L-I-V-I-N-G

Things here have really been picking up, I don't know if I'll even be able to get everything in this entry! Last week I went on my first outing with UCT's Mountain Club. We went to Lion's Head, which is this peak that is right on the coast and, when its clear, you can see for miles all around you once you get to the top. We went up around 5 so that we could see the sunsut from the top. It was a cloudy day, so at first I was a little disappointed because as we hiked up the mountain, we could see that we were literally walking into a cloud. It ended up being really cool though, even though I definitely want to go back on a clear day so that I can see the views. You could see the cut off as you climbed from where you would be able to see the beaches below us and where the cloud began. As we got higher we were totally enveloped in the cloud. It was soo cool once the sun started setting because you could see the outline of the sun through the clouds, but the color of the sunset shaded the entire cloud. It started off pretty subtle and then got really colorful and beautiful. I got some awesome pictures which I will be uploading onto facebook soon, so be sure to check them out.
My friend Kayla, who I grew up with, was here on semester at sea last weekend and a bunch of my housemates and I met up with her on Long Street for dinner. We went to this place called Khaya Nyama, which means "house of meat" in Zulu. I tried crocodile, kudu & springbok (which are types of antelope) and ostrich. I actually had an ostrich fillet for dinner. It was pretty good, but I had been told that it was amazing and I liked it, but wasn't crazy about it. The crocodile was surprisingly good actually, which surprised me because I was under the impression beforehand that it was going to be the toughest meat out of all of them. After that we went to Hemisphere, a club downtown that I have been to before. Its on the 31st floor of this building so there is an awesome view of the city. The dancing that night was awesome. Me and Mel actually started dancing with a bunch of local black girls. At first I think they might have been a little weirded out by our "strange, American" dance moves, but after a few minutes we were all just having a great time together. Overall it was a great night.
There have been a lot of good nights out here so far. I think the best two nights I've had by far are this past Saturday at this bar called the Waiting Room, where they were playing really awesome funk music and there was a place to chill on the roof, and this past Wednesday at this local bar called Roots. Their Wednesday nights feature trance... and many of my friends know how much I LOVE trance music. For those of you who don't know, trance is a type of electronic music with really strong, heavy beats that come in and out. It was AMAZING. I met the DJ that played the first set and he was really cool and is performing at Vortex, this trance festival that is happening in April that my friends and I are DEFINITELY going to. Everyone else had a great time too so I'm glad that I appear to be spreadin' the good word in that realm.
Other random tidbits from recently... we had stuff stolen from our house. Yes, we have a gate around the house and yes, we have a security guard. But my housemates have had a tendency in the past of leaving the front door WIDE open because they thought it was "ok" because we have a security guard. Unfortunately, the security guards aren't always there, and at 4 or 5 am they have been known to fall asleep, so as a result people who left their stuff in the living room got it taken last weekend. I think it was two purses and an Ipod. Luckily I didn't leave anything in the living room, but its still kind of freaky. We are definitely being more careful about locking the door now.
I also have been spending a lot of time at UCT's pool this week... which is, of course, awesome. It's only a 5 minute walk from my house and there is an awesome view of Table Mountain from the pool. I'm really starting to feel like I live here. It hits me especially when I'm walking around by myself (which really only happens during the day). It also hits me when I realize the little subtleties about this country that aren't present in the States.... Like hearing multiple languages every ten feet as you're walking through town; seeing flocks of locals at KFC (which is the biggest franchise here, haha); getting used to local slang like "dodgey" instead of "sketchy"... in fact a lot of the vernacular here is very different from the US. Being here really makes you realize the things you love about your country that you would never have even thought of before (just basic comforts of being local and not perceived as foreign), but it also makes you realize was is great about this country as well. I'm having such a great time I'm so excited that I still have 4 months left!
Soon to come: Gay Pride-Cape Town, concert on Sunday, bike and wine next weekend, skydiving the weekend after that... and soon, my 21st birthday! Yay!