October 1 2010 / MV Explorer

In Poetry today they talked about this awesome-sounding FDP that’s called Poets and Authors, where we meet with successful contemporary authors and poets on board the ship and have lunch with them and talk about their writings.  It seems as though it doesn’t have a cap on how many people can go, and it’s only twelve dollars, so I think it would be really neat to get myself immersed that way.  It might also give me some new ideas for poetry to write, because I am just getting a little overwhelmed with how poetry “should” be with all of its metaphorical imagery and emotions and all that stuff.  Also presented my magic box in Anthropology of Tourism, and talked a bit about our visit to Robben Island and some of its back history.  I am extremely exciting to be going now that I’ve learned more about apartheid.  Contemporary Social Issues we had our first debate in class, which was on capital punishment and whether or not it should be outlawed.  It got, as imagined, pretty heated, especially since both sides actually believed that their side was the right one.  I’m glad I’m doing something that is more of a no-brainer and less controversial (comprehensive paternity leave in the United States)—I would just end up working myself up into a frenzy. 

After class I went into the Wellness Center to get my hair buzzed evenly, as my patches have earned me the nickname “Patches” with my friends (don’t worry about it, mom).  It is definitely far more even now.  The woman who was doing it was extremely confused as to why all of these women were so excited about their lack of hair, and kept trying to tell me how to make my hair grow out faster.  I appreciated the gesture.  But I actually really like my hair short, if not shaved—it just draws so much more attention to my wonderful face.  :)  (My receipt said that I had come in for a beard trim—I lolled.)

I accidentally fell asleep in my room after my haircut, waking up only to hear something on the intercom about South Africa, so for some reason I was convinced that meals were going to be segregated by gender, and continued to think that was until I was on the stairs.  But Julie, Lorelei, Jared and I munched with some of Jared’s other friends, Kathy and Kristy, who were pretty nice.  We talked about extremely inappropriate things.  I’ve discovered that I am the “Robert Greene” of my group of friends.  I say one little thing and Jared’s eyes bug out and he goes “STEPHANIE!” in the same way I always would go “ROBERT!”  I am pleased to accept this title. 

We went into the Union to snag good spots for the cultural pre-port in South Africa, which was THE MOST INCREDIBLE pre-port EVER.  It left me so jazzed up for South Africa.  First of all, the chorus sang the South African national anthem, which is in four languages and is so beautiful.  Desmond Tutu came in midway through and went up there and started singing too… that man cannot get any more adorable.  There are just SO many incredible things to do in South Africa—the R62 wine route (Shellenbosch vineyard selection is close by apparently), Greenmarket Square, hiking Table Mountain, Boulder Beach (where all the African jackass penguins are!), township tours, Cliftton beaches, “ostrich riding” (terrifying), shark cage diving (far less scary), Cape Point, nightlife, jazz clubs… my mind was just boggled the entire time people were speaking.  I don’t know how I’m going to be able to do everything I want to do in such a short amount of time, especially when I’m going to be doing a safari the last three days.  I am not at all going to be sleeping.  I also really want to go to a jazz club while I’m in South Africa, even if I just go by myself and enjoy the music (Lorelei doesn’t seem to be into jazz, and Julie and I have pretty conflicting schedules). 

AUGH! This is the first place where BEFORE we’ve even GOTTEN to the country I already know that I’m going to have to come back in order to do everything I want to do!  I wish that my fam was here to do this stuff with me--I feel as though there's something for everyone here, and that this would be an awesome place for us to go in the future (and I haven't even been there yet, haha).  Apparently the South African favorite pizza is bacon, avocado, and feta cheese.  I feel as though me and SA are going to get along just fine. 

After the cultural pre-port it was karaoke night in the Union!  Julie and I wanted to sing (despite my flashbacks about the last time I sang karaoke on a ship…) and it took a while before we finally settled on All Star by Smashmouth.  We figured we couldn’t go wrong with a 90s favorite.  I wanted to sing Frank Sinatra, but the other girls “didn’t know it well enough.”  UNACCEPTABLE.  I also bullied Jared into coming up and singing as well.  We went on AFTER the guys who totally rocked “I Want It That Way” by… the Backstreet Boys? N’Sync?  So that was a little stressful, but we did our best.  I lost my voice midway through, but people were still happy and we got a good reception.  The last song of the night was sung by Lander—he did Piano Man, which I hadn’t seen in the book!  Everyone in the hall knew it, and by the end everyone was standing and swaying together as we sang.  It was the most awesome thing. 

After karaoke night, Julie, Lorelei and I kind of worked out the first day in what we want to do, which is me going to the Poets and Authors thing, leaving around noon-thirty to go to Boulder Beach, going to Clifton’s “Fourth Beach,” which is apparently a big party beach, and shopping.  If I get bored and we’re at the Clifton Beach for too long, I’ll just come back and find something else to do.  I really want to pack my days—there just isn’t enough time to be idle in this country!  I think we might be hiking Table Mountain on the third day.  I will have to have some kind of late night excursion into the port mall to use their free wifi to upload pics onto facebook as well, so ya’ll can see my bald head.

I really want to buy a vuvuzela in Cape Town.

PS: I sent out a LOT of postcards in Morocco--have people not gotten them yet?