Classes, Rugby, and Meat

I haven't been writing as many posts lately because school has begun and my days are filled more with class than with crazy animal adventures. School began a week and a half ago on Friday which was a Tuesday schedule (quite confusing since many of the teachers did not know whether they had class or not). I shopped a few different classes which were not in my major but would have been much more interesting than the classes I ended up with. Unfortunately, I realized it made sense to take classes which counted so it would make it easier my senior year at Brandeis. I am taking a computer science course on C++, a course on creating Databases, health psychology (basically how to be healthy and convince other people to live healthy lives), and introduction to Politics. The former computer science class will probably be the most excruciating while the middle two will be bearable and hopefully the politics course will redeem the rest. My hope is that during an election season in South Africa (April), a politics course will help me understand what's going on more than I could on my own.

My first week of classes were fine with not that much work, but 9 a.m. classes every day wears you down, and I was very thankful for the weekend. Friday night all of CIEE walked to the rugby stadium to see our first professional rugby match. It was the Vodacom Stormers (the western province team) vs. the Reds (Australian). We all sat in one section which happened to be right in the middle of the field and I sat only a few rows back. That's pretty good for R65~$6.50 but CIEE covered the cost. The game was much more exciting than the professional soccer match we saw a couple weeks before. It was also nice to know what was going on since I had figured it out to watch my brother play. The Vodacom Stormers scored early and built a pretty good lead over the Reds and even after a comeback by the Reds, they were still 3-points shy of the win.

At the soccer game, they all had plastic horns which people blew constantly the entire game creating an incredibly annoying bee-buzzing noise. I was very appreciative that no one brought those horns to the rugby match. The difference in racial make-up of the crowd compared to the soccer game was very apparent as Quinton (our resident director) had told us to expect. While we appeared to be the only whites at the soccer game, the majority of the crowd at the rugby game was white, though it still appeared to be more diverse than the soccer game.

The food of choice at the rugby game appeared to be donuts as every minute you could count on a donut vendor with a backpack full of hot chocolate coming by. Alcohol is also sold at the rugby pitch while at the soccer match it was not.

On Saturday we went to the Planetarium, which also happened to be a natural history museum. The exhibit on indiginous South African people had a sign in the back which noted that the exhibit had been left untouched since the 1970s so one could see the racist way in which it
was presented during Apartheid. Unfortunately, this sign was hidden in the back but at least it was there. The Planetarium show was interesting since the stars you can see in the southern hemisphere are different than you can see in the northern hemisphere where I've spent the majority of my life.

Sunday we got into two minibuses with a few of the SOL mates and went to Mzoli's Meat in the township Gugulethu. It is basically a tent in the middle of the township where you order buckets of meat and then watch the soccer game played in the narrow street or dance. The food usually takes a few hours and was no exception this time as we got there at 12:30 and the food did not come until 3. It's a good thing I made crepes that morning (which are called pancakes here, while pancakes are called flapjacks). We sat on top of a payphone shack and watched the game with other South Africans. The game was much more exciting than the professional match we watched as it was crammed onto a narrow street with much less rules. When the meat finally came, we gorged ourselves like animals, and though it was not the best food, it was worth the experience and I would certainly come again.

Now I must grab lunch before class. I'll try to post some more pictures soon.

We walked cheetahs

We got up at 6:45am Thursday so we could make it to Tenikwa by 7:30 to walk the cheetahs. We made it there by 7:35 and met the rudest woman I've met so far in South Africa, who told us we were 20 minutes late (apparently we were supposed to be there 15 minutes earlier).

From Plettenberg Bay

Then two of the cheetah handlers came (who were much nicer) and walked us to the cheetah enclosure where the two teenage brothers lived who we would be walking. When the cheetahs reach adulthood they are moved to a much larger enclosure with other adult cheetahs. The enclosure they were in now was still large (about 100 feet in length and width) but nothing compared to the adult enclosure.

The handlers spent a good 5-10 minutes coaxing the cheetahs onto the leash. Once they did, they brought them to us outside the enclosure and we were told the procedure for walking the cheetah:

1) Always let the cheetah feel like he is in the lead
2) Stay at the side or farther behind the cheetah, never in front
3) If he starts to run and you can't keep up, just let the leash go

From Plettenberg Bay

The harness had a double leash on it so the handler would always be holding one leash while we held the other. Nobody besides me wanted to walk the cheetahs at first so I walked with one of them. It was basically no different than walking a very strong and in control dog. Occasionally he would flip over and allow you to pet him, but you were always supposed to do it from the back side, not the stomach side. The handler would allow the cheetah to bite him, but he didn't bite any harder than a house cat would.

Some Cheetah facts we learned:
1) Cheetahs are built to run away, not to fight. They can run up to 70 mph
2) It is smaller than all the other big cats.
3) They have eyesight that can see a few kilometers away so they can see their prey or a predator like the lion.
4) Cheetahs can climb trees
5) Baby cheetahs have a white stripe on their head so as to look like badgers which lions are afraid of

From Plettenberg Bay

Occasionally the brothers would act like cheetahs and play fight with each other. One was abnormally large for a cheetah and won every time. The larger one ended up pulling away and sending his handler flat on her back. I guess that's one of the lesser risk of working with cheetahs. When our cheetah walk was over an hour and a half later, we had breakfast and then went on our "Wild Cat Tour" which they threw in as our student discount. We got to see some cats which are ancestors of the house cats, lynxes, and cranes.

From Plettenberg Bay

Some stayed in the bushes and watched us but some would come out to be pet.

When I saw our guide let the crane walk on his legs I asked if I could do it. I sat down and patted my legs and the crane walked on and the crane snooped about trying to steal my camera by the wrist strap. Then his wife came over and they started fighting on top of me by clicking their large beak rapidly. That was the most fun activity I did all day.

Plettenberg Bay Day 2

From Bungy

We left the hostel at 8:30 to make sure we got to the Bloukrans bridge before it got busy. At that point the girls still hadn't all decided whether they were doing it or not but once we got there and they had a couple minutes, all of them decided they would jump besides Lexie. They suited us up and a guide walked us on the trail to the bridge. To get to the middle of the bridge, we walked along a catwalk which let you know just how high up you really were with its wire bottom. We arrived on the jump platform and they began to play music and get me ready to jump. One of the guys wrapped a pad tightly around my knees and said "don't worry, it can hold 3 tons."

From Bungy

They started playing techno music which really got you pumped up and ready to jump if you were scared, but jumping at 709 feet is still nothing compared to 14,000 feet from a plane. Maybe I have too much trust in the equipment but skydiving and bungy jumping don't really scare me, so as the girls were almost jumping out of their pants, I was just excited. The guy tied the bungy cord around the knee pad, and then helped me hop to the edge.

From Bungy

They told us that we're supposed to jump like we're doing a belly flop and keep our chin up. As my feet dangled over the edge, they yelled, "5, 4, 3, 2, 1, bungy!" and flung me off the bridge. The rush of having seemingly nothing above or below you as you fly through the air was a thrill unmatched even by skydiving. It is a much shorter thrill, but definitely an intense one. I don't know if it was the fact that this was the highest bungy or if the movies just make it seem different but there is no bouncing feeling. It feels more like swinging.

From Bungy

After a few swings I was dangling upside down for about 30 seconds before the guy repelled down to flip me rightside up and guide me to the top. The upside down part was the only uncomfortable part since it put a lot of pressure on my sinuses but it didn't ever feel like I was slipping or hurt my legs at all. All the girls went and had a great time and we walked back to meet up with Lexie and see the pictures and video. We decided to just get pictures since the video was really short and didn't even film the entire bungee jump or even coming back up.

From Plettenberg Bay

After Bungy jumping, we needed some food so we headed to Tsitsikamma National Park to eat at the restaurant overlooking the Storms River mouth into the Indian Ocean. The view was beautiful and we had just enough time to hike to the Storms River bridge before ziplining at 2pm. It was about a 15-minute hike and the bridge was well worth it. We made it to the Tsitsikamma Canopy Tours but the only reservation they had down was 5 for George so they sent us to the other zipline over the waterfalls. Our driver Graham called Leroy the hostel owner who made reservations and we figured out that he thought everyone in our group was doing it and had gotten confused this morning and thought I was George (I was henceforth known as George on the trip).

Lindsay and I suited up for the second time that day and headed out in a very large truck to the forest. Our group was 2 other men from America but one had grown up in South Africa. It's good we had a fun group because we were stuck behind a huge group of tourists (after 2 weeks and a house in Cape Town I decided I'm no longer a tourist). The ziplining was really fun and a good relaxing but still exhilerating 3 hours after a morning of adrenaline. We ziplined from platform to platform the highest one being 30 meters above the ground and to the right you can see me dangling 50 meters above the ground.

Our big adventure day took all my energy and when we got back to the hostel I took a long nap. We ordered pizza and watched Max Payne, a very bad movie and then went to bed since at 7:30am we'd be walking cheetahs.

Plettenberg Bay Day

I'm going to go a bit out of order and hopefully get back to my first full week in Cape Town but for now I'm going to write about my 4-day vacation in Plettenberg Bay.

From Plettenberg Bay

Last week, I sat at our table in the basement and planned out what would end up being one of the best vacations I've ever taken a part of. At first I tried to plan a trip to Victoria Falls for the several days break before school began, but there was just not enough time and it involved too much flying (=money). Instead, I looked at what it would cost to take a bus on the Garden Route. To get the most out of our money with the time we had, it made sense to take a bus and stay in one place. If you've never been to the Garden Route, and you want to have lots to do in one area, Plett is the place to go.

From Plettenberg Bay

So Lexie, Ayano, Kate, Lindsay, and I (all from my house) left the house on Monday at 4:30pm, after we had went to the activity fair on campus. Our bus was an hour late and we almost ended up missing it when we tried to go to McDonald's (hopefully the only time we'll eat there) with our extra hour. We all got our own row in the back and the bus was surprisingly comfortable. I heard later that Greyhound here actually has the nicest buses (quite the opposite back in the states). We left at 6:30pm and got in at 2:30am. Leroy, the hostel manager at Amakaya, gave me walking directions and told me it would be safe. It was rather safe and with a point in the right direction by some guys at the gas/bus station we made it there in 15 minutes safe and sound. Leroy showed us to our room, 4 bunk beds all to ourselves and we all collapsed and went to sleep.

From Plettenberg Bay

In the morning we all paid our 360 Rand (about $36) for the three night stay and headed down to the beach. It was beautiful and once you got used to it, the water was warm and I had a lovely time body surfing (though apparently you usually go out further than 20 feet from the shore). We walked over to the large hotel which sits between Plett's two beaches and climbed out onto the rocks.

From Plettenberg Bay

We had been told by Kate who went out there earlier that we could see dolphins from there but after being out there for 20 minutes we saw many mussels on the rocks but no dolphins in the sea. Just as we were about to head back, In the distance, I spotted what looked like ripples in the water but on closer inspection turned out to be an endless line of dolphins at least a quarter mile off the shore. After gazing at them for a while, we headed back and did some more sun tanning (which unfortunately lead to major burning as my sunscreen had apparently worn off).

From Plettenberg Bay

For dinner we went a bit touristy and ate at the Lookout Point, a restaurant that sits on the shore looking out towards the entire bay. It was certainly worth it and though a bit more pricey ($8 compared to a normal restaurant meal of $5), it was worth the extra R30 for the view. We came back to a busier hostel as several other girls from our program were up drinking in the hostel's bar. We joined and had a great night talking, playing pool, and sitting under the leaky roof as it began to rain. We went to bed a bit early as we were all still tired from the night before and we had a big day of bungy jumping and zip lining to come.

Move-In Day

From Cape Peninsula Tour

On Saturday we slept in until 11 since we were the last house to move in. At 11:30 a bus came to pick us up and drove all 18 of us and our luggage to our house. We were all really excited and kept thinking that each house we passed must be our house. When we started to slow down in front of a very large property with an enormous house we couldn't believe that this is where we would be living for the next 5 months. None of us had been expecting to live in a nicer house than we'd ever had in college before. But there it was with it's long driveway and land covered with trees, bushes, flowers, and even cacti. We almost didn't care what room we got as we all knew we would be getting singles with our own bathroom.

From Cape Peninsula Tour

Of course though, to be fair, we all drew numbers out of a hat to set the order for picking rooms. I picked number three so after two girls had picked their rooms, I set off to pick mine. I had two criteria for picking my room: that it would be dark in the morning and that it had a big shower. I ended up picking a room on the second floor without a view and a bit smaller than most rooms but with very little sunlight in the morning and a large shower.

I had barely had time to move in, when the SOL mate arrived to pick two of us up who wanted to go get basic supplies at the mall. I needed a shower curtain and a window curtain most of all, and those were only things that you could get at the mall which required a vehicle to get to. We went to Cavendish Mall in Claremont, the suburb just to the south of us. It was one of the largest malls I'd ever been to and even had a large electronic touchpad instead of a map that would show you where you are, which direction you were facing, and how to get to the store you wanted to go to. We found a Wal-Mart like store called Mr. Price where we got everything we needed.

Once we got back, we immediatly left for the braai (South African word for barbecue, pronounced like brian without the n) at the Liesbeek Gardens pool (the dorm where some CIEE students were staying). It was our first of many to come braai experiences and it was delicious. The pool party was fun and our last official get together where all 150 participants on CIEE would be there. We stayed home that night and enjoyed our new house, since we had a long day of exploring the Cape Peninsula on Sunday.

The 2nd and 3rd Day

From CIEE Orientation

From CIEE Orientation

The 2nd day was a lot of lectures by CIEE to not drink our semesters away and stay away from prostitutes. We also were divided into our orientation groups, which I had a sneaking suspicion were also our house groups since Lexie was in my group (I was right). Then we went to Signal Hill instead of taking the Gondola up to Table Mountain because it was closed. Clouds had enveloped Table Mountain in what the locals call a "cloth over Table Mountain" and clouds were literally pouring over the cliff. The views of Sea Point, Lion's Head, and the city were beautiful and we walked down a path to sit down and just take it all in.

From CIEE Orientation

For dinner we went with our orientation groups (we were still really only allowed to go out in our groups) to Rafiki's which had some delicious Tapas and mediteranean food. It took a while again so we just went back after and did some skyping (Lexie finally contacted her parents).

From CIEE Orientation

Friday was the day we found out we were in Consolata House with our orientation group and another one too (18 ppl+Nyoko). We went on a quick tour of campus (begging to go see our house but Nyoko said she wasn't allowed). Once we made it up all the steps to upper campus, we had a stunning view of the suburbs below. In a classroom at upper campus we had a talk on some of the volunteer opportunities and then about academics and pre-registration. It was only at that point that it hit me I wasn't just permanently on vacation and school would have to start eventually. They made it seem harder than any U.S. school but from stories I hear it will not be as rigorous as they make it seem.

From CIEE Orientation

During our lunch break, Lexie and I tried to find the UCT store (so she could buy a water bottle) in a very confusing building. It turns out they had moved to where everyone else had went to get lunch in the cafeteria. The book store didn't have any water bottles and another book store off campus said they weren't getting water bottles until April (weird when the summer is right now). The cafeteria seemed good and had lots of choices but it was closing when we got there and there were long lines so we went to find another area where they have a few tents of food setup. I ate for the first time at Souper Sandwich and decided that it will be my main source of lunch, with their scrumptious grilled sandwiches.

From CIEE Orientation

CIEE rented out Marco's African Place Friday night and treated us to dinner and music. The food was alright but there was not enough, and we had the worst seats in the place since we couldn't see the band. Then I got up and went to the front near the band because a few people were dancing. Soon, they had cleared the tables and almost everyone was dancing. That is still the most fun I've had in Cape Town so far.

From CIEE Orientation

We went out that night to a club that had a rooftop seating area with a nice view of Long Street. The dancing was fun too but it was all slightly older people. As we were sitting on the rooftop a German and a white South African drunkenly talked out loud about how we stole their seats. We ended up talking to them, and learning that the German was very conservative and supported the Iraq War "unlike most germans" and the South African was complaining about how they took their (white South African's) national anthem away and were moving the emblem to the other side on their rugby jerseys. Our third night in Cape Town was an interesting night indeed.

Cape Town: First Day in detail

We arrived in Cape Town and had to wait on the tarmac for a bus to take us 50 feet. Once we got to customs, I realized I needed proof that I had a return ticket. Luckily I was able to sweet talk the customs lady by telling her I'd fix her broken computer. The SOL Mates (Student Orientation Leaders) were there to meet us and they packed us all onto a bus and drove us to the hotel. I had just enough time to shower at the hotel before I got on another bus to take us to the waterfront.

From CIEE Orientation

The waterfront is a pretty large mall that sits right on the harbor. There I withdrew some Rand and went out to lunch with 10 other people from my program. The restaurant was outside with a view of the water, and of a street performer who strolled up and down mimicking how people were walking. We weren't sure what his game was since nobody would pay him for mocking them but it was pretty funny nonetheless.

After lunch we all got into taxis again and went back to the hotel for a quick meeting. The public transportation is very confusing and I'll try to sum it up but I may be wrong or missing something:

• Metered taxis - the only safe form of transportation at night (especially if you're alone), you call them to pick you up
• Non-metered taxis - you have to barter with the drivers on these and they're not very safe to take after dark
• Mini-buses - by far the most entertaining form of transportation, these run up and down Main Street, and are essentially VW mini-buses. They have a guy who hangs on the door yelling the direction the mini-bus is going, and sometimes he'll get out and try to recruit people from the street while the driver honks. Only $0.50.
• Buses - There is some sort of city bus we've seen around but nobody's talked to us about it so I have a feeling we're not supposed to take it
  
• Metro Train - Ok to take during the day and pretty cheap, but very dirty and can never be taken at night.

Now getting back to my first day... after a quick welcome meeting we were free until 7 when we would all take a bus down to Long Street, where many bars, clubs, and restaurants are. We ate at Nando's, a chicken chain that is very good but this one was just terribly slow. It's supposed to be semi-fast food but it took about an hour for a group of 8 of us to get our food. When we did it was delicious and I was introduced to a South African favorite, Peri Peri sauce which I believe is Portuguese. By the time, dinner was done, we only had a little while until the buses were leaving, so Hillary, a SOL mate showed us around some of the bars and clubs. Brian and I ended up talking with a South African at the bar who knew a lot about American politics and worked for an oil company as a computer scientist here in Cape Town.

I stayed up late just surfing the internet because I wasn't jet lagged like everyone else as I'd spent a week in Europe. Now though I must go to bed for it is the crazy day of registration here at Cape Town which happens in a large room, not on computers. It's like I'm going back in time.

Final Eurotrip: Edinburgh and London

Here is the final Eurotrip post on Edinburgh and London. I like to do things in chronological order so with this out of the way, I can begin my posts on South Africa. Today we went into one of the townships to see what one of the volunteer opportunities would be like, and then I walked around campus trying to figure out the most confusing registration process in the world. Without further ado, here is my final post on Europe:

I got into Edinburgh around 9:30 but didn't leave the airport until 10 since I had to use pamphlets to find a bus that would take me into the city. I looked at a map of Edinburgh before I left the airport and tried to memorize the way to Abby's. With all the study abroad packing and preparing, I forgot to plan my transportation. When I got there, I found a map in the main train station and found what I thought was Abby's street on the map. Turn's out there's a St. John's St and St. John's Hill and I mixed the two up. Long story short, I didn't get to Abby's until 12 and wandered around her neighborhood with 2 bags and a backpack before I found it. I probably should have just gotten a taxi but after my walk through her neighborhood I got to know the area pretty well and by the time I left Edinburgh, I knew how to get around most of the city center.

From Edinburgh Day 1

The next day I woke up at 1:30pm, pretty much sleeping off the last week of barely sleeping. I headed to the info center and picked up a map and tips on what to do. I headed towards the Queen's Palace but it ended up being closed by the time I got there around 3:30pm so I went into Parliament across the street (which I had originally thought was an apartment building from the architecture). I caught the last tour of the building which was beautiful. I wish I could have taken pictures of the inside but we couldn't take any on the tour. The building opened in 2002 (after reinstating Scottish Parliament in 1999) and is built around the house where the original person responsible for getting rid of the Spanish parliament a few centuries before lived. It fit into the modern building well and now serves as offices.

From Edinburgh Day 1

After the tour, I had about an hour or so before dinner with Abby's flatmates so I climbed up Colton Hill. By the time I got there it was pretty dark but the monument and tower were lit up and it had wonderful views of the city. I got Chicken & Leek Pie which is like chicken pot pie but the pie part was just on top of the liquidy chicken part (it was still delicious and began my streak of great dinners that has yet to end). Afterwards, I went on one of Edinburgh's cemetery tours. It was a gimmick but I thought it might be fun nonetheless. It turned out to basically be a street performance with a lot of history thrown in (some true, some not so true).

From Edinburgh Day 2

Sunday I went to Craigmiller Castle, just a bus ride outside the city. It offered a beautiful view of Edinburgh and Arthur's Seat and had lots of cool inner rooms. I became a master here at the 10 second timer camera shot (even in two places at once). The castle took up most the day and I headed back to meet Abby who was finally coming back from her homestay.

From Edinburgh Day 2

We reunited at an internet cafe where I attempted to video chat unsuccessfully with my family for the first time since I got there. Then, we went to dinner at a restaurant on the royal mile and ate a traditional scottish meal for Burn's Night called Haggis, which was absolutely delicious. After dinner, we went to a pub to meet some of Abby's friends from her program (Arcadia). A bagpiper came in since it was Burn's Night and played for 5 minutes and then left. We headed back to Abby's somewhat early since we had a big day ahead of us.

From Edinburgh Day 3

In the morning we set off to climb Arthur's Seat before our trip to Sterling. On our way we grabbed breakfast at the Queen's Palace Cafe (somehow I don't think that's where she eats when she's in town) and then walked to the path up the mountain. It was quite a hike and we weren't entirely sure we were actually hiking to Arthur's seat as there were a few hills. It took us about an hour and a half but we made it to the top of Arthur's seat with a breathtaking view of the surroundings. After about 15 minutes at the top, we began our descent as we wanted to make it to Sterling in time to see the castle. It took us much less time to get down and we caught a cab at the bottom so we could make the bus which left only every hour. We got there just as it was leaving but ended up catching a train which ran every half hour and was much nicer anyways (and still cheap).

From Edinburgh Day 3

After an hour long train ride, we found our way into Sterling's town center and had lunch at a sandwich place. As we were eating, Abby spotted a friend from camp just walking by. We all walked up the road to the enormous Sterling Castle. It was already almost 4 and it closed at 5, so we didn't get to fully experience the castle. We still managed to learn a few things from a quick tour and see about half the castle. It was the largest castle in Scotland, so I'd say that half was pretty good. We took the train back and found dinner on Rose Street at a pub, not as good as last night's dinner but still very hearty. We went back to Abby's to plan out the rest of the night, but ended up chilling there while I planned my day in London.

From London Layover

I left at 6:30 to catch the same bus I'd taken from the airport before (this time I knew the quickest way there). The plane was uneventful, and after stowing my bags I headed over to the meeting spot I had setup for people who wanted to go into London. I found another CIEE student, Maria, who happened to be from Chicago waiting there and after waiting for a bit to see if anyone else came, went off on the tube to London. We got off at Buckingham Palace and took the obligatory picture in front of the gates. The place was incredible and it's mind boggling how one family can live in such a massive structure. I was a little disappointed that the guards were so far away, since every time you see people trying to make them laugh in the movies they're right at the gate.

From London Layover

We walked through St. James Park where there were many odd looking birds and arrived on the other side at the Imperial War Museum. This is the bunker where Churchill and his cabinet conducted World War II. It was incredible not only to learn about it but to actually be in the place the events took place. We ended up spending over two hours there and then emerged to find our way to Westminster. We passed by Westminster Abbey but did not pay the extra fee to go inside. Then, we walked by Westminster (Parliament) and right by Big Ben. It turns out only British citizens can get a tour of Big Ben and only after writing to their member of Parliament.

From London Layover

Across the bridge, was the London Eye which though I'm sure would have offered a great view of the city (being the tallest ferris wheel in the world), it was too expensive and the lines were way too long. We hopped on the subway from their and rode to Tower Bridge, where the Tower of London (a castle housing the crown jewels is located). This castle looked even bigger than Sterling Castle in Scotland and I only wish we had had time to go inside. Instead, we walked to the Tower Bridge where we paid to go up to the pedestrian walkways and see the exhibit on the bridge. It was well worth it for the views alone, and was much cheaper than the London Eye would have been. After the bridge exhibit, it was time to go.

At the gate, we met many CIEE students (and some other UCT students) and waited in the long line to get onto the plane. Though Maria had thought that South African Airlines was supposed to be nice, it was far from it and to make matters worse the flight was completely booked. The highlight of the trip was when I was looking through my pictures and adding captions, the woman I was sitting next to was trying to figure out what I was doing. I explained it to her, but she still didn't understand and with all seriousness asked in a hushed voice, "are you a spy?"