The Spanish Team

The Spanish team has been staying in Potchefstroom at the campus sports complex. The university built this state-of-the-art facility for soccer, rugby, track and field, and cricket. The town was betting on the Spanish team bringing in a lot of extra people and revenue; sadly that has not been the case.

Last Thursday my roommate, Noelia and one of her lab mate's, Suzanne, decided that we wanted to watch the Spanish team practice. We met at our house and biked over the complex. Now, you could apply for tickets through the university but to be honest it was a pain so we opted to go over and see what we could do. After some bargaining and being female (cute, flirty, friendly, etc), we were given tickets to watch the Spanish team practice. The practice was boring and lasted about an hour but getting to see a couple of the famous players (Torres and Ramos- see pics) was pretty awesome. Honestly, we were not sure if they would advance to the next round (they did and are playing tonight) so we thought we should see them before they exit the tournament.

I have posted pictures of Ramos/Torres (walking), Torres (signing autographs), the team practicing, us, and the police patrolling the practice (more cops than I have seen since I got here, now we know where they have been hanging out).

World Cup 2010, Bloemfontein, ZA

Let me begin with two words to describe my World Cup experience: Totally Crazy!

I feel as though whenever you are in a country you need to see and do as much as possible to get a feel of the people and the culture. Well, since I was planning on being in South Africa I thought it was best to see some World Cup games (before work really began) and see a city that I had not been to before (and one of the closest to me). I have been to many sporting events before but nothing compares to these soccer (futbol) fans that follow their team around the world!

I left Potchefstroom on Thursday afternoon around 5:30 and arrived in Bloemfontein at 10:45. It is only supposed to take 4 hours but due to road construction and traffic it was a bit longer. Anyway, my friend Jared was at the bus station to meet me. As we pulled into the station you could see the stadium all lit up (everyone turned to look ) and it was huge (yet, it is one of the smallest ones). The hostel was about a 15 minute walk from the main mall (Mimosa) and the Waterfront where the games were being held.

Friday morning we spent exploring the mall for possible purchases later in the weekend and getting our tickets for that evening as well as for the 2nd round game on Sunday. I had gotten my tickets through the lottery and Jared had purchased his once they went on general sale so we had first and second round tickets at Free State Stadium (named because of the territory in is within http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/destination/stadiums/stadium=5002942/index.html).

When we walked to the Waterfront, which is the mall/area next to the stadium, we encountered a sea of red and white! The Swiss fans were everywhere and totally excited to be there. We didn't see too many Honduran fans but they eventually made it out later in the day.

The game was at 8:30 so we headed to a restaurant to watch the first part of the earlier games and then we headed to a bar to watch the second half with a ton of Swiss fans. We ended up meeting up with some Peace Corp Volunteers, who are stationed in Lesotho as well as one of the directors who is friends with Jared, before the game. They were all excited to be there and they had painted their faces for the Honduran team.

As soon as we walked into the gates of the stadium you could feel the excitement and the craziness. Thousand of people were there to root for their teams. Our seats were in the last section of the stadium but we had a great view of the entire game. The vuvuzela's were going strong (and you end up drowning them out eventually) as the game went on. At the stadium you could only get Budweiser but you could get various foods (biltong- beef jerky, chips, muffins, and various hot dogs). We actually sat next to a guy wearing a Steelers jacket and was rooting for the Swiss (he was American). The game itself was not too exciting (no goals, a few too many yellow cards) but the experience was unbelievable! Numerous people at the game were from South Africa and were just singing and enjoying themselves with dances and cheers throughout. The South Africans know how to have a good time despite losing their team earlier in the week!

The second set of tickets we had were for Sunday night. Jared and I both had hoped we would see USA/Ghana play but alas they both qualified for the Saturday night game. Therefore, we got to see England/Germany. What a different experience than the previous game. The entire stadium was awash of Red/White and Black/Yellow. We had made it to the Waterfront around 11 am and the entire place had English flags and fans covering it (see pictures). Our tickets were in the last possible row but we could see everything. The stadium was almost at capacity (40, 680/ 40, 911)! The English kept cheering and when the referee made that call that sent anger through the stadium and the country of England (not allowing the goal) they kept singing "The referee's a wanker"! As the German's made the goals, the German flags flew and the stadium erupted. The game and the atmosphere was electric and charged! I don't think that I will ever seen anything like this again.

Jared and I both bought vuvuzela's (http://www.southafrica.info/2010/vuvuzela.htm) on Sunday and Jared was nice enough to teach me how to play it (most people blow really hard into it, when in fact it is more like playing the trumpet where you have to close your mouth and put your lips together, which is one of the reasons that it sounds so awful in the stands). One of the English guys sitting next me had his covered in beads so it looked like the English flag (totally crazy). I could go on forever about the game but the truth is that being at the game and seeing the fans was one of the most amazing experiences I have had and I understand why people are so willing to travel for this event.

It was an awesome weekend spent exploring Bloemfontein and seeing the World Cup. Next weekend I am headed to Cape Town (no games planned but it will be crazy with Argentina/Germany playing on Saturday) to see my friends, Jackie and Elan, and enjoy one more free weekend before I have to buckle down and get to work. All the professors and students begin school the day after the World Cup is over (students were given an extra month of vacation because of the WC).

I will upload more pictures later and send out a link!

My Room

Just in case you were wondering what my room looks like here is a picture. It is the largest room, with the most light, in the house but also the coldest. I have placed two wall heaters (the white thing on the right side of the picture) to help with that; however, it is winter here so being completely warm is near impossible.

North-West University and My Accomodations

Let's just say that Potchefstroom is not a bustling city with a ton to do (http://www.tourismnorthwest.co.za/southern/potchefstroom.html). I would compare it to Galway, Ireland in size but as for things to do Galway wins out. From what I understand, with all the students out of school for 6 weeks this place is even more dead than normal. I will have to reevaluate my opinion once the students are back in school.

North-West Universtiy campus takes up a good portion of the city. It is a large, flat (thank goodness) campus, with about 10,000 students. The buildings (see pics) are not spread out but it takes about 15 minutes to get from one side to another (sort of like UC's campus). The entire campus is surrounded by a gate and there are several entrances that you can use but since school is out only two of them are open. The only way in or out of the campus is by using a key card. I am located at the main entrance but my office is about a 10 minute walk from my house (see pics).

The buildings on campus are a mix of old and new but it is hard to tell since they all look alike; yet, the insulation of all buildings is not good so at least in my building, Education Sciences (http://www.puk.ac.za/fakulteite/opvoed/nfa/about_e.html), it is colder inside than out! The Education Sciences building houses three different departments, one on each floor, and Curriculum and Instruction is the on the 3rd floor, which is where I am located. The website of the university show that during the spring and summer the campus is green with tons of flowers but at the moment things are still green but with brown mixed in. Also, everything on the campus is written in Afrikaans (which I have some issues with for educational and equality) and everyone speaks it (and some English) so at points I have to guess what people say or where I am headed. I Nonetheless, I happen to like the charm of the campus and the many green spaces that are available. I have uploaded a couple pictures so you can get an idea of what it looks like.

As for the weather, we are on opposite seasons from the U.S. so it is cold here (if I haven't mentioned that enough already). Yet, I must preface that I knew it would be winter when I came so to be cold is not surprising. However, what is, is that Potch is above sea level (26⁰ 41.9’ S, 27⁰ 05.6’ E, altitude 1351 m.a.s.l.,atmospheric pressure 652 mm) and therefore it altitude ridden and the cold is a rather dry one. The house that I am staying in is old and the insulation is non-existant and the heating system is less than stellar. I will admit it is cold when I get up in the morning but as the day goes on it becomes much warmer and more pleasant. But as soon as that sun goes down it gets very, very cold! I am just thankful we have electricity and running water (I wouldn't be here if that was the case)!

First Day

Today was my official first day and Sari picked me up at 8:15 to take me to settle my paperwork at the International Office (I would have to go back later anyway). After we walked over to the Education Sciences Building which is on the opposite side of campus of where I am staying (abt a 15 minute walk) and we arrived in the office at 8:45 and so many professors were here already, including Prof C who gave me a huge hug and a warm welcome. She is as nice in person as she is over email.

After that I was shown my office (see pictures), which lets just say is more space than I have ever had when it comes to an office in grad school! Plus I have a window, walls, and a door. Along with getting settled, Sari showed me where the head of the department, Prof N was. I was able to briefly speak with her (her son has bronchitis so she was taking him to the pediatrician) and she asked me what I wanted to do while I was here and what she could do to help. Well, it turns out that her research focus is in reading/literacy (or for that matter her team research) and her mentor is a former professor at Maryland. Plus, she knows the work of all of the Reading Dept. at Maryland so I think she liked me even more after that (who know being in Reading and going to UMD would get me a great connection in SA). Upon leaving, I was on my own for the rest of the day and just did some reading and some writing that needed to be done.

Prof C arranged dinner for me, with herself, one of her doctoral students as well as one of her postdocs. We headed to a pizza place in town(where I ordered veggies and meat) and they all commented on how healthy I was and I didn't have the hear to tell them that it has nothing to do with that. It was really nice to sit and chat with all of them about their research, their experiences and what they are doing. Overall, no complaints for a first day of work. Tomorrow morning I have a meeting with Prof N and Prof C to work more details.

I have no expectations (because you can't when it comes to international research I am told from seasoned researchers) but I look forward to learning from my hosts and maybe coming away with some new educational information.

I made it to Potchefstroom safe and sound. Eleanor dropped me at the airport on Thursday afternoon and I boarded the plane. I had originally thought that I would bring just one but it turns out I didn't read the South African Airways site well enough and you can have two bags that can each weigh 50 pds each. Well, lets just say El and I had to go to Target to get another small bag. The best part, was that when I went to check-in the scale was broken so there was no way to know how much the bags each weighed.

The guy sitting next to me was Peruvian but works in VA as a Internet firewall specialist. But here comes the kicker, he mentioned that he used to live in Gainesville, FL and right away I knew, I was sitting next to another darn Gator (they are everywhere). Anyway, he and I talked quite a bit and he and his buddies were headed to Cape Town for 12 days to see two or three World Cup games and do some damage. The flight was long and at times painful but I slept a good portion of it. The last 6 hours were the worst because you just get antsy and all you want to do is get off.

I arrived in Jo'burg and was greeted by Lawrence who drove me from there to Potchefstroom which is about 120 Kilometers away. The drive was about 1 1/2 hours and besides being tired it was pretty unexciting. I arrived around 7:30 to Potch and was greeted by Sari with a huge hug and shown to the house I would be staying in. Prof C had given Sari money to get me some basics in food as well some linens. I arrived and my room was already made up.

The house (I will post pictures later) is a guesthouse for visiting graduate students from all over the country so at the moment there are five of us in the house (German, Dutch, Argetinian). However, one is leaving on Sunday and another is leaving in two weeks. So there will just be three in this huge house. We share a common kitchen and have two bathrooms. I met my first roommate last night, Noalia (who is here to work in the Chem lab), and the other three today (Stephanie, Freida, Nicole) when they arrived back from Port Elizabeth and the World Cup.

I slept about 12 hours last night so I woke today feeling much better. Noalia took me to Spar(the grocery store) and we picked up a couple things. After we returned we met up with another girl, Suzanne from the Netherlands and we went to a local bar to watch the Dutch play Japan. Not an exciting game but the Dutch fans were happy because they won and are seeded at the top of their group. Since Potcheftroom is small, everyone has a bike so today I borrowed one but I will have to figure out when one of my housemates is leaving so I can borrow it after she has gone.

Sari came over later today and took me to the mall to pick up a couple things I had forgotten. She is so sweet and she could not say enough nice things about Prof C and the head of the education department, Prof N. I will meet them all officially on Monday after getting all my paperwork done!

So far, I am getting my bearings and tomorrow we shall see what I learn about Potchefstroom!

One day to go . . .

Honestly, I cannot believe that I am actually leaving in 24 hours. Yet, I also cannot believe how fast it got here (6 months since I bought my ticket). Today was the first day that I realized that I will be in SA by the weekend! Prof C's assistant Sari has been wonderful and has reassured my nervous self that there will be a car waiting for me at Jo'burg and she will be at the university when I arrive to help me get settled.

As for my packing, I am allowed two bags up to 70lbs each but the goal is to keep it to 1 so I leave things behind when I come back and add things on my return. The last time I packed for more five weeks (or a backpacking trip) was when I left for Ireland and I am pretty sure I threw things into my bag not thinking about what I would really need. This time though, I have tried to be thoughtful but lets be honest, it is hard to pack for a place and an experience when you do not know everything (but hey thats part of the adventure). I am packing school supplies, books (required reading), and clothes as well so I have way more than I anticipated. From what I have heard, I need to pack warm clothes (as well as lotion) because it is windy and cold in Potchefstroom.

Well, the adventure begins tomorrow and there is no doubt that this will be the biggest yet!

Catch you on the other side!

10 days to go . . .

As of today, I have 10 days till I leave for my trip. I will admit there is more anxiety and stress associated with this trip then any other. I think it has to do with the fact that this is not a vacation it is a trip that concerns my dissertation, research opportunities, new experiences, and possible some good contacts.

Two professors (Prof C and Prof K) at the university have agreed to be my hosts and mentors for the summer. I have received wonderful emails from my two hosts who seem to want to make this trip great for me. They cannot be more accommodating and helpful in trying to make the trip worthwhile for me as well as for them. I just got an email from Professor K who told me my schedule for July (very packed with presentations and possible research opportunities) and once I arrive Professor C will be able to tell me about the first part of my trip. There is a ton of unknowns and a great deal of anticipation with all the possibilities for the summer!

The best part is that I have a place to sleep (not sure where but it is better than nothing) and someone to pick me up from the airport (two very important things)!

In the midst of it all, I have my birthday to celebrate. As everyone knows, I love to celebrate my birthday (best day ever) but this year it is a low key affair because my trip to South Africa is a rather large one!

At some point, the piles of clothes and stuff on my floor will make it into my bag . . . I really cannot believe that I will be leaving in 10 days and at the same time it cannot come quick enough.