Still in Narnia

Here is a brief lowdown of my life since I last checked in

1. I still don't have WiFi/ethernet internet access on campus. This means that my access is limited to: the hours that various coffee shops are open during the day (because it's not really safe for me to travel alone after dark) and whenever I can make it to/find an available space in the computer lab. So that means the Skyping is essentially out of the picture because during the day here, it's in the middle of the night Stateside, and I can't Skype on the computer lab PCs. Please be patient, lovelies, I'm going to call the mail delivery service tomorrow to see if I can track down that damn cord.

2. My life is essentially made now because last weekend, the IntlStuds went to Addo Elephant Park, and I saw my first wild elephant. I mean, they are essentially domesticated at the rate of tourism, but still, it was amazing. The weather left something to be desired, but the animals didn't seem to mind, so I didn't either.  We also saw lions, kudu, zebras, monkeys, eagles… Next Goal: touch an elephant. Here are a couple pictures from our adventure:

Look at the tiny baby elephant underneath! Tinashe: oh my goodness, that's so beautiful

Speaking of Tinashe, here's our adorable Zimbabwean now. He and I snuggled for warmth in the backseat of the van.

I can't remember what kind of animal this is

An ostrich just hanging out by it's eggs. They were just lying there, to the side.

Kudu. Very Tasty.

Warthogs are damn ugly things, aren't they?

More elephants!!!

We hada lion sighting! Apparently that doesn't happen very often.

Some lovely zebras

We had two different vans, and I was in one with 4 other boys, so Katie decided to come up with a song for me "Janni, Janni, Janni and the boys" sung to the tune of "Benny and the Jets." Unfortunately, it has stuck. That, and "Janni is a Mom" (same tune) because I was the one who brought a jar of peanut butter and a loaf of bread to feed everyone in case they got hungry. Needless to say, they did. I now am out of bread. And Katie still sings the songs once in a while. Joy.

3. Classes are ploughing along, and I think I'm going to actually start trying. We'll see. There's a little bit of hopelessness involved because apparently the grading system is so harsh here that a 70% is just unheard of. I'm planning on failing all of my classes. I've accepted it already. It's very healthy.

4. Coming up:
Tomorrow (Thursday) a group of us are going to go hiking at Hogsback, a couple hours outside of Grahamstown. It's going to be freaking cold, so hopefully I won't fall deathly ill.

Fun Fact: Some people claim that JRR Tolkein (who was born in Bloemfontein, SA) got his inspiration for Mirkwood from the mountains at Hogsback. They are wrong. Tolkein had left SA as a very small child, never to return. There is, however, a small kid's camp called Hobbiton at Hogsback, named so after the books became popular.

Also, next weekend is the notorious TriVar (pc: Intervarsity). It's a weekend long extravaganza during which four universities (it used to be three, hence the Tri) of the Eastern Cape get together to compete in various sports. But, the real fun starts at the after-parties, where everyone just goes batshit crazy and parties until dawn and past. You wear these white jumpsuits the entire time that you paint with your school colors (ours is purple) that you are never. allowed. to. wash. Apparently, you would wash away the memories with it. Hope my backpack will have room for it in the end :).