momma. I spent most of my day trying to finish Mandela, packing, and buying the last of my homestay gifts. After a delicious dinner of green beans and lobster tails (thanks Grandma for sharing your birthday gift!), I went upstairs to pack. Somehow, and I’m not quite sure how, I managed to pack everything on my packing list into both my rolling duffle and backpack with room to spare! After seeing my friends’ bags at the airport I’m very worried that I haven’t packed enough or forgot some things, but as Mom reminded me I really only need my passport/visa and money. Everything else I can buy if I need to.

Wednesday January 30^th, 2013 – Departure Day! Unfortunately I had to start my day off at the dentist’s office, one of my least favorite places, but at least I know I’m going to SA with clean, healthy teeth. Post-dentist appointment was spent finishing up packing, reviewing all the handouts I got from SIT and the study abroad office, and sending some emails. A big thanks again to my awesome mom for spending an hour+ on the phone with Microsoft trying to get Word 2007 to work on my computer so that I can complete assignments on my own laptop in SA. After double checking my bags on last time, Dad, Mom, Allison and I were out the door by 12:30pm. We did have to turn around once because I realized I forgot to pack my jean jacket, but in all fairness we were still in Fair Haven so it wasn’t a big deal (DAD). My flight was out of Newark so the four of us stopped in Newburgh, NY to meet my grandparents for a quick bit to eat. It was nice to see them and catch-up since I won’t be able to see them until sometime this summer. After our meal it was back in the car to finish the final leg of my journey in the US.

Everything went smoothly at the airport. We found a parking spot near the door and didn’t have to wait very long in line for to check my luggage and get my tickets. After my family walked me to security to say our goodbyes since they couldn’t come wait with me at the gate. It was tough saying goodbye to my parents and Allison, especially since I’ve been home pretty much every day for the last 6.5 weeks, and I definitely shed a few tears. Even though I won’t be able to see them or even communicate constantly over the next 15 weeks, I know that my parents and sisters are my biggest supporters and will be cheering me on from afar. After saying our “see ya laters!” I went through security and made my way to my departure gate. I had about an hour and a half to kill so I called Marci and was able to talk to her, Katie, and Alex. Even though I just saw them this past weekend (thanks again for letting me crash in Hodson ladies!), it was nice to hear their voices again and it definitely helped to calm me down before my flight. After hanging up I sent goodbye texts to the rest of my friends, parents, and sisters before turning off the cellular data on my phone and boarding my flight. Fortunately the flight was pretty empty so after dinner I was able to spread myself out across both my seat and the seat next to me so I could catch some zzz’s before landing in England. Even though there was a lot of turbulence, I was so exhausted after not getting much sleep the night before so I was able to fall asleep quickly and stay asleep for most of my flight.

Thursday January 31^st, 2013 – LONDON!!! My flight arrived in London early Thursday morning so I was able to make it through immigration/customs quickly. The immigration officer was really nice and complimented me on my quillow (a quilt that folds up into a pillow). I told her that my mom packed it for me and we agreed that moms are very smart. After I got my passport stamped (for the first time!), I made my way through the airport to the Underground. Since I had a 12 hour with some of the other girls in my program we made plans to meet up in South Kensington at the Starbucks across from the station and near Allie’s parents’ flat. I honestly was very impressed with myself because I was able to buy my own ticket and navigate the Underground by myself (and some very helpful and straight-forward directions from Allie). Things hadn’t gone exactly as planned that morning… my flight was 30 minutes early and I couldn’t get on WhatsApp to text Allie like we had planned. Instead of panicking however I took a deep breath and stuck to the plan. Yes I got to the Starbucks 45 minutes earlier than expected but it gave me time to grab a chai latte and a water bottle and read a little of Steve Biko’s I Write What I Like (I finished Mandela in the car on the way to the airport – woohoo!). Allie and Sarah arrived a little after 11am and Jessi followed shortly. After quick introductions and a stop at the flat to drop off our bags, it was off to the Underground to explore the city! Sarah had made a bucket list of things to see and I’m proud to say that in a little over five hours we saw every site on her list, aka every tourist site in London. My personal favorite was platform 9 and ¾ at King’s Cross (be jealous, Lizzy). The two guys working at the platform were hilarious and kept making fun of us because we were American.  Also funny coincidence – the guy in line behind us is from Cape Town!!! We told him we were on our way there to study abroad for the next 15 weeks and he told us some places to check out. On our way to a pub later in the day for some drinks before our flight we also ran into a girl studying abroad in London whose from North Carolina like Sarah and Jessi (J was wearing a North Carolina sweatshirt). It’s a small world, isn’t it?

the South African Consulate in London!

The Globe!

After a long day of walking, we finally headed back to Heathrow via the lift. The 45 minute ride was miserable. Our car was packed full of people so we were literally all on top of one another. To make matters worse I was stuck next to a 30+ year old couple who were making out to ENRIQUE INGLESIA’S “HERO”. I am not making this up, Pontigny 226 suities. It was horrible. I fell both in and out of love with the London Underground in one day. The flight to Johannesburg was a little rough, too. I got stuck in a middle seat with two people on either end so I was only able to get up once to go to the bathroom and stretch my legs on the 11 hour plane ride. On the plus side though, Pitch Perfect was on the movie channel and I was able to sleep the rest of the plane ride after dinner. Ya win some, ya lose some.

Coming soon… orientation in Johannesburg!

Pre-Departure: A Quote to Live By

"Wherever you go, be all there." - Jim Elliot

One of the many things I struggle with is living in the present. I'm one of those people who often looks back at the past with longing or forward into the future with a mixture of excitement and fear, both of which holds me back from enjoying the present moment. I know I am especially going to grapple with this issue while abroad when I'm homesick for my family, friends, beloved school, and the normalcy I've grown accustomed to over the past two and a half years. One of my goals for this semester in South Africa is to try to stay focused on the present so that I can appreciate every moment of this wild adventure I'm about to embark on. This is why I choose Jim Elliot's quote to be the over-arching theme of my blog and mantra for the next four months. As hard as it will be to be away, I have to remember that all those who truly love and care about me will still be there when I get back and that they all want me to enjoy my time abroad. So wherever my path leads me, I need to be all there in that moment because who knows when I'm going to have the opportunity to be in that place or mindset again.

Pre-Departure: Visa Update

After many calls to the South African consulate between yesterday and today, I finally got through to a real person and not just another voicemail. My study permit application is still under review but should be approved and mailed out Friday, meaning I'll receive it Monday. I leave Wednesday. 
Moral of the story is that if you're planning on studying abroad during the spring semester, get your visa application in before the holidays (Christmas, New Years, even Thanksgiving if possible). Trust me, you'll prevent yourself from a few sleepless nights, many phone calls (I now have the number to the New York consulate memorized) and many many many unnecessary tears.

*UPDATE 1/24/13: MY VISA ARRIVED TODAY!!! Either someone didn't update my information in the consulate's computer or my many phone calls caused the person who was processing my application to go into overdrive and ship it out yesterday afternoon. Either way, I'm over the moon. Also after talking to Devin from SIT I found out that the consulate has been processing visas not in the order that they come in, but in the order that the applicants depart for South Africa. How frustrating. I fortunately wasn't alone in my visa stress as four other girls in my program received their study permits today too. 

Pre-Departure: Stress

Today it hit me as I was eating breakfast that I only have a week left in the Vermont/US until May. Annnnnnnnnd I still have a lot to do. While I have gotten a good chunk of my mile-long list done, I still have to make some phone calls, get some shopping done, including buying gifts for my host families, finish getting organized at home/pack, and keep chugging through my pre-semester reading. This semester we're required to read Long Walk to Freedom: the Autobiography of Nelson Mandela and I Write What I Like by Steve Biko. So far I'm about 130 pages into Mandela's autobiography (out of a staggering 625 pages!) and really enjoying it. I honestly don't know much more than the basics about both Mandela and apartheid so the book has been very enlightening. It's a little slow-going now that the policies of apartheid have been implemented because Mandela takes the time to go over every detail of what the various resistance groups attempted to do and his thoughts on all these events, but I'm getting through it. I'm feeling a little over-whelmed at the moment but I know all of this has to get done, especially since I'm spending Friday-Sunday up at SMC, so I guess it's time to get to work. 

My motivation for today is Alicia Key's "Girl on Fire" because this girl needs to light a fire under her feet and get going!

Pre-Departure: Countdown

One week from today...
I will be making the journey up to Saint Mike's for the weekend to hang out with my sister and friends for a couple of days before saying "see you" for a few months (In South African culture people usually part with a phrase that assumes a future meeting such as Tot siens, till we see each other again in Afrikanns or Sala gashi, go well in peace in Sotho in stead of goodbye). 

Two weeks from today...
I will be arriving in Johannesburg for orientation!!! 

This past week has flown by so I know the next two weeks will go by quickly. I'm both excited and terrified! I think some of the fear will go away once I check off a few more things on my list and my visa finally arrives...

Pre-Departure: Program

This semester I will be studying in South Africa with SIT study abroad in their "Multiculturalism and Human Rights" program. The program is based out of Cape Town, but we will be doing some travelling with excursions to both the Eastern and Western Capes. We also will begin orientation in Johannesburg, the economic capital and largest city in SA.

South Africa

SIT is not a traditional study abroad program. Instead of taking classes at a university with local and international students, I will be taking classes with the other 27 students in my program at SIT's classrooms in Rondebosch and "in the field" on our excursions. Here we will be taking classes on multiculturalism and human rights in South Africa, narratives of identity and social change, !Xhosa (one of SA's 11 national languages), and research methods and ethics. Following 9-10 weeks of classes, the remainder of my stay in SA will be focused on conducting research for my Independent Study Project (ISP), which I will present to my classmates, professors, and community members at the end of the program. I'm not sure what I will be conducting my research on as of yet, but I'll keep you posted as the semester progresses! 

Here's a video on speaking !Xhosa

The component of this program that I am most excited for is the four homestays that we will complete during our 15 weeks in SA. When looking for a study abroad program I knew that I wanted a program that included a homestay because I thought that staying with a family would help me to best learn about the culture and integrate myself into the community. I also thought that staying with a family and having home-cooked meals and chores would help with the inevitable homesickness. While in SA I will be staying with a family for four weeks in Langa Township (Cape Town), and families in Bo Kaap (Cape Town), Tsabo (Eastern Cape Providence), and Stellenbosch (Western Cape Providence) for one week each. All four families will be from different cultural backgrounds so it will give us students a taste of the wide array of cultural diversity in South Africa. Fingers crossed that at least one of my families has pet(s)!

Pre-Departure: the Waiting Game

Today marks the first day of spring semester classes at SMC. Instead of running around my room full of nervous energy getting ready for my first class, I'm sitting at my dinning room table in my pajamas writing this blog post. When I first found out that my study abroad program wasn't beginning until February 1st, I was excited that I would have a long break to prepare for my semester in South Africa and that I would have the opportunity to visit my friends and professors at school before jet-setting across the globe. What I did not anticipate however, was how lonely and bored I would be at home once my sister and friends returned to school. It's only been two days since we dropped Erin off for her first semester at Saint Mike's (she transferred from UVM) and I'm already going stir-crazy since I don't have anyone to entertain me during the day while my parents are at work and Allison is at school. I also really miss my friends from school since I haven't seen them in four+ weeks. As excited as I am for my semester abroad, it's tough knowing that I won't be seeing or even talking to them every day like I usually do at school due to the time difference (7 hours!) once I arrive in South Africa. 

Instead of dwelling on these feelings however, I'm trying to stay positive and excited about my upcoming trip and focus on getting ready since I haven't done much of anything over break to prepare for my semester except submit my visa to the consulate and get all my required vaccines. My visa hasn't come in yet which is causing a bit of stress, but I still have 15 days until I board my flight for London so I'm trying not to worry too much. I have a list that is about a mile-long of people and offices I need to contact, errands I need to run, things I need to buy and pack. I also have pre-semester assignments that I need to do before orientation. I probably should have looked at the assignments earlier then today since it appears that I have to buy and read two books, but I know the work will get done even if I have to finish one of the books on the plane.

Time to get started on that list... until next time!