South Africa Semi-recap

Just got back last night from South Africa. Needless to say it was an amazing life experience and it took everything in me to return home. From J-Bay and all the towns leading up to Stellenbosch/Cape Town I love you.

Once I have some time I will sit down and do a play-by-play of my adventures but for now I will briefly say some of my favorite things and some of the most interesting things I learned about on this trip.

1. The people.

-I met some of the most incredible people on this trip. They were extremely hospitable, friendly, caring, adventurous, and some of the most carefree people I've ever met. I will never forget the times I had with them and hopefully I've left somesort of mark on them as well.

2. The scenery.

-Despite what some ignorant people might think, South Africa is in fact a beautiful country with some of the most breathtaking landscapes I have ever seen. Most of the time I felt as if I was living inside a postcard. We went to national parks, winery's, hiked, sat on top of Table Mountain, and visited multiple beaches with amazing surf, white sand, and clear blue waters.

3. The exchange rate.

-The South African currency is the rand. $1 is equivalent to 8 rand. Obviously I was stoked about this and in the end I didn't spend nearly as much as I thought I would. The beer and food was inexpensive and yet great. This will definitely be the hardest adjustment I'll have to make now that I'm back in America.

4. The language.

-Afrikaans to me, is a difficult language to learn. I originally went there completely blind to the language and I don't think I realized how difficult it would be going to a country where I didn't speak the native language. Thankfully almost everyone there spoke english pretty well so I wasn't completely in the dark, but most conversations I had to listen for key words so I would know what everyone was talking about. By the end of my stay they had taught me pretty much every curse word there is, some slang and certain commonly used terms. I also realized I knew some Afrikaans terms myself without knowing it (completely by accident and extremely out of context, oops.)

I'm out of time for now, but I will definitely be posting more pictures and stories later on. Happy Valentines Day to all you lovers out there and for all the cynics, cheers!