They have internet here?

Hey everyone! Greetings from intensely sunny Stellenbosch, South Africa, which has one of the highest incidences of skin cancer in the world. Ja! As per my myriad promises before I left, I've been wanting to keep a blog to document my travels. I wanted to say "adventures," but that makes me sound like a jerk. Anyway, on to the important stuff. I'm not sure how best to organize this, since it took me like a week to get internet in my flat, but I guess I'll just make subheads. Let's see how that goes.

The place

I'm in Stellenbosch, which is about 30 km outside Cape Town. Which means I'm about 30 minutes from a beach and about 15 minutes from a mountain. Also, wineries are kind of a big deal here, so (though I despise most wines) I'm determined to take a wine tour of the nearby wine estates (read: R30 for several wine tastings) before I leave in 4.5 months. We'll see. As far as Africa goes, it's probably the whitest Africa you've ever imagined. So, picture this guy--

--in about 500 different incarnations, and you've pretty much got the typical South African college kid. Tan, skinny, Abercrombie model-esque. Oddly-shaped six pack, nifty digital camera, whiny face for the mirror. Check.

Some shots of the town:




The sky also seems bluer here:


A view of Cape Town from Signal Hill:


A view of Stellenbosch from Stellenbosch Mountain:




At a grocery store:


The language barrier

So when I signed up for this program, I was under the impression that I'd be fine speaking English to everyone. While that's pretty much true, you apparently miss a lot. The Universiteit van Stellenbosch is a primarily Afrikaans-speaking institution (few classes are actually taught in English). Oh, and good luck finding your way around campus, since none of the signs are in English. It's been a learning experience. Though I now know "thank you" (dankie), "parking" (parkering) and "smoking forbidden" (voot verbode), so really, I'm ready to handle just about anything.

Yes, I'm taking an Afrikaans course at the university.


School

I should start in mid-February. Until then, time to work on my tan.

Sunburns

Okay, quick note: I got sunburned on my hands for the first time when I hiked last weekend. I have a theory about the sun being more intense here, especially since I've never had my earlobe (!) burned before. How does that even happen?