One last post
'This is it. The final post to cap off the blog. I've been gone from home for 3 months and a couple days. I arrive Sunday at 11. Once i'm back I will have my bachelors degree in Geology. It's such a weird time here. I'm in this purgatory between staying and going. All my friends have left and I am here truly alone again, just as I started this trip. It's created a good environment for self reflection. I have spent much of my final hours here thinking about the people I've met, what I've learned, and how I've grown here. There were so many lessons and moments here that I will never forget. Thinking back now on meeting people in Paris and going out with them, my first night here having dinner and people singing and dancing, making connections with the university professors and graduate students. My biggest self improvement here is my new approach to uncomfortable situations. From the moment I took off from the Cleveland airport everything was new to me from flying alone, to trying to speak french poorly, to being an impromptu TA. While I've been here its solidified who I am. It has solidified what I think i'm capable of. I have a newfound sense of what "home" is. I've learned that I can be comfortable anywhere because i'm comfortable with myself in my own skin. this trip has created a sense of wonder in the world. I can't put into words all of the ways this trip has changed my perspective, but I have appreciated every moment ive had here.
This week with my parents
My parents came this week and we did a bunch of new things I had not experienced before, I'll go day by day starting from last tuesday until now, Wednesday. Tuesday I met up with them and saw them for the first time in months! We relaxed at their air B&B in sea point, had some drinks at camps bay along with some appetizers and then went home for the night to cook a real meal. Wednesday we did a tour of cape point, the most southwestern point in Africa (but not the most southern.) There we saw some cool wildlife in the park including penguins, elands, ostrich, and baboons. We also took a hike to the cape of good hope which is a beautiful rocky shore. Unfortunately my mom got slightly sick during this journey and couldn't shake it all week. Thursday, on thanksgiving, we had a wine tour extravaganza. 3 wineries, a cider tasting, and a beer tasting. I learned all about how complicated wine was and the different flavors that go into it. Although, honestly most of it doesn't taste that much different to me. My favorite stop was the beer tasting, they had 5 different beers and they were all craft made in the venue we were at. They don't even sell their product to wholesalers. Friday I took my parents to truth coffee (the best coffee in the world) and had my first time at kirstenbosch botanical gardens. If you have a chance to ever go there don't hesitate. It was probably the most beautiful place I've been in South Africa. The gardens were beautifully manicured and we even went on a tree canopy walk. That night we made a thanksgiving dinner for some of my friends I've made in the program, we even managed to find a turkey. Later my dad and I went to a local bar and met some flight attendants from British airways and heard her whole life story. Mom was PISSED when we got back because she thought we would only be gone a few minutes. Saturday we went to Old biscuit mill (a craft market) muizenburg and the waterfront, it was more of a relaxed day. Sunday was a try for table mountain but it didn't end up happening because the line was far too long, instead i took them down to long street and brie street for dinner. Monday was spent shopping, tuesday as well. Tuesdays shopping was in the green market square downtown, you can bargain for very low prices on things. I had to teach my mom how to get a better deal on a ton of things. Then just like they came they were gone. Everyone in my program is also leaving too. One more week of work and then its back to the states for me!
open to new experiences
As much as this trip as been about learning about other cultures and experiencing all they have to offer, this trip has been self indulgent over everything. I don’t say that in a negative way. It’s been a path to self discovery. A path to acceptance of my flaws as well as a reinforcement of my strengths. One of my worst weaknesses is my fear of the unknown, a fear of the new. Two days before I came to Cape Town I was on a golf trip with my family for my grandpas birthday. I had a major panic attack. I cried in front of my little cousins who look up to me. I was afraid of something I did not know. And so, something I have never done before. A poem:
Today I smelled the roses
I teared up on my way back home
So joyous it is to be
Today I lost the roses
Anger from fear takes hold
Acceptance, of what?
Today I smelled the roses
As one tear streams down my face
I see the future’s embrace
Today I am the roses
No more shame, nor fury
I’m finally here
Today I smelled the roses
I teared up on my way back home
So joyous it is to be
Today I lost the roses
Anger from fear takes hold
Acceptance, of what?
Today I smelled the roses
As one tear streams down my face
I see the future’s embrace
Today I am the roses
No more shame, nor fury
I’m finally here
My Garden Route Adventure
lets start off with some pictures so you guys know that i'm still alive. Video on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ben.kehres?lst=1326758960%3A1326758960%3A1510739078
SO yeah I jumped off a bridge this weekend, and I have to say it was a LOT more fun and less scary than I thought it was going to be. If we're talking about who was the most scared I would say that honor goes to my mom, I could tell from the 50 texts she sent me in post wondering if I was okay. In hindsight maybe saying i'm jumping off a bridge then disappearing for 4 four days wasn't the best idea. This weekend was a drive up the garden route which I talked about on one of my earlier excursions to collect samples. This time was with friends to go see the sights and do some really cool stuff. Friday we camped in Hermanus, a coastal town known for their whale sightings. Unfortunately, we didn't see any whales, but that doesn't make the view of the ocean any less stunning. The next day was a long drive to a beautiful Air B&B in Knysna, a town build in a small inlet cove. The ocean water there is as calm as their way of life. Everything there is relaxed and beautiful. We ate some pizza, drank a couple glasses of wine, and enjoyed the serene beauty exaggerated by the isolation of our little home. Then came Sunday, The 45 minute drive to the worlds longest bungee jump. Every turn of the corner came with a turn of my stomach. As we pull into the park, we see a figure jump and plunge into oblivion. A mix of excitement and nervousness was in the air as we grabbed our harnesses. While my group was crossing the sky bridge to get to the jumping platform I looked down and saw what seemed like the end of my life. The bridge trembled with every shaky step. Oh no, Harnesses wrapped around my feet, they're pushing me to the edge, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit......pure bliss. As I free-fall towards the ground all is calm. I close my eyes and trust the cord to keep me safe. I feel one with the world. While i'm being pulled up I get a rush of energy that lingers for hours. My friends and I went back to the coastal cottage to calm down, have a few drinks (or a few too many), and relax for the rest of the day. Monday was spent kayaking in the cove, nature was all around us, and a calming experience was probably needed after lots of excitement. We then went to a nice tapas restaurant and spent a TON of money, but lots of laughs were had which makes it worth it. We then drove to our next air B&B which was a farm nestled in behind wilderness. Some of my friends had never seen farm animals before so when they fed goats they were having a very fun new experience. Tuesday was spent driving home, and a bit of spelunking.
Garden Route
I'm Jumping off a bridge Sunday.
Bo-Kaap
I know that my posts have recently fallen off, as i get into the groove of working there's not usually much to write about. This week was, however, a bit crazy. Tuesday night on Halloween some of the students in the program rented a pirate ship for a Halloween party! Seems like everyone had a good time, however there was one serious issue and topic for discussion. During the songs some of the students were singing along the N-word whenever it would play in the songs. Some of the students in the program are black and obviously this was not okay. There have been serious feelings of anxiety and a separateness among the students. I will explain more later. The water also went out this week for around 2 days and my clothes were in the washing machine so I didn't have clean clothes. I was sick Wednesday and Thursday the whole time without the water. Apparently there was a huge pipe burst. Just a mess of a week. To top it off while getting ice cream on friday a man told me "If i ever see you again I'm going to murder you." That was pretty nice. No reason either, just some drunk/drugged out Afrikkans man. Finally yesterday there is finally some good news! We had a tour and cooking class in Bo-Kaap: also known as the "slave quarters." this is a traditionally Muslim community where all the pictures of the colored houses are taken. We learned about their growing problem with gentrification taking away from the cultural roots of the community, we learned about the response the colonizers had to people of faith, and we learned about the roots of slavery and spice trade in Bo-Kaap. The cooking part was amazing, my group was paired with a woman who has had tons of famous chefs in her house and been on TV. She was a bad bitch and called people OUT! my group was also all of the black students in the program and we talked about how toxic some of the students here can be in regards to respecting other people. I heard wild stories about some students picking up kids in townships and comments of "I want it" regarding talking about a black child. I didn't realize how hard this group really had it in regards to the ignorance around them. Its saddening and angering at the same time that students coming to south Africa or the rainbow nation would not be more respectful of peoples perspective and heritage. All and all this week was really just a wake up call for me here on the daily lives of different people and the nuanced issues in this country surrounding tons of different issues.
Vic Falls Extravaganza
This weekend I went with my flatmate, Hunter, to go see the Victoria Falls. One of the natural wonders of the world, it lies between Zimbabwe and Zambia. We spent all of our time on the Zambian side. We did this because you need a "visa" to enter Zimbabwe which costs 30 USD, If we wanted to cross the boarder it would have been around 45 USD. It wasn't worth that because really all the cool sights are on the Zimbabwe side, the falls themselves fall in from Zambia. Zimbabwe was a weird place for a couple of different reasons. 1. The wildlife- Every wild animal there was very acclimated to humans: Warthogs, Elephants, Baboons, other monkeys, and crocodiles were all within 5 feet of me at one point in my journey there. 2. Currency- Zimbabwe's currency went under heavy inflation around 2011 to the point where monopoly money was worth about the same as a Zimbabwe dollar. Since then the currency has been discontinued and everyone local to Vic Falls uses any form of other currency they can get their hands on. The banks only let the first 30 people withdraw money each day. Many times people came up to us on the street and offered us upwards of $40,000,0000,000 Zimbabwe dollars for 50 cents. Its really a sad situation. Thinking about how these people who had this money are now giving it away for nothing on the street. The Locals there were all very friendly and unlike in cape town I never felt unsafe. We walked the streets at night. I was very relieved to see that there was not barbed wire everywhere! It was a much needed break from the constant awareness you need when in cape town. The falls themselves were unreal. It was one of those places that even when you're there sitting at the falls you really can't take it all in. It was low water and even then the sheer amount of water dropping around 750 feet just seems ridiculous. One of the most, if not the most beautiful places i have been to in my life. Safety regulations there are also much more relaxed so you were able to get very close to the edge and the only thing holding you back was a fence made of sticks. In one of the places there was no fence and I stuck my feet over the edge. For dinner the first night I had my first time eating crocodile and impala: both were delicious. The next day we did an all day whitewater rafting extravaganza. It was so much fun and the views were unreal. I fell in twice and the work was so rough that I can't feel my legs anymore. Here are some pics from the excursion.
why do minibuses honk?
why do minibuses honk? They sit there in the middle of the road with nobody around them and just beep their horn. Is it to try to attract costumers? Is it just to be loud? Is it just what it is?
I can tell by the few moments I've had here that the way this country looks at race relations is much different than in the US. Or at the very least, the approach to conversing about it is. The attitude here is much more blunt. There are many times here when I here people speak and think in my mind "that's racist." For example, there are many times I here colleagues talking about "blacks" or "colored people" or "whites" as a whole. Now in the US these types of generalizations are considered to be insensitive. Obviously there are many people who don't fit the mold of these generalizations. Today a black professor made a comment about how black people in america drive with a lean. now there that's a very racially charged statement, but here it's not meant with any harm or malice so its fine. There's also a fast food place called spur who's mascot is a native american in a traditional headdress. That would be a hot topic issue in the US, but I guess the people don't have a history of genocide on native Americans so its not really an issue or even a topic for discussion. Now you might ask why is their approach so different? why is the approach so much different? Both cultures have histories of strong racial injustices. Both places have racial issues that have tons of nuances making them very tough to combat. Both peoples have a feeling of divide. So why is the approach so different? Why do minibuses honk?
My bet is that it just is what it is.
I can tell by the few moments I've had here that the way this country looks at race relations is much different than in the US. Or at the very least, the approach to conversing about it is. The attitude here is much more blunt. There are many times here when I here people speak and think in my mind "that's racist." For example, there are many times I here colleagues talking about "blacks" or "colored people" or "whites" as a whole. Now in the US these types of generalizations are considered to be insensitive. Obviously there are many people who don't fit the mold of these generalizations. Today a black professor made a comment about how black people in america drive with a lean. now there that's a very racially charged statement, but here it's not meant with any harm or malice so its fine. There's also a fast food place called spur who's mascot is a native american in a traditional headdress. That would be a hot topic issue in the US, but I guess the people don't have a history of genocide on native Americans so its not really an issue or even a topic for discussion. Now you might ask why is their approach so different? why is the approach so much different? Both cultures have histories of strong racial injustices. Both places have racial issues that have tons of nuances making them very tough to combat. Both peoples have a feeling of divide. So why is the approach so different? Why do minibuses honk?
My bet is that it just is what it is.
double post?
It feels right to make two separate posts one for this weekend and one for a more nuanced post about culture. One post dedicated to fun stuff I did and one on a more serious note. This weekend to start: So I had a fantastic weekend full of some super fun activities. All of the events on Saturday. 1: GET UP! 2: go to old biscuit mill: a farmers market food stall kind of place comparable to the food truck market in Cleveland if you've been. I had some amazing fried mac and cheese bites. one was truffle, one was sun dried tomato, and one was pulled pork. DELICIOUS! next, wood fired pizza with caramelized onions, fresh mozz, basil, shroomage, and olive oil. Then there was a place with tons of free samples of hand made chocolate. It was a good morning. 3. to the beach! Muizenburg is the best beach due to its location. Its in a cute little town about 30 minutes from where i'm staying. lots of little shops for food and chachki. First time surfing in the western cape! it was crazy. I've surfed before in Costa Rica but this was much different. the waves are on a higher frequency. It's a constant bashing of waves to the face. I got seriously cut up on my one hand and had to ask for gauze when we returned the surfboards. 4. ICE CREAM! no great day is complete without some ice cream, its just a fact. I had some soft serve put into a white chocolate dip. It was fantastic, although a bit too sugary. Oh you thought it was over? NO! I had a decadent burger that was stuffed with jalapenos and chorizo, and some local craft beers: a stout and an IPA. Good stuff. THEN, I went out with some friends from the program and danced my little heart out.
Trip Reflection
I think its necessary to take a moment to just thank Dr. Dirk Fry for offering me the opportunity to go on this amazing trip. Every second was more outrageous than the last. Between seeing some wildlife I was not expecting: elephants and a whale, The breathtaking outcrops full of different granites, and every meal turning out delicious, there really was not a single thing to complain about. The trip was a lot of hard work though: Two days later and I still feel sore in my back and arms. Some rocks took tens of blows from the sledgehammer before they finally split. I took some pictures of everything, I hope you enjoy them. Oh yeah, I almost forgot: I had my first tick bite. Honestly its not really as bad as you would think, you don't even feel it.
spoiled
I’m being spoiled and that’s all there is to say about that. We arrived at our hotel and it’s ridiculous! I have an entire chalet to myself and it has a huge bed, a balcony, and even a bathtub. This morning I went outside to sit on the balcony and heard two owls calling. There’s complimentary whiskey just sitting here for me. The room is bigger than any hotel room. Each room has its own WiFi. It’s just not fair, what did I do to deserve this? I’m ready to go out into the field and make sure I’ve definitely added my fair share of value to this trip, good thing I am good with a sledgehammer. Here’s some pictures so you guys know exactly how spoiled I am.
field trip round 2
herin the grad student office right about to leave on another excursion. We’re actually driving along the garden route which is one of the most beautiful drives in the world. It’s basically a drive along the coast which could be compared to driving along the coast in Florida. Our final destination will be George, a tourist hotspot. We’re gonna take some sledges and hike up a mountain to sample rocks for 2 grad students. Cold and rainy, the best way to do field work. Reminds me of my days back in Vermont with the famous Craig Deitsch. Oh, the good old days, sleeping in a van, out in the field, 45 degrees and rainy, no raincoat. Surely a time to be nostalgic about. Okay enough reminiscing! Ready to go to the field! Luckily, there is no undergrads this time. We have a hotel so no camping. Also, there’s too many handshakes here! How am I supposed to know how you want to handshake before we do it!? They’re all different too! It’s all honestly very confusing. Here’s some cool pics from the weekend
weekend
obviously friday was my birthday and that night I went out with some students from the program and had a ton of fun. I got to see the famous long street at night! we also saw huge forest fires on the 12 apostles and had dinner at camps bay, which is one of the wealthiest areas in all of Africa. Saturday was a super relaxed day, and today was fun too. I went to a party in the park and got to see Muizenberg: a cute beach town around 30 minutes away. we took a train on the way there. It was a cute little place, lots of surfers out on the water. Might be somewhere cool to take my parents to. I'm leaving again tuesday for another rock field trip away. I feel like this is the best thing for me in terms of trying to do as much as i can while here, but at the same time i feel that i still have not really settled into the internship. whatever? i only have 3 months here I don't really have the luxury to relax. I need to see and do all that i can, especially if it means seeing new and different south African geology.
birthday in SA
First I would like to apologize for not realizing that my previous post didn’t actually save! So today you get two posts (YAY!) Since it’s my birthday, I would figure I will talk about the different cultures differences on how they view a birthday. Something I’ve learned from speaking with people: birthdays are viewed differently by different cultures within South Africa. Some cultural groups don’t really celebrate birthdays after a young age. Hennock, one of the technical officers said that he didn’t get any gifts for his birthdays after he was around 7. I stopped getting presents at 18, but even now my parents and grandparents send me gifts. I do understand it though, why should anyone get a whole day dedicated to them for being born? Like we all did that, I know because you’re here in front of me reading this. It’s also not like you even did anything, that was all your parents! If anything my mom and Dad should be celebrating because they popped out a kid on this day and I’m finally out of their hair! I also notice that when people hear it’s my birthday I get a handshake! Birthday handshakes? Weird. I bought myself a little present: woodford reserve small batch. Which was actually incredibly cheap here considering it shipped from the contental US and it’s a nice bottle of bourbon! $30! Can you believe that!? That’s ridiculous! I will probably go out with friends tonight and make some poor life decisions. How often do you get the privilege of having your birthday in a foreign country? Should turn out to be a fun night with a bit of shenanigans. Tomorrow I’m making the treck to robben island. This was where Nelson Mandela spent a ton of time in prison, should be a cool experience!
work and progress
im finally getting into the groove of things! I just finished my first thin section yesterday, and it came out wonderfully. It was a biotite, quartz, and feldspar gneiss. The quartz is still a tiny bit yellow but I’m learning still so it’s to be expected. I feel fairly comfortable on all of the machines. I know all of my bus times, and am in a schedule. However, my days run about 11 hours from start to finish so it gets fairly exhausting.
I have noticed that I get hassled by people much more than the locals. I think they can spot that I’m an American. Yesterday some dude touched my bag while I was walking and I had to scream at him: “DON’T FUCKING TOUCH MY STUFF.” Normally it wouldn’t be an issue in America, but here the possibility of someone pickpocketting my stuff is fairly high so I have to keep on edge.
Sorry to keep everyone waiting: here are some pics of my first thin section and some from the field trip.
I have noticed that I get hassled by people much more than the locals. I think they can spot that I’m an American. Yesterday some dude touched my bag while I was walking and I had to scream at him: “DON’T FUCKING TOUCH MY STUFF.” Normally it wouldn’t be an issue in America, but here the possibility of someone pickpocketting my stuff is fairly high so I have to keep on edge.
Sorry to keep everyone waiting: here are some pics of my first thin section and some from the field trip.
A discussion about race relations
I'll preface this post by saying that obviously i'm not an expert on this subject. I know a lot about american race relations through my time with the NAACP as a member and as vice president for the youth NAACP in my county, but South African race relations aren't something I have a strong background in. These are obviously my perceptions and shouldn't be taken as fact. None of the comments made are meant to offend any one group of people, and if for some reason I have offended you know that I am very sorry as it was not my intent.
One of the nights on field camp this week while it was the coldest (around 5 degrees Celsius (0 being freezing)), The students sat around a campfire and were discussing race relations between different cultural groups in South Africa. The biggest groups talked about were traditionally black cultural groups (Zulu, Xhosa, Swazi) and colonizing groups (Afrikaans and English.) Afrikaans being a modified version of dutch mixed with some local languages. First some background might be needed: Let us not forget that Apartheid, the forced separation of colored, black, and white peoples. These policies separated neighborhoods, friends, and even families based on skin color. It disenfranchised the votes of non whites. It disallowed mixed marriages. It prevented anyone of black skin from owning large plots of land or businesses. Sports were divided into different leagues based on race. Terroristic style arrests and murders perpetrated by the government can be best exemplified with the Sharpville massacre (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharpeville_massacre.) 69 people killed and 180 people including women and children in shootings by the police, and 18,000 people arrested in wake of this tragedy.
A strong animosity for people of descent of the colonizers can be seen, possible justifiably so. anyone over the age of 25 can remember these institutions and how they affected daily life. Shanty towns left in wake of the forced separation are still the home to around 50% of the country. An example of this animosity can be seen by a student on the field trip observing that most of the campsite was covered in signs that were Afrikaans. The student was visibly disturbed by this and called the signs racist. Older white people in these farmlands can also hold on to the relics of the past. I notice that I am greeted with a smile, but some of the other students who weren't of my skin color were presented a cold shoulder. Students don't feel comfortable in these places that are rural white, just as in america, the perceptions of these people tend to be much more conservative. Maybe I was wrong yesterday to complain about the rifle thing, maybe it is something that is a legitimate concern for these students. Its not something I have to experience on a regular basis. A lot of the race issues here are similar to american issues as well: Gentrification, lack of dialogue, closely held prejudices, etc. There's also a lot of talk about decolonization, which ideas i would compare to the reduction of relics from the civil war in america. specifically taking down monuments of white supremacist leaders, and renaming buildings/parks to more traditional African names. Not forgetting they existed, but changing the landscape so it does not honor them. there's obviously a lot of work still to do here on race relations and I don't claim to know what the next step is, but i hope this place can work it out. Its a beautiful country filled with compassionate people. I do retain hope one day things will be much better here.
One of the nights on field camp this week while it was the coldest (around 5 degrees Celsius (0 being freezing)), The students sat around a campfire and were discussing race relations between different cultural groups in South Africa. The biggest groups talked about were traditionally black cultural groups (Zulu, Xhosa, Swazi) and colonizing groups (Afrikaans and English.) Afrikaans being a modified version of dutch mixed with some local languages. First some background might be needed: Let us not forget that Apartheid, the forced separation of colored, black, and white peoples. These policies separated neighborhoods, friends, and even families based on skin color. It disenfranchised the votes of non whites. It disallowed mixed marriages. It prevented anyone of black skin from owning large plots of land or businesses. Sports were divided into different leagues based on race. Terroristic style arrests and murders perpetrated by the government can be best exemplified with the Sharpville massacre (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharpeville_massacre.) 69 people killed and 180 people including women and children in shootings by the police, and 18,000 people arrested in wake of this tragedy.
A strong animosity for people of descent of the colonizers can be seen, possible justifiably so. anyone over the age of 25 can remember these institutions and how they affected daily life. Shanty towns left in wake of the forced separation are still the home to around 50% of the country. An example of this animosity can be seen by a student on the field trip observing that most of the campsite was covered in signs that were Afrikaans. The student was visibly disturbed by this and called the signs racist. Older white people in these farmlands can also hold on to the relics of the past. I notice that I am greeted with a smile, but some of the other students who weren't of my skin color were presented a cold shoulder. Students don't feel comfortable in these places that are rural white, just as in america, the perceptions of these people tend to be much more conservative. Maybe I was wrong yesterday to complain about the rifle thing, maybe it is something that is a legitimate concern for these students. Its not something I have to experience on a regular basis. A lot of the race issues here are similar to american issues as well: Gentrification, lack of dialogue, closely held prejudices, etc. There's also a lot of talk about decolonization, which ideas i would compare to the reduction of relics from the civil war in america. specifically taking down monuments of white supremacist leaders, and renaming buildings/parks to more traditional African names. Not forgetting they existed, but changing the landscape so it does not honor them. there's obviously a lot of work still to do here on race relations and I don't claim to know what the next step is, but i hope this place can work it out. Its a beautiful country filled with compassionate people. I do retain hope one day things will be much better here.
Field Camp part 2 (entitlement)
I would like to start off my long post with a bit of a rant, particularly concerning the culture of the students at UWC who went out on this field camp. Obviously the alternative title pertains to this issue. I was basically just very surprised and off put by the behavior of the undergraduate students in the geology department. They complained about every single thing, while the teachers were working extremely hard to help these students get an education and some experience in the field. Most geology jobs require you to do field work on a fairly regular basis so a love of hiking and the outdoors in general is really something that is necessary to geologists. The complains were constant: "we don't like the food" (which was free), "this coffee isn't good" (it was free), "there's not enough sugar" (after 30 students finished an entire bag during one meal), "why do we have to have seven people in a tent" (the tents are made to fit 10), "this water is not hot enough" (they had to wait for the water to boil), "we don't have enough direction" (after flat out telling them the geology of the area and what they had to map), "we don't want to go out into the field" (too fucking bad.) The complaints were only a small portion of how these students showed their privilege. Two staff members and I spent about four or five hours setting up tents while the students sat and watched. Not one student even offered to help us! while setting up and putting away lunch and dinner packs not one student offered to help us. When we arrived back at the university the students were supposed to take 2 things about 100 yards to the department: a table and some tent poles. as you can imagine, they just left them out on the sidewalk. One of the professors and I had to carry them in ourselves when we saw them on the way home about 3 hours after the students were dorpped off. Students were literally yelling at the professors with complaints: if I had done that in the US I would have been failed and kicked out of the department. Keep in mind that some of these students are older than me, and are taking 6 or 7 years to complete a 3 year degree! There are 26 year olds acting as if they are 16. They even fabricated stories to go tell the Head of Department when they returned: "we were out doing field work and one of the landowners said we were trespassing and asked us for a permit, what if he had a rifle? OUR LIVES ARE IN DANGER!" Guess what? He didn't have a rifle, and he has every right to be upset if someone is trespassing in his land! One student even said "I don't camp" and booked himself an air B&B close by! These students pay the equivalent of 1,500 USD to attend university and act like they deserve a hotel room and fresh cooked steak for dinner every night, but that's not how the world works. You take what you're given and you should be happy with it. The university doesn't owe you shit, the world doesn't owe you shit, these professors especially don't owe you shit. Be happy that these professionals took so much time to help you better understand the kind of work you will be doing the rest of your lives. Be thankful you are given free food. Learn to enjoy camping: because otherwise you're going to be extremely miserable for the rest of your lives. It's just something I can't understand.
Okay sorry: rant over
The geology itself was the saving grace on this trip: between students, near freezing temps at night, and gale force winds tearing tents apart it was the only solace to find. Every day I spent around 5 or 6 hours in the field and saw some amazing things. The area we went to is part of the cape fold belt. the rocks we saw were all folded up and you could see really cool obvious folds everywhere in the rocks. The coolest thing I encountered was a cave made in an anticline. Anticlines are folds in rocks that basically look like an upside down V. These rocks have HUGE scale folds that you can see. the folds make up the mountains themselves. they were folded in a southeast-northwestern pattern with interfering perpendicular folds on a much smaller scale. I will have to put up some pictures when i get the chance so you can see how beautiful this area really was.
Okay sorry: rant over
The geology itself was the saving grace on this trip: between students, near freezing temps at night, and gale force winds tearing tents apart it was the only solace to find. Every day I spent around 5 or 6 hours in the field and saw some amazing things. The area we went to is part of the cape fold belt. the rocks we saw were all folded up and you could see really cool obvious folds everywhere in the rocks. The coolest thing I encountered was a cave made in an anticline. Anticlines are folds in rocks that basically look like an upside down V. These rocks have HUGE scale folds that you can see. the folds make up the mountains themselves. they were folded in a southeast-northwestern pattern with interfering perpendicular folds on a much smaller scale. I will have to put up some pictures when i get the chance so you can see how beautiful this area really was.
Field Camp
This will be my last post until Saturday of next week. I am going away on a field camp tomorrow morning and will not have access to internet. During the field camp I will be teaching students about the basics of creating geologic maps. This will include proper use of scales and compasses, as well as helping them identify different features in rocks. I will have a group of around 12 students to myself so it will be a big test of my geology knowledge. The best way to test your own knowledge is by passing it on to others in a way they can understand. Hopefully I can make a good impression on the undergrads as well as the teachers. Luckily I feel pretty confident in my sedimentology due to my teachers at UC. Time will tell if I am truly able to do this. I have made a Q and A portion of the website so feel free to ask any questions you want and I will respond Saturday when I return.
day to day life/cultural observations
I find my habits here tend to be much different from those I had at home. I take a 45 minute bus ride to and from school every day, as opposed to my time at UC when I took for granted my 10 minute walk to class. There's 5 people in this house and not much space for storage: so instead of going to the grocery store every two weeks, I go almost everyday. luckily the area I live in has a dense population and there are two grocery stores in less than a minutes walk from me. I also find it weird to walk on the left side of the sidewalk. A man the other day actually screamed in my face because I was walking on the right side. My showers have to be very short due to the ongoing water crises and I have to be very careful about my consumption of water. Wifi here is much slower than most places in the US, so doing most things on the internet takes a bit more time. I also have to remember what its like to live with a roommate again after more than two years with my own space: this includes being considerate about noise when going to bed/waking up. People here live on a much more relaxed schedule: for example the terms now-is flexible, and now now-is more immediate. This isn't just with scheduling though, life in general here just seems a bit more relaxed. the security at the university is tight and there are barbed wire fences around the entire perimeter. I don't have a car here so I have to take into account the cost of travel every time. I have to tell the doormen where i am going every time i leave the apartment. Everyone here smokes cigarettes and it's not looked down upon in the same was as in the US: which i'm not sure if its a good or bad thing, Just an observation. My sleep schedule has drastically changed from a college late night, so someone who has to get up at 6 every morning. I go to sleep to the sound of mini bus drivers screaming "WYNBURG!" (a local town) at the top of their lungs. These mini bus drivers will harass you and whistle at you on the street, and its just something you learn to ignore. You also, just as in america, need to be very concious about what neighborhood you're in and they can change in a second.
Tuesday-Wednesday craziness
I FINALLY HAVE A JOB!!! I am working as an interim assistant in the geo-science department at University of the Western Cape. I will be helping in their petrology lab to curate a collection of thin sections that undergraduates can work with. The skills learned in this environment are extremely invaluable going forward. I will be able to not only create thin sections (a rare skill in the US), but also be able to do many other things like interpret them, fix the machines, identify precious metals, etc.
UWC was first created during the apartheid as a university for "colored people" (that is people of mixed race, anything from a white and black parent, to two black parents of different ethnicity.) The programs before the 90s tended to all be training for blue collar jobs. However after apartheid's end in the early 90's UWC has jumped leaps and bounds and has beautiful new science facilities and are trying to build a world class staff. The staff I've met so far tend to be very diverse and come from many different parts of the globe. Hopefully I can build some long lasting connections with the staff and possibly help them connect to professors of mine at home: scientists love collaboration. I'm sure the hard rock people back at UC would love to have some samples from back here as well.
The first day of work was both exciting and exhausting! every day will be about 8 hours of work with hour long bus rides to and from. The work itself is also very labor intensive and must be done extremely safely to prevent any sort of injury to either me or the equipment. The staff have been very welcoming and it seems like my background with zircon work will be very valuable in terms of teaching graduates/undergrads how to prep samples. Its nice to know that research i've done back home can translate into valuable skills here. I was a bit nervous on my first day: and my samples were all pretty shit, but with a bit of work i'm sure we can get up to a standard that works internationally.
UWC was first created during the apartheid as a university for "colored people" (that is people of mixed race, anything from a white and black parent, to two black parents of different ethnicity.) The programs before the 90s tended to all be training for blue collar jobs. However after apartheid's end in the early 90's UWC has jumped leaps and bounds and has beautiful new science facilities and are trying to build a world class staff. The staff I've met so far tend to be very diverse and come from many different parts of the globe. Hopefully I can build some long lasting connections with the staff and possibly help them connect to professors of mine at home: scientists love collaboration. I'm sure the hard rock people back at UC would love to have some samples from back here as well.
The first day of work was both exciting and exhausting! every day will be about 8 hours of work with hour long bus rides to and from. The work itself is also very labor intensive and must be done extremely safely to prevent any sort of injury to either me or the equipment. The staff have been very welcoming and it seems like my background with zircon work will be very valuable in terms of teaching graduates/undergrads how to prep samples. Its nice to know that research i've done back home can translate into valuable skills here. I was a bit nervous on my first day: and my samples were all pretty shit, but with a bit of work i'm sure we can get up to a standard that works internationally.
12-13
Sunday was a national holiday, heritage day, which was created to celebrate local traditions, culture, and diversity. As I've said before South Africa is known as the rainbow nation due to its many different cultures and languages. This day was meant to celebrate that rich background. Most people on Sunday had Braais: Braai is the Afrikaans word for grill. They're a HUGE tradition here, and one of the most important parts of south African culture. Braais bring people of many different cultures together if even for just a moment. Think of it as a big cookout or barbecue in the US: Sausages, pork, and chicken doused in local rubs and sauces are all grilled on large braai stands which are basically large wood burning grills. The entire city smelled of freshly cooked meats. Parking lots were filled with friends and family alike. It was a beautiful sight to see everyone come together and celebrate. The next day is a bank holiday for everyone to recover from their hangovers of meat and local beverages.
Monday, today, was a relaxed day. I spent the day taking a quiz on my cultural knowledge and willingness to learn. The one flatmate left here and I cooked some burgers and invited anyone left on the floor to partake in a little party. I also booked a ticket to Victoria falls, one of the natural wonders of the world. I can't wait until the end of October to go see it, if its even half as exciting as the mountains here i'm sure it will be well worth the money spent.
Monday, today, was a relaxed day. I spent the day taking a quiz on my cultural knowledge and willingness to learn. The one flatmate left here and I cooked some burgers and invited anyone left on the floor to partake in a little party. I also booked a ticket to Victoria falls, one of the natural wonders of the world. I can't wait until the end of October to go see it, if its even half as exciting as the mountains here i'm sure it will be well worth the money spent.
Day 11
Very eventful day on Saturday here in cape town! It was an early start as I had an entire mountain to climb. I tackled one of the three peaks, lions head, (devils peak, table mountain, and lions head being the three peaks in descending order of difficulty) and the views and geology are amazing. I in my studies at UC have never seen such beautiful formations. There were symmetrical ripple marks, which are ancient tides shown in the surface of some rocks indicating that these giant peaks were originally formed under an ancient sea. The joint planes cut out of the rocks show where the weakest parts of the rocks are and how they break and fall. Honeycomb weathering formations are seen everywhere on the mountain on small and large scales. Layering can be seen constantly up the mountain within the sandstone itself showing hundreds of thousands (probably more) different layers of deposition. The sandstone itself seems to be very coarse grained and iron rich, turning to a deep red in some places along the mountain. If you don't have an appreciation for the geology, the views are to die for!
When I got back we went to a game at the stadium for the local rugby team, who represent the entire western province. Although i don't understand the sport in its entirety it was still a surreal experience. The energy in the stadium even with a small crowd is electrifying! To top it off, the home team won in spectacular fashion. The visiting team was dished out a royal whomping in our 55-27 victory!
I made a mistake with the age of these sandstone: they're actually early-mid Ordovician and therefore post Cambrian explosion! which means the whole thing about being before multi-cellular life was completely WRONG! sorry for the misinformation!
Here are some pictures of the hike:
Days 9-10
Thursday morning i was invited out to lunch by some people in the program, people here are very welcoming and its nice to see. It can be hard to be alone in a foreign country, but friendly faces make it a much easier transition. The rest of the day was spent mostly just hanging out, My stomach is still adjusting to the pathogens here and has been kind of on edge all day.
I met with a geo-technical engineer today and she gave me some contacts around cape town to work with, I was hoping she would need help with her research, but her taking a bit of time out of her busy schedule was very helpful.
One thing I will say though is that i'm very frustrated at the moment about the program, I have been in cape town for a week and still don't have a job. A ton of companies say they are keen(happy) to work with me, but it hasn't amounted to anything yet. I'm sure in time it will come to me, but I don't exactly have the luxury of time right now.
Our balcony is now decorated with a table and some chairs, its nice to feel more at home here!
Sorry about the rant, I was very frustrated at the time...My roommate showed me the waterfront which is a sort of very touristy boardwalk area and we went to a restaurant called the Cape town fish market. Everything there was SUPER good and i took some pictures of the sushi we ordered. The tuna nigiri was my favorite, as it just melted into nothing while i chewed on it, I'm sure it was super fresh out of the ocean located about 20 feet from where we were sitting. Once we got back It was time for another round of karaoke, but i took it much easier this time around and as i'm typing this in the morning i feel pretty normal.
I met with a geo-technical engineer today and she gave me some contacts around cape town to work with, I was hoping she would need help with her research, but her taking a bit of time out of her busy schedule was very helpful.
One thing I will say though is that i'm very frustrated at the moment about the program, I have been in cape town for a week and still don't have a job. A ton of companies say they are keen(happy) to work with me, but it hasn't amounted to anything yet. I'm sure in time it will come to me, but I don't exactly have the luxury of time right now.
Our balcony is now decorated with a table and some chairs, its nice to feel more at home here!
Sorry about the rant, I was very frustrated at the time...My roommate showed me the waterfront which is a sort of very touristy boardwalk area and we went to a restaurant called the Cape town fish market. Everything there was SUPER good and i took some pictures of the sushi we ordered. The tuna nigiri was my favorite, as it just melted into nothing while i chewed on it, I'm sure it was super fresh out of the ocean located about 20 feet from where we were sitting. Once we got back It was time for another round of karaoke, but i took it much easier this time around and as i'm typing this in the morning i feel pretty normal.
Day 8 (township tour)
Waking up is hard, especially after you had way too much to drink the night before and pass out for a couple hours on the bathroom floor. BUT I still managed it. The agenda today was a township tour. townships are areas of cape town that have closely packed living quarters. They're basically the hoods of south Africa. Many unemployed and low income people live here, Which is a LOT of people. The Unemployment rate here is nearly 30%. While i was there we got a glimpse into what life is around there: their culture, their living quarters, local healers, government provided parks. Oh and we also had a bit of the local cuisine: chicken feet.
I just got back from Stones, which is a bar here at Cape Town. Babysitter for my roommate, Ben, was my job for tonight.
I just got back from Stones, which is a bar here at Cape Town. Babysitter for my roommate, Ben, was my job for tonight.
Day 7 (getting bearings straight)
Today was a long walking tour with my RA. We took the train into town, which was about 4 or 5 stops in. For a city with nearly 4 million people, the downtown area is quite small. I was many famous cites like the parliament, st. george's cathedral, the castle of good hope, and the company's garden among others. After walking for about 3 hours straight I was pretty beat and we headed back from the top of the university (UCT) which is located above me on devils peak. When we got back I made my flatmates a big meal that we all shared: Hand rolled pasta and homemade Chicken Alfredo with caprese salad.
TRIVIA NIGHT! the team was Andi, 2 girls from the program, and I. WE KILLED IT. second place overall with the smallest team in the bar. They even had a geology themed question! crazy!
TRIVIA NIGHT! the team was Andi, 2 girls from the program, and I. WE KILLED IT. second place overall with the smallest team in the bar. They even had a geology themed question! crazy!
Day 6 (a day in the life)
(Wild day! When I woke up I had breakfast in the small breakfast place across the street. Eggs Benedict to be exact, with an americano (which is a regular sized coffee because most people here drink espresso.) After I picked up groceries which, again, are super cheap here. Avocados, tomatoes, artisan bread, instant coffee, a bottle of wine, hand made noodles, milk, and some herbs were only around $30 USD.
My RA Andi and I took an uber to cable mountain. The cable car took us up to the top, it moves super fast and rotates around for a 360 degree view. The top was the most beautiful sight I've ever seen. hundreds of millions of years of erosion has made a giant mountain range that sprawls as far as the eye can see. joints, (cracks) in the sandstone cliffs are on hundred meter scales, mostly nearly vertical and horizontal. The rocks in these ranges are upwards of 500 million years old, making them Pre-Cambrian, late Proterozoic to be exact. making these rocks just barely older than multicellular life itself. Iron leaching can be seen in the form of dark oranges ad reds along the cliff-side. Andi works for black label, the local beer company here, and we had a couple of beers on top of the plateau.
After that we went into town to meet up with advisers of the program and had dinner at the Africa Cafe. The meal consisted of two courses of traditional African cuisine. Tons of carrots, peas, and other vegetables made up for most of the base of the dinner. there were also curries and fish dishes covering the span of the entire table. I had my face painted in traditional Afrikaans's facepaint. lastly, I had a very moving experience. The workers, who dress in traditional clothing, came in clapping with a drum beating and sang old local songs. It was played in a tiny room and the beats reverberated explosively off the walls.
It brought me to tears.
p.s. sorry for a lack of pictures, i was really trying to take in the experience. pics from now on will be with a burner phone so quality will lack as well.
My RA Andi and I took an uber to cable mountain. The cable car took us up to the top, it moves super fast and rotates around for a 360 degree view. The top was the most beautiful sight I've ever seen. hundreds of millions of years of erosion has made a giant mountain range that sprawls as far as the eye can see. joints, (cracks) in the sandstone cliffs are on hundred meter scales, mostly nearly vertical and horizontal. The rocks in these ranges are upwards of 500 million years old, making them Pre-Cambrian, late Proterozoic to be exact. making these rocks just barely older than multicellular life itself. Iron leaching can be seen in the form of dark oranges ad reds along the cliff-side. Andi works for black label, the local beer company here, and we had a couple of beers on top of the plateau.
After that we went into town to meet up with advisers of the program and had dinner at the Africa Cafe. The meal consisted of two courses of traditional African cuisine. Tons of carrots, peas, and other vegetables made up for most of the base of the dinner. there were also curries and fish dishes covering the span of the entire table. I had my face painted in traditional Afrikaans's facepaint. lastly, I had a very moving experience. The workers, who dress in traditional clothing, came in clapping with a drum beating and sang old local songs. It was played in a tiny room and the beats reverberated explosively off the walls.
It brought me to tears.
p.s. sorry for a lack of pictures, i was really trying to take in the experience. pics from now on will be with a burner phone so quality will lack as well.
various views from the top of Table Mountain
Day 5 (cape town)
Even the airport in Addis Ababa is nicer than Newark. Last night’s flight was 7 hours and I slept through most of it. I slept great too. I’m glad I booked near the back of economy because there always seems to be at least a couple empty seats. I had a whole row of 3 seats to myself and laid across them like a bed. Plus, I had THREE EXTRA PILLOWS!
I’m beyond ready to be in an English-speaking country, I feel like I’ve been an alien for the past 4 days due to how little human interaction (aside from karaoke) I’ve had. I arrive in cape town at 1 and Mogove, my advisor, is getting a huge hug.
I just arrived at my apartment and met a couple of my roommates. speaking of which: the person who i'm sharing a room with just walked in. funny enough his name is actually also Ben. so we have Ben^2 going on in cape town. The view from the balcony is just unreal. One of the three mountain peaks, Devils Peak, is a couple miles away and right now i can see the sun setting behind it. I went to the grocery store with my new roommates Maxwell and Hunter and it is SUPER cheap! I bought a bottle of wine, some spices, and a couple of produce items for around 15 dollars! Tonight I'm gonna go out to the bar and meet more of the people living on my floor. everyone so far has been super nice, it made me feel super welcome and melted the stress of being in a foreign country almost immediately. I can't wait to live here for a couple of months and do and see as much as I possibly can! my first picture can be seen as the new background to my blog.
I’m beyond ready to be in an English-speaking country, I feel like I’ve been an alien for the past 4 days due to how little human interaction (aside from karaoke) I’ve had. I arrive in cape town at 1 and Mogove, my advisor, is getting a huge hug.
I just arrived at my apartment and met a couple of my roommates. speaking of which: the person who i'm sharing a room with just walked in. funny enough his name is actually also Ben. so we have Ben^2 going on in cape town. The view from the balcony is just unreal. One of the three mountain peaks, Devils Peak, is a couple miles away and right now i can see the sun setting behind it. I went to the grocery store with my new roommates Maxwell and Hunter and it is SUPER cheap! I bought a bottle of wine, some spices, and a couple of produce items for around 15 dollars! Tonight I'm gonna go out to the bar and meet more of the people living on my floor. everyone so far has been super nice, it made me feel super welcome and melted the stress of being in a foreign country almost immediately. I can't wait to live here for a couple of months and do and see as much as I possibly can! my first picture can be seen as the new background to my blog.
Day 4 (bye paris)
I may have gotten drunk and sang Karaoke until 3 AM yesterday. I made friends with an Itialian (Nadir), a Brit (James), and a New Yorker (raoul). I showed off a bit with some Bohemian Rhapsody by queen. It was an amazing time, but now I'm paying for it. Once I woke up I got breakfast at a close cafè with nadir and we talked about music and The influence of American culture in many countries. When we got back I was late to check out, I decided to just head to the airport. I've had enough excitement over the past two days and a lazy day seems nice. However, That could be the hangover speaking.
Day 3 (Friday in Paris)
Today was extremely busy...
first I woke up and took a shower and shaved. I knew I was ready to have a big day of visiting as many sights as I could. I made my way out of the hostel and turned left to walk down Rue La Fayette, which runs straight into the ministry of justice and a monument to Napoleon's greatest victory: the battle of three emperors. In this battle napoleon defeated Austrian and Russian Emperors, and erected a Giant copper pillar to commemorate it. before i got there i stopped at a cafe for some coffee.
espresso is fucking amazing.
Then it was on to the worlds most famous Museum, the Louvre. I hung out with some Mallards outside first (fun fact mallards mate for life, maybe they can feel the love in the air and that's why they choose to hang there.) I saw many classic artists paintings like Michaelangelo, Rafael, and Da Vinci. The Mona Lisa seems a bit lackluster. It's a very small painting in person and i'm not too sure of the significance. Many of the other paintings were more moving. My favorite part was the busts of Roman Emperors that i learned about in my studies at UC. marble sculptures that captured the faces of Marcus Araleus, Augustus, and Caligula. Caligula being my favorite (He made one of his horses head of the congress.)
The Orangerie is on the opposite side of the park and houses my favorite painting of all time, waterlilies. One of the pieces of many is housed at the Cleveland museum of art. Monet is an impressionist who use bush strokes and the technique of mixing paint on canvas instead of an easel to convey emotion in a painting. In the Orangerie are also many Piccaso paintings before his descent into cubism and madness. There are also many impressionist paintings housed there.
I finished my long day out with a long walk through the grand palace to the Eiffel tower.
first I woke up and took a shower and shaved. I knew I was ready to have a big day of visiting as many sights as I could. I made my way out of the hostel and turned left to walk down Rue La Fayette, which runs straight into the ministry of justice and a monument to Napoleon's greatest victory: the battle of three emperors. In this battle napoleon defeated Austrian and Russian Emperors, and erected a Giant copper pillar to commemorate it. before i got there i stopped at a cafe for some coffee.
espresso is fucking amazing.
Then it was on to the worlds most famous Museum, the Louvre. I hung out with some Mallards outside first (fun fact mallards mate for life, maybe they can feel the love in the air and that's why they choose to hang there.) I saw many classic artists paintings like Michaelangelo, Rafael, and Da Vinci. The Mona Lisa seems a bit lackluster. It's a very small painting in person and i'm not too sure of the significance. Many of the other paintings were more moving. My favorite part was the busts of Roman Emperors that i learned about in my studies at UC. marble sculptures that captured the faces of Marcus Araleus, Augustus, and Caligula. Caligula being my favorite (He made one of his horses head of the congress.)
The Orangerie is on the opposite side of the park and houses my favorite painting of all time, waterlilies. One of the pieces of many is housed at the Cleveland museum of art. Monet is an impressionist who use bush strokes and the technique of mixing paint on canvas instead of an easel to convey emotion in a painting. In the Orangerie are also many Piccaso paintings before his descent into cubism and madness. There are also many impressionist paintings housed there.
I finished my long day out with a long walk through the grand palace to the Eiffel tower.
walk to the louvre
the many pics of The Louvre
orangeire
walk to and including Eiffel Tower
Day 2 (Welcome to Paris)
Flight landed and took Uber from airport: trouble because I can’t speak any French at all, not that that’s a complaint. I should have learned more French before coming here. It took me about 45 minutes to find an exchange place, but again, I should have just used the one at the airport. I’ve been up for basically 25 hours straight and can’t really think. I also have only eaten a pulled pork sandwich in that time. I’m about to have some Rose and pizza and hopefully that helps. My nerves are running like wild and I feel very out of place, but maybe that’s a good thing. I feel that I need to be less shy and get out of my comfort zone, but I don’t know if I can do any more of that today. Hopefully I can check into my hotel room and take a shower to rejuvenate myself and start thinking straight. After that I think I will go see if I can’t find a museum pass.
Update: after pizza and wine (and possibly a couple french cigarettes), I have calmed down tremendously. My room is open and i'm about to go shower, change, and take a walk to The Pompidou and the Notre Dame/Sante-Chappelle.
Update round 2: lunch, a shower, and a bit of indulgence left me a much happier person. After I got to clean myself I threw myself head first into historic Paris. A long 3 mile walk was the start of my journey, taking in historic architecture from the roman age all the way up to the present. Many houses with terraced windows lined the streets on my walk. The first big stop was the pompidou center: which is an art museum devoted to many great modern artists like Piccaso, Salvador Dali, and Jackson Pollock. It also had an amazing view of the city skyline. Next I decided to walk to the Notre Dame/Sante-Chappelle. The Notre Dame had a beautiful organ playing with some Opera, which combined with the beauty of the cathedral almost brought me to tears. The sante-Chappelle was also amazing with stained glass windows creating an entire room full of light. When I came back for dinner I was so tired I forgot what penne pasta was so I used google translate and somehow it came out as quail (turns out it was just pasta.) i guess 35 hours with barely any sleep will do that to you.
Update: after pizza and wine (and possibly a couple french cigarettes), I have calmed down tremendously. My room is open and i'm about to go shower, change, and take a walk to The Pompidou and the Notre Dame/Sante-Chappelle.
Update round 2: lunch, a shower, and a bit of indulgence left me a much happier person. After I got to clean myself I threw myself head first into historic Paris. A long 3 mile walk was the start of my journey, taking in historic architecture from the roman age all the way up to the present. Many houses with terraced windows lined the streets on my walk. The first big stop was the pompidou center: which is an art museum devoted to many great modern artists like Piccaso, Salvador Dali, and Jackson Pollock. It also had an amazing view of the city skyline. Next I decided to walk to the Notre Dame/Sante-Chappelle. The Notre Dame had a beautiful organ playing with some Opera, which combined with the beauty of the cathedral almost brought me to tears. The sante-Chappelle was also amazing with stained glass windows creating an entire room full of light. When I came back for dinner I was so tired I forgot what penne pasta was so I used google translate and somehow it came out as quail (turns out it was just pasta.) i guess 35 hours with barely any sleep will do that to you.
The Pompidou center view (top two)
bottom left: this piece was called "ben" and it had mirrors all over it, I think they set it up just for me
bottom right: a side view of the dou
bottom left: this piece was called "ben" and it had mirrors all over it, I think they set it up just for me
bottom right: a side view of the dou
the beautiful views on the walk
Views of the Sante-Chappelle (top)
Notre Dam (bottom)
Notre Dam (bottom)
Day 1 (the travel day)
I'm currently sitting at a bar in the Newark airport, drinking a beer waiting for a brisket sandwich. The nerves that have built up to this trip in the past couple weeks has finally subsided, although that might just be the IPA speaking. I leave for Paris in 4 hours and There's a plethora of excitement in my stomach. I'm so ready to open up my mind to new culture and experience. But first things first: find my gate and flight!
a goodbye to CLE
sunset coming into france