Pain(t)balls and bike falls

Yoyo People of the Palace! So my days since Easter have been quite uneventful, thus no reporting back for a while! However, I come bearing news – not very much though!

So last week we went to play paintball at Paintball Gent. Nice place… until you get hit by the first burning paintball! To make matters worse, my South African ally, Johann, was on the enemy team and shot me on the ass. I now have a nice purple bruise right there to remind me of his betrayal. Even though it was painful, I enjoyed running around like a crazed soldier and slipping on paintballs! I would’ve loved to test my barrel roll and diving skills, but unfortunately my left knee was not cooperating. See, what happened was that I wiped out again on my bike while heading to catch the bus for paintball. This fall was not as mild as the previous one and my knee and ankle is still blue and uncooperative!

So since I have no real interesting news, here’s a video that gives you a 5 minute tour of Ghent. It’s really awesome! (Kudos to Julianne for sharing it on her blog)

On the agenda for the next few weeks: Beerbowling, Lieven’s choir concert, Budapest, Dinner at Lieven’s house and, of course, THESIS – DUM DUM DUUUUUUM! Peace J

Easter break in Germany

As part of my Easter vacation I spent 8 days in Germany. I went to Munich, Berlin and Potsdam, which is a city close to Berlin. I had an awesome experience, mostly travelling on my own, meeting up with friends and meeting new people!

So at first I started my journey on a low-cost airline and before I knew it I was landing at Memmingem airport. What I didn’t know however, was that the bus trip to Munich was going to take an hour and a half. Not the end of the world though and when I arrived in Munich my South African friend, Nico, was there to meet me! We had an awesome time together exploring Munich and on the second night we went on a Beer Challenge/Pub Crawl organised by New Europe. We visited Augustiner Brauhaus, as well as the Hofbrauhaus. This was an awesome experience. What makes Munich and the rest of Bavaria awesome is that the people there are still quite traditional and it’s not weird for them going out in their traditional lederhosen. That was really really awesome as we saw some well-dressed gentleman and ladies! The biggest party happened in the Euro Youth Hostel Pub, where the Beer Challenge ended. This was also the hostel we were staying in. The next morning I had to get up early to catch the bus to Berlin, while Nico was heading to Dubai to visit friends.

So after an eight and a half hour bus ride I arrived in Berlin. Eight and a half hours on a bus was at least not as bad as I expected and I got to see more of Germany, even though it meant just passing through. So arrived in Berlin all alone, but luckily the hostel I was staying in was really easy to find. There I met one of my dorm-mates, Ahmed from Egypt. The next day the two of us went on a free city tour, but halfway through we were so cold we returned to the hostel. I then decided to go find a shopping centre, not that I had any money to spend, but at least it was warm! Then it randomly started to snow! On Saturday night an American guy, Drew, arrived in our dorm, so Sunday the two of us went exploring once again. With no trace of the previous day’s snow and the sun shining we walked and walked and walked and saw everything awesome, returning to the hostel with sore feet. I would highly recommend a visit to the Holocaust Memorial Site and the museum under it to anyone visiting Berlin! That was definitely a the biggest highlight of all the sites I saw and very moving. By the time we got back to the hostel another Egyptian, Sherif, had arrived. He is a friend of Ahmed’s and, of course, in true Egyptian style we found a shisha bar (hubbly for the South Africans, or hookah for anyone else) and each smoked a pipe. They taught me how to blow smoke rings and shared all their shisha secrets, so I’m a pro now! Dan, my friend from New Zealand, arrived on Monday and on Monday night we went to the shisha bar again.

So then on Tuesday morning I bid Berlin, and my new-found friends, goodbye and went to visit Julianne in her hometown of Potsdam. We spent the day exploring the streets and sights of Potsdam and later the day Dan also joined us. The night we went to dinner with Julianne’s German friends and also celebrated one of her friends’ birthday with her. Wednesday led to more exploring and doing random things like taking silly pictures and falling of random turning chairs in parks (right Julianne?). We ended the day playing Rock Band on Wii and having dinner with her mom and brother. Potsdam was definitely my favourite city on the trip and I would recommend a visit to it if any of you ever end up in Germany!

Thursday morning we woke up at 4:10 to catch our plane back to Belgium. Since we were so tired we didn’t pay much attention to the trains when we arrived in Brussels and ended up taking the train that takes almost 2 hours to get to Gent since it stops about 15 times! Finally we made it home and it was good to be back in Gent!

So last night I attended the birthday of the Parochiaal Centrum PAX in Aalter where Lieven lives. Had good food, met the parents (and the rest of Aalter) and had a good laugh at Lieven on a video they made for the birthday of the centre. Just a shame my camera's battery was dead, otherwise I could've had some incriminating evidence! All in all I would say I had a pretty awesome Easter break. Plus it’s awesome to have proper frietjes (Belgian fries) after a 40 day Lent fasting!

Back for more!

Hello peeps! So it’s been a while since I wrote anything here – sorry, my bad! It’s been quite a busy month for me and since the sun was shining most of the time, I preferred being outside rather than inside.

So since the last time I wrote many things have happened! First there was the weekend in the Ardennes (which is the Belgian “mountains”), then there was a lot of social time which included enjoying the spring sun on the Graslei with friends, eating ice cream and, of course, hanging out in Porter House (the Irish Pub where the exchange students meet on Wednesdays).

So spring has finally (and briefly) arrived in Gent. I was sick in bed for most of the first few sunny days, but it wasn’t long before I was up and whizzing around on my bike enjoying the sun. The students like to spend their lunch time on the Graslei enjoying their lunch and a beer. Of course everyone went crazy when they saw the sun, so the Graslei was super busy, but the atmosphere was amazing and it made for an awesome lunch time!

So then we went to the Ardennes. Basically what this entails is assembling 70 exchange students, getting on a bus, driving about 3 hours to the other side of Belgium (in the South) and having a massive house party every night with unlimited beer on tap! This was no doubt one of the most fun weekends I’ve had the pleasure of attending. So after arriving in Arbrefontein, which is a really small town, we had dinner prepared by the owner of Porter House, after which we had a music quiz type activity with the girls against the boys. Of course the girls won – probably due to their amazing dancing skills ;) After this the house party continued until the next morning. Everyone slept till the afternoon and then we went for a “hike” in the mountains (which is basically just very high hills). Then came the much awaited “Bal Marginaal” where everyone was supposed to dress as silly as possible. After which another huge party followed. It is probably unnecessary to mention that most people were either still drunk by the time we got on the bus, or very hung over. It was quite a funny experience for me! We then drove to Dinant to see the famous Citadell Castle. Some of us were brave enough to climb the more or less 250 steps to the top while others opted to take the cable car.

A few Sundays ago we went to Leuven, which is a university town in Belgium kind of like Stellenbosch (probably just less awesome). Another Stellenbosch student, Stephanie, is studying there and she spent a night or two with us in Gent, before we went to Leuven to see where she lives. The weather was great and we had a drink on the Oudemarkt square, where many other people also came to enjoy the sun. After this we played some Rummikub in a little pub/coffee shop close by. Once again the town’s atmosphere was amazing, even though most places were closed since it was Sunday.

I'm still (barely) alive!

So it’s been a while since I wrote anything here… between being really busy and really sick I sort of haven’t had much time to think about blogging! However, I have returned to bring you yet another post about my travels in Europe!

So my “busy period” basically started out by going to Knokke with my good friend, Lisa, and her mom. Knokke is at the Belgian seaside. I would not call it surfers’ paradise, since the waves are really really small, but I can see how one can have a nice time there in summer! We borrowed some bicycles and had a nice cycle on the boulevard which runs along the seaside. I was then also invited to a family dinner at Lisa’s house, with her parents, sister and good friends of theirs. The food was amazing! I must say it made me miss my own parents’ cooking! I was so full after that I had a struggle getting up the stairs at home!

Lisa and me at the seaside

The week after that was pretty straight forward – basically doing some thesis work and spending some time sick in bed… not so nice. I also had a short stint on the campus radio station, Urgent.fm, talking about my experience in Ghent so far. When asked what I missed most about my country my answer, of course, was the SUN! Also rented a bicycle for the rest of my time here so I can set to work on those sexy legs I have always wanted ;) and dominated the ESN quiz night (most probably thanks to all the practice at the Aandklas quiz nights - man, I miss those!).

Then came the big trip! Paris! Setting out at 6 AM on a Saturday morning after having a bit of a party the night before was not one of the easiest things any of us had to do, but at least the bus ride was a few hours long so we got some sleep! After finally arriving in Paris, having some lunch and checking in at the hostel we got on the metro to meet our guides for the city tour. More than once I wondered what it must’ve looked like when sixty random people are catching the same train and at every stop someone yells out for them to either stay on the train or get off. I have lots of respect for the ESN members accompanying us, as what seemed to be young, grown-up adults, turned out to be dependant 21 year olds acting like they were on a school trip! Thanks to the ESN members for remaining patient and helpful. I, however, cannot say the same about myself. After that there was a LOT of walking and walking and walking and then a little more walking. We got to see a lot of nice sights though and our guide, Adam, whom I will forgive for being half American, was awesome and also very patient. For me the highlight of the city tour was definitely the Arc de Triomphe! After that we set out exploring Paris by ourselves and ended up having some Chinese food for dinner, then a quick visit to the Moulin Rouge and finally back to the hostel for some games and then bed! On Sunday morning sickness started to claim my body and my mind! Not so cool! It was however an enjoyable day that ended in lunch at a charming little café and a purchase of Vogue Paris J

Since Monday I have been sick in bed with the nastiest cold I’ve had in a long time. After two visits to the doctor they finally decided that antibiotics will have to save the day – and we’re getting there slowly but surely. Today was also one of the first days we had the nicest weather and Vicky and I enjoyed a sit in the garden in the afternoon – one of the perks of living in a house with a family!

More blogs!

So my awesome, irreplaceable friends far far away, some of my new found and also awesome friends here in Belgium also have blogs that you can read! Ze German - Juliane - even made a video (click on the word to watch video) of her first month in Ghent! See if you can spot me ;) Go check it out!

Johann's blog (South African): http://dodadance.wordpress.com/

Juliane's blog (German): http://jane-in-gent.blogspot.com/

Comparing SA and Belgium...

This post will be in English so my foreign friends will also understand J So what I’m going to do now is compare some random things in Belgium to the same things in South Africa. I’ll work at an exchange rate of R10.50 for 1 euro, as this is mostly what the exchange rate is averaging at the moment. Here we go:

Grocery prices

Bread: in SA we will pay about R7 to R11 depending on the type of bread bought, where R7 is for the basic normal white bread and R11 is for healthy bread. In Belgium I pay 1.75 euro (R18.38) for white bread. The quality of the white bread is much better though, so it’s not so bad to pay that amount.

Tuna: in South Africa a 200g can of tuna would cost you R7 to R10 – in Belgium I paid 1.99 euro (R20.90), which is quite shocking… I haven’t bought any meat or chicken yet – I’m too scared to look at the prices!

Coca-Cola: 1.5 litres will cost you about R9 to R11 in SA, PLUS deposit, here in Belgium I pay 1.69 euro (R17.75) for the same amount, without deposit.

Muesli, mayonnaise, orange juice, milk and other basics are more or less the same, but you can find some really cheap brands if you know where to go… and if you don’t mind the lower quality.

Beer: In SA you will typically pay about R11 to R17 for a normal Castle or Black Label (330 to 500 ml) – except in Aandklas on Thursdays when draughts go for about R12 each (I might be wrong on this one). In 

Belgium the cheapest beer is about 2 euro (R21) for a glass, as in 250 ml, and then it is the light stuff like Maes or Stella Artois. The other stronger beer (thus more alcohol), like Duvel (I think it’s going on 8% alcohol, might be wrong though), cost about 3 to 3.50 euro (R31.5 to R36.75).

Stronger Liquor: SA IS WAY CHEAPER L which means I’m drinking beer while I’m in Belgium…

Sms: in SA a sms after 8pm is 35c and before 8pm is about 80c, an international sms is about R2.50, but I’m not sure what calls cost… in Belgium a sms is 8 euro cent (84c) all day, but if you recharge with 15 euro (R157.50) per month you get 5000 free local smses. International smses cost about 50 euro cent (R5.25). I don’t really use 3G here, as I find it to be quite expensive, I also don’t call people.

Petrol and diesel

Petrol and diesel go at about somewhere between 1.60 and 1.80 euro per litre (R16.80 to R18.90), while in SA we pay about R10 to R12 a litre (I have no idea what the petrol price is in SA at the moment, but R12 is still quite expensive).

Clothing and shoe prices (this is of high importance ;))

In South Africa you’ll pay about R80 (Mr Price) to R150 (Shoerama) for a pair of flat pumps. So far the cheapest basic version of pumps I could find (and I saw them in a really cheap shop) in Belgium was 20 euro (R210). Typical “cheap” shoe prices in Belgium are something in the line of 35 to 60 euro (R367.5 to R630). Not so cheap compared to SA… I would admit that sometimes the quality is a bit better though.

Clothing prices can’t really be compared as it sort of depends in which shops you buy.  I love buying stuff from H&M, their prices are comparable to Mr Price I would say (maybe a bit more expensive… like JayJays or Identity), but the quality and fit is much better – almost comparable to Woolworths.

People and manners

Men here are quite different. In Belgium they don’t really care about women being independent and making more money than them…  which I can say, from first-hand experience, in SA is not the case. They regard women as equal, so equal in fact that they don’t really open doors for them, because apparently some women here are offended by it. I’ve managed to find one Belgian guy who opened a door for me, one form New Zealand, one from Poland and one unknown guy, who I might have thanked a bit too enthusiastically.

Gossiping is going at more or less the same trend in Belgium, especially among the exchange students, because everyone sort of knows each other. Most of the European people I find to be very liberal, which I don’t mind, but compared to the (seemingly) conservative South Africans, it is something to get used to. Very few people I’ve met in Belgium are actually religious, they are mostly atheist or agnostic, and those who are Christian don’t really go to church anymore (as there are mostly strict Catholic churches here).

Politics

I’m not even going to go into that… but believe me, no country is without problems in this regard.

That’s it for now… Academics are picking up, so posts will be less frequent now J


Here are some random pics from the Binche carnaval:

Party please! Problem?

So, ek het nogal ‘n eventful naweek gehad! Dit was nou vir jou prettig! Dit het begin Vrydagaand met speed dating by die Therminal (dis waar die ESN se headquarters is), daar het ek baie mense ontmoet! Aangesien daar heelwat meer meisies as ouens was het ek sommer met die girls geskakel. Dit was egter nie lank voor ons ander planne bedink het nie! Ek en Lieven (mens se dit Liewen, hier is “v” gelyk aan “w” en “w” gelyk aan die Engelse “double u” soos in “what” of “who”) het opgeteam en toe word dit nou eers interessant! Ons het sommer vinnig-vinnig vir Jacek (uitgespreek “Jat-sek”) betrek en lekker gelag vir my naam kaartjie, aangesien niemand my naam so lekker kon uitspreek of verstaan nie – ek was ‘n hele paar keer Johanna! Daarna is ons Twitch toe vir ‘n traffic light party – dra ‘n groen bandjie as jy single is, geel as dit complicated is en rooi as jy gevat is. Aangesien die mense hier se uitgaan kuiers eers so tussen 11 en 1 begin en die clubs en pubs eers 6h toemaak, was dit nogal ‘n laat aand (of vroeë oggend), maar so die moeite werd!

Saterdamiddag is ons Brugge toe, dis so uur met die trein se ry see se kant toe. Ons het ‘n toer gehad en baie foto’s geneem. Dit was baie mooi en interessant behalwe vir die reën wat later die pret so bietjie bederf het! Ons is terug Gent toe so teen 6h se kant en toe ek in my bed geval van moegheid!

Sondagmiddag is ons na ‘n karnaval in Aalst toe. Blykbaar hou die mense hier groot partytjie voor Lent begin en dis toe by dié partytjie waar ons opeindig. Die mense trek verskriklik awesome aan en die kostuums is in die fynste detail beplan en gemaak. Dit is regtig ‘n ongelooflike ervaring! Ek het BAIE cross dressers gesien… dit het my nogal laat wonder hoeveel van die mans eintlik nog altyd graag high heels en leggings wou gedra het! Hier het ek, Silke, Brecht en Hugo sommer gou vir ons ‘n paar maskers op die sypaadjie aanmekaar geslaan en daar is ons toe weg om die vlotte te gaan bekyk en die pubs in te vaar. In die pubs was die mense maar redelik flou en ek en Brecht besluit toe om die partytjie bietjie aan die gang te kry deur snaakse dans moves te gooi in die middel van die pub – ons het nogal ‘n paar aanhangers gekry daar! Toe die partytjie nie wou lewe kry nie is ons huis toe. Gelukkig is vandag en môre vakansiedae en het niemand klas nie so almal kan lekker herstel van die naweek se bedrywighede! Môre is ons oppad Binche toe vir nog ‘n karnaval!

FOTO'S; Bo v.l.n.r: Lieven en Abdul van ESN; Jacek in Brugge; Brecht, Silke, ek en Hugo in ons "costumes" in Aalst.
Onder v.l.n.r: Lieven en ek in Brugge; Ek en Johann (van SA) in Brugge; Een van die deelnemers aan die vlotoptog in Aalst - kyk daai costume!


Video van dansende kersbome! HAHAHAHA