Ostrich, Raves, Kudu Jerky

Welp, we landed safe and sound in Africa. Apparently, I am one of the few that has been gifted with the ability to sleep in the worst conditions, so I basically slept 10/17 hours on the flight over. Customs took all of 45 seconds (most of that time was me stumbling blindly through the line because the woman at the gate told me to take off my glasses) and then HandJ were greating us with a giant sign at the door. All in all, not a bad time in transit. Also, I'm fairly certain this is the longest amount of time Hannah and I have gone without seeing each other since elementary school.

My first impressions of Africa were that it looked like Ohio combined with Sacramento. Also, it was refreshingly cold - maybe 50 degrees F.

James and Hannah didn't really let us get jet lagged, thankfully. We went to dinner at Boer'Geoisie, which is an Afrikaans restaurant. I ate ostrich, worthog, kudu, springbok and venison. All of it was phenomenal. It was more meat than I've eaten in weeks, though.

After that, we jetted off to a birthday party. No joke, this was what I imagined a high class rave would have been like in the 90s (except no drugs or glow sticks). The party was hosted at an absolutely gorgeous restaurant/dance club (I have no idea what this place would be like during the day) with a phenomonal view of the city. There was a fog machine, DJ, and a slightly Euro crowd that definitely enjoyed the throw back jam. There was one young gentleman, Stefan, who was from Denmark. He thought I was 19 and that I wouldn't know the country Denmark. I wasn't sure if I should be offended or if I should just roll with it. But, he did teach me that "Skoll!" was the Danish word for, "cheers," so that was fun. I think Jill and I did a really good job of just jumping into the fray last night, though, so I think we made some friends.

Today, we got up and walked to a local market. We bought some cheese, baguettes, and kudu jerky. After that, it was yet another party. James and Hannah are living a seriously high brow life here. We walked into the most amazing home I have ever been in. This place was open air with an absolutely stunning view. Jill tooks some pictures, so I'll try and post those later. But, it felt like something you would see in Better Homes and Gardens. The hosts, Sean and Rodney, were incredibly gracious and had an out-of-this-world spread prepared. We met some amazing people today, including a guy from New Zealand who is going to help us plan the last leg of our trip, and ate some delicious food. It feels cliche, but I honestly feel like I've stepped into a movie star's life. Everyone has been so generous, kind and friendly. I've taken it upon myself to help one of the guys, Blake, plan a bachelorette party in DC. His partner, Carlos, has also been really friendly and fun. Unfortunately for me, Blake jetting off to Mozambique tomorrow, so I'm not sure we'll see much more of him.

After the brunch (which lasted through a gorgeous sunset), we headed back to home base for a fire. James and Hannah prepared some lamb and chicken wings and had a few friends over. It was a really good time. It's been less than 48 hours, and I feel like I've already experienced a totally not-so-different world. Speaking of, here are some of my initial impressions:

Language:
If you are white, people assume you speak Afrikaans. Obviously, I don't. The transition is seemless, though. I feel like no one misses a beat once they realize I am American.

James and Hannah taught us a phrase or two. (Spelled phonetically) "Donkey"means "thank you." "Buyadonkey" means, "Thank you very much." This reminded me of Nate Ricciuto's phrase, "trash donkey," so I've been chuckling to myself for a while now.

Weather:
It's so comfortable! In the shade, you need a jacket. In the sun, it's pretty hot. At night, I'd guess it gets down to 40 degrees. All in all, I LOVE this weather. There's next to no humidity, so you aren't ever uncomfortable.

Left side driving:
I have no idea how I will manage this. I keep thinking, "LEFT SIDE, ROBERTS! LEFT SIDE!" but it isn't really sinking in. I may end up being a slow learner on that front.

Sir Kent:
Sir Kent is HandJ's dog. He's a friendly German Shepard with a spunky red bandana. He's a great dog.

Neighborhoods:
Everything in Pretoria seems to be gated. I can't really tell the difference between what is safe and what isn't.

No Squirrels:
Self explanatory.

Anyway, tomorrow we are going to the largest market in South Africa. I'm pretty excited and am hoping to find something cool for Ava. Right now, though, I am headed to bed.