Paradise

I'm so in love with this place it's unreal. This morning I woke up (by morning I mean noon) and went on a run through the town. I'm not going to lie, running at noon in the middle of an african summer wasn't the best idea, but it was still productive nonetheless. Later my roommates and I are going to yoga and then climbing Mt. Stellenbosch, it should be pretty interesting. A few days ago a big group of kids from our program decided to hike the mountain and five hours later only four made it to the top. I'm hoping the yoga will make me become "one with the mountain" so I can conquer this thing.

The other day we went to the beach and it was breathtaking. I really can't even put it into words, so here are some pictures.

Sam and I tried to take jumping pictures about 80 times and this is the best one. Pretty pathetic!

We found a little shop on the beach that sells really awesome shells. This one doubles as a cell phone.

It turns out the beach we were at is where they film most of Shark Week. About 600 meters off shore is the beginning of the "ring of death." Sounds like the perfect place for some family fun, right? I just feel bad for the innocent seals. A guy that went to the beach with us said he saw a great white breach. Meh, I'll believe it when I see it.

Here's more about seal island and the ring of death: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seal_Island,_South_Africa

(Reputable source, right?)

In other news, my cell phone got stolen. Awesome! Wyatt got a text a few days ago from someone saying they found it and they wanted to meet up with me to get it. I don't think so mister. I've seen Taken, and my dad isn't Liam Neelson, so that interaction isn't even close to happening. He texted them back and asked them to drop it off at the International Student Office and they actually did! Thank goodness. My roommate, Rachel, had her phone stolen the day she bought it. The next day I got a phone call from her phone in the middle of orientation (embarrassing) and the guy on the other end was speaking fluent Afrikaans. I was like "uhh..me no hablo Afrikaans?" Such a Texan. Anyways, the creeper ended up changing Rachel's voicemail to his name and started using the phone like it was his own. Thankfully her parents could disconnect it before he rang up any huge bills. I guess I got lucky!

Time to go hike the mountain. Pictures will follow!