Durham - The City of Medicine

Hello lovelies,

Not sure if I showed around campus and town yet, if not, then this post is way overdue! Durham is an interesting town (they say city, but this is not a city), lots of intellectual people live here apparently. Here are some random facts about Durham that you might not have known (Americans love to rank everything!) :

# 1 Greatest Basketball town to visit (with Duke being the best in the country)
# 1 Best Place to Retire
#1 in America's Foodiest Town (haha! who rank's the foodiest town!)
# 2 Best Green Cities
# 4 Most Affordable city to live
# 6 in America's smartest cities
# 7 Best place for college students to live

You can click here if you want to read more about Durham's "Accolades".

Here are some of my pics from the first couple of weeks!

At Sarah.P. Duke Gardens - (A 'bit' like Kirstenbosch)

In front of Duke Chapel

Another view of Duke Chapel

Concert in the Tobacco District

One of  2 buildings where I spend most of my time! Rubenstein

The other one - Sanford Building

Linzay in front of the best take out in America!

Rev Dr Rinquest preaching in the Divinity School

Organ inside the Duke Chapel

Linzay & I in front of Duke Chapel

xoxo

Nadia & Jeongmin go bowling...

So, if you didn't know that bowling was a technical game, try playing it with a Korean! Tonight I learnt that it has formulas and everything. Its not just about bowling the ball as straight as you can and hitting the pins. Its way more complicated than that and apparently they teach you all this in University in Korea. I'm telling you, we need to move to Korea.

This is basically how the conversation went:

Jeongmin: Nadia, there are 3 things you need to do! Follow the middle arrow, then get lower Nadia, lower. Now keep your arm as straight as possible.

Nadia: Ok, I just hit 9 pins, now what?

Jeongmin: Ok, now you need to follow the formula. Go 6 right, then aim between arrow 1 and 3 (and there is a different formula for every different pin left standing...). Lower Nadia, lower, you're still too high.

Nadia: Ok, I got it!

Jeongmin: I told you the formula works! Ok, not everytime, but most times.

Jeongmin: I know what, let me take a video of you bowling on your camera, so that I can show you what's wrong with your technique! Cause you not getting it, the ball is always honest Nadia, it can only go in the direction that you bowl it!

So now my back is in its chops and my thighs are basically broken and I broke 2 nails...I'm not so sure if I will be able to move tomorrow!! But it was so much fun and after 7 games of bowling...I think I may have figured out the formula...Jeongmin is a great teacher! I didn't win one game though and may need to go back next week for a rematch!!

JM putting on his shoes!

Me putting on my shoes!

Seems weird to wear other people's shoes...

Check out the technique!

Pizza time! its always pizza time here...

This was like game no 5 or something...I promise I did better than this!

The Korean 'V' sign...apparently it means 'Victory'

This is proof at how good JM is and how terrible I am (was)! I did make some improvement from game 1 to game 7!

xoxo

Grad School in the USA!

So...looking at my last few blog posts, I've realised that I have been giving the impression that life is just one big ball of fun here in the States, well, let me correct that notion for you all very quickly! I am working my butt off here!! Studying, studying and more studying!!!!!!!!!! And very little sleep! Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining, I know how privileged and blessed I am to be at a school like Duke but trust me, they make you work for this degree! So, I will be giving you small snippets and insights of what you can expect if you do decide to come to grad school in America. This comic is an accurate description found on phdcomics.com

This is exactly how it is! Except for the 'no grades' part!

xoxo

North Carolina State Fair!!

Ok, so you need to brace yourself for this one! Its not pretty, don't say I didn't warn you guys!

So this Saturday past I went with some of my favourite people here (Sophia, Cary & Oliver) to the NC State fair! I heard all these crazy rumours that they had some weird things to eat at the fair, and I was like, thats so gross, who would eat a krispy kreme hamburger with bacon and cheese or deep fried oreos? Well, guess who ended up eating it! The State fair was a great cultural experience though and I learnt alot about American culture, not all of it was pretty, but at least it was educational!

Oliver's first meal of the night!

Cary is eating 'bacon covered in chocolate' seriously

exactly!

Yum, mielies and turkey legs!

Double whammy!

Go Sophia!

All the turkey legs on the BBQ!

ok, this is when it starts getting rough!

Its a Krispy Kreme hamburger! (A burger in between 2 donuts!)

Deep fried Mac n Cheese!

oh and I played this very competitive fishing game!

And I won a hello kitty and we named her KK(aka Krispy Kreme)

Deep fried oreo and green tea!

Nice one Sophia! Deep fried oreos!

More oreos! my tummy hurts!

and fireworks to end the night!

 

 

 

OH.MY.GOSH! I have never eaten so much junk in my life! oh well, until next year! I am turning into an American!


XOXO

Washington DC!!!

hello lovelies!

So this week we are on a bit of a break from school! We get 2 days off!! whoop whoop! I went to DC for this Career Fair with my friends Jessie and Ai and we stayed in the Holiday Inn in Virginia (such a weird concept, you stay in a different State but then you take the Metro in to DC). But it worked out great! It was also Ai's birthday! Happy Birthday Ai! And we met up with the other guys in our class and went out for Spanish Tapas after the Career Fair. I had to wear a suit to the Career Fair, bleh.

Ai's birthday dinner!

Ai & I on the metro!

We're SO DC on the metro!

Oli, Nadia, Cary, Jessie & Ai at the Career fair!

MIDP classmates at the Career Fair

 We then went for Tapa's at this Spanish Tapas place! So much food (once again) but the place was great!

Spanish Tapas time!!

Nadia, Cary, Lauren, Yuko & Jeongmin!

 Sunday we went tripsing around DC. I went to the Capitol Building, The Natural History Museum and The War Memorial.

Me at Capitol Building!

Me with The White House in the background!

South Africa at the Museum

 

  

In the Sculpture Garden

Lauren & I

Washington Memorial

DC is an awesome city! I am definitely a city girl! Out of all the places in America, I would love to live in DC. I have to go back at some point and take in all the rest!

xoxo