I have traveled how many miles?

And I feel like I have not left south. I see so many plants and trees that we have in Florida-- like sweet gum. The air is warm and the sun is bright and the grass is green even though it is "winter" here. Also yesterday the University of Pretoria had a rugby game. The traffic was horrid, people were tailgaitng everywhere drinking beer out of blue plastic cups with their faces painted. It reminded me of a Gator game!

Also several men were staying at the hostel for the rugby game. We were all sitting by the fire in the main room of the hostel when they returned red faced and drunk as a skunk. They started talking to me and it was soon apparent how horribly racist they were! It was disgusting. They reminded me of the worst of the "good ole boys" I ran into in the south. It is amazing how the more I travel the more I realize these people are everywhere. It makes me so sad that this way of thinking is pervasive. I feel like I am in Kentucky or something! I can't wait to get out of the city and into the field.

Made it!

The flight from Atlanta to Johannesburg was epic. I made it even more epic by watching all three of the lord of the rings movies back to back. The fact that my vegetarian meal was lost and I had to subsist on bread was shadowed by the amount of times Frodo dies and then comes back to life again. He sure is hardy.
When we arrived it was already dark so I did not get to see much. So far though I am enjoying all the smells. The person who graciously gave us a ride to our hostel is a biological technician by day and a dj at a goth club by night. Small world.

This is not Africa

Found some old pictures on my camera from my last field adventure. These are all taken in
Costa Rica

TIA

TIA stands for "This is Africa"

This blog starts with the word "this". Because it can.

This blog will hopefully be updated with my travel adventures working in South Africa and Namibia. I can't promise it will be updated often. Or at all. Or that it will be interesting. I can't really promise anything.

This is all you will get for now. I am leaving in 20 days. I will be there until November.