pure happiness

          The weekend trip titled Frontier consisted of a farming adventure! We (about a group of 20 international students) were taken to a farm three hours outside of PE in beautiful mountains seeing the third highest mountain in South Africa (just south of the Winterberg Mountains). First, I would like to say I adore the ocean but if I had to pick between living in the mountains or next to an ocean the mountains would win. Particularly this location with isolation to the extent of taking dirt roads for over an hour to arrive at the farm house. Also, I enjoy the aspect of not being able to contact the outside world with no cell phone service and neighbors miles away. When we arrived we were given lunch with tea and biscuits. Let me warn you future housemates... we will be having lots of tea and biscuits, I'm a bit obsessed! It was wonderful to have home cooked meals for the weekend and have something other then pb&j!
          The weekend was fantastic nothing I can describe other then pure happiness. Everything just seemed perfect. At one point we were in the back of a 4x4 (picture a safari type truck) and I said I would love to see a rainbow. Not even 30 seconds later the prettiest rainbow I have ever seen spanned between two mountains. I felt like a farming princess for the entire weekend with the gorgeous nature, generous hospitality, and loving company. When I went to bed there was candy on the pillows, when I woke up Kelly had already started water for tea, and I was able to take a bubble bath! Heaven. Not to mention... I was challenged out of my comfort zone once again! We milked cows (squirting milk into our mouths straight from the utter), sheered sheep, shot a 22 rifle, held a baby goat, climbed a mountain, and swam to a waterfall!! The farm where we stayed earns money from wool, the most expensive wool being received from the neck of sheep since it is least exposed to the elements.
        I loved hiking through the beautiful scenery! The only negative was GIANT spiders everywhere! South Africa defiantly has lots of wildlife.. there was even an earth worm about 5 feet long! The house where we stayed had a trophy room... wild animals that the owner hunted, one even being a giraffe! During the rainy part of the day we sat in the room playing cards and drinking tea. Life is so so good and only five days until Easter break!
               Cheers!
                    -Becca

 p.s. thanks for all the birthday wishes :) birthdays in South Africa are enjoyable, spending time at the beach and celebrating with friends!

        Molweni! (meaning hello to a group of people in Xhosa) I hope all is well! I have been here for almost 10 weeks! I now have different classes and one I particularly enjoy is Martial and Family Interactions, it is interesting to analyze attraction and marriage compatibility. Surprisingly, a lot of the statistics come from the United States. This is similar to most of my classes with us even having text books from America. I can count on being called for my opinion everyday in class for the view of an American (it can be a bit embarrassing sometimes)! It is shocking what a key role America has for setting standards even down to musical influences as the radio still blares artists like Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, and Justin Beiber here.  
       A few weeks ago (I know it has been a while since I wrote) I woke up and headed to the bathroom still groggy, I didn't turn on the light. There appeared to be rice all over the floor and I was a bit confused. While stepping on the rice it felt softer then I would imagine and there was no reason for rice to be on my bathroom floor. Then, I realized the rice was moving.... not rice at all but maggots! They were everywhere!! Kitchen, bathroom, my room, Coleen's room! Coleen and I were able to get them under control and then a maintenance man came and sprayed to kill them. They have only been back once since and Coleen and I are becoming quite independent in the getting rid of bugs aspect!
      This weekend was rather exciting with my Iron Girl race (a 10k run, 6.2 miles) and the Ironman on Sunday (the only Ironman held on the continent of Africa)! My run went well and was interesting.. an Olympian gold medalist, Zola Budd Pieterse, won my race and Bridget and I were able to take a picture with her! Out of 698 runners I came in 29th place with a time of 50:50. The race was brutal with intense wind. While running next to the beach I was eating sand thanks to the windy city but could not close my mouth being I needed all the oxygen I could get! Then, out of nowhere there were mules on the race course... only in Africa. We ran to a penguin rescue center and back to the boardwalk. The best part of the race was the end where they were handing out my favorite food, Popsicles! Plus, I now have a cool pink shirt and medal!
         The Ironman is the most exciting sporting event I have ever seen, even better then a Browns verse Steelers football game! We woke up early and walked to the beach to see the sunrise and the start of the race. For the race a mad rush of almost 1800 men and women flooded to the Indian Ocean! An Ironman consists of  a triathlon, 2.4 mile (3.86 Km) ocean swim followed by a 112 mile (180.2 Km) bike ride followed by a marathon run (26 miles, or 42.195 Km)! We stayed all day enjoying the atmosphere and hanging out on the beach. I have never been more impressed by athletes and their physical ability to keep going regardless of the pain. We were able to witness a world record being set by Chrissie Wellington from England with a time of 8hrs and 33 mins! She came in 8th place overall... being an excellent role model for women!
        This weekend we are going on a Frontier trip, to a South African farm! I look forward to telling you all about it!
                             Cheers!
                                    -Becca

Africa at its best

This weekend was fantastic! Starting Saturday morning at 9:00 we were on our way to a cheetah park! We were actually permitted to go inside the cage/living area of a full grown female cheetah and pet her! Then, we went and saw baby lions, one cub was playing between my feet! I was a little freaked out because it is a lion and I'm not the best with animals. We went to a look out near Unlambo (the place where I went to bush camp) and viewed Africa's beauty. We could see farmland and mountains off in the distance. Lunch was at a quaint bed and breakfast that I imagine would be the ideal place to stay during a honeymoon with fresh cut flowers on every table and peaceful scenery. Addo Elephant Park was our next stop. Interestingly, Addo is bigger then Krugar Park and claims to not only have the "big 5" but to be the only national park in SA to have the "big 7" since it extends to the coastal line including the great white sharks and dolphins. While driving we saw more then I can count of Kudu (Africa's version of a deer) and not too many elephants. Finally, we spotted some, a whole family! The baby elephant captured my attention and stayed under its mother. The female elephants are the leaders in the elephant world and it just seems natural that all animals should have this matriarch system. ;) We were driving through the park at sun set and the wildlife, mountains, and setting sun created a mood that no matter what was going on in your life you couldn't help but to be at peace. We were also fortunate enough to go on a night drive and view even more animals. We saw hyenas which are truly ugly creatures and it may just be the influence of Disney's Lion King, but I am not particularly fond of them. Sunday revealed itself to be wonderful as well. I think I should just train for a triathlon (not really) but Bridget and I wake up and run on Sunday, then bike through wind storms to get to the ocean. Then, I swim for hours because although the water is chilly I can never resist the tempting waves that even when you enter they physically pull you in deeper as if delighted to have a new friend to play with. While I was out deep enough to avoid the crashing of the waves and just smoothly float over top, dolphins swam by! Not close enough to touch but it was amazing none the less! For those of you who are concerned about the "study" part in my study abroad experience, don't you worry I have been doing a little bit of school work as well. In fact, my first term ends April 1st and I will have different classes for the remainder of the time. Hope all is well on the home front, only 3 and half months left in Africa!

Spiders, geckos, cockroaches, butterflies, and ants are all part of the experience of living in Annie's Cove. My family will be happy to know that I can now dispose of a spider all by myself with no screaming or fuss! Life is starting to settle down and while it is filled with some adversity I am enjoying the experience and would like to share a few facts that I find interesting! The population of South Africa is about 47.9 million people. Africans make up 79.6% coloured 8.9% (coloured is a term referred to as a mix) 2.5% Asian and 9.1% white. HIV is prevalent is 11% of citizens (5.3 million people). The life expectancy for men is age 49 and women 52! In the Eastern Cape, where I am staying, 55% are unemployed.. but this also includes those studying at university and not working. Rugby is a very popular sport here and is viewed primarily as a "white" sport. When it was time for the Rugby World Cup the stadium was built in a township (consisting of a black population). This forced the white spectators to see a different lifestyle and helped assimilate the cultures. Okay, take it or leave it.. just some facts I like! The place where I volunteer is called Simethemba meaning "we have hope." When we arrive there are five children all under school age who entertain themselves all day. They play with anything- garbage bags, bottle caps, sticks, and deflated soccer balls. Regardless of the lack of toys, they are happy and and content to toss the bottle cap in the air and catch it. They are resilient little things, jumping down from brick walls and bouncing right back up, even running around barefoot where there is broken glass. I adore this one boy in particular with big, brown, distrusting eyes that always seem to be capturing your every move. After a while the school age children come home and change out of their uniforms (it seems odd to me that they can barely afford to survive and have to spend money on impractical uniforms). The kids are then supposed to come bring their school work out for us to help them. Unfortunately, only a few do because many of the kids don't trust us yet and are a bit embarrassed too ask for help or even have no desire to do the school work. But you know I will have none of that and go in search for the children. I think I have started to gain trust because on my third visit I was working with four children and they were excited to learn more about me and my light coloured eyes. Multitasking is not one of my strengths but maybe one day I will be as skilled as my own mama. It was a challenge to keep the kids focused while my attention was constantly being demanded since all the kids were on different subjects. One boy was reading a story very fluently but occasionally I would stop and ask him what a word meant and he did not know.. so we worked on comprehension and using context clues to decipher and understand. After the school work is done, a lot of the kids enjoy colouring pictures and getting to know us. Each time shows improvement on them trusting us and I hope to reach the point where they come right out and ask for our help. But it's the weekend and the beach is waiting for me! oh i have a joke.... what did the eye say to the other eye? there is something between us and it sure does smell! 
                      love,
                        becca
 p.s. the easiest way to reach me is to email me at rebecca.serafini@yahoo.com

Yesterday, was an adventure exploring the animail kingdom! We (a group of 20 new friends) went to Seabay Lion Park located about half an hours drive away from PE. Once there we drove back to the lions passing by giraffes, antalope, peacocks, water buffalo, and all sorts of other animails. Upon seeing arriving we walked around the lion and tiger cages. The animals are there because they were injured or taken in after being in the circus and have much more room to roam than in a zoo. We watch the lions being fed which wasn't as climatic as I anticipated because they simply took the meat and there was not much confrontation or aggression amoungst the lions for the meal. After that we walked to the baby lions and were permitted to go in the cage and pet them! They were adorable but sleepy because lions sleep about 19 hours a day. Crossing over a shaky wooden walkway we were able to see crocidles, leopards, wild hogs, and more lions. It was what I imagine to be an animal lovers paradise, and I found it to be interesting!

South Africa continues to be a unique and educational experience in both practical and educational ways. Coleen claims my cooking has improved and we enjoy cooking together while listening to Shaggy and dancing!! :)  Everyday I am introduced to new people and with that completly new personalities allowing me the opportunity to gain experience in working with diversity in every possible aspect. Just a few days ago I met a man who was 23 and had never talked to a girl with blue eyes before he was from Zimbabwe and amazed that eyes could be so light coloured.

I will be updating you with more informative things in South Africa soon but I hope everything continues to go so well back home, please build a snowman for me and I will be sure to swim in the ocean for you! :)

bunnnngeeeeee!!

WOW! South Africa is fantastic! I WENT BUNGEE JUMPING OFF THE WORLD'S HIGHEST BUNGEE JUMP!!! Actually, I was pushed. But either way I did it with no tears! The jump was 216 meters and the most exhilarating thing i have ever experienced. You hang by your ankles and head straight for the ground. I don't have enough adjectives to describe how pretty the area was. The bridge was set between mountains and the ocean on one side. Unreal. First, I guess I should back track and talk about the weekend. Nine of us rented cars and headed out to Jeffery's Bay where we stayed in a hostel. I was expecting the hostel to be a sketchy cabin with lots of people crammed in, I was pleasantly surprised to find out how wrong I was. This hostel was located right next to the ocean, overlooking mountains, the coastal line with the city, and the splashing waves filled with surfers. It was sort of like a hippy resort with people from all around the world only caring about the surf and living life. After staying there for a night we drove along the gorgeous Garden Route towards Tsitsikamma National Park. We unloaded at another hostel and headed toward the bungee jump. If you ever want a good laugh I will show you my bungee jump video... very embarrassing. After that we went back and I explored Storm River, the town where we were staying. The next day we ventured to Tsitsikamma and hiked for over 3 hours on the rocky coastal line. This was the most stunning place my eyes have ever captured (maybe a close tie with Denali, Alaska but for different reasons). Pictures can't even justify the beauty but I hope you look at them anyway. We hiked back to a waterfall and went swimming and jumped off of it. Unfortunately, the adventure came to a close and classes began yesterday, on Valentines Day. That was not as exciting but very stressful. Nothing that I will bore you with but just state that I am thankful for the system we have in place at my home university even though at times that seems unorganized. I hope to keep you guys updated as much as possible but it is kind of difficult. I think of everyone often and wish you could share the experience with me. I already feel changed, more grown up and it has only been 2 weeks! I hope everyone has a wonderful week and that you all do something to get out of your comfort zone, go talk to a stranger, eat by yourself, or try a different food. Just enjoy the experience.
                                                         Sincerely,
                                                             Becca

Meet Coleen! My housemate from Jamaica! She lived there the first 12 years of her life and now lives in Florida. It doesn't matter what I am doing or saying she is always laughing at me! Which laughter is always welcomed to keep a smile on. She doesn't really like to cook either but we will figure something out. Tonight, a group of about 7 are having a bri (cookout) and everyone is bringing something. I'm in charge of the vegetables so that shouldn't be too difficult!

Meet Bridget! My first friend! Actually, we had every flight together so it worked out well! She is great, we are training to run a marathon together at the end of May. She has the goal of running a marathon on every continent! She and I are hoping to buy bikes soon so that we don't have to walk everywhere.

They say there is a drought but I haven't really seen it because it is raining again today. I woke up at about 6:30 to go for a run with Bridget and then we went to campus to look into Afrikaans. I'm still debating on whether to take it or not. It doesn't really fit into my schedule and the pronunciation is tough. I came back to my place to see my bed made, the floor vacuumed, bathroom cleaned, and the dishes done! It was a lovely surprise! I guess they come once a week to clean up. Coleen says it takes them a total of 7 mins because they are so fast. I am adjusting to the time. Everyone and everything is late here. I rarely know what time it is and look forward to getting into a routine with classes. I feel like it doesn't really matter what you wear here, there are so many different styles and lots of diversity (which works out well since we only have a mirror big enough to see our eyeballs). I have been doing pretty well with the homesickness. Immensely better then when I went away to school for the first time. It helps that everything is completely new and that even going to the store is an adventure! I would love to hear how things are back home so please keep me updated on your lives!
                love,
                    Becca 

Hello from Africa!

Hello from Africa!
 Sorry it has taken so long to blog, but TIA (this is Africa) and internet is sparse. Life is good, lots of unexpected events, but good none the less. Stepping off the plane, I was welcomed by a cool refreshing breeze and the smell of the ocean! We stayed at a hotel, woke up, dropped off our things at Annie's Cove, had ten mins to pack, and were on our way to bush camp. Bush camp was crazy! A few things we did included- zip lining, canoeing, military crawling through mud, night hiking, and praying for our tents to not be washed away during the storms. All in all adventurous and exhausting with trying to recover from jet lag. I went swimming in the ocean yesterday! We saw dolphins and BEAUTIFUL landscape. This week is lots of orientation, figuring out the African system, and making friends. Things are so different here. Even obtaining electricity is strange. You have to go to a gas station, buy a card, then put it on your meter back at your place. Updates will be difficult because the nearest internet place is a 40 min. walk away and it isn't too safe to be walking around with a laptop. Annie's Cove, where I stay, is very cool with lots of small houses, filled with international students, and a pool in the middle. Everyone is amazingly friendly! Actually, I'm going surfing tomorrow with a guy I met at a rugby game. The campus is huge with monkeys just walking about. We are at an internet cafe now and will be here for a while since it is pouring out. Today we registered for classes and went on a campus tour. The campus is pretty and very big with a north and south campus. There is such a jungle/African feel to it with the trees and monkeys. I am really excited for my classes! One class is volunteering in a township. I will be working at an orphanage with children who have aids and/or have been abused by their parents and abandoned. It should be challenging for my heart but I can't wait to help. Hope everyone is enjoying the chilly weather, I'm sitting in a tank top and shorts now! I love you and miss you all! cheers!
                                                           love,
                                                                 Becca
p.s. most people call me Rebecca here because I guess Becca means "turn around."

2 days left in America!

        After the past few weeks of a whirl wind of events, I am left with this feeling of never having been more loved. Although I can't expound on every important and heartfelt detail to lead me to this conclusion, I can verify that I am the luckiest girl in the world. I have a family who gives me unconditional love and strength, friends whom I adore and are always able to put a smile on my face and heart, and a wonderful boyfriend who supports me and my decisions. After many loved ones left yesterday and I said my farewells, I was laying in bed feeling absolutely absurd for having any desire to leave them for 5 months. For I am the happiest I have ever been with no regrets for how I got here (but then again I do only have 19 years of life thus far, and every year has brought me more happiness). But alas, laying there knowing I would miss everyone every second I am gone I felt a sense of peace. It is thanks to all of you that I am able to take on this challenge (and I do love a good challenge) to explore a different part of the world and become diverse and cultured. It is recommended that I go with goals in mind. I would like to share a few of them with you. My main goal, although very ambiguous, is to define myself. I have always tried to do what is viewed socially as the "right thing." I want to determine my own moral compass and values; not just what is expected of me. Please don't take that the wrong way, I don't plan on it being altered greatly... just adapted to fit me perfectly. Another goal is to become more patient. From what I read South Africa is the place for this change to occur due to a laid back manner. I am a strong believer that there is always room for self improvement and I want to be constantly improving myself in hopes that I can improve the lives of those who I encounter. This trip will bring self improvement! Thank you, with the most sincerity I have, for your support. I couldn't be me without all of you. 
                               Love always,
                                       Becca 
my address :
Rebecca Serafini

c/o Monalisa Ndwayana

Office for International Education

NMMU Summerstrand Campus (South)

Gold Fields North Building

PO Box 77000

Port Elizabeth, 6031

South Africa

                                                                                        Jan. 15th, 2011
    Hello my dear family and friends! I am creating this blog to help inform and keep in contact with all of you! The idea is to share my experiences (well, a brief overview) and educate a little bit about South Africa and South African culture. I will begin my travel on Feb. 2nd, 2011 and return June 26th, 2011. Although what classes I am taking and who I am living with is still unknown, I am thrilled to start the adventure. I will be living in Port Elizabeth (PE). PE is the 5th largest city in South Africa and is often called the "Friendly City." Also, PE is known for being a major motor industry for South Africa. This is reassuring in the promise of civilization and modern accommodations. I will be studying at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University which was recently founded in 2005 and is the "largest higher education institution in the Eastern and Southern Cape areas." Actually, there are about 20,000 students, so I will have lots of opportunities to make friends! I hope this blog is insightful and that you follow along with my journey, any input/advice/suggestions is fantastic!
                                                              Yours truly,
                                                                        Becca