Have you ever awoken and realized that what you have been waiting for is finally a reality? I landed in Pretoria, South Africa the 28th of January and I still wake up with the thought, "Wow. I'm in Africa."

The Highlights

Upon arriving, I found out the University of Pretoria does not look at the "Title" portion of the application. Since Killian is generally a boy's name, they assumed I was male. Surprise! Chaos ensued.

If you ever have a chance to celebrate a birthday in a foreign country, do so. My new-found international friends made my twenty-first birthday a weekend to remember, filled with Dutch greetings, the longest game of pool ever played, a braai (or bar-b-que), and dancing until dawn.

Classes began a mere three days after my arrival, leaving little time to recover from jetlag, but many of the students seem fascinated by their new American peer and the professors are more than willing to help.

South Africa has eleven official languages and the University of Pretoria, or Tuks, uses English and Afrikaans. Though I enrolled in all English classes, often students will ask questions in Afrikaans which the professor will answer in Afrikaans and then summarize in English.

Though I enjoy the time I spend with the other international students, my next goal is to get to know some South African students. I would very much like to involve myself in a volunteer program of some sort while here: it seems there is a need for willing hands.

-Killian Naylor

English and History Senior

University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa

Killian can be reached at dailyonline@ou.edu. If you like this blog, stayed tuned for more from Killian and other Sooners Overseas!
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