Port Elizabeth

My arrival from Paris to South Africa was rather lovely. When I left Paris I was wearing a pair of jeans, a sweatshirt, a coat and scarf. When I got off the plane I no longer need to be wearing such wintery clothing items. I was happy to see the sun and pleasantly surprised by the airport in Cape Town. From Cape Town, Mary and I would fly to Port Elizabeth. We waited for a bus to take us from our terminal to our plane so we could board from the outside in the sunshine. I had never really boarded a plane using stairs to walk up into the plane, I had only ever been in a flimsy tunnel that you always feel are going to collapse. However, stepping up into the plane felt like I was in one of those cheesy, black and white romance movies getting on a plane never to return. The plane was small and the ride was short. We landed in the smallest airport in the world or at least it seemed like it. The picture above is me standing at one of two baggage claims. You board planes only from the outside, there are two desks to check luggage and get airline tickets.

Driving takes place on the left side of the road and all cars are stick. Jim, my faculty director, picked us up and took us to our flats. The Holiday Flats building called Langerry is right across King's Beach. Our flat is equipped with a small kitchen and bathroom, two bedrooms for five people and a balcony. The picture is from our balcony where just a ways past the robots (traffic lights) is the ocean. King's beach where soft sand touches the Indian Ocean. It is a gorgeous beach and everywhere you go there is an abundance of plant and animal life. We have come accustomed to the facilities in the area like the the Summerstrand mini mall area where the Pick 'n' Pay (Grocery Store), MTN (Cellphone store), and CNA (Odds and Ends) are all located. Not to mention the numerous restaurants that have been eaten at like The Mediterranean, Friends Café, Captain's, Barney's, Primi Patti, and Nando's.

I am starting to get used to certain South African mannerisms, phrases, and customs. I have developed a knack for converting Rand to Dollars and vice versa. Though, I hope I will not have to convert and it will come natural. I love the sun and pretty much everything about South Africa. The Indian Ocean is to your right. For the most part, it is rather warm. It is full of numerous fish like creatures such as sharks, jellyfish, octopus, squid, fish, etc. Fun fact: After a moonlit night, in the morning you will find lots of jellyfish washed up on shore which can be very fascinating to look at. The ocean and beach have tended to be the place to be during the day. This is where the girls tan and read, while the guys attempt to boogie board and surf. Our flat is located in a very wealthy part of Port Elizabeth, so what I see is very different compared to what the majority of South Africans see.

It has to be known that South Africa still has many problems that need to be sorted out. Where I live in South Africa is a luxury. In order to grasp the true context of the entire country, you must visit the parts that are destitute and poor. It is hard to think of myself living where I am, eating various foods, and experiencing relaxation when others are deeply struggling. Imagine driving through one of the most impoverished areas in the world in brightly painted double-decker bus filled with Caucasian students staring at makeshift shacks. This is Missionvale, one of the townships. Missionvale is horribly maintained the road are primarily dirt. The people are poor and the crime that takes place is horrifying. I have to remember that though this is an academic trip and somewhat a vacation that I am also here for volunteering.

Last Day in Paris

It was a sad but glorious day for me. I was leaving a city that I have grown fond of over the few days we have been there. The sites, the history, the people... it will all be missed. Though with disappointment of departure comes excitement for the next adventure, South Africa (where I am currently writing from). Don't worry their will be more pictures and blog posts for that, but I will finish the French Saga first. Mary and I ate breakfast for the last time at our hostel which was rather short. I had Coco Krispies, so my day was off to a great start. First stop was the Palace of Versailles, much of it would be closed because it was winter but we were hoping to see some of the inside but for Mondays the entire place was closed. We did not know this until we were halfway there. So one of the greatest historical places in the world was closed for our last day. I was at first rather upset but then I realized that this gives me a reason to come back to France. So our first destination of the day was St. Chapelle, where I did not see the Crown of Thorns because the relic was moved to a more secure place at Notre Dame. Yet as you can see this is an outstanding church that turned out to be my favorite, because of the delicate painting on the walls, supports and ceiling; and the stain-glass windows which from left to right, bottom to top tell the stories of the Bible. Genesis, Exodus, Numbers, Joshua, Judges, Isaiah, Daniel, Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Judith, Job, Esther and Kings are the books told through the stain-glass. The passion, Saint John the Evangelist and the Baptist, and the Apocalypse are also shown on the windows. After this we took a long two hour break at a cafe. We ate, talked and enjoyed a few coffees and tea before our next excursion.

The Eiffel Tower was great for the second time; though the first time we went, there was a beautiful light show that we were privileged to see. This big metal structure stands at over 300 meters and is only 40 meters taller than the bungee jump I was considering to do in South Africa. So looking down that was pretty frightening. We took an elevator up to the third tier and took some foggy pictures up there. Surprisingly, there were a lot of things to do on different tiers. There was a restaurant, a bar, and an ice skating rink. I wish we could have stayed but it was very cold outside especially from up that high. At this point, the last of our trip was taken to the National Modern Art Museum which included works from Andy Warhol, Pablo Picasso, etc. 

This was located in a building called Le Centre Georges Pompidou, a modern art and science building which was established to bring history and culture to a different part of Paris. Pompidou was a French Prime Minister who brought France into an era of modernization and he wanted to prove that through this center Paris was not a city of a once-great, old Republic, Empire and Monarchy. It has now stepped into the present and is leading the world to the future.The ground was slanted inward toward the building. On the right, you entered the building and would take a tunneled escalator to the floor of which you desired. We were at the top looking at the many odd videos and somewhat random sculptures. Modern art isn't really my thing, I am much more of a renaissance man, full of fanciful and classical paintings and sculptures. However, Mary did very much enjoy Le Centre Georges Pompidou.  

After a good, last dinner at our first café, we hiked it to Le Gare du Nord and rode our way to the Charles De Gaulle Airport. I had so much fun at the Paris Airport though Mary was not amused by the security check but I was loving the people there. Mainly because our walks through Paris included myself speaking French at a restaurant or asking a person for directions and I thought my pronunciation and speed was rather horrible. I wish I could have been better at speaking or I could have practiced a tad more before I went on the trip. However, at the airport in Paris I forgot to take out my computer from my backpack. This would be a nightmare for most people because then you would have to take everything out of your bag for them to physically check and then put it all back. This would later require running toward your gate to make your flight. But instead she mentioned that I had my computer still in my bag. "Ton ordinateur est dans le sac." Your computer is still in your bag. "Oh, j'ai oublie mon ordinateur. Je suis désolé! Puis-je le récupérer?" Oh, I forgot my computer. I am so sorry, can I go get it? And she allowed me to go unpack it and run my things through again. After what I thought was going to be a fiasco, she told me in English that my French was really good but she could tell I was American. It made me smile that I received a compliment from a French person about my French speaking abilities considering they were lacking most of the trip. From that point, I was about to go from freezing rain and snow to sunshine and beaches.