Neighbourgood

This post should really be dedicated to Chase Mullen and his fabulous photography skills. When I mentioned heading to Cape Town, everyone that I asked for recommendations RAVED about the Saturday market at the Old Biscuit Mill. Unfortunately, we had planned on being in Stellenbosch on our only Saturday in Cape Town. After some quick discussions, we decided it would be worth piling in the stupid little Hyundai and heading back into Cape Town just for the morning. After waking up early and heading in, we arrived at the Saturday Neighbourgoods Market. At this point, my camera went away and I just walked around with my wallet full and my stomach empty. When leaving, my hands were full of goodies and my stomach was full of delicious food. So, without Chase, this post would not exist as I took approximately two photos all day. Read More...

Capetonians Part 1

After a quick flight, we landed in Cape Town! We knew we had picked a good hostel by their lovely choice in cab drivers. We were picked up by Jeff, a very friendly and open man. He proceeded to tell us all about his life and his lovely family. he was thrilled to be picking up Cheryl and Chase and proceeded to wax poetic about married life. But, when he started talking about Cheryl birthing their first child and her changing body, things got a bit weird; as the token single friend, I sat quietly in the back and tried not to laugh. We soon pulled up to our hostel, which at around 9 PM, was completed packed. Little did we know, there was an adjoining bar- which was bumpin. I rolled my suitcase through the drunken crowds to check in. We got into our room with two bunk beds (cozy!) and quickly went to sleep. Read More...

Safari Chic

One of the best things about going on safari is getting to wear a safari vest. We all bought them as a silly joke, but it honestly turned out to be incredibly useful as my vest had 27 pockets. It fits everything of value right on you in any spot you want so I ended up wearing it throughout all the airports. I also learned from Cheryl that a buff is a necessity. They are sold everywhere and can be used in a variety of ways (not just on Survivor). So I quickly purchased one to keep my hair out of my face on open air drives.  And it instantly makes you look cool and sporty. Read More...

Twelve Hour Days

4:30 AM wake up calls are not exactly what I had in mind for my vacation. But, when you might be able to see the Big Five, you're willing to make some sacrifices. Read More...

A Wander at the Kruger

The last days at school before my winter break went by in a haze of National Day, packing, and the lingering thought of "In two days, I will be in SOUTH AFRICA!"
I spent my last day quickly packing while fitting in as many showings of The Lion King as I possibly could before jumping on a plane to Johannesburg, South Africa! Read More...

The Big Five (and other featured characters)

The Big Five are considered to be the hardest five animals to hunt on foot by hunters. These days, a sighting of all five seems to be the stamp of approval that you had a successful safari. For me, seeing the Big Five was a success, but really only just the beginning of a great plethora of wildlife that created my amazing safari experience in Kruger National Park. Read More...

Happy National Day!

On December 18th, Qatar celebrates its biggest holiday, National Day! My school has been preparing for our big National Day celebration for quite a while and it was very exciting to see it all come together. All of the teachers wore thobes and abayas, which are the cultural dress for the men and women here in Qatar. National Day celebrates Qatar's unification and independence. I know it is not a long standing holiday, but the Qataris sure love it. Leading up to this week, I have seen more Qatar flags and cars decorated with the Emir's face than ever before. 

The students came dressed up to school with the boys wearing mini thobes and the girls wearing dresses decorated with the Qatar flag. Each class performed a dance and then there was a carnival with camels, falcons, henna, and much more. Unfortunately, I was hanging out with my students so I did not take photos during the carnival. But, the next day there was a big parade, so we walked over bright and early.  Read More...