Then came JFK. First of all, the terminal looks like a prison. Second, after dragging around my 45lb Backpack, my 20+lb duffel, and my heavy backpack in the RIDICULOUS humidity (seriously, between that and the heat, I was sweating like a fiend), I finally found the baggage storage place only to have the woman at the desk matter-of-factly tell me that they were full and not taking any more bags. There was no way I was carrying all my stuff on the subway, so I resigned myself to staying the night at the airport. But after wandering around the terminal and a tearful call to my sister, I discovered there was absolutely no place to sit, not even a hard bench, and my sister was kind enough to pay for my cab to her friend Amanda's place, where I had already arranged to stay the night. The taxi driver was a super friendly (and slightly sassy) Nigerian man, living in the US for the past 32 years, with 3 daughters, all going to or had attended college. He had completely pimped out his ride, and I have to admit, I was impressed by the 5 bluetooth capability with touch screen and LED interior lights combined with spotless interior. Definitely nicer than Lucy.
Once I got to Amanda's studio walk-up apt in Midtown, things got better. I took a heavenly cold shower and chatted with her about my travel plans to Europe (she had just come back from Germany and seeing her German boyfriend). She was SO friendly and just what I needed after a long day.
After 4 hours sleep, she graciously woke up with me, bought me a bagel, and walked me to Grand Central Station where there was a shuttle service to the airport. People, I LOVE NYC, barring the permanent permeating smell of urine, and the city in the early morning is just great. As I told the cab driver, I'm going to probably live there someday. After getting dropped off at JFK, getting my affairs in order, and getting through security, I discovered:
Fun Fact: JFK Terminal 4 has birds in it.
As in little wild sparrows that must have snuck in somehow through a gate or door. There wasn't just one, but several. Odd. I can't tell if they are living there or just stuck, but they seem pretty familiar with the place.
Next up, the 10 hour fight to Johannesburg (JoBurg), then 2 more to Port Elizabeth (PE). I was sitting in the same section as a group of college kids, mostly from California, traveling to do mission work in Port Elizabeth, in front of this guy clearly trying to impress this girl by telling her about various subjects, from the Chinese language to African cultures. He was so wrong on so many levels, and he just WOULD NOT SHUT UP. It took all my strength to not just turn around and tell him he was full of crap and for the sake of all of us on the plane, he should just stop talking.
After I got to PE, I met another international Rhodes student from Buffalo, NY (who actually did stay overnight at JFK the poor guy) and a couple of fellow Rhodents (see key ---> for slang terms. there's a lot of them) while waiting for the shuttle. I met a girl who's on the Res committee (the dorm council system) for my hall, and it sounds like I'm going to have a good time partying at a true Braai (barbecue) this semester. The drive to Rhodes was beautiful, I'm sure, but I fell asleep for it so I wouldn't know, haha. The Indian Ocean looks very pale and slightly green, almost like jade.
Guys, SA is so. freaking. beautiful. Esp. Rhodes. I mean, this campus is gorgeous. I'm dying. I think I'm transferring here. On Sunday, it was raining, and cold, and a little bit miserable, but Monday, the sun was shining, there were these cool birds that weave their nests upside down singing, and we took a tour of campus that just proved that my school kicks so much ass in the aesthetics dept. Just saying. I also found a cafe (well, someone told me about a cafe) that has free WiFi and delicious coffee. Study spot= found.
I've been living in a temporary dorm, Matthews House, for this orientation week with all the other international students. There are 2 Netherlanders, Wout (M, Law) and Merel (F), 1 French girl Celine (Journal.), 1 Englishman Simon (EnviroSci/Bio), 1 German girl Deike (Busi.), 1 Italian girl Teresa, 8 American girls Anna, Anna, Ilyssa, Ashley, Katie, Sara, and Chloe and myself (from MI, MD, ME, NY, Boston College, et. al), 1 Aussie girl Bec, and 2 American guys Chris and Ryan (Intl Rel./Econ). We're all going essentially going to be living in different places around campus in a week, but so far it's been one long constant bout of socialization, and I'm afraid people are quite sick of me :P. It's been established that I'm (unfortunately) a walking encyclopedia, but the people here seem to be taking it well. I'll get better, I promise. There are also a couple of Rhodents who have volunteered to hang out with (babysit) us , Tinashe (Ti-na-shay, who is so sassy. love it), Eric (who's pretty much the most interesting person ever, speaks 6 languages and wants to learn Chinese), and Manda (who I haven't seen much of but I'm pretty sure is kicking all of our asses at pool). So far, I have discovered that everyone on campus, including administrators, has such a great sense of humor. There's sass, sarcasm, and everyone laughs so well. The guy who led our tour was so funny, giving us fun little tidbits instead of the boring stuff, and the International Office was so good-humored about the fact that we all showed up to the wrong place. Apart for the occasional chill (it's been in the 50s F), and the slightly dilapidated dorm I'm living in currently, this place is paradise. The food, so far, has been alright, and Eric has broken down for me what meals I should book when (Indian for supper on Mon. Wed. and Sun. African for Wed. during the day), so I should be trying tasty foods here. Definitely not homesick yet.
Today, mini lectures doing the orientation bit and went around taking pictures. I'll upload them soon! I love it here.
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