jaded?

Two weekends ago, I went to a World Cup game (so great!), and on the way back we somehow crossed the Botswana border illegally… it’s kind of a long story that sounds like it should be exciting but isn’t. Ending: I was an illegal immigrant for about a day but have since then regained my status as a legal visitor.

Last weekend, we went camping in the Kalahari Desert, which was absolutely beautiful but so effing cold. Despite sleeping with 5 layers of clothing, 4 blankets (not including the one wrapped around my face), and 3 pairs of socks, I still woke up shivering and couldn't feel my right foot for ~2 hours. At least I didn't get iced like one of the guys did at 6:30 AM (bros icing bros!). Unfortunately, we have no crazy stories about lions and leopards coming into our camp to tell, but it was still fun. We DID manage to see a ton of lions and a freshly killed giraffe, though! Woo.

All the other Penn interns are gone this weekend, so I will be hanging out with the UVA law student who is also too poor to fly to Cape Town or go to Vic Falls like everyone else. It will be interesting. And awkward, probably.

It's kind of sad, but I think most people here are ready to go home. We keep making lists of things we're excited to go home to, like fresh fruit (SO EXCITED) and haircuts (AHH!). My hair is out of control right now, but I'm (obviously) too afraid to cut it here, despite the fact that every woman I meet tells me I should let her cut my hair so that she can take my hair for her extensions. Most conversations I have with the local women here go something like this: "Dumela ma! (hello)" "Dumela ma. What is your name?" "Linda." "Cut your hair and give it to me." "Oh."

I bet they'd pay me to let them cut my hair. I wonder how much I could make...