The Jump

So, I guess since I've been in South Africa I've become much less averse to taking risks.

Today, Dan and I went bungee jumping....and, not only that, we went bungee jumping at the HIGHEST BUNGEE JUMP IN THE WORLD. I figure, if you've never been bungee jumping, why not start with the best one? Since it's only a short drive from Plettenberg Bay, where we are staying, the decision was an easy one.

The Bloukrans River Bridge Bungee Jump is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's highest bungee jump, at 216 meters. In fact, the bounce-back is higher than the Victoria Falls Bungee Jump, which is the #3 highest in the world. (The #2 is in New Zealand somewhere)

It was exhilarating! Here are some pictures.



First up, here is a picture of the bridge. Look closely...at the center of the bridge is a platform where we jumped from.

















Me getting strapped in.
















Jumping off, and thinking "What the hell did I just do?!"

















Falling!

















Getting lifted back up to the bridge.
















Dude, that was totally awesome.
















All of us who jumped, along with the bungee staff (who are all awesome and amazingly friendly by the way).

















And, as always, Dan has good pictures on his blog as well.

Trip Update #1

Greetings!

Almost one week ago I left my village and headed off for my December vacation. I met Dan in Pretoria and we left for our road trip. It was a LONG journey but we eventually made it to Cape Town! It took about 1500km (almost 900 miles) over the course of 2 days, through the desolate interior of the country--The Karoo. As I don't yet know how to drive Manual, Dan's been driving so far. Imagine 18 hours of listening to the new Tenacious D album, thanks to Tom's parents (Thanks Mr. and Mrs. Brownlee!!!) and you'll have some idea of what the journey was like.

Cape Town was as gorgeous as I remember it...possibly even more so. We went to the gorgeous Clifton and Camps Bay beaches, lounged on the Waterfront, and climbed Table Mountain. And astonishingly, we climbed that sucker quickly! Dan finished in 55 minutes; it took me 1 hour and 6 minutes. It was a hell of a climb, especially considering that it usually takes about 2 hours at a moderate pace, or 3 hours if you're hungover (as Dan was the last time he climbed it).

We left Cape Town yesterday and drove to Buffalo Bay, in the Garden Route. I must say, the Garden Route is BEAUTIFUL. It's been cloudy and overcast since yesterday, but that hasn't hidden the beauty of the coast. We stayed at an awesome backpackers right on the beach, went running this morning, and then left. We are now in Plettenberg Bay, which is incredibly gorgeous.

I can't wait for the rest of this trip.

For another perspective on the trip and for a few pictures (i.e. Dan and I on top of Table Mountain), check out Dan's blog entry.

PS yes I know we look like tools in that picture of us shirtless....but that was the point of the picture =)

"SISTAH BETTINAH!"

For some reason, I'm reminded of an incident that took place about one month ago. I was in Mokopane, my shopping town, after school one day. I went to the bank because I had to pay the deposit for a backpackers lodge in advance of the trip I'll be taking along the coast this December holiday.

I went to the bank, waited in line, told the lady bank teller what I needed to do, completed the transaction, and left. I also saw another PCV's Principal there and greeted her. In any case, I didn't think much of the situation until the next time I saw that PCV, whose Principal I'd seen at the bank. I guess her Principal had recounted the following story to her:

She had seen me at the bank, and then I left. Once I was gone, the bank tellers began talking to each other in SePedi. They were confused: I had actually been NICE to them. They were amazed by this! The Principal had to explain to the tellers who I was and where I'm from. The bank tellers replied with something to the extent of, "I knew something about him was different--he actually treated me like a human being."

I find the fact that she actually had to explain WHY a "white" person would treat a black person like a human being says a lot.

The other reason I'm writing this entry is to update on my Life Skills group. Last Friday, on World AIDS Day, I met up with them; we went to the Clinic in the village and all got tested. All in all, I got tested with 5 boys and 7 girls (only a few of them couldn't make it). It felt great to do at least that much; none of them had been tested before, and some of them were VERY nervous based on past risky behavior.

After everyone was done with their test (it was the rapid test, so they all knew their results), the Clinic Sister called me in to her office (they call Nurses "Sisters" at the Clinic). She was impressed with what I'd done; she actually took off the VCT pin she was wearing and gave it to me. It was a huge surprise, and I really appreciate it.

The following day, I went with the Life Skills group on a day-trip to celebrate the end of our training and the HIV test. We went to Waterland in Polokwane, which is a "waterpark"--I use quotes because it's just 3 small pools and one slide that doesn't work. We had a great time, though. We spent the day swimming, relaxing, braai-ing (South African barbeque), and dancing to popular Kwaito and house music.

One song that I heard a lot that day is called "Sistah Bettinah"--I heard it at least 15 times throughout the course of the day. Everyone loves it! It is a ridiculous song! It is simultaneously catchy and stupid (and, to me, annoying!) I can think of it as the South African "Hollaback Girl."
The day was great, though, and we all had a fantastic time. I think it was a fitting way to cap off the year.

The 2006 school year is over, and now I have four and a half weeks of vacation to look forward to. I leave on Saturday for Cape Town, Plettenberg Bay, Jeffreys Bay, East London, Cintsa, Port St Johns, and Durban. I can't wait!