SYTYCMMMTIDY?!

Hi everyone,

Sadly there's not much to report, so this is just a check-in.

We've entered the last month until I return home to blistering, blizzarding, snow. Not that the weather here is much different. (Glooobal waaaarming....)

The hospital is still well. I was able to scout out a nearby hospital for "chronic invalids", because one of our patients needs to be transferred. It was one of the very few times here where I had to restrain myself from crying. Disadvantaged as the hospital is, visiting it definitely renewed the idea that impoverished Africa is certainly not hopeless. In the horrible circumstances, people are still working hard with what they have. There are amazing people that are really dedicated and devoted to third-world development, despite the fact that most of the world has given up.

*steps off soapbox*

Hope everyone is well.
I wish I had more to report.

Namaste.

Salty Crocodile

Hi all,

SO, last week five of us interns took a trip down the coast, which is known as The Garden Route. It was a four-day thing, below are the exploits.

First stop: Mossel Bay. One of the candidates for the beginning of humankind, it's a small residential town with a strong downtown (Holland, anyone?). We found our hostel and then went straight to the beach. The wind was pretty hectic, causing rough seas and 30-foot waves!! We hiked the side of a mount and found a partial cave. All along the rocks were dassies. Dassies look like giant disgusting rodents, but are the closest relative to the ELEPHANT.

Above: the non-elusive dassie.

Mossel Bay

We spent the night in Mossel Bay and the next morning went to the beach. It was too cold to do much, but I found strange snails with squishy squish squish for feet... and then realized that the squish is to help them dig under the sand... and THEN realized I was standing on sand that was slightly in motion... because of all the snails. Ehhheheghh...

Later we drove to Knysna, which is famous for its forest. We drove straight through the forest to make it to Knysna Elephant Park before it closed. There are 9 elephants that we saw, and we paid an extra $2 to be able to feed them. They take their tusks, you place the food in their tusk, and then they transfer the food from the tusk to their mouth. They were greedy and stole my entire bucket of food (not that I was going to eat it). All of the elephants there had been taken from the wild solely to save their lives. After we finished feeding them, we walked around with them and the guides. The elephants allowed us to touch their trunks, ears, sides, etc., except for a pregnant elephant who was extremely territorial.

Greed at work

The next morning we left our hostel in Knysna early to make it to Plettenberg Bay. That morning in Plett, we went "dolphin kayaking" on the Indian Ocean. We were supposed to see dolphins/whales/seals, etc., but nothing ever showed. Not to mention the wind picked up and I got so seasick my kayak partner had to paddle us back to shore entirely by herself.

"I'll just lay here for a few hours, guys..."

NEXT, we rushed past Plettenberg Bay to make it to the world's tallest bungee jump. Before you even begin to think it -- no. I did NOT bungee jump, and I am FINE with that decision. Paying $70 to fear death as, attached to a cord, I plummet down a 218-meter ravine towards unapologetic boulders? Pass.

I did, however, walk the bridge, which is cool enough.

No way.

Three of us did bungee, and it was... cool?... to watch them do it. We drove back to Plett and spent the night at the hostel having a braai (South African version of barbeque).

Driving back the next day took about 9 hours. The highlight was the Karoo, where were stopped to visit the Cango Caves. No pictures, but I can tell you that the Caves were gigantic and a lot of the formations are about 500,000 years old. It was a pretty quick stop, and then we kept on driving through Ostrich Country. Ostriches EVERYWHERE. I think more than 80% of the entire area's living must come from ostriches somehow. When we had lunch at the caves, Marcos even ordered ostrich neck for lunch. The visual highlight of the drive home was the mountains past Outdshoorn.

So ugly.

Not so ugly.

So that was the Garden Route trip.

In other news...

South Africa's Halloween was the most pathetic thing I've ever seen. I could enjoy the lack of decorations and advertisements everywhere I looked.... but when it came to actual trick-or-treating... ha! We passed at least one hundred houses and only four of them answered with sweets. I tried to explain the brillance and extravagance of an American Halloween. Most people here didn't even remember the date. Heh. Heh. Heh. In their defense, there was absolutely nothing to remind them of the date. I've heard that Guy Fawkes Day (Nov. 5) is much more widely celebrated and that there will be lots of fireworks.

Work at the hospital is still going well. It's an extremely quiet time of year in terms of how many volunteers come, so I seem to attract kids wherever I go.

Before the trip, some of us went to a restaurant downtown and tried game meat. Ostrich (tasted acidic), warthog (like beef!), and crocodile (salty). Yum.

Still just bracing for the election. Planning to stay up the whole night and watch results come in state by state, like the nerd I am. Stupid time change puts me an extra hour behind Michigan.

Love to all. Enjoy that frosty weather.

- Erin