Tuesday, February 23, 2016

Naked and Afraid: Safari Edition

  

Last week, I traded in my tailored khaki shorts, boat shoes, and pastel polo for a Wild Thornberrys' get up. We woke up at 5:00 a.m. and travelled six hours to our Safari location, but on the way we stopped to take in the view. The Blyde River Canyon is the third largest canyon in the world behind the Grand Canyon, which is number one and a canyon in Namibia, which is ranked number two. It is definitely the second most breathtaking instagrammable view I have ever seen (the first being Keating back in the boogie down).


When you go on Safari it is essential that you prepare both physically and emotionally for what you are about to see. Our Safari lasted three days and we stayed with Africa on Foot, which specializes in Big Five safaris as well as walking safaris. It is located in the Greater Kruger wildlife area, which is a a group of privately owned unfenced nature reserves. Each morning woke up and went out from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. and then at 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. to avoid the brutal midday sun.The big five animals that you search for on safari are: Lions, Rhinos, Leopards, Water Buffalo, and Elephants. Sadly, we only saw three of the big five, but we did spot a dilf in a jeep that passed us, so I count that as a win. 

 
 

Every night all three jeeps would meet up to watch the sunset to celebrate another successful day on the reserve. We drank our Savannah Lights and chewed down on some beef jerky, which is basically a main food group for South Africans. At night, we were given the option of staying in tents out on the nature reserve or we could stay at the main camp with indoor plumbing, plush beds with nets, and stand up fans. Since I am basically as outdoorsy as a Meredith from the Parent trap, I knew that camping would be a challenge, but I am always up for an adventure. 

 

The first night, I shared a tent with Rita, CG, and Libby. Our guide for the weekend, Ryan, drove us to the camp site in complete darkness, told us to get out and then before he drove away he said, "Once you are in your tent, stay in your tent until we come and tell you its safe to come out in the morning. You will hear animals and they will be walking though your camp at night. If you have a problem yell my name and I will come over from the Treehouse I will be staying in nearby."

Smiling despite the Hyena outside our tent
Before I could even ask him, "why the hell are you staying in a tree, while we are on the ground?", he had driven off into the darkness. As the red break lights faded out into the distance, a sense of fear settled in all of us. We all piled into our tents and zipped the tarp door as tight as we could. As the pillow talk and the creation of flash-light animals on the roof of our tent commenced, the temperature inside the tent began to reach a record high.

We all closed our eyes and tried to sleep, but the miscellaneous sounds of footprints, growling, trees swaying, really did not put us at ease. As it progressively got hotter, I had no choice, but to begin to strip down to nothing.

National Geographic does not even begin to capture the beauty I saw in our three day excursion. This truly was an amazing experience despite the fact that I was naked and afraid for most of it.

Sincerely,
Stephen

             

Monday, February 15, 2016

No Love in this Club

Well, another year has passed and cupid has yet to shoot an arrow even remotely close to me. Every Valentine's day has usually consisted of me watching youtube videos of Darren Criss while eating my body weight in chocolate kisses given to me by none other than my mother.

Why is everyone caught of on being in a relationship (me included)? Maybe its because every holiday you spend with your family somebody asks, "so are you seeing anyone?" Perhaps, its the sense of necessity to have a "Netflix and chill" buddy. Regardless of the reason, just remember that being young and single is the only time you can truly do whatever you want without someone holding you back (take this with a grain of salt).

Valentine's Day is the best for single people because you can use all that money that you would have used to buy a significant other gifts and spend it on yourself. I really reject the idea or stereotype that single people hate Valentine's day. I personally love it because seeing couples enjoying the day makes me excited for the future and the day that I will have that too.

I have certainly had my fair share of upsetting heartbreak and missed opportunities for something special. Instead of giving you a long sob story that would most likely just make you feel uncomfortable and exposing my little black book to the world, I would prefer to give you this little bit of advice that I was given from a true scholar, RuPaul: "If you can't love yourself, how in the hell can you love somebody else?" In light of these wise words, I decided not to lay in bed eating chocolates, but instead go out and celebrate being single.
Claire Grant: A fellow single friend

Naturally, I grabbed my other single friends, my debit card, and put on a pink polo to really get into the spirit of the holiday. We travelled to Johannesburg, which is a 40 minute drive from where we are staying in Pretoria, to the Market on Main. This is a market that offered an array of food, shopping options, art galleries, and of course an abundance of alcohol.

I ate an Ostrich Burger with cheese drenched in pesto sauce at the Burger Spot (Sorry I do not have a photo to share, I was hungry). Of course, we also made great friends with the bartender, Fred, who helped expand our palate of wine by introducing us to something that did't come from a box. A bottle of wine can be as cheap as R34 in South Africa, which is equivalent to $2.00. I still have a soft spot in my heart for Franzia (so many memories I can't remember), but I guess its time for me to become an adult and stop slapping the bag and trade up for actual bottles.

Click to see Malume FB Page


Just like my mom, I can never resist the urge to shop (also, the more and more I write the more I realize that I am turning into my mom which is a scary feeling). The Malume African fashion label was created in Hillbrow, Johannesburg and since then has been sold primarily at markets throughout the South Africa. I bought a pair of shorts at a price of R550, which is equivalent to about $35.00. The inseam and tight tailored look shows off just enough of my beautiful legs, while still leaving the viewer wanting more!

Malume means "Uncle" in Zulu and the reason behind the name is because an Uncle is supportive just like the business has been to artisans all around Africa, by providing them with the opportunity to use their tailoring skills to make a living.

All the shorts are handcrafted and are made with a playful pattern that embody the very essence of a fun and flirty professional (something I am always striving to be). Jess, who helped create the brand, described the clothes as,"a blend of vibrant cosmopolitan African flair with a slick 1920's classic gangster-ism."

Click to visit WoodiZ website
Another table that I stumbled upon had a focus in creating fashion accessories out of wood. They offered bow ties, hats, sunglasses, backpacks and many more items that fused the founders' love for wood (same) and fashion into these must have statement pieces.

I was able to create my own bow tie by picking out the wood frame and the cloth section at a price of R350, which is around $21.00. The cloth part can be switched out and mixed and matched with other wooden frames.

Make sure to order some patterned shorts and signature bow-ties to make a statement at your next event!

Sincerely,
Stephen

P.S. Don't forget to sissy that walk in your new found confidence of being single!


          

Friday, February 5, 2016

Unpacked and Uncensored


Friends, lovers, and everyone else, welcome to my blog. I hope that it serves as a source of laughter and advice for all those interested in trusting a 21 year old.  Here you’ll find... my adventures, life advice, love of food and drinks, and awkward encounters. I am looking forward to sharing it all with you, and can't wait to see where life takes me with no map, just baggage.


As some of you may know, 3 weeks ago, I packed my life into two suitcases and headed on a journey to South Africa for the semester (while my trip will only last 5 months, this blog won’t stop when I return to the boogie down Bronx!) Since arriving in Pretoria, my bags have impatiently been waiting to be unpacked. My fellow Fordham and Syracuse friends and I have been so busy traveling to museums, Braais (South African Barbecues), class, and (of course) local bars that I never really had the time or the urge to see what I had brought.


Now that the first week has came and went, it was about time that I unpacked all my baggage in order to truly see if I was prepared for this next chapter in my life. Trying to pack everything you need for a 5 month excursion is a lot easier said than done. You really have to evaluate every item you want to bring in order to decide what makes the cut.


And so, now I would like to share with you exactly what made the cut and reveal what’s in my baggage to the world, because, just like Fat Amy, I am an open book.


15 pairs of Calvin Klein underwear (Thank you to my mother, Patty, who will have an omnipresence on this blog)
A bag of hershey kisses-- since there are no real kisses in my life #noloveinthisclub
A few pictures of my Family and Friends
A $1.99 wine opener
Deodorant  (it’s 90 degrees constantly here and I have a sweating condition)
Anti-diarrhea medicine (Traveling 101: This is always necessary)
Polarized Ray Ban sunglasses to provide shade for my eyes (as I give it)
Patterned shorts with a 5 inch inseam
An outlet converter (I hope to adapt to South African Life along with my electonics)
The Andy Cohen Diaries
And A notebook that says "Trust in your crazy ideas" (many of my blog posts will come from here)


I also have a bag of excitement, a box filled with hopes, and a pair of anxiety and fomo


In time, I’ll definitely be sharing more of my baggage with you. I hope this first post leaves you (and all my potential suitors wanting more). Check back soon to see what I pick up from baggage claim next.


Sincerely,
Stephen