Living Quarters

I am living in a neighbourhood called Observatory that is a five minute drive or half hour walk away from campus. Obs could be considered to be the East Van equivalent of Cape Town: lots of really interesting restaurants, pubs and clubs but the level of poverty is a little more prevelant. On my first night here I had a guy knocking on the door asking for money (two more since then). Coincedantly, I received a note from my landlady the next day with a footnote about the people asking for money. She recommended turning them away firmly but politely to avoid getting huge numbers showing up although I had reached that conclusion already. It's something else to have people asking at one's home as opposed to just on the street. The view from my front door every day is of Devil's Peak loaming over the university and surrounding neighbourhoods providing ample encouragement to climb it before the month is out. There are plenty of other students in the neighbourhood so it is usually pretty easy to find a group to walk home with. During the day walking on one's own is a generally safe thing to do provided you remain alert and walk with a purpose. At night we never travel alone and try to carry as few items as possible. Fortunately, with the strong Canadian dollar it is possible to go out for dinner and drinks for several hour with one or two hundred rand ($20-$40). There is a stop for the student bus service (the Jammie Shuttle) a five minute walk away that provides free transport up to campus and occasionally runs on time and frequently. As well, just accross the road is the Groote Schuur hospital which is apparently one of the best hospital's in Cape Town, if a little crowded. I have two roommates, Mari from Oslo, Norway, and Lot from Amsterdam, Holland. Three weeks in and we are still getting along quite well; first time I have had female roommates that aren't completely messed up and crazy. The house was really well furnished when we moved in complete with bedding that matches the towels that match the storage boxes; mine is the green room at the front of the house. The heat makes it necessary to sleep with my window open so if I wake up in the early morning I usually won't get back to sleep due to the sounds from the street; fine by me, there are so many things to do and see that getting up early is a benefit - plus I can actually get into the bathroom then. All hardwood floors with high ceilings, a small wine cellar (I want to try and fill it but it is hard to maintain a surplus), and a small back garden with a few plants, benches, and a braai (wait for a post on food for a description of the braai). Excuse the spelling as I haven't figured out the spell check function...