Weekend in Knysna

So last weekend the roommates and I ventured off on a little road trip to Knysna (the "K" is silent), a small town about 3 hours outside of Port Elizabeth. We rented a car (SUPER tiny for five people plus our bags!) and headed out after school. The road to Knysna is the N2, also known as the Garden Route, which runs all the way to Cape Town (about 8 hours away from P.E.). The route is beautiful and makes the time stuck in the car far less tedious! On one side of the road are mountains, on the other is the ocean. After we arrived and checked into our hostel (an adorable little house with murals of giraffes and elephants) and had some dinner at a pretty non-descript little restaurant. But then, on our way back to the hostel, we stopped at club called "Zanzibar." We initially just stopped in to have a drink and check it our since we weren't ready for bed, but we ended up having a lot of fun and staying much later intended. South Africans are quite humorous dancers, never separating their knees or bending their hips. But it was fun attempting to imitate them; they were also very impressed with our American dancing (not understanding that we were actually making fun of them)!

The next day, Saturday, had breakfast at a cute little restaurant called Fat Susie's (delicious pancakes that were actually more like crepes, served with cinnamon and lemons!) and then proceeded to explore the town. Knysna is a coastal town and is actually reminiscent of cute little Southern towns, perhaps Chattanooga. We watched the boats in the harbor and explored the quaint shops selling crafts and such. That night we went to dinner at a restaurant where we could overlook the bay. Knysna is known for its seafood and we were not disappointed! This was perhaps the best meal I've had in South Africa so far. We had a mussel pot (fresh from the bay!), steak, creamed spinach, pumpkin, a red South African wine, and amazing desserts. After dinner we were full to popping and called it an early night.

Sunday morning we left Knysna after breakfast (a chocolate crossaint! YUM!) and headed to another small town, Wilderness, about another 30 minutes away. There we rented canoes and took them out on a river surrounded by gorgeous mountains. We canoed to a rocky beach where we got out and proceeded to hike. Along the trail, we spotted a monkey in the trees. Unfortunately, it was too far away to get a good picture but it was adorable with a little white face and black body. At the end of the trail was a waterfall; it was small but beautiful nonetheless. We spent a little while there enjoying the view, taking pictures, and falling in the water (very cold!) before heading back.

I loved our weekend in Knysna! It was overall very relaxing, with just a tiny bit of outdoorsiness to balance out the weekend. I definitely hope we are able to go back another weekend, maybe do some more hiking. I'm having trouble uploading pictures here so check them out on Facebook. Ta-ta for now!

The First Week of School

As the first week of school draws to a close, I'm finally beginning to feel more settled and less overwhelmed. The first day, Monday, started off with a faculty meeting which was conducted half in Afrikaans. Before arriving I didn't realize how widely spoken Afrikaans is here; it feels like virtually everyone is bilingual. I've heard Afrikaans just as much as English! After the meeting the principal showed me around the campus. Pearson's campus is very pretty; there's a giant pool for water polo to practice and a cute little cottage in the back for the groundskeeper. The workout room in the upstairs of the gym has a beautiful view of the ocean (hopefully it'll motivate me to workout!). But it took the better part of the week to find my way around.

I think my biggest adjustment at the school so far has been getting used to the school's schedule. Pearson operates on a ten day/ two week cycle. Every other week you start back over at week one, meaning that certain classes are meeting only every other week. To add to my confusion, I work a little with each teacher in the English department, rather than just one because the teachers teach some of their classes in Afrikaans, which I obviously don't speak. But fortunately the teachers have all been very nice and helpful, recognizing how overwhelming it can be for a new intern (especially one from another country). Next week I'll get to teach a few lessons: creative writing, poetry,and "The Diary of Anne Frank."

I recognize that this post, in addition to my last, are little lengthy due to my tendency toward long-windedness, but before I close I just have to comment the students' (or "learners" as they call them) manners: They're so polite! Whenever they pass you in the hall it's always, "Good morning, mam!" After everything they say is "mam" or "sir." When they enter the classroom they stand behind their desks and wait until the teacher tells them they may sit! And when walking through the hall, they always let the teacher enter through the doorway first. You'd be hard-pressed to find those kinds of manners in an American school, trust me!

Arriving and Settling In

I've only been here a few days now, so there's not a ton to tell yet.  My flights were long but went smoothly.  I only had one really long layover in Johannesburg but was able to rent a room in the hotel at the airport.  The room was surprisingly nice and I was able to take a nice, long bubble bath after two days worth of traveling.  When we first flew in to the Port Elizabeth airport I was shocked at how small it was: even tinier than the Birmingham airport!  The owner of the boarding house (sorta/kinda host mom) picked me up from the airport that morning.  My first impression was that I could not believe how chilly and windy it is! I knew it was called the "Windy City" and they weren't joking.  And even though I also knew it'd be winter here until about September, I still didn't think it'd be this cold (upper 30s and 40s).  But it should be warming up soon.  So far I haven't done too much, lots of sleeping in and trying to adjust to the time change (seven hours ahead).  I've also just been trying to settle into my flat.  The layout of the boarding house is like this: the main house where the family lives (with adorable 14 month old boy and girl twins!) and two flats, or guesthouses, in the back with a patio between.  I haven't really been able to unpack, yet though, because Monday the other girl from UA, also named Brooke, and I will be moving into the other flat once the two UGA interns leave.  Since all the other interns have already started school, the other Brooke and I have just been hanging out during the day and mostly go back and forth to the "Pick 'n Pay" for things we keep forgetting.  Today we walked down to the Boardwalk and looked around.  It's a really nice shopping area with a casino and restaurants surrounded by manmade lakes and gardens.  Tonight one of the interns borrowed the schools truck, or bakki (pronounced "bucky"), and went to the store and picked up a pizza.  We've just been hanging out at the flat since.  I know this doesn't sound too exciting yet but I'll have more interesting things to say after the weekend and once school has started Monday!
 

Packing and Preparing

After having planned this little adventure for over a year, I FINALLY leave tomorrow at 5:30 p.m. from the Atlanta airport.  However, in true Brooke fashion, I have procrastinated and waited until the last minute to finish packing.  And, of course, I had to choose an airline that's making me compile three months worth of clothing into only one bag, quite the challenge.  After all, I could pack an entire suitcase full of nothing but purses, earrings, and shoes.  But, those who know me best will not be surprised to find that I have it all under control with a handy-dandy list.  Now all there is left to do is try to shove a few more things in and hope my parents don't cause a scene at the airport while saying good-bye.