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.