My last day in Stellenbosch was spent getting final things worked out with the International office at the University and spending some more time with Christo and Andrea (the American student who just moved to South Africa). We took a drive out to one of the vineyards for a winetasting and then went to a [...]
Today I overcame numerous obstacles (and a few fears) in order to get to Table Mountain in Capetown and to hike up and on the mountain. I had nearly exhausted all avenues for finding someone to take me to Capetown. Finally, a local tour group organizer took pity on me (after stopping by every day [...]
Dinner with Mrs. de la Bat was delightful. We met at 7 pm and walked to a restaurant that a friend recommended to her (Beads Restaurant). We sat outside in the garden area. She decided on a dish of curry and I ordered a traditional South African dish called bobotie. The food was absolutely delicious, [...]
Stellenbosch Update #12: Mrs. de la Bat I spent some time talking with Mrs. de la Bat this morning and she told me wonderful stories of living on the game reserve on the Etosha Pan. The pan or plain is full of amazing animals, and she is full of amazing stories! First, let’s get the [...]
Monday and Tuesday were busy with mundane things. I have read about six books on cognitive linguistics, relevance theory, vocabulary acquisition, and translation theory. While most of it is pretty technical, there have been a few little quotes from one book (Understanding Utterances by Diane Blakemore) which I thought were worthy of a wider audience. [...]
Before I start talking about the trip, I have two little tidbits to share. One is about bells and the other about bell-shaped things that fall from trees. Early on Sunday morning (but not on the other days) there are several times when the church bells ring. I think the idea is to get you [...]
I haven’t given much of a description of the grocery market yet. Here’s a glimpse at the similarities and hilarious differences. The store I am shopping in is Checkers. It is a nice grocery store (at least I think it is nice). The first section you enter is a produce section. The variety is quite [...]
Braai at the van der Merwe home. Christo picked me up at 7pm and we drove a few minutes to a neighborhood on the outskirts of the town center. He lives in a nice one story house with a detached garage. As we arrived I noticed beautiful guinea fowl in the yard. They looked exotic [...]
More rain earlier today. It actually felt chilly this morning. Of course temperature is all relative. It’s 70˚ F here. But it will warm up now that the sun is out again. I was able to talk to Mrs. de la Bat today. She took me into the rest of the house and gave me [...]
Final chapter of the ATM story. I took my ATM card inside a different bank than the one that had “retained” it. My American bank had suggested I do the transaction over the counter to avoid trouble. The second bank said that because it is an ATM card and not a VISA card they cannot [...]
Lots to talk about, so let’s get down to it. Bartering. Most regular shops don’t barter, but markets and little kiosks or carts do. First thing to remember: go close to closing time, they are more desperate to make a sale. If they are packing up, all the better. The first thing they will tell [...]
Stayed up late last night (too late) reading some of the material Christo has given me, so I overslept a bit. Spent some time at the café grading UVa work. There are some problems with the online delivery system we are using (it is still beta) so I am trying to navigate some of those [...]
Things I forgot to mention about Monday: saw some Spring Bucks, some SA sheep, and a number of unusual birds (can’t identify them yet). Just before I arrived the exchange rate for dollars/rands changed. It had been stable for 2 years, but it went up last week about 10% in my favor. So my money [...]
Lots of rain overnight (everyone says this is highly unusual weather, but are all grateful for the rain). Little black worms to decided to get out of the rain and find refuge inside my room. I’m glad I had something on my feet when I got up. They coil up into little sprials when you [...]
For those of you who don’t know, I’m spending a couple of weeks in Stellenbosch, South Africa working with my doctoral advisor, Christo van der Merwe. I’ll try to post here (and on Facebook) my updates and photos. Day 1-2 Travel Philly airport: free wifi for stuents allowed me to stay in touch and get [...]
