A vintage poster commissioned by the British Government in August 1939 to be posted in times of “crisis or invasion”. There were three posters of similar design created for public confidence and this one was never posted.

Other colors (or should that be colours?) available.

I also got to spend a little time talking with Mrs. de la Bat again before I left. I will miss our conversations. I look forward to staying with her again.

My trip home began at 10 am on Saturday (South African time). I walked in the door at home on Sunday around 11:30 am (EST). That’s quite a bit of traveling in one stretch. The longest part was the 18.5+ leg from Johannesburg to Dulles, via Dakar. We stopped in Dakar to refuel and have security checks (more about that later). I was most worried about who I would be assigned to sit next to for this very long leg. The trip from Capetown to Johannesburg was not easy since I sat next to a large man who needed some of my seat. But, things worked out amazingly for the second flight. I sat next to a fourth-year med school student, from (of all places) U Penn! He had been in Botswana doing a 6 week rotation. He is a second generation immigrant from India. And he used to go to Tenth Presbyterian! And he knew all about Tim Keller’s upcoming talk about his new book that Mark is helping to organize. And he was just a great Christian brother to talk to (all you Hebrew students can consider those “ands” as “waws”…but can you tell what kind?). We had a great time sharing stories. Unfortunately, his video for his seat did not work, so after about 4 hours he insisted they move him over to a nearby empty seat so that he could watch some movies. That meant that I had no one sitting next to me for the rest of the flight.

I had downloaded the third episode of LOST to watch on the plane (I think I violated some download limits to do it… it took 4 days!). After watching it, I tried to sleep as much as I could. Halfway through the trip we landed in Dakar and all the lights came on. Only people who had their final destination in Dakar could deplane (only a handful). Then the fun began. A squad of security folks came on and checked every seat that did not have a person in it. They removed cushions, felt into seat pockets, looked all around the chair. Then everyone in the plane was requested to remove their carryon luggage and hold it in their lap. Seriously. On an international flight do you know how much carryon luggage some people bring? And for the entire plane to try to get all their luggage out of the lockers at the same time was hilarious. So, we all had to sit there juggling all these suitcases, backpacks, giftbags, etc., etc., so they could see if anything was “unclaimed” in the lockers. You can guess what they are trying to find. And the final zaniness to this middle of the night stop was that they then had to fumigate the plane. Yes, with us all in it. They walk through the plane and spray some cans of insecticide into the air. Oh, and I forgot to mention that after we landed the air vents had some kind of moist cold (read “freezing”) air pumped into the cabin, so that we had a kind of smoke-vapor emitting from all the vents (looked surreal).

The rest of the journey was pretty typical. You soon run out of positions to sleep in. The more hungry you get, the worse the airplane food becomes. And you have watched every video or documentary at least twice. I even tried to watch the movie “Bees.” I couldn’t finish it. The good news is that my luggage made it all the way to Dulles just fine. I got through immigration and customs without a hitch and even though the Philly flight was a little delayed, I eventually found my way to Mark in the terminal. Hurray! Wait, a minute. Is that Mark? What’s with the facial hair?

Anyway, I’m back home and unpacking, doing laundry, and trying to stay awake all day so that I can sleep tonight. Mark, on the other hand, is already taking a nap. He has been sick this week and then spent most of the weekend helping out with the teaching for a youth retreat before he retrieved me from the airport. I figure it will take a few days to get back into the swing of things… but already the “to-do” list is growing. I look forward to being back on campus on Monday and sharing more about the trip with people in person. Thanks for coming along on this journey with me. It was fun to write about the experiences and to hear your comments.

Everyone was adament that I shouldn’t hike alone (no kidding). The plan had always been to try to find someone to hike with once I got there (talk about being spontaneous). After Jennie dropped the rest of the group at the cablecar station to ride to the top of the mountain, she took me to the trailhead. Just as we got there a couple was getting out of their car. Jennie asked them if I could hike along with them. They were from Germany and were just terrific about letting me tag along. It took us 1½ hours to get to the top via the Platteklip Gorge. That’s a pretty fair clip. The ranger and the map say it is about 2½ hours. Here’s how the map describes the trail: “a sustained, unrelieved climb with a view that slowly shrinks between dark, forbidding walls as you (at last!) near the summit.” They weren’t kidding about the “unrelieved climb.” And they didn’t mention that it was in the direct sun in the morning and HOT, HOT, HOT. There are no trees, just scrubby bushes and small plants and grasses. You are hiking on rocks the entire time. I don’t usually sweat up a storm, but when I got to the top I was soaked through every piece of clothing I had on (Hannah, Sarah, and Mark, think Phelps Mountain on steroids).

But once we made our way through the steep, narrow gorge, the trail opened out onto the trail between the Western Table and Central/Eastern Table. I scrambled up to the Western Table where the cable car station is. There is also a restaurant and a gift shop. Sound like Whiteface? I looked a wreck and had hiking shoes on, backpack, etc. Once at the top you encounter sandal-clad tourists who have ridden up the cable car (just like the people who drive up Whiteface and take the elevator). To say the views are amazing is just not adequate. We had a bit of haze today, but even still, it was beautiful. Table Mountain rises 1086 meters in a very short distance. Some of the faces are so steep and windy you could not even climb with ropes. But once at the top, it is completely flat. It’s name is aptly given. It is also very large. Most mountain peaks in the Adirondacks have relatively small summits. Here, it is an entire park. I hiked many trails and even back down into the col to go over to Maclear’s Beacon which is across the Central Table and over to the Eastern Table.

I tried to take photos of the beautiful flowers and birds, but it was so bright in the sun that it was difficult to know if the camera was focused. I did get a few photos of the lizards. Western Table is much more “civilised.” That is where most of the people walk and it is quite easy to get around most of it. If you wander further to the other trails there is more vegetation and even some damp areas that have little boardwalks. I suppose in the winter or during rainy times parts of the top of the mountain get pretty soggy (since it is flat). Most of the trails are marked with paint blazes on the rocks. They are quite clever…if it is easy going, there are little shoe prints painted. But, if it will require a scramble, there is a little goat painted.

OK, so I successfully arranged a ride to Capetown. And I successfully found someone (safe) to hike with. So far, the Grand Adventure is going quite well. Now I needed to get back down the mountain and rendezvous somewhere in Capetown with the guide and the rest of the group. No one wanted to hike back down the mountain (too steep). So, I had to pluck up a tremendous amount of courage to go down in the cable car. It is a large car that goes steeply down the mountain. It is round and the outside part of the car rotates (oh joy) so that you can have a panoramic view (or get sick). I figured I would stand in the center and just close my eyes. But I actually ended up watching most of the ride. The center of the car has a platform that does not rotate, so that was my spot. I even took a few photos to prove that I was looking out the windows as we descended. I have succeeded in getting off the mountain.

Now, I need to find a taxi, negotiate a fair price (harder than you might think) and get to the waterfront to meet the rest of the group. I found a taxi van with 10 people (speaking 5 languages) all going sort of in the same direction. I agreed to the price and get in. I call the tour guide (so glad I have a cell phone) and let her know where I am. She tells me that we are leaving at 6pm instead of 3:30pm. The amazing thing is that I am able to remember a landmark down in the city to tell her where I will meet her. Fortunately, I am a little familiar with this area since we were here last weekend. OK, so now I will have a couple of hours to kill at the waterfront. I sit back and relax…but only briefly. This taxi trip can only be likened to the one Harry Potter took in the Night Bus. And with the same kinds of yelling. But, eventually I make it to the waterfront.

I walked around, shopped, and ate a very late lunch (I had eaten cheese, fruit, and an energy bar on the mountain). I saw a “Semester at Sea” cruise ship. I have always thought that would be a great idea to participate in. I wonder if they need any instructors? The best find of the day (other than the hiking companions) was an artist booth that had wonderful turned wood bowls. I found a small bowl made from a wild olive tree that was actually felled in Stellenbosch! Finally, I make it to the rendezvous point (before the rest of the group!) and then we head back home. I think I am ready for “The Amazing Race.”

One interesting thing about the trip home (I’ve been on this route now a few times, the N2) is that the townships/resettlement areas come right up to the edge of the highway. The kids and coaches come out to the medians and edges of the highway to practice soccer there because it is level, there is grass, and it is an open area. It is quite strange to see all these little soccer games going on right at the edge of the highway.

Oh, and in case anyone wanted to know, I finished my research schedule for Christo.

I learned more about Etosha and her husband’s work. I heard stories of how he obtained his pilot’s license so that he could fly a Piper Cub in the bush to manage the animals. I learned about a “cooler” made from coke/coals stuffed between chicken mesh. A pan of water is set to drip continually over the coals and as the water evaporates, the inside is kept cool enough (not like a freezer or fridge, but enough to keep the meat from a springbok from spoiling for a week).

She described for me some of her recent travels with the Department of Ancient Studies. She has been to Turkey and to Italy. She has been a widow for 25 years, has 3 grandchildren, and is finishing another Masters degree (in literature). She runs the guesthouse rooms as a kind of side business. She says that the business is not her bread and butter, but it provides the jam for her bread. In short, she is an amazing woman, full of life and stories and I wish I could spend more time with her. I will definitely want to stay with her again when I come back to Stellenbosch.

But the most amusing conversation was about politics. American politics. I am amazed at how well-informed so many South Africans are about our election. They know each candidate, have opinions, and always ask me questions (I’m put to shame that I don’t know some of the answers). She says that Clinton and Obama are much more exciting to hear about, but she thinks that Clinton is too “party line.” She thinks Obama is someone who will think outside the box. But she also doesn’t know if we can overcome the race issue. She thinks Hillary should wear a suit with a skirt every now and then. She doesn’t think the pant suits are flattering to her (“I would love to call her up and tell her to wear a businesslike skirt suit because she is a little wide in the beam and the pantsuits don’t help.”) She liked some of the issues that the Republicans were raising. I asked her why so many people here were so interested in our election. She said because what happens in America will eventually affect them.

I just learned tonight that we are having a full lunar eclipse between 3 and 5 am, so I am going to try to get up and view that.

I spent some time talking with Mrs. de la Bat this morning and she told me wonderful stories of living on the game reserve on the Etosha Pan. The pan or plain is full of amazing animals, and she is full of amazing stories!

First, let’s get the story behind the elephant feet. Her husband was the head game warden at Etosha. When an elephant bull becomes bested by another bull, he is put out of the herd. This bull may wander out of the reserve and then often becomes a nuisance to the farmers adjacent to the reserve. There is an attempt to drive the bull elephant away (usually on horseback), but sometimes they are unable to drive the elephant away. When this happens, the game warden is called in and if he cannot get the bull to go back to the reserve (elephants have a mind to themselves!) he has to take the bull and shoot it. This does not happen often. So, this was the only elephant that Mr. de la Bat had to shoot in this way. They took the feet and cut them off, sliced the back of the foot, took out the meat, stitched the foot back up, and then cured them with salt. The rear foot is larger than the front one. They are immense, so the elephant must have been enormous.

Mrs. de la Bat talks about the animals as if she were narrating a Discovery Channel or National Geographic documentary. She has raised babies that her husband brought home from mothers who had died. She said if you get the baby young enough, you can tame it (if it is alone and not with even a sibling). Two baby cheetahs were the only ones she could not tame, because they had each other. The problem, she said, is when the animals get big. So, she doesn’t think it is ever a good idea to try to tame the animals, just that they did it when the babies were abandoned. They had permission to kill one springbok every two weeks for their food. The way you are supposed to hunt the springbok is to take the nearest animal (not the largest and not the babies). One time, the nearest animal that he shot happened to be a very pregnant doe and he cut the baby out and it was alive, so he brought it home to Connie to raise. The little buck was fine until it got large enough to start butting people!

The Etosha area is a “pan” or a “plain” and is flat and dry for much of the year, but does get rain during part of the year and there are large watering holes then. She loaned to me some books with photographs and maps. I will try to take some photos of them. She described for me how “cute” baby elephants are when they are born (they are pink she says). And how powerful a lion’s paw is. That it can break the back of a jackal with one swipe. She told me how a lion and lioness would hunt as a team. The lioness would wait and be downwind so that her scent would be made known (on purpose) to the approaching animals. Then the animals would turn away from her and run right into the area where the male lion was waiting to ambush them. She talks about these things with such familiarity.

Connie, and her husband, lived in Namibia on the Etosha Pan for all of their married life and she raised two sons there. Most of the time they lived in a place called Okaukuejo, which is on the southwest edge of the pan. For long times they lived in the bush without any kind of regular appliances, cooking over a coal stove.

Tonight we will go out to dinner and I am looking forward to hearing many more stories!

I had lunch with Andrea and then we went to the Theological Seminary. I “registered” my student card there so that I can gain entrance (you always have to swipe your card to get in). I took a little time to look around the library… and noted that they have 3 of Dr. Poythress’ books (and his dissertation original) and 12 of Tremper Longman’s books (they even have two of the Intro to the OT), but none of Pete Enns’ books. I should have brought one to donate. There is an exhibit hall with cases of various tribal items (weapons, clothing, musical instruments, baskets, etc) but as the descriptions are all in Afrikaans I have no idea to what era or what people they belong! Still, it is wonderful to have so many unique items on display in the hallways.

I have to mention one place that you can get burgers. It’s called “Wimpy.” Oh, and I saw an authentic Adirondack chair outside a guesthouse on our street!

“Poetic utterances are distinguished from the more mundane cases of communication by the way that they encourage the hearer to take a greater share of the interpretation process, so that the extra effort she invests is rewarded by a wide array of very weak implicatures, which she is encouraged to explore.” [Implicature: a term introduced by Grice for any aspect of meaning that could not be analysed in truth-conditional terms]. This one was actually for Ros, since she works so hard to make people see the value of poetry.

“To say a phenomena is ordinary and everyday is not necessarily to say that it is uninteresting.”

“Metaphor is the dream-work of language” (Blakemore is actually quoting Davidson here).

I guess all the other notes I have that I thought were so wonderful are pretty interesting only to me, so I’ll move on.

I’ve met with Christo several times to discuss some of the reading and to think through (out loud) some of the research to see where it might be productive for our work. I’m still having a hard time focusing on putting a schedule to paper. I have one from last May, but we are revising it. Christo also wants me to work in writing some articles.

I’ve also had some time to meet with Andrea, Christo’s masters level student who is from Texas. Her husband is Mexican and he is missing tortillas. He is studying international relations and may (or may not) want to work for the CIA or for the foreign office. I tried to answer her questions about Accordance and Mellel (some of the software I use on my computer). I also shared with her some of the handouts that we use in our Hebrew program at WTS.

The past few days have been exciting times for rugby and cricket players (and fans). There have been almost constant tournaments going on across the river. At night there are thunderous refrains of some foreign chant that hover in the air. Drums and the stamping of feet often accompany the singing. We’re not talking about African chanting (necessarily), but just thousands of Maties (Stellenbosch University students) screaming something in unison for sustained periods of time. It sounds quite rowdy, but it isn’t a cacophony. They definitely are chanting together.

As I mentioned in my interim update, I was approached on the campus street today by someone who needed directions. I was amazed that I was asked, and even more amazed that they asked for directions to a place that I actually knew about.

With only a few days left, I’ve been trying to pick up some items to bring home. I went in a rare book and antique store and found some amazing things (most of the really unique things were not for sale). One thing was a ball-like bag with a handle made out of some kind of animal skin. It probably could hold 8-10 gallons. It was labeled as something used to carry butter. Then there was the very strange musical instrument. It had a string bow (which looked more like a bow for an arrow). The instrument itself had 3 strings and was carved out of one piece of wood. It had a carved bird at the place where a violin scroll would be. The bottom bowl (or body) of the instrument was hollowed out, but only the bottom half was covered. The covering was an animal skin. I took a photo of it because it was so unusual. Oh, and they also had some old Tolkien Lord of the Rings books which were labeled “first edition” copies (3rd, 4th and 10th printing… but the dustjackets were not from the “real” first editions). And way too expensive for the quality and condition of the books (R6000). I did decide to bring back one thing made out of an animal skin. I bought a small ostriche leather change purse. That store is right next to the place where you can get ostriche burgers. Hmm.

I did pluck up enough courage to go out on my bicycle toward the outskirts of town so that I could get closer to the Jonkershoek mountains which tower over Stellenbosch. I kept reminding myself of what Rosemarie G. told me: keep your left elbow on the curb. So, I was able to navigate the roads and stay on the right/correct side (that would actually be left side) of the road. Left turns are easy, it’s the right turns that get a little nerve-wracking. And the roundabouts are the hardest in traffic. But, I had a nice time out and back. It’s just so beautiful. But, then again, after the trip to Capetown, I realize just how insulated Stellenbosch is from some of the ugliness of the country.

I’m still trying to find a way to get back to Capetown so that I can climb/hike on Table Mountain before I come home. I’ve been trying almost everything (talking to the BTK club at school, which is the Mountain and Touring club; asking at the local outdoor store for suggestions; talking to a few tour group organizers; asking Christo, etc). So far nothing has come through, but one person said they might be able to work out something if I was flexible. So, my backpack is ready at an instant if they call my cell phone.

I’m trying to find a ride back to the airport on the weekend. Christo has obligations and can’t take me. We thought the international office would arrange a ride (they are supposed to provide transportation free the first time that students visit). However, they informed us today that they don’t make arrangements for on the weekend. Christo suggested that he arrange a car for me and I could drive myself (PANIC!!!). I don’t really want to navigate the highways to Capetown by myself. So, we are still working on a plan. I’m not too concerned. I do have a back-up plan, but I’m getting more frugal the longer I am here and I hate to spend money that I don’t have to.

University fact of the day: our mascot is a squirrel. I guess it is because we value the oak trees on campus and have an oak leaf in our logo. It must be a fierce squirrel.

Today I sat in on one of Christo’s first year classes. This section happened to be in English. Most of the classes must be taught in Afrikaans (at the undergraduate level). He is in the second week and it won’t be until tomorrow that they begin the aleph-bet. This is because he spends the first lectures describing the Ancient Near Eastern cultural and linguistic context.

I’ve started to be more aware of some of the subtleties of the lines of racial distinction that still exist. For example, in Java Café all the wait staff (female and male) are young and white. All the people in the kitchen and behind the bar (making the coffee, etc) are colored. The wait staff wear stylish black tops and skirts/pants with half aprons, usually with a good amount of skin showing. The colored staff wear black dresses and aprons and draw less attention to themselves. They never interact with the customers directly. People are definitely changing in their attitudes and in the opportunities offered to browns and blacks, but you can see that there are so many repurcussions of apartheid that will take a very long time to work through. As in many things, the political situation is much more complicated than it looks. I’ve had some really helpful and enlightening conversations with people to broaden my understanding.

I found some maps in a store and was able to figure out the exact route we took the other day. I also now have names of peaks and mountains. My recollection of some of the order and locations of the trip was not quite right, so having the maps makes it easier to identify where I took my photos. I’ll try to update some of those. Just thought it was funny though that one of the mountains we took lots of photos of is called Karbonkelberg. And the one that Mark commented looks like the Prudential rock is actually called the Sentinel or Hangberg.

Back in Stellenbosch, my gastehuis is just a half block from the Theological Seminary. But that’s just a plain boring name. The real name for a seminary here is a kweekskool. Kweek is a verb which can mean to cultivate or train. And a kweekhuis is a hothouse. As in a place to cultivate fruits. I didn’t make that up, that is what my little dictionary said! ☺

And the closing note for the day. Worlds collide when you taste South African brie cheese with chiles.

Postscript: it appears that the spoofing of my domain has finally run its course. At least for now.

On our final approach to Capetown we passed through Hout Bay. Houtbay is on the outskirts of Capetown and is home to thousands and thousands of people who live in a “resettlement” area. This is a remnant of the difficult past. Here people are living in a shanty town. Little tin rooms, crunched on top of one another. It looks like a giant quilt of humanity. It is very sad and depressing. There is work to regularize these informal settlements. A few miles up the road we pass one of the areas where they are trying to make things better. We see what looks like hundreds of little bathroom stalls in the middle of nothing. They are not closed in, you can see the toilets. What they are trying to do is provide rudimentary plumbing for the people to come and build around. By “build” I don’t really mean construction of a house, but another informal settlement. But at least they would have some plumbing. A little further down the way there are small multi-room houses, close together, but bigger and “nicer.” Here there are schools. And still further, as we get closer to Capetown proper we see suburban-type neighborhoods with better (but not terrific) housing. Finally, as we get to the coastal area (which is built right up onto the sides of the mountain) we see the very expensive luxury homes and tourist places. The poverty slammed right up against luxury is glaring.

As we entered Capetown we saw the great cranes that are hard at work to build the new stadium for the World Cup in 2010. The airport is being enlarged also. There are mixed feelings about the World Cup being here. On the one hand, the prestige and tourism is great. Even Christo has his house pre-booked with friends from Germany for that event! But it is expensive to do all the construction and some people fear it will be too great an economic strain.

Speaking of sports. Only Doug G. knew about the Super 14 and I must confess that with all the coverage I am beginning to be won over to rugby.

We stop at the harbor and Andrea, Ricky and I get out to do some shopping while Christo and Marli head off for an errand. Andrea and Ricky were looking for some kitchen items, so we split up and I went off looking for things to bring home. There is a large mall, an open air area, and a craft building. The mall is modern and huge (and expensive). This is where the Apple store is. There are typical touristy stores too. The craft area is a large steel building with lots of little vendor areas in it. Most are just a few feet of space. There are typical “African” items (which often are not made in South Africa, but all the tourists think that those kinds of items are “African” and they want to get them to take home…some are probably made in China!). But there are also some small booths that display items from community efforts. There is one from a group that takes used teabags, dries them, takes the leaves out, irons them, and then paints them. Then they make all kinds of items from them (some are put on fabric bags, others used for trays or coasters or ornaments). Some of the teabags are rolled up to make beads and then jewelry is made from them. Another group continues the traditional glass beadwork skills of some tribes and makes various items (dolls, ornaments, jewelry, etc.) After a while it all starts to run together and get overwhelming, so you look for something really different. I found a lovely fabric store that had a box of scraps that you could pick from. They weigh the fabric and you pay by the weight. They had wonderful examples of hand-carved stamps that have been used for putting designs on fabrics (too bad they weren’t selling those!)

Finally, Christo and Marli returned and we had some ice cream before heading home. It was lovely to spend time in the car talking together. Only once did Christo and I start to venture off on a piece of Hebrew minutia. Whereupon Marli quickly said (in Afrikaans), “It’s Greek to me!” and exhorted us to leave the shop talk for during the week. We quickly obliged (after Christo got in one more question). Marli told us about her family, the house at the sea where they stay every December during their academic break (the academic year begins in February), and their church. We learned that Christo is a hamburger afficionado (and Marli is not). Christo likes to shop, and when he comes to the US he thinks it is great to go to Costco and Bed, Bath & Beyond!

Oh, and what was the errand Christo and Marli went on? Well, now that he has that nice new braai, the patio furniture was looking a little shabby. They were looking to find some furniture that would fit the braai better!

On to bakery. Here you can find all your breads and sweets. I haven’t really purchased anything, so I don’t know much about the baked goods. Mrs. de la Bat put some bread in my room and I’ve been eating that. I do know that most people don’t eat white bread. They will save white bread for grilling on the braai as a special treat. The bakery section also has pies. Not dessert pies, but meat pies. I have tried the chicken and mushroom pie, and have steered clear of the steak and kidney pie. Not all pies are alike though. The pies in the store are pretty blah. The pies at “King Pie” are better. And the pies at some of the eateries are really, really good (Greengate has a great chicken pie).

In addition to Doom bug spray, you can find Killem. These two brands (along with Peaceful Sleep) seem to dominate the insecticide market. One thing that would be tempting to take home are little oil containers that plug into the wall, but instead of fragrances (like at home) these emit an insect repellent to keep your room free from insects (allegedly) at night. The nice thing is that most of the brands of insect repellent actually do smell pretty decent. I wonder if the Peaceful Sleep brand is talking about the sleep of the insects or the people?

Speaking of plugs, who in the world came up with the South African plug? It is three times the size of our US plugs. That’s a lot more material to make them and a lot more space for packing up (my computer bag has a large lump in it from the plug adapter).

OK, back to the grocery store. In some ways, the market reminds me of Hungary. For example, the milk is in bags (or in boxes on the shelf, like Parmalat). And you usually bring your own bag (otherwise you have to buy one from the cashier).

There are lots of varieties of yogurt with exotic fruits. The meat aisle just smells funny, so I avoid it. It could be because it is next to the seafood display which is usually dominated by a huge octopus.

There are many kinds of cold cereals (the Greens would be happy to find Weetabix). Muesli is abundant too. Cookies are not as diverse. More like what Ros is used to probably. Mostly UK-type biscuits. But when it comes to potato chips… wow. Many more flavors than we have. Candy is either Cadbury type chocolate or gummie types. There are also imported candies like Lindt and Ferrerro Roche. Those are pretty expensive. But the more common candy bars are the equivalent of about 50 cents.

Stellenbosch is a mixture of tourist, university, and retirement populations. It’s a lovely town, so, many people decide to retire here. And then there are all the vineyards! Just in the Stellenbosch area there are over 150. I think Christo is hoping to take me to at least a few vineyards one afternoon next week.

Sunday Evening February 17, 2008 (Trip to Capetown)

Christo and Marli, Andrea and Ricky (an American couple who just moved here and are doing Masters degrees at the university) arrived to pick me up at 9:30 am. We drove out of Stellenbosch and straight to the coast (south). I hadn’t realized how very close we were to the ocean. Then we turned west and followed the coast all the way around the bay to Capetown. We saw some scenery that cannot be fully described with words because it was so beautiful and other scenes of resettlement areas that are so hard to describe because they break your heart. I’m going to post a photo album in Facebook and comments for now and write a longer update describing the trip later.

Christo has been married about 28 years to Marli (roll the “r” like in Spanish). They have three children (2 sons and a daughter), but only Christian is at home now. He is fourteen. He plays the violin and cricket. He likes cricket better. Everyone greets me with a hug (even the 14 year old). Well, almost everyone. The dogs actually don’t hug, they just try their best to get attention and get you to pet them. They actually have 2 dogs and a cat. A golden lab and some small little dog. Didn’t see the cat

First things first: tend to the braai. Christo has a nice set of coals (from wood) already, but stokes the fire again with more special wood so that we have a good bed of coals to cook with. He actually has 4 grills: his regular braai (which we are using tonight), a weber (for chicken), a gas grill, and a smoker. I told you they take braai seriously. Tonight we will have lamb and sausages. They also cook a kind of grilled cheese sandwich on the grill. The meal is rounded out with corn and salad. And Stellenbosch wine of course (pinotage)! Ros would be thrilled because we ended the meal with a delicious “pudding” (which isn’t pudding, really, it is cake…sort of).

The barbecue sauce I brought (Bone Suckin’ Sauce—hot and regular—and Whole Foods Smoked Maple) were a hit. Both Christo and his wife like to cook, so the sauces and maple syrup were a great thing to bring. He has lots of specialty cooking pots that he has brought home from his travels. His favorites are from Germany. He was so delighted to show off his “treasures.”

After dinner Christo gave me a great intro to South African folk music (lots of stories). Christo has quite a collection of varied music and played many songs for me on his terrific “hifi.” He worked for 10 years on Saturdays (as a “hobby”) at a hifi shop. He has an amazing stereo system and speakers that are almost as tall as me. We all had a great evening and are looking forward to spending more time together on Sunday when we go to Capetown. As Christo took me home (around 11 pm) I noticed the late night sky for the first time. Mostly I have been in my room by 8 pm, so I have not seen the stars! It was a clear, dark night and the starts were amazing.

Saturday morning the university area is quiet (still only the first two weeks of class), so I took the camera around campus to get some photos. The Neelsie (student center) was open and had quite a few guys watching the ongoing rugby matches.The center of the center has a large projection TV and several large flat screen televisions. There are lots of places to sit, eat, watch TV, shop, surf the internet, and catch up with a friend. Today it was mostly guys watching rugby. My gastehuis is across the street/river from the playing fields for the university. There are almost always events going on. I walked over there and took photos of the field hockey fields (men and women have their own field hockey teams), the track, and some other fields. There is also a gymaseum, outdoor netball areas (basketball), tennis courts, and an outdoor pool. Sports are a big thing here, just as they would be at any large university.

I also went to the Botanical Garden again and found some wonderful flowers. One vine has a flower that is larger than my head! The water lilies are pretty amazing too. The garden has a little area where they can set up chairs and which is often used for wedding ceremonies. There was a rehearsal there today.

Regarding animals in town: I saw one squirrel today. One. That’s it. All by itself. Where do they hide?

Just for the record, it is hot again. And tomorrow when we go to Capetown it should be even hotter. We are bringing our swimming suits so that we can go in the ocean. It is really cold water, so we may only put our feet in!

I tried to spend several hours today reading and thinking. Mostly thinking. I’ve got to put together my research schedule and strategy for Monday. And I’ve also been trying to organize an outline for a paper. I’m also working to resolve several issues with the UVa course. We’re having some glitches with the Collab online program and it takes some time to sort that out and I have to do that when I am online. Oh, and I also get a few Hebrew questions from WTS students! Now, to all you Hebrew 3 folks…weren’t those quizzes this week easy??

The other thing I am trying to do online is download the last LOST show. It has taken a few days of downloading! I hope to watch it on my flight home, so no spoilers please!

For those of you who might care, the Stormers and the Bulls are playing (rugby) right now on the big TV in the café. The score is 9-7 and it is quite exciting. Of course I have NO idea of what is going on. But I figure it is good when people cheer.

Photos are posted in Facebook: Stellenbosch #4 (the braai) and #5 (Saturday pics).

Oh, the Bulls just scored… now it is 9-10 (Bulls ahead).

I was able to talk to Mrs. de la Bat today. She took me into the rest of the house and gave me a little tour. The house was built in 1932 and is a very unusual shape. It is sort of like an “L” shape, but with both ends the same length. The center area is a patio and entry hall, the hub of the house. To the right, down the “arm” are the bedrooms (hers and two guest rooms) and bathrooms. Also, Mrs. de la Bat’s office/study. To the left is the living room and dining room. Also at the center, beyond the entry is the kitchen and informal eating area. The ceilings are all very high. Most Cape Dutch houses have high ceilings that are made of wood, with exposed beams. The walls are almost always very thick. The windows are double-hung so that hot air can escape at the top and cool air can come in the bottom. Her house has clay tiles for the roof. But many of the historic houses have very thick thatch instead.

She bought the house in 1982 just after her husband died (at age 54). He had been the head game warden in Namibia for several decades. They lived in Namibia their entire married life. Her house has some interesting decorations. Like elephant feet. She explained that the feet are cut off, then the back of the leg is slit and the meat is taken out. Then the back is sewn up and the whole foot stuffed with salt. It dries to a very hard surface. The empty feet are used kind of how we would use planters or as a holder for a dust bin. I don’t think this is a very common item… definitely not one you would see in the stores. She has wonderful African art on the walls and beautiful wood furniture. Most of the furniture is very simple with gorgeous, clean lines. The room where I am staying is attached to the garage. Originally the bathroom area of my room was the servants quarters. In addition to some remodeling to open up the layout of the house, she planted some unusual trees. There are pomegranates growing outside and also a rose apple tree. The rose apples are funny little oblong fruits and when you bite into them they definitely taste the way a rose smells (if that makes sense).

Many of the houses in Stellenbosch are part of a historic registry and have a seal on the front of the house that indicates that they are not allowed to change the outside appearance of the building. I’ve posted a photo of the seal in the latest album in Facebook (#4).

Some of the stores here have a variety of “local” work. “Local” meaning somewhere in South Africa. A few of the items are pretty ingenius. Wire is twisted into various items (animals, bracelets, toys). But the most unique are the wallets and purses made by cutting cardboard boxes (from, say, butter) into strips and then weaving them into a flat piece. They are laminated and then “sewn” into a wallet or purse. Tin and aluminum cans are cut into various shapes and transformed into toy cars (with bottlecap wheels) and birds. There are also purses and wallets made from cut up license plates. Waste not, want not. Recycling here takes many forms. On campus there are bins for the kind of recycling we are more used to. The most different thing is that they also recycle aerosol cans.

Oh, I was successful in getting my borrowed cell phone working. I bought some airtime. I’d give you my cell phone number, but it would probably cost you ( and me) a fortune to have a conversation. I’m glad I can connect with people here though!