1/28/2010

Today, we just bummed around the hotel for a few hours while we waited for the stragglers to show up. While there, I got a chance to meet everyone else who was already there, and we chatted about who brought what and forgot what. Turns out almost everyone played rugby. Who knew. Maybe I’ll get a chance to learn about it, and be a rag doll on the field. Lunch was delicious, but slow. The exchange rate on Rand is about 7.6 Rand to $1, so everything looks super expensive. My sandwich was 42 Rand, and my drink was 10 Rand. Around 1 PM, the last group from the airport showed up, and we finally hit the road. It was a 3 hour drive to the first nature reserve, and we were all pretty jet lagged, but it didn’t seem to slow down the friend-making process.
After a few hours in a very cramped van, we finally made it to our first living space: Nylsvley Nature reserve. The area looks like camp. There are 4 buildings, as well as a small hut/gazebo. Our “dorm” is a longish building with about 10 rooms for 26 people. There is a staff dorm as well, which is the same size (bitches). The kitchen is a little bit down the way, which is a large room for eating, and a smaller room for cooking, still a good size. The last building is a classroom, which is just one big room with multiple rows of tables and a projector. Looking at where we are living, you wouldn’t expect that we are going to college classes here.
The first night was fairly relaxed, as we just got there. We had an introduction day, going around the room and saying our names and such. Dinner was AMAZING. The food is delicious, and always interesting. The cooking staff are Shangaan, and they are all really nice. The rest of the night was spent just hanging out and getting to know my classmates better, and then I went to bed.