It has been some time since I last wrote, mostly because I have been rather busy with a monster of a research project. The end of my semester at UCT is imminent; I can't believe how quickly it has gone! If all goes as planned I have attended my last class and written my last paper as an undergraduate. I take my final exams on the 13th 15th and 22nd of June and then I am out of here and on road trip. Graduation seems rather anticlimactic since there will be no ceremony as I will have missed the ceremony back in Davis and there is no ceremony here. But the feeling of being done is enough.


I went to the rugby game in Stellenbosch last night; I have never witnessed so much debauchery in all my life. It was complete mayhem. It's the biggest game of the year and the students from UCT go absolutely mad. Everyone has face paint and are chanting, "Au Au A UCT!" The amount of alcohol that was consumed at this solitary event must have broken some sort of record; I don't think there was a single dry mouth in the place. Fortunately most of the students come over on buses from UCT so there weren't quite so many drunken drivers. The crowd was definitely on the verge of riot. There were streakers running across the field every couple of minutes, I'm not sure if the rugby players or the security guards made more tackles. It was hard to decide whether to watch the game or the crowd (I must admit I preferred watching the game). I finally met several of the other students that I will be going on road trip with. They are definitely going to make the trip interesting. One of the guys I met as he was dancing and yelling at the top on his lungs on top of someone's car. Needless to say, the owner of the car wasn't too pleased.

After the game we made our way into downtown Stellenbosch, what a beautiful little town! It was rather reminiscent of Carmel... it even smelled like home. I am definitely keen to go back and walk around during the day time and check out the little boutiques and have lunch. Apparently there is a restaurant on a vineyard near by that has cheetahs.

Anyhow, we spent the night wandering from club to club dancing and chatting with the occasional Afrikaner. Fortunately, we knew someone from Stellenbosch so we had a place to stay...the long trek back home would have been dreadful at night, you never know when a cow or caribou is going to wander out onto the road.

As for today...well I am mostly just recovering from last night and relishing in the fact that I have nothing to do. School has kept me so busy that I have hardly had time to sleep; now I have a week to play before I must begin studying for exams. Sunday I am going to be meeting my host family for a braai. I am so glad they are willing to take me in for my last few weeks in Cape Town...now I don't have to be homeless.