Let’s set the scene for you. It’s 85 degrees, sunny and a slight breeze. I can see the Indian Ocean from our front porch and I get woken up at 7:00am by the sound of honking cars. I’m in Port Elizabeth, Africa.

I made it here at about 9:30 on Sunday night. I was a little scared for the flight, but surprisingly everything went smoothly. All of my flights were on time and I got my luggage in PE. My flight from DC to Johanusburg was about 15 hours, but I was lucky enough to get my own personal TV set. (How did people every do these flights even five years ago?) I met a man from Joburg who was in the states with a chemical company, a woman who worked at the Joburg zoo and another woman who was doing a week long trip to PE. Everybody was super nice. I almost had a snafoo through customs when I forgot to pick up my suitcase at the luggage claim. A man stopped me and brought me back through because he said I needed to re-check it in. Suprisingly, he was right and there it was on the luggage claim. I think he was sort of implying that I give should him a tip, but I was fairly tired and gave him a nice American “Thank you very much.” I felt bad once I was walking away, so I gave the next guy who carried my luggage to the check in counter a $20 tip (it was all I had). Hopefully that brings good karma for the rest of the trip.

This week is orientation week with lots of fun activities planned. We hit the beach yesterday, I’m thinking of about some surfing lessons in the near future. With my pale Midwest complexion I think I would make a great surf bum (don’t worry mom, I’ve put on lots of sunscreen every day). We took a tour of the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University campus today. It was huge, much larger than either SJU or CSB. My favorite part of the day was the “Do Not Feed the Monkey” signs. We’re going to have one class a day, so I’m going to be very, very busy....

Otherwise, life is good. Great company, wonderful food, and the city has a relaxed atmosphere that I could definitely get used to, the 85 degree weather doesn’t hurt either…
Till next time… I'll post pictures soon.