Ek gaan na Zuid Afrika!

I picked up an Afrikaans phrasebook yesterday! Well, it's actually an "Africa" phrasebook. They don't sell any Afrikaans books at Barnes and Nobles here. It has 13 sections on the 13 major languages in Africa. The very first part of the book is over Afrikaans though, and I think it will be really helpful. I know most people will speak English, I think it will still be good to know some phrases. The language seems really Germanic, which is good for me because I know German. The words are spelled and pronounced a little bit differently, but overall it is really similar to German. I'm not going over there to learn the language, all of our classes are in English, and I doubt I could learn much in a month anyway, but It can't hurt to know some words and phrases.

By the way, the title of this post, "Ek gaan na Zuid Afrika!" translates to "I'm going to South Africa", Less than two weeks now and I'll be there! I realized today that in a period of just over 24 hours I will have been on 4 different continents. That's over half of them! I'll be in N. America (obviously), Europe (Frankfurt), Asia (Dubai), and Africa (also obvious). That's pretty cool!

The doctor said he didn't think I’d need any vaccines, because I'm all up to date on mine, but he was going to check to see if any were recommended. It's wintertime there though so I'm really not concerned, plus I'm going to be in the city most of the time anyway.

Two Weeks!

I got a packet today from Stamford with all the information I still needed for my trip, basically just logistical stuff, how to send my luggage on, how to get to campus when I arrive, etc. I'm starting to get pretty excited, even though I still have two weeks left before I'll be boarding my first flight to Charlotte.

Tomorrow I'm going in to meet with my doctor about shots I'll be needing before I go. I don't think that any are specifically required by South Africa, but I'll be stopping a few times on my way there, and I don't know if I'll need any shots since I'm entering in from another country.

Which one of these plugs will work in South Africa?

Today I picked up a travel converter at the store. It has all of the different electric adaptors, but I'm not really sure which one I need. It doesn't come with a travel case, and I don't want to take all of the different adaptors because I'm afraid I'd lose one, and there's really no point in bringing the ones I don't need. Two different adaptors say that they are for Africa, but they look completely different and I've been having trouble finding online which one I need. One has two small round prongs, the other has three large flat prongs. If anyone knows which one will work in South Africa, I would really appreciate it!





Update: I think I've figured out that I'll be needing the bigger of the two plugs. I'm going to take both of them just in case though!

"Call Me Mr. Blue"

That's the name of a song from the 50's, by the way. I thought it was appropriate.

Today I got my Skywards Blue membership. Skywards is the Emirates Air frequent flier program. I don't know when I'll fly them again, but it can't hurt to start earning miles. Plus, as a blue level (entry) member I can request a specific seat for the flight. I also can request a special meal, my favorite drink, and the newspaper of my choice for my flight. The benefits of membership seem pretty good even at the lowest level.

I'll be at the Dubai airport for a little over four hours. I don't know if I'll have enough time to go through customs though. As neat as it would be to get to visit Dubai, I'm afraid to miss my flight to Africa. The airport looks really cool though. I think I'll be able to amuse myself for a few hours looking around the shops.

info about the school

I forgot to put this in an earlier post. Here is a link to the school where I will be studying for the summer (winter in S. Africa) semester, Stellenbosch University. Stellenbosch is located about 35km from Cape Town in the Afrikaans-speaking Western Cape region. Although it is an Afrikaans university, the classes for the international students will be taught in English.

http://www.sun.ac.za/

Flight Information

I got my tickets today! It looks like I'll be flying US Airways to Frankfurt by way of Charlotte, NC, then changing planes in Germany and flying Emirates Air to Cape Town by way of Dubai. It's a long day, but it is definitely the least expensive route to S. Africa. On the way home I'll be taking the same airlines and making the same stops.

Africa!

Well, it's official! I've paid for the trip, I had my passport photos taken today for the visa, I got my guide book (Lonely Planet: South Africa, Lesotho, and Swaziland), all that's left is to get the airline tickets, which I am doing tomorrow (airfare is supposedly cheaper on Tuesday. We'll see!) I'll be leaving in less than a month to spend part of the summer doing my study abroad in Stellenbosch, South Africa (35km from Cape Town. That's twenty-ish miles I think. I can't wait! I decided to start this blog so that I could share my pictures more easily while I'm gone, and also to keep in touch with folks back home in Arlington. The best part is that I'll be gone through most of June and July, so I'll be missing the hottest parts of the summer in Texas, and enjoying the nicest months of winter in the southern hemisphere. More updates to follow!