HIV/AIDS at the University

HIV/AIDS is huge problem in South Africa and it is a daily part of the life of millions here. On a national level around 15% of South Africans are infected. If you take away those under 15 years of age and those above 40 years of age you find that the percentage of infected for people between 15 and 40 is a lot higher.

Stellenbosch University is mainly a white University, with educated parents. Most of the students belong to the age group with the highest risk, but they should also be those who knows the most about the danger of HIV/AIDS. The estimated percentage of infected students at the University is around 25%. Imagine that, one out of four students are infected with HIV/AIDS, and then you can most probably add some more because it is hard to get people to test them selves.
This means that out of the 50 students I can see around me know around 12 are infected with HIV/AIDS.

Sometimes I am shocked and surprised by the hard reality and stupidity of the area and people around me. Students here are like students everywhere. They are generally happy, drinking and fucks around quiet freely. I just find it hard to realize that to use a condom is still not considered obligatory. Or that very many are not bothered or afraid of 'hooking' up with random persons on a Saturday. I just can't really understand this.

The old perceptions of HIV/AIDS to be a gay or black disease is not valid anymore. This is mainly a white University, with students with the background you will usually consider 'safe' in this regard, and the infection rate is still 25%, if not more. When will the normative perception of who are infected and who are not infected be changed? The truth is that you cannot trust anyone. You never know who people was with before, or who that person was with before that. It makes me scared to think about. Furthermore, it is just not statistics about a place far away. It is where I am, where I will be for the next year and the people in the statistics are the people I know and see every day.

One final note to make a comparison. Imagine if 25% of the students of the University of Oslo had HIV/AIDS. Or if 15% of the Norwegian population were infected (Approximately 650 000). How would that influence the economy, the society, your home community, the voters before the election, etcetera?

School as normal

It is already mid-term break here in South Africa and it is strange to know that the semester is over in two months. I have a quiet break with some library time and some not library time. I really like being in the library in the break because it is as hectic as during a normal week. I easily find a good place to sit without having people around on all sides.

On Monday and Tuesday we had a study trip that SPOSSA arranged. It was very interesting and it was nice to see what we actually can organize ourselves. We meet with some research institutions, tour at Western Province and National Parliament, meeting with an ANC Parliamentarian, visited a volunteer center and the Ministry of Home Affairs. Several of them had organized a lot before we came. The Ministry for Home Affairs had 6 of their people presenting for over two hours. The Parliament provided us with a lot of food, and the ANC Parliamentarian offered to give us a very interesting tour of the Parliament, including some secret passages built by the Apartheid, torture chambers in the basement from the British and a lot more than the standard visitor are not showed. It was two long, but interesting days.

On Tuesday night I got to watch Norway win against Portugal, thanks to SuperSport Maximo and the previous Portuguese colonies of Mozambique and Angola. It would be perfect if Norway qualify for the European Championship in Poland/Ukraine 2012.

The weather is really starting to be good again and most days are now quiet warm and the nights are not cold anymore. It will soon be problematic sleeping again, something that I am not to excited about.

Anothere Semester

It is almost a month since school started again and the time has as usually passed by quickly. This semester is very short, it begun in the end of July and I will finish my last exam in mid November, with my last seminar in mid October.
My courses this semester is Global Political Economy, International Law and Conflict in Africa, I am in addition to this following a course in Development and Participation and I am continuing with french.
French is more fun this semester since I now have some of the basic, but the progress is slow and it will only give me a foundation for when I hopefully will live in a french speaking country.
I have also exercised regularly the last months which is very nice and which was about time as well. My swimming stamina is improving, but it is slow progress and most others in the pool always swims so fast. It is a good thing I am not competitive at all!

Last Tuesday was a great day! They showed Rosenborg - Køpenhavn on Supersport 7. I was actually able to watch my Norwegian team play in South Africa. We rallied together most Norwegians in Stellenbosch, about 10 + some more, printed some songs, painted our faces (with mustaches) and used our national jersey's :) It was a lot of fun and we won the game. I do not think I supported Rosenborg, or any team that completely before, but hopefully it be like this again next Wednesday again.

The winter is slowly retreating, shorts and t-shirts are in use long before the first spring day, but at night and some days it is still fairly chill.

JJ

End of World Cup

The World Cup is now over and I will just post a few more picture of that before the everyday life starts again.
This is from the train station in Cape Town (CT). The city was full of signs to the stadium, the fan fest area and to the Waterfront. It was always great walking around and see and feel the WC frenzy.

I was very lucky and was offered a ticket to the Quarter final game between Brazil and Nederland in Port Elizabeth (PE). PE is an industry city in the Eastern Cape, around 750 km from CT. We left at night and drove there. We arrived around 12 and the weather was perfect, I was sweating and actually missed the colder CT winter. We walked a little on the beach before we went to the stadium. It was amazing, people was so happy, excited and ready for the game. It was a full party outside for hours in the sun and Brazilians and Dutch people where mingling like friends.
I went with a dutch, a brazilian and a german, and me, a norwegian. The dutch girl was wearing a flag as a dress (you see her to the left in the picture) and everyone wanted a picture of her. She was even interviewed by spanish and dutch television and was a big part of the dutch news after the game.

They had a stage with people dancing with a WC trophy that I got a hand on. I was 'neutral' (Brazilian) so I used my Norway jersey. Such a great feeling lifting the trophy and imagine that Norway be playing (or me!!!!).

I found another trophy inside the stadium and had 45000 people celebrating while I lifted it!

Now we are back in CT and at the Waterfront they had several of these status.

Rainbow above CT.

Something build of the box you but bottles in.

This is a dassie, an animal that you find at the Table Mountain and other places. I was about feeding it when it bit me and I took some shots the next day to be on the safe side. I have so far not heard of anyone else being bitten by a dassie, so I felt kind of stupid.


School is about starting and mu courses this semester will be Global Political Economy and Conflict in Africa. I will also do International Law, but that is not obligatory. I am still contemplating what to do with my french. I can sign up for a full program or I can continue doing some evening classes. I still have a week before I need to make a decision, but I am tempted to do the full thing, I will go and talk to them again.

This is also my last day in my first house. I will move to another house a little closer to the city. Also a very nice house with a big garden and lower rent. I am excited about it but I will miss living with some of my previous house mates.

Portugal North vs North Korea and Holland vs Cameroon

Portugal against North Korea in a 7 - 0 thriller :) Amazing to be at the stadium when there are 7 goals, and in such a win. My seat was faaaaaaaaaaar up, it felt like I was a bird with this seat. It gave a great overview of the game and the small dots that where players. The stadium is just huge. 
  A great poster :) 
Watching Italy - Slovakia at the Fan Fest in Cape Town before the Holland - Cameroon game. It is room for around 25 000 people, has several big screens and the Table Mountain in the background. I was wearing my Norway jersey, a danish scarf, a Bolivia jersey and a cameroonian scarf and hat + a South African vuvuzela :) 
Meeting Cameroonians on the way to Green Point
So many dutch people 

Paraguay vs Italia

On Monday I watched my first World Cup game live at Green Point Stadium in Cape Town  :) A childhood dream became reality! 

The game was between my archenemy Italy and my South American brothers from Paraguay so it was not hard to know whom I was to cheer for. 

This is me and Doron when we are going to the stadium 

A random Italian who also had painted his face :) Even if the weather was really bad, rain, wind and cold, people were having a great time. Even if we talked to Italians, South Africans or Paraguayens. Everyone was just enjoying the atmosphere and the football.
The group with the stadium in the background
It is a reality
After the game I begged a guard to give me some grass from the pitch :) Which be great to put in a World Cup diary later
An amazing experience :D

World Cup, Cape Town and Rugby

I finished my last exam on Thursday and the World Cup started on Friday so it has been some very intense day's. 

The first picture is of me and my Bafana Bafana outfit, ready to go to Cape Town to see the opening match. 

I got to Cape Town 3 hours before the game, but the main fan parks where already full and the same with all pubs. We walked around for almost 2,5 hours to find a place but it was sooooooo much people. In the end we just tried to see at a big screen and it was ok for me, but those that where shorter did not see much.

The atmosphere was so great. Everyone was talking together, dancing, cheering, blowing the vuvuzela and I can't explain. All South Africans made it an amazing day for everyone and I am so happy the World Cup started so good. People are really happy and exited about it here.

When South Africa scored everyone just went crazy, screaming, praying, kissing, hugging, dancing and whatever you can imagine. The sounds of all the vuvuzelas at that time was intense but still it was impossible to bother about it because it was such a great moment. The opposite happened when Mexico scored, then everything was completely quiet for 10 seconds. Suddenly I could hear my own breath and people was just wondering what just happened. However, that did not last long, after a few minutes the party was going strong again and from then on people were just relaxing and enjoying the game. 

If it is one thing South Africans knows, it will be to have a good time, and before, during and after the opening game they did that like no one else.  
South Africa played a rugby match against France. I dressed up as a South African again, but this time in a rugby shirt and a Springbok hat (it reminded a little of a Viking hat) and went to the game. It was around 45000 people on the stadium and a great game. South Africa won 35 - 17 so they were very happy. 

Tomorrow I will relax a little, or that means play football in the morning and go to a restaurant/pub and watch football after. Just somewhere less intense and a little more quiet. And then on Monday I go to Cape Town early for the Holland vs Denmark game, and in the evening 20.30 South African time I be at Green Point stadium watching Paraguay vs Italy :) 

It is just great. 

But I also struggle to realize that it is really happening

The last note most be that one can only love South Africans

Some more pictures from SA

This picture is from the Stellenbosch mountain, again. I think it will be the last one since I know posted from the day, sunset and sunrise and cannot find any new way of showing it. I walked up at night, obviously in the dark, and it took 4 hours. Was very nice and the view over all the light are nice. The picture is from the madrugada and shows Stellenbosch partly covered in mist as the day slowly approaches. 

I will watch the Sprinboek against France on the 12 of June at Newlands stadium and I therefore bought a Springboek jersey. Springboek is what South Africa's national rugby team is called. In the Western Cape province and in Stellenbosch rugby is huge, as I mentioned earlier, and I am very excited about watching the game. Lately I spent more time watching rugby and I am starting to like it more and more. The Picture is from me tackling Matti in the bathtub. I was waiting outside the bathroom and surprised him when he walked out. I felt the need to tackle someone when I used the shirt. 
I made boller and cinnamon boller, naturally as the good house man I am. 
Hiking in Muizenberg, a small surfer place a little outside Cape Town.  
Watching seals in Hout Bay, a fishing harbor 15min walk from Muizenberg. 

Done with research proposal

I handed in my second exam today in research methodology. The exam was to write a research proposal on 2000 words. My plan was to do it on the topic I will write my thesis on later, but I still do not know what I want to write about so I ended writing about something I had a few essay's about before. It was good practice, but time consuming. I handed it in today at 11 and talked a little with the lecturer. She is in her mid-thirties and has made research methodology as fun as it can get. Today we talked about rugby and the World Cup and I will definitively ask her about my thesis later, and I know she will be happy to give advices. I actually feel that all three of the lecturers this semesters care and are talking with you when you have a question, something that is always nice. I actually have a deal to have a drink with another lecturer when she finish grading the exams. It is nice to feel that you are treated more as a future researcher, than as merely a student. 

So I am very happy about that, but also very tired. Even if I have been sleeping fairly well lately my head has been working constantly and I never had time to relax as it has always been an upcoming assignment or exam. But now I have almost two weeks until the last exam and I intend to read some non school literature. Yesterday I bought a book by Carlos Ruiz Zafon named 'The Angel's Game', I just started it and is very excited about that. I read another book of him before that definitely are amongst my favorites, namely ' The Shadow of the Wind'. 

Later today I will bake boller and cinnamon boller, before I have a early night. Then I have an even earlier morning tomorrow since I am planing on climbing Stellenbosch Mountain tonight and see the sunrise. Tomorrow we will have people over for coffee and karsk before I go watch rugby and football. It is the semifinals in the top 14 tournament (the champions league of rugby) and both Pretoria and Cape Town have reached the semi final. That starts at 5, then the second game at 7, before it is champions league final at 9 so it will be quiet a sports day. 

     

Exam's and rain

Yesterday I handed in my first exam :) It is always a great feeling. We had three days to write an essay, which is not a bad way to have an exam. With three days, in comparison to the two days we had in Oslo I never felt a big pressure around it. I worked from 8 - 8 more or less each day and relaxed the rest. Even if the I had little time pressure and slept well I was really tired when I handed it in. Strange how the head is a lot more nervous and occupied than it should. My plan of relaxing through the exam period and not be to stressed is therefore not going as planned. It is nonetheless really nice to be done with the first one.
My next deadline is the 21 of May and I started working on that now, or I am procrastinating a little, considering I am writing on the blog. I was very nervous about this next one a few days ago, but now I think it will go fairly well. I have to make a research proposal on around 2000 words, which is not much, but to use the right method, research design and so on will take some time. I luckily found my question and can now just do everything around.

The last week we have had a lot of rain. People are complaining about the winter, but the temperature is like a cold summer day home. I therefore find it hard to bother about it, considering that I like this temperature more. It feels a little fresh, and the air always is so clean after it has been raining. The temperature is perfect for exercising and I am exited about focusing more on that when the exams are done.

The first people have already left for the summer. Jos already left for home and I think Tove and Tonje leaves in a few weeks. Then Matti and I get the house for ourselves, which will be nice.

28 days until the World Cup and 27 days until I hand in my final exam.

Last day with classes

I find it a little hard to believe that I finished my last class for this semester. It is a little hard to believe I am almost half way through my master.

At class today with finished with a conference around Iran's nuclear ambitions. We where divided in groups a few weeks ago and was later given an international relation theory. My group had to present the Iranian situation by using the theory of offensive realism. That is not the hardest theory to use, but it is always hard to argue with arguments you not always support and by following the assumption of the assigned theory. Some of the group where present from a gender perspective, something that was more interesting and definitely more challenging. After each presentation we received or asked question about the presentation. It was very funny, the first two hours! Anyhow, I just have 1 paper, 2 home exams and one research proposal to do before vacation and the WORLD CUP.

Yesterday I had my last french exam, and my oral exam was better than my written exam. The written exam was not hard, but my talent for grammar once again proved to fail me. Regardless of what I understood. Today I will make crepes and watch a french movie with some friends, whom all speaks french very well. It will be a nice celebration of the end of the beginning on my way to learn french.

The last two weeks we have had amazing weather, blue sky and sun each day and not much wind. Even if the temperature are lower it was nice, like a Norwegian summer. However, two days ago it started to rain, and since then it has not stopped. I knew this is how the autumn and winter will be, but still, I would have preferred sun.
I also visited Kayamandi the other day. Kayamandi is a small township (ca 33 000) that lies in walking distance (15min) from Stellenbosch. People in Stellenbosch often say that Kayamandi, is a nice township. A statement that is quiet incredible. Half of its inhabitants lives in informal houses, or shacks. Which literary are tree houses that have lower standard then the one my brother and I built before we started school. It is really sad to see this less than 15min from nicer parts of Stellenbosch. Areas that consists of nice houses, huge, with pools, big gardens, garages to several cars and whatever you feels you need. One do not stop to reflect upon how this is accepted to such a degree and almost wonders why it is as peaceful. The only argument I find is that most people are peace seeking and not prone to violence nor conflicts, regardless of their situation. My sympathy for the Greeks and their protest also reached a low point.

I will also celebrate the 17 of May this year. ANSA is arranging an event with Den Norske Foreningen in Cape Town. I am actually looking forward to celebrate it. I have also updated the ANSA webpage for South Africa. It is fairly easy but with my limited skills it took me some time, back and forth. But I finished in the end.

It is also a little sad that the semester is ending. A lot of my friends are exchange students which will go home during the following month. I am used to the situation now, but I am looking forward to the day I can keep friends for longer than a semester or two.

JJ

Some hiking and Picture of the Area

This picture show how the valleys around Stellenbosch are. Fairly steep mountains surrounded with wine farms. To bicycle or drive around is amazing. You will pass several mountain passes, small towns and a lot of farms. On the way you can stop by one of the wine farms and taste some of what they offer, while eating lunch.
Me on top of Simonsberg mountain. I am pointing down at Stellenbosch. Above my head is Table Mountain and Cape Town. Whereas Cape Point is in the top left corner.
Pointing at Cape Town, Table Mountain and Lions Head. The plains between Stellenbosch and Cape Town are called the Cape flats. Huge part of these plains are now Townships, always expanding. These Townships are the home to about 2millions.
The sunset from Stellenbosch Mountain. You see Cape Town and Table Mountain to the left and the sun sets almost on top of Robben Island.
Here you get a feeling of how big the Townships are. The lights at the bottom are Stellenbosch.

Hey again

It has been almost a month since last time I wrote and I felt it was about time with an update again.

Firstly the autumn has arrived and the winter is approaching :( It is still warm during the day, but in the evenings and night I always use a sweater now. The sweet and easy summer time has passed for now! I must say it feels strange, mentally it should be spring and when I talk to people I usually say that the summer is coming, it does not feel right with winter now. Nonetheless, there is nothing I can do about it. At the same time I really like to wear a sweater and a hat sometimes. It is annoying with to much heat too long. I also asked my mother to send me some wool socks. There are no heating in the house and the floor gets cold, so I am excited about getting them.

I has finally got a chess friend here :) I and a Swedish student has bought a chess board and plays at cafe's, pubs or at school. It is brilliant. The only weird thing is that we attract the strangest people when we are playing. But besides that, its perfect.

I am also working with two associations now. The first is ANSA and the other is SPOSSA. The second is a political science association that we are starting at the university. It is good experience for the later life and I think I need to get some more things on my CV.

This also makes life a little more hectic. There is always more than enough to do and I am getting a little bit stressed about school. We have 1 presentation, 1 small paper and 2 big essays for the next three weeks. However, when this semester is over the World Cup begins and better motivation than that is hard to find.

Hope you are all doing well

JJ

Some pictures

Hey,
I have not taken many pictures so far, but after the first 2 months there has been some pictures after all.
The first is from the top of Table Mountain, with the city center of Cape Town beneath me. Table Mountain is 1088 meters above sea level. You can also see Green Point with the World Cup stadium down by the sea. The small island that is outside is the famous Robben Island.


The second foto is from Stellenbosch mountain looking out on Stellenbosch. As you can see the town is quite small. You can see some of the farmland around the town, which mostly are winefarms. My part of the University is in the center of the city. I live to the left, around 20min walk from the University.


The is a picture of the garden to my house :) It is really quiet and I often have the feeling I am far away from South Africa or that I am not in a city when I am there. Eating breakfast outside, watching the birds, to sit there reading or having a braii is just great. Being a student is not always as hard as it can be!


This is from the Cederberg national park. It is around 3 hours north of Stellenbosch. It is a dry mountain area almost untouched by humans. Not strange since it is not much water there so farming is limited. However, there are some farms there as well, but they have a decent distance to their neighbors. We stayed at a camping place next to the small river/stream that went through this valley. The picture is from some cracks almost on the top of one of the surrounding mountains.


Around 20min walk from our camping spot the river ended in this small and deep (kulp?). We could jump from around 10m and there where a lot of fish there. There where also herds of baboons that lived in the area and you can see them on this picture. I was lying and reading on the other side when some of them suddenly screamed. Then I saw them all around me. I was there with only one other guy and we just sat there quiet for the next 10 min watching them climb, play, eat until they eventually had passed us.
In this area there where also a lot of snakes, I just saw one, because they luckily leave when someone approaches. At the evening there was the most amazing view of the stars, I cannot remember seeing them saw clearly before and I really wanted to take my sleeping bag and sleep outside. If you sleep quiet there is a possibility that a snake comes to your bag for a small nap. It is not necessarily dangerous, only if you move. If you lie completely still until it leaves by itself it is cool. I decided to wait until another time to do it, when there are more people who can join me, then there will be more noise and the possibility becomes smaller.
It was a really nice trip and I am so looking forward to getting to travel a little around, although I know it is still long until.

Wednesday and Thursday

Wednesday's are a day where I should read and work on assignements. My only class is french and that is in the evening. As always, my plan is to get up early and go to the gym, since I have more time I usually sleep until 8 or 9, but not always. Before my french class I try to read or work on essay's or assignements. There is still not to much to do, just increasing rapidly so I have not always done as much as I have to in the future on wednesdays. There is also the opportunity of lying down in the garden and read or just flote around in the pool. After french class in the evening I often gone to the Brazen Head to watch football. But yesterday I awent to an outdoor concert instead with local rock and reggea music. It was really nice, but also partly in Africaans, which I do not understand. The locals really liked that so I imagines they are a kind of Postgirobygget in Africaans, good when you get the lyrics.

Today I have class in International Relations Theory. I really like the lecturer and the class. It is in the morning, at 10, so I seldom really do much before. This is in one way the beggining of the weekend, since there are no more classes. Or, we have a obligatory Friday seminar, that some say are not obligatory. It is different guest lecturers who come and talk about whatever is their field. Anyway, thursday is in one way the start of the weekend, on paper at least. The rest of the day is some reading, the gym or something else. I actually have social chess with the chess society in the evening, but that is just for fun. In the evening we often go to a Libanese restaurang that have a live band playing outside each Thursday. That is always nice, all the restaurangs in the streets are full and people are standing around and you ahve a beer or a glass of wine.

Normal days!

I have been planing to write several times but each time I start I feel there is nothing to write about. Then, a few nights ago I was thinking maybe I should write what a normal week has become here in Stellenbosch.

Monday:
My goal each Monday is to be at the gym or swimming pool by 7, exercise, go home and eat a breakfast with eggs and beans. However, it is not always I manage that, but it is my vision. We have a class in Southern African Political Economy at 2, so when I get to start the day early I have some hours to read before class. Our teacher in this class is not my favorite. She gives us old articles, is unstructured, no red thread and seems almost uninterested in being a lecturer. After class I have 1,5 hours until french where I usually eat something, have a coffee and think on something else. In french class am I usually rather tired and not the most interactive student. That beside, my french is improving. It is still on a to basic level for communicating, but I understand much more and recognize more when I am reading. Hopefully in a months time I be ready for speaking a little. I also meets a friend sometimes that helps me. She is usually talking in french, asking me questions and I have to try to answer. I also meet some french people now that I hope to meet more often later. After my french class I usually go home or I meet someone out or I go back to the library to read.

Tuesday:
My vision is once again to go to the gym or pool, whichever I did not go to on Monday. My class starts again at 2 and I like to read before class. The lecturer today is on the contrary a very good. Her class, Research Methodology, is normally not the most interesting, but she makes it easier and very relevant for the master thesis. I have 3 hours from the end of this class until my Spanish class and I usually use those in the library. Spanish classes are more informal. We are 4 or 5 and everything goes in Spanish. We get some short stories and poems to read some days before and in class we talk about those stories. In weeks there are champions league I watch football in the evening, if not I just go home after class.

I write about the next days in a few days. I got tickets to two of the World Cup games of a friend in class. So I will see Portugal - North Korea and Italy - Paraguay here in Cape Town. That made my day when I found out, and the next day as well. So now I can just relax and focus on school.

Last Friday I went on my first wine tour. It was with an international student organization and we visited 4 farms and tasted 20 different wines. I like it, but I have a lot to learn. I do know how to distinguish between red and white, but more than that is not for me.
Got to go to class

The first assignments

So my vacation has ended. This week we got the first 5 page assignment that is due next week, the first small test and I have a presentation on Monday. I am also trying to figure out what to write my thesis on. There are still much time, but the sooner I know the better. Luckily I have an idea.

I have also realized that the Winter Olympics is a small thing in South Africa (SA). A few days ago I spent hours looking through the sport channels at a pub here, they had 8 sport channels, but non that sent the Olympics. It has influenced my mood lately, combined with the fact that the first days of the OL we did not do well. I assume that all knows that when I say we I mean Norway. Luckily I did better yesterday (sometimes when I talk about sport I can use I, that is because I wish it was me) and we got two gold and one silver :) Still I have problems accepting that there are no channels here that sends it and South Africans do not care about it at all. It is in times like this I comes clear to me where I am from.

If the olympic thing was not enough someone stole my bicycle, it took two weeks. That kind of pist me off as well. Luckily it was a cheap bicycle and I had locked it and I have the receipt, so I guess the insurance will cover it.

I try to write a little sooner next time and maybe more about something besides the olympics.

School starts

The last weeks has been hectic with preparations for school, get familiar with a new University and getting the house ready.
We have painted much in the house, or by we I meen a chap the landlady sends our. He works for around 15kr an hour and is happy with that!!! Makes you feel shit in the way that he is my age or a few years older, but what he has experienced and will experience in the future is not anything I am jealous of. Still, this is the hard reality of life and he do at least have a job, there are enough that does not even have that. Anyway, the house starts to look better and is definitively cleaner. We will have a house warming party on friday and by then I hope most things are done. Besides the painting we need to buy some more things for the kitchen and the garden needs a lot of work.
The last few years there has been students living in the house and the house and the garden showed clear signs of that. Even if there is a gardener and a cleaning lady, they do not do more then they must. So when the previous tenants have not cared about telling them to garden or clean, things got a little worse than it could have been. This is a little annoying, but on the other side we can now put our mark and decide more how we wants things.

When it comes to school the next 3 months will be intense. All plans or visions of travelling in long weekends are temporarilly postponed. This is also partly my fault since I have signed up for both spanish and french classes in the evenings and besides that I really want to workout since the possibilities for this here are so good.

When I get internet home I will write more often, but until that it will not be so often. Hopfully, it be during this or next week, any later and I will be a little pist. Internet here is also quite expensive. For private use there is nothing like unlimitied use, here you pay pr mb you use. And we will pay 500ram, ca 400kr for 5gigabyte. So downloading, streaming or video skyping is not something that will be used regularily. It almost give the feeling that they do not want to develop, since much of the infrastructure for better access to internet is there, it is just owned by one company that do not fancy sharing. That is at least what I waas told.

last night it rained for the first time, besides that the summer is getting warmer for each passing day :P

Creating a daily life

I have been almost a week in Stellenbosch.
Life is getting more organized as I have moved to my house, registered at school, bought a bicycle and it feels more like home for each day that passes.

I will share a house with 4 other students. 1 german, dutch, swedish and norwegian, where 4 of us are in the same program and one is at another master program. The house is very nice with a great garden and braii (grill) area and a small pool. There is a gardener coming every 2 week to maintain it!!! We also have a cleaning lady once a week and our land lady sends us some chaps if we are to move anything, paint or whatever practical task that needs doing. It is such are strange feeling.
The house is located 20min walking from the University inside a housecomplex, which is very safe.

I am really enjoying my bicycle, traffic here is a lot safer than I anticipated so bicycling around is amazing. Yesterday we bicycled to the beach, around 20km, and it was perfect. There are great opportunities for exercising here. There are path for running just outside the city center, bicycling and the University has a fitness center, huge swimminpool, spinning, yoga, everything. I am so excited about starting exercising again.
Sport is also big here. There are lots of people bicycling, running, playing cricket and so on. When I am walking around the University almost everyone, boys and girls looks perfect, fit, slim and tan. There is a huge pressure on your apperance. On top of that almost everyone are white. When you are walking around the Uni or the city it is like walking in Europe, it is clean and there are few black people. It important to note that it is also maybe the whitest city in Africa. At the same time there are coloured and black people working everywhere and they live in townships outside the city center. The segregation is still so dominating, at least in this part of the country.

First impression of Stellenbosch

Yesterday I arrived in Stellenbosch. It is the second oldest settlement in South Africa and has a lot of old houses. The city is still fairly little so the old houses has not been replaced by new ones. This gives a fantastic atmosphere and a feeling of going back in time. Students are dominating, around 20 000 - 30 000 and in such a small city they make their mark. There are many green areas and there are mountains all around the city. Most of the farms around are wine farms dating centuries back.
This evening I will go to my house and I cannot wait getting my own room. Before that I will walk a little around the city, look for a bicycle and later meet people from class I will guess. It is also strange having a group of people I knew before I arrived. So far it feels more like a reunion than anything else.

My first days in Cape Town

I arrived safely in Cape Town, flight on time, with my luggage, sun was shining and all just good.
The first day I just walked around, with the feeling that even if I had physically landed, mentally I was still somewhere far north. I have been thinking about being there, but even now, 4 days later I hardly realize it.
The second day we went to a farm for some winetasting and I meet some friends of a classmate that lived here before. This was a little outside the city, actually very close to Stellenbosch and the nature was beautiful. It looks perfect for hiking in the mountains or bicycling on the roads.
Then we went to the beach, another friend brought us in his car so once again I got to just be in the car, looking out at everything that passed. The city center to Cape Town is really nice in all ways, but just 10min by car outside you drive by some bad neighbourhoods, just small shacks and limited opportunities. However, when we got to the beach it was amazing, so warm, I look like a pig now, my whole body burning last night. Since it was Sunday the beach was packed with people and the water was warm. Still no one went on deep water, the fear of sharks clearly hinder that, but enjoying the sun and a book, later the shadow and a book is just as good.

Today I went to the Table Mountain. The Table Mountains surrounds the city canter of Cape Town and is around 1080m tall. Which is very dominant. I used 1 hour and 40 minutes to run / walk up in the sun. When you got up it was an amazing view if the bay and the city. I walked around there, ate a little and just enjoyed it for a few hours before I walked another path down. When I was back at the hostel, 6 hours later I was exhausted from the sun and the activity.
Tomorrow we will go to anothere beach where there are penguins. The are jackass pengiuns outside of Cape Town, somethings that I find very fascinating.

I have the impresion of endless opportunities here and I am getting excited about settling in a new house and start my real life. My exams went better than I had hoped for so my motivation are stronger than ever.

This was very unorganized, but I had to much to write at the same time.

On my way to South Africa

It is about 6 months since I came home from Bolivia. When I left for Bolivia I did not know what I wanted to do after, one of my hopes for Bolivia was to find that out. It is impossible to say I know for certain what I want, but Bolivia made me more sure at least. That ended in me beginning a master program this autumn in International Studies. The first semester was in Oslo and then my 3 last semesters will be in Stellenbosch in South Africa.

This is also the reason for me starting on this blog once more. Last time I used it partly as a diary and partly to tell people home what I was doing.

I am now sitting at the Istanbul Airport, killing a few hours and contemplating what more to write. Beside the coffee that is so sweet it can hardly be classified as coffee at all.

This is also a new situation since I am planning on staying abroad for 18months. Before I been home after 4 or 5 months. I have been trying not to think about that until I get there, but now there are several ambiguous feeling are slowly arriving.

This is a good start on my blog activity and next time I am writing will be enjoying sun :)