Funk Stop: Mama sausage

Mama sausage is this lady who sits outside one of the main bars and lets the sweet aroma of her sausages fill the streets. There are onions and ketchup, acutally 'tomato sauce' here, quite different. I ate one. Twice. It felt good i think, don't remember. The cans in the supermarket dont have lavish prints, not as big on advertisments here. i live for it. i went to buy a can of beans, the label was black and white with a picture of beans, and i thought, i dont want this. then i thought about why i didn't want it...because it was in black and white? i bought it. i ate it. tasted real. it was good.

So lets see...yesterday i went to class, went to town, walked around, sat under my tree and read, loooked like rain, headed back home. Went to a movie for a dollar, it sucked, ate ice cream. Thought i downloaded 90210 the VERY FIRST episode, nope it was that new one where the girls are SOOOO skinny...talking shit and driving beamers. Today i woke up late for class, still made it, this teachers more interesting than last weeks, insightful. After class i went to the library and printed out the book i need, for a dollar. Then went to the pool, got out before i was burnt. We had our formal dinner tonight, where they set up the tables all nice and everyone gets dressed up adn stuff, it was very cool. the cooler part was that only 4 people sat at the table so we got extras of everything, i ran out with two bottles of wine, bought to git down on et!! I love how they serve alcohol here, much more relaxed vibe than at home...earlier today the store i wanted to get into to buy some goods was closed so i waited at another store, saw this shirt i LOVED in this mustard yellow....then i saw it in a cyan blue...i thought of Roberta...and how she told me that if i like something enough, get it in all the colors. So i did it. i got both. and i don't feel guilty cause ima come back to america and rock that shit for a low low price.....
school here is a repetition of at home, i learned EVERYTHING they teach me, so now maybe its a test to see if i can remember everything i was told at school....what if i finish college and forget everything? i feel like thats going to happen. I never have any work. Its all play. Since ive been here ive realized so much about myself, who i am, where im going, and it feels really good to know that im not lost, that i just needed direction. I came to the conclusion that i never want to be normal, i never want to have a 9 to five job, and i never want to get caught in a routine that eats my life. I want to do everything, i want to experience everything, i want to try all sorts of foods, meet all sorts of people, get into trouble, jump off of bridges, jump with sharks......India sounds nice....as well as the rest of Africa....
when i drive down the road here i just feel like i finally arrived, like i set my mind to something and i got it...so now if the rest of my life can just happen like that....everything will be perfect. As much as things at home are awsome, so much love, salvation, i miss it less everyday....BUT enough sentimental talk, my free bottles of wine are calling and i must SEIZE THE NIGHT!!!!

Week Four- GTOWN

Went to this film showing where they show short films from around the world. Some of them were boring, others were funny, or shocking. I brought my bottle of wine, cracked that shit, shared. Hit up the Rat, a bar, took some tequila shots. Got a little tipsy, girl poured a drink on my head by accident, I told it to her like it is, but didn’t punch her in the face. Woke up, went to Anthro where we meditated for the beginning. AWSOME. Went to Mad Hatters and had avo and bacon on toast. Stopped at the Kodak shop where they informed me all the pics on my memory card were corrupt. All last weekend gone. Then there was shop therapy. Got a pair of kickass earrings and FINALLY found a rain jacket, in the childrens section. Watched an episode of Lost, got the WEB ACCESS DENIED page. Went out for ice cream. We all pitched in and got one of the beggars an ice cream cone to make ourselves feel like we are giving people, who forgot to sign up to read to the blind. Smoked the hookah, watched some clips from Planet Earth.

LAter in the week went to the old Gaol for an open mic night. Nouria was supposed to play her uke, some boys stole her fame, overpowered the mic with their sad attempts to sing together. Got wasted. Lots of shots and such during the week. Lots of laying out in the gardens and reading or such. Hit up the hookah bar Thursday morning before classes, awesome little place, very laid back, lots of casual couches. Friday smoked hookah all day after classes, went to drum circle in the gardens, almost fainted in Nandos, this semi lookin chain joint. Homework is minimal. Kafka is next to be read. Then up to date we are, today, i went sky diving. and it was awesome. Getting ready and being in the plane didn't even faze me, there was never a knot in my stomach, or bad thought in my head. It was so weird to be relaxed, but it made the experience that much more enjoyable. When i was free falling it was like the craziest view of the world, like every things outline is changing shapes nonchalantly, getting closer, and you don't feel like your falling. Its like this lens eye view, of the world happening so fast. Then its just the African veld, the trees and rolling hills, thoughts of infinite tales. You just feel like you being, like wind is hitting you. I feel very alive, very accomplished, very ready to do many more things.
SInce i've been here i feel like everyday is better than the last, like the sun brings endless happiness. I relish in it. I love eating nonprocessed foods too.
I got a pineapple at the pineapple farm for 3R aka 30 cents, i tried to chop it open wiht the butter knife i had, didn't work. So i picked at the top some from what i had cut off. Left it on my desk for a day or two. then there were flies all over it and i threw it out my window. I could really go for some pineapple right now.

Funk Stop: Sausage Stand and Port Alfred

Friday night I was wasted and dancing to that bad American music that follows me and I ate a sausage-My first official blackout night. Went to various bars, almost got my cell phone blantently stolen, and slowly I might add. The kid put it in his change cup and stood there. Liz stopped him by saying NO SIR NO! hahahahahahahaha then I took my phone back and kept talking. It was very unthreatening and more of a laughing situation. Woke up the next morning in a daze, Scott rented a car for the weekend, his buddy Gordon was gonna take us out and he had a friend who lived there. We hit up the beach first, Lyndsey and I got an intense burn within an hour. Swam in the Indian ocean which was warm. Ventured to find a place to stay and picked the most haunted one available in Africa…..unadvertised of course. Lady was ‘hick’ Gordon said, but our hicks are a little different. Booked a room for three, four of us were staying. Had to go through troubles for that, she watched our every move. In my dream that night she grabbed my arm and tried to lead me into some basement, I told her to fuck off and ran into the hotel, which had a wedding going on, I got lost, couldn’t ever find the room again….Dunno what that means. The room was way shotty, but personality is better than being bland. The door was duct taped together, there was no shower but a bath, the other room was outside attached to the balcony with NO electricity. It reminded me of something out of Psyco, the older version. I got a kick out of it though. Learned how to drive a stick!!!!! On the other side of the road with the wheel on the right side!! ACCOMPLISHMENT? I think so. Pregamed at Gordon’s friend’s because we weren’t allowed to have guests in our room!!! Riiiiiigght. Drank tequila, took awesome pictures, then my camera was like SORRY UNREGONIZABLE FORMAT. Lost all the pics from the weekend sadly, Kodak couldn’t even recover them. Went to this bar that I would like to call the Snorting Grundel, you were to ‘enter at your own risk’. Drank lots, played pool, smoked joints, got burgers from this sketch guy for 15R which is 1.50. It was sooo good though. Eventually made our way down the dark streets to the sketchtell, laughed hysterically that we were staying in a haunted mansion. As we walk down the hallway a deep voice is like “BEEE QUIEEETTTT”. We were sketched, we all slept in the same bed, which was two doubles pushed togheter! An the one was bigger than the other so there was this awkward space in the middle. Checked out the next morning, lady was giving us shit cause 4 of us walked out, didn’t care, got our deposit back, ate whimpy, went back to Grahamstown.

Funk Stop: Addo and Port Alfred

Liz and I hoped on a trip with the French students to go to Addo National Park. We rented this huge van and headed out MAD early. We saw mad animals, Warthogs, zebra, elephants, kuda, other uninteresting animals, no lion or rhino, and they don’t have giraffes there. It only cost 2 dollars to drive through the park! It was amazing none the the less, more animals will be seen. When we left after chillin there for the day we saw wild elephants like along with side of the highway, which shouldn’t really be called a highway. We arrive in Port Alfred and got us some sick ass cottages for real cheap. We went out to eat at this place called Guido’s who’s name I will never forget. It took us 2 and a half hours to get our food, the waiter was horrible, I didn’t know what mince was, but got it in my pasta anyways, turns out its like small pieces of meat that overwhelm the taste of everything. I hated it. The French girls kept speaking in French, I wanted to slap one of them. If any of them read this, so be it, girls a ho. Drank some wine, went to bed, no big gitdown. Next morning the ho I wanted to slap HAD to go to the beach in horrible overcast-about-to-rain weather. I disagreed, she spoke in French, we went anyways. She wanted to eat at Guidos again, I disagreed, she spoke in French, I told her to speak English, she did, my dark sarcasm didn’t translate well, me and liz ate at the place next door and then drank wine on the beach and on the pier. The other French exchanges were chill though, had a good time overall. Got a cool ass shirt and some jewelry, a scarf, new shoes because mine were about to break, and a purse to carry my laptop in, a purse to carry a wallet in for getfuckedupnights all for like 30 bucks.

Funk Stop: First Weekend/Week in the G-Spot

Chilled with some girls who like to go to Friar’s, delt with it, drank Capts. One of her friends was staying in a B n B. Got down there. Met people, drank things. Picked up on slang like, keen, supper, is it?, my word, predrinks, let me fetch that. There was an open mic night in this hostel/bar called the Old Geol, its all cement with an open ceiling and a whack job bartender who hooked me up with some shwag. UGH. Some jam bands played, it was awesome, place was packed. It’s an alternative crowd, they git down with the root down, no Poker Face playing. THANK GOD. Classes are seemingly easy, I have only like one a day, then I go lay out in the gardens and read or write, go get food, sip wine. Very lax.

Funk Stop: Orientation Week

They woke me up and we went to a braii, a cookout. I almost ate a sausage cause I misinterpreted it to be a hot dog. I pretended to eat it. Then we had to do these serenade things where we sing these songs with words that go to real songs, but have all of these sexual innuendos. Every morning of that week, orientation week, we had to sing to the boys houses, and then do like speed dating to get to meet people. I skipped every other day because I was out partying so late and they wanted us up at like 6 am. The next night there was this huge Jazz concert, where they give away free wine and everyone just gits down, did that up and then hit the bars. Didn’t get that drunk but shit sure was cheap!!!

The first morning I got in contact with my family and people from home I heard there was a fire at 104 and Steve had passed away and Matt was in critical condition. I don’t want to get into that, but I will say it made me a stronger person, made me realize that I need to live my life to the fullest and just go at everything full hearted, being who I am and having no regrets. It weighed my mind for a while, but I did what I could. Laughed at the conversations Steve and I had had, how he lost his pants my last night in Plattsburgh because he was so wasted, and then they were soaking wet in Brads room. He then wore them to class lol. I don’t think it all hit me as much as it will hit me when I’m home, when I get my cell phone back and go to call the people I always called to hang out. Things will never be the same, but I have to accept that, if I don’t ill be running in place. For now I just try to make everyday better than the last, answer another one of life’s questions, discover something about myself, or just laugh at anything and everything to seize the day.

Since the first day I’ve been here I’ve had about 3 memorable dreams a night, of which I will mention sporadically. My rooms fung-shui(sp?) must be awesome. I’m taking Anthro 3, which seems pretty easy, and Modern Fiction 2, which is just full of literature talk. We have an internet quota. I had mine revoked within 5 days of being here. Ha. I’ve walked around town with some people I’ve met, South Africans and Americans. Eating out is cheap, there are about ten bars, all with their own personality. At first I was going to this place called Friar’s every night, which plays this HORRENDOUS American mainstream music, like rhiana and all that bullshit. I would get wasted and get down, but then I would step into reality and hope that wasn’t the only dance party in town. Sure enough it wasn’t. I discovered how amazing tequila is, especially when its 60 cents a shot. There’s no Castillo. I decided I want to start a garden when I go home. Before school started that week they had a street party, where they block off the streets and play some techno and shit like that, im legal to drink here too, which kicks ass. It started downpouring, people went crazy, it was like an unwookified version of Camp Bisco. I remembered a conversation Steve and I had before I left, about hoping there were some techno gitdowns. It was the epitome of that. The last night in the Burgh Steve was getting down in the living room and we were all sitting around, he was green in the face and trying to get us all to dance, “Come on GUUUUURL!” I was hysterically laughing at his attempts to start a dance party.

Funk Stop: Plane’s and transfers

I flew from Albany to JFK on this tiny ass plane, took the window seat even though my ticket was for the aisle. The guy who sat next to me had a cell phone attached to his ear, and he probably thought about telling me to switch, but he waited to long. And once you wait to long, the window of opportunity is closed and you risk looking like an asshole, so I think he sat in agony wishing he said something sooner.

I got to JFK and watched the news for my 4 hour layover, well I fell asleep for three and a half of that. Michael Phelps was on the news for his Bong Hit picture, which was totally blown out of the water, in reality if they want to take away his medals go ahead, he’s still the fastest mother fucker in the water. Taking him out of the competition would only make it so the rest of the swimmers are never testing themselves. I bought a head rest. It came in handy. On this flight I tried doing the same thing, cause they had me in the section in the aisle, tried to hop over right quick but a lady shnagged it. Ended up with the three seats to myself but the armrest didn’t go all the way into the seat so it was awkward. Drank some of the French wine, watched Nick and Nora’s infinite Playlist and fell asleep for 5 of the 6 hours.

I arrived in France. To generalize, they’re assholes which make my American dollar look like a joke. For ten dollars I got a water and an apple. Then the machine for the internet was being a bitch but I figured it out, only to buy an hour worth of time and find out that the keyboards were very different and it took me forever to type anything. I brought an icepack for the meds I had to take, but SOMEONE had already popped that shit before I left the states so it didn’t stay cold. I left my passport in the bathroom; a nice Asian woman returned it to me. It didn’t faze me that that could have fucked my trip. Nice people still exist. I was relaxed the whole trip and ready to get a move on.

Hopped on the plane to Joburgh, a 7 hour flight. Tried doing the same jump around, but this time the plane was packed, so every time I sat somewhere I’d have to pretend I fucked up my ticket seat and move. I ended up sitting next to an elderly French couple who I think was talking about me. Drank my bottle of wine, bit the ambien in half and hoped it wouldn’t shoot across the room. It didn’t. I decided to take the whole thing anyways. Fell asleep sitting up for the whole ride. Woke up and missed both the meals served, got some more wine though.

Arrived in Joburgh, guy had my name ready to take me to the place I was staying for the night. There was a man from Philly and a couple from Poland. The air smelt salty, and the stars were amazing. Got to the place, it was SICK. Pool with a nifty gazebo, all the doors were hand carved, it was very African-esque. I showered, slipped on the tile and hit my head, but I was so happy to be there I laughed. Hit up the bar, talked to the bartender and two old men discussing politics. They gave me the down low on various South African shit. We drank for like three hours. Bartender let me hit the weed, he was a juvenile though, kept talking about how he would get SOOO high. I went to bed, got up and brought my SHIT load of stuff to the front desk, the guy for the airport already left, they had me down as in a different room and came and knocked. It didn’t matter, there was another car. Got through the airport with a breeze, got through all the airports easily, no problems whatsoever. I never got nervous, just hoped if any of the planes went down I ended up on Lost. I bought myself a converter for my electronics for like 7 dollars, pretty cheap for an airport. When I opened my mouth to ask how much it was the guy behind the counter was like “OBAMA!!!” so that was cool. He said my card was declined. I panicked. It was a lie. I met Liz from TN, we were on the same flight. I sat next to a nice man and his son, watched the landscape the whole time.

Got to the Port Elizabeth airport. I never got a confirmation for when I was getting picked up, and the stupid ass lady from the international office told me, “Well lets hope no news is good news!” I’ll be writing Geneseo a letter when I return. They had my name though. Me Liz and a guy from Poland I believe were in the car, we had to wait for another girl to arrive, she was from Madagascar. We played trouble while we waited in the HOT HOT SUN, sitting in the car! I was the first dropped off at my residence, the ppl from my house came and helped me with my shit, they were REALLY and very helpful. I fell asleep again, for like five hours.