Liesbeeck Gardens: Soviet Prison Block or UCT residence?

Lane calls Liesbeek Gardens (LBG as the locals call it) a soviet prison block because that is exactly what it looks like. In fact many of the locals comment on the state of the dorms here too, (though I have yet to see a fabulous dorm so what could I really expect). These accommodations are not exactly what I expected but I am sure with time that they will become home sweet home. My room is absolutely huge and it has very nice parquet flooring. (You can only see half of my room in the picture. Really my room looks nice but it is the outside that looks...interesting.) I do not have much stuff though and so it continues to look empty. I have met one of my roommates but he has not been there very much and I have not met the other. It has been difficult to get questions but I am hoping that when school starts that they will be around. I am sure that as I am here I will learn the ropes and know all the little procedural things by the time I leave but right now, it is a little bit frustrating. I feel like a freshman again only worse because I do not even understand the culture.

Orientation has been a whirlwind. We have done a lot of procedure stuff but there have been some really fun events to break up the monotony. A couple of days ago we went to a restaurant called Marco’s African Place. I am not really sure what any of the dishes were but I sampled all that came my way and it all was pretty good. We also had an authentic braii, which is the African term for a Barbeque. Though, my all time favorite African dessert is malva pudding. It is absolutely delicious. When I find a recipe and learn how to make it I will be sure to make it at home. Yesterday we went on the peninsula tour where we were able to see the surrounding Cape Town region. We ate lunch in a township called Ocean View.
Most of the townships were established during the apartheid and the black and colored residents were forcibly removed from their land and put in communities separated from the original land. People are still a little sore about the oppressive regime of the government, but they are learning to cope with their new home and change things for the better. It was a very refreshing visit. We also saw some very pretty sites. We saw the place where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet. We also saw the African penguins, baboons, and ostriches in a natural preserve. We took a hike along the coast that had breath-taking views. It was a fabulous day and I was happy to be able to see the area. We toured a little bit of Cape Town proper, and there were many museums and historic sites to which I would like to return hopefully some weekend. Finally today we had an African drum lesson. It was neat to learn some of the African rhythms.

I finally got to go to the grocery store today, which was a very good thing. At orientation they have fed us at least one meal per day but the rest are on our own. It is not really safe to go out at night unless you have a big group and we don’t have cars so each time we would have to take a cab, not to mention orientation is an exhausting event so I haven’t had the opportunity to get any food. It is a good thing that I brought some Cliff bars. They have been a consistent and reliable diet for an exhausted and unsure international student. Therefore it was a blessing to get some food today. I still need to get some more but I have a few days to tide me over. One of these days I may even cook. First I need to clean all my dishes (CIEE provided), which I have not had the time to do and figure out a place to store them. There is still a lot to do but everything hopefully is becoming more manageable.

In orientation, we began to learn about how to register for classes. Unfortunately, it is not as nice as web registration. Locals have told me that it can take up to 3 or 4 hours. I really hope not. But before I can register I have to find the faculty of science and see if they will accept me into their classes. Also, I have to audition with the music department to see if I can play with them.

But I am feeling empowered at the moment so UCT can bring it on!