A Plum Island bacchanalia fast approaches

Africa is nice and all, but I am greatly anticipating my vacation in a small Massachusetts beach town. Here are a few reasons.

• I think I've had around 12 alcoholic drinks in the past month, and most of them were some mediocre South African lager. At this point the idea of Sam Adams and Guinness make my mouth water.
  
• Today for the first time in a month I drank a cup of coffee that wasn't instant. It was heaven. And this wasn't particularly good coffee. When I get some Dunkin' Donuts I might just jump off a roof believing I can fly.
  
• People I work with are from different parts of Africa and Europe. I haven't heard an American accent in weeks. Even the Boston accent will be music to my ears.
• Burgers and shellfish are non-existent here. GIMME THAT LOBSTER ROLL!
• Driving on the naturally right side of the road legally, rather than finding myself approaching an oncoming cop car flashing his headlights at me to move the hell out of his lane, will be quite a trip.
  

I definitely miss a few things about my life in the USA.

The most dangerous thing in South Africa

Most dangerous for a healthy 28-year old male like me, anyway.

In the hours of darkness

Last night I went to sleep early but was disturbed four times. First our house alarm was set off by some mysterious force. As far as I know the only way to set it off is to press one of the panic buttons that are placed in each room. My housemate and I were asleep so I'm not sure how that happened.

The next three times I woke up were due to a loud animal in the neighboring reserve. I think it was a lion. (EDIT: Confirmed--It was a lion, and it was very close. Maybe 1km from here.) It's sort of terrifying to wake up to the noise of an unknown but obviously large animal. Each time I opened my eyes I had a fleeting sense of panic. That feeling passes as I remember that the big five are trapped inside an even bigger fence and I'm inside a locked house, and I feel warm and secure in my bed. But as my brain starts working again, I start to process the strangeness of listening to an animal that, for me, only existed on TV. Sleeping in this bed suddenly feels foreign. My distance from home feels more real. It is a feeling that either doesn't exist or that I ignore during the day.

Saturday morning I'm planning to visit Kruger National Park for the first time. The gate is within 20 km from home. I'll go tell the neighbors to keep it down after 10pm. Readers of this blog will probably be seeing many more animal photos beginning Sunday. Maybe even an amazing video?

Two years

Today is our two-year anniversary. This brings home the hard part about this trip---wishing I were together with Jessica. Luckily I get to visit the week before July 4 so we can see each other and have some fun.

Also on this day is the anniversary of the 1976 Soweto uprising in which 566 children were killed. Youth Day is a national holiday so I was able to sleep late. There was a big memorial gathering in Johannesburg with an address by new President Jacob Zuma.

And as if you needed any other reasons to mark today's date, June 16, 1904 is "Bloomsday," the day described in Joyce's Ulysses.

Have a nice day.

Back in South Africa...

This week the Confederation Cup is happening here as sort of a warm-up for the World Cup in 2010. What is the Confederation Cup? I haven't mentioned soccer yet on this blog, but it is very big here. People are excited and honored to host the World Cup next year. It will the first World Cup on African soil, and South Africans are proud it will be in their backyard.

There are eight teams in this year's Confed Cup, including South Africa, USA, Iraq and Brazil. This week Team USA plays both the 2006 World Cup champion Italy and the perennial powerhouse Brazil. South Africa's first game is this afternoon versus Iraq.

I won't be able to go to any games, although I think it would be great fun. Maybe I can find a TV to watch them.