2 June 2013
Arriving in Johannesburg, it only took a short, yet thrilling, plane ride to finally reach Bloemfontein where I was taxied by Voterik to the University of the Free State (UFS). I was warmly welcomed by Louise Styne who presented me with a bag full of groceries and showed me to my single bedroom in President Styne Resident Hall (of no relation to her), which received its name from a former president of South Africa and founder of the university. She then drove me on a quick tour through the campus, during which I learned the university was founded in 1904 and currently has a student body of 30,000 people with 3,000 students being international. Only 6,000 students can be housed on campus; therefore, the university is planning to build several more resident halls in the next few years. Also, the campus is undergoing a transformation in which some older buildings are being renovated to bring color and architectural flare to the otherwise monochromatic and simple appearance of the brick-built buildings.
During my first night, I introduced myself to Jaclyn’s roommate, Tracey, who like Roger was from outside of Durban. Tracey is a post-graduate student who is performing soil studies in Kruger National Park and is testing her samples in the lab at the university. Her research primarily focuses on wetland delineation based on the amount of oxidation measured from Iris tubes, which are white poles coated in lead-based paint. When the soil conditions for wetland areas are present the paint is oxidized and removed, showing the white pole underneath. She is a very welcoming person and was quick to inform us about some different terminology that we will hear in South Africa. For example, if something is happening “just now” then it could happen within the next 30 minutes or later, but if something is happening “now now” then it is happening right this instant. Also, streetlights are called robots and if someone calls you “ugly” it’s not because your physical appearance is unappealing, but rather your behavior is poor.
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