Happy New Year's Eve

Here's a tour of the outside of my house. Enjoy! And have a happy new year!

Monday, Tuesday, and a Video

29 December
Yesterday morning I worked on the refugee packet (click here to view Please let me know if you have any comments regarding it).I also hung out in the kitchen because Nolundi was back from holiday and I was happy to see her. She and Bongi were cooking food for lunch at Mzoli's, an local hangout in Gugulethu (a township, pronounced goggle-late-two). The other volunteers were going to go to lunch directly from placement and I would leave here around noon with some staff. One o'clock rolls around and I still haven't heard from anyone coming to get me. I meander out to the staff office and only Luann, Tahira, and Francis are here. Francis stared at me, trying to figure out why I was still here. Apparently Israel came back but forgot to come and get me before he left to Mzoli's. I rode with Luann and Francis in Luann's car. We drove about 3 minutes from the homebase when Israel phones Luann frantically saying he forgot me. Luann told him it was okay, I was in the car with them. I was a little pissed at almost being forgotten. By the time I arrived at Mzoli's, there was no chicken left. I had two wings, but they were mostly fat and hardly any chicken. I cannot eat the lamb and was not interested in a veggie sausage. So I hardly ate anything.

By the time we left it was pouring rain. I asked Francis if I could borrow Israel to drive me to Rondebosch because I needed minutes for my phone and wasn't keen on walking in the rain. Turns out several people needed to go so he took us all up there and I got my errands done. After I came home I uploaded all my weekend adventures to my blog.


30 December
Today I finished the refugee packet but will continue to revise it on Wednesday and Friday. David woke me up at 8am pounding away at taking off tiles in a nearby bathroom. We're renovating the bathrooms in the house right now and the pounding at 8am wasn't a wonderful wake up call. Tomorrow will be better because I'll be expecting it as well as the majority of the tile removal occurred today.

I spent a lazy afternoon talking with the staff, reading, and surfing the internet. Nothing too exciting, unfortunately, but after a long, exciting weekend, some down time is in order.

Tomorrow is New Year's Eve, the last day of 2008. I'm not a big party-goer but I thought I should do something for the evening. However, I've been told the roads are extremely dangerous because it is rare to find a sober driver that night. I had planned to go into town to a concert, but after learning it was from 6pm-6am and that it wouldn't be safe for me to come home shortly after midnight by myself I chose instead to stay close to the home base and instead celebrate the event with Jenny and Kathy at a local Greek restaurant where we can have wine and good food and then walk home. I typically stay at home with my family and watch TV and then watch the ball drop in Times Square in New York City and then go to bed. It is not a big deal to me as it is others. I'd rather just avoid the whole mess by enjoying a nice evening at home rather than go out.

The video below is of Bongi and Nolundi cooking in the kitchen today. Bongi is making minced pie. The stuff in the pot is what's for dinner. Needless to say, I ordered fish and chips from Ocean Basket.

Cape Agulhas Holiday: Day 3

I set the alarm for 6:30am because we wanted to go to the cave today and the peak of low tide was at 9:38am. However, after the second snooze I dismissed the alarm on my phone and the next thing I knew it was 7:15, the time Derek and I were supposed to meet Shamiel. We came downstairs about 20 minutes later to find Shamiel was running late himself and just came down. We ate the same wonderful food for breakfast as we had the day before and headed out to the beach around 8:30 after checking out of the wonderful Arniston Hotel.

As we descended down from the car park to the beach I cut the bottom of my foot on hidden rock in the sand. It was just a surface scrape so I tried to ignore the pain while we admired a jellyfish that had been washed ashore by the tide and left out to dry in the hot summer sun by the waning tide. However, the pain was too strong and I decided not to climb around the semi-sharp rocks, even in my flip flops to see the cave. I did not want to injure myself further and stayed back on the beach while Shamiel and Derek headed towards the cave. Additionally, the waves looked strong and mist spraying up all over the rocks and I was afraid my camera would get wet. I walked around, ankle deep in salt water hoping the salt would cleanse the wound enough to reduce the pain. It worked and I drew some images and words in the sand while my mind walked down memory lane of summers spent in Mackinaw City. Still having more time to kill, waded around in some of the tidal pools. There were a few small fish trapped in the tidal pools and would have to wait until high tide this evening to swim back out to sea.

We left the beach around 10 and headed towards the Die Mond nature reserve. The van had to do some off-roading. Shamiel tried to impress us with feeling what a fishtailing car feels like, but I told him it felt just like fishtailing in the snow and ice back home, except if you get stuck in the sand, people are more likely to help you because they won't freeze their fingers trying to help. The nature reserve was beautiful, with a river running through the centre and a long pedestrian bridge that we crossed to get to a walking trail. Derek, Shamiel and I walked 1.2 km to a very secluded beach at the mouth of the river. There were several sandbars and deltas in the shallow mouth that when I stopped moving and just listed to the strong wind I felt as if I was the only person around for kilometres. The landscape was so peaceful, serene and foreign that I felt as if I was on another planet. There were large sand dunes to my right that were being shaped by the strong wind. I found the scene to be breathtaking. The sand was so full of water that if I stood for more than a second my feet would begin to sink. It was not quicksand, but it had many properties of quicksand. Most of the river had a redish tint to it, which was caused by a high iron content. This I know from lakes back home. Derek loves the sea as he is from Los Altos, CA, but I prefer the lake as it is calmer and less intimidating.

We treked back to the bridge at the entrance to the nature reserve and left Cape Agulhas for our last stop, Hermanus. This town is a popular spot for people to stop and watch the whales migrating through. However, Derek and I were there a month and a half too late and there were no whales. Nevertheless, we enjoyed our time in Hermanus. We ate lunch at Ocean Basket where I had Heinz ketchup with the most amazing fish & chips I've ever had. I didn't think I'd the whole basket, but I did. I'm not a fan of seafood, but the fish I've had all weekend on the coast was amazing. So tasty and not fishy at all.

I shopped around at the open air market and meandered around some of the shops, but only found one more present for my mom. She's so easy to shop for! Jewelry is abundant here and she loves jewelry. I need to go to Green Market to get two more gifts and I think one more thing for me.

Shamiel dropped Derek and I off at home around 6. I was exhausted but since there was no dinner (I had signed out for dinner) I ordered a pizza and uploaded photos of my weekend to my photo album. There are 32 photos of my trip for you to see when you can.

I had a great time in Cape Agulhas and I'm so glad I went.

Cheers!

Cape Agulhas Holiday: Day 2

Derek and I got up around 8:30 and met Shamiel downstairs for a continental breakfast. This was by far the best continental breakfast I've ever had. I had freshly made strawberry youghurt, a mini waffle (with chunks of sugar I had to pick out) and a sausage omelet. Delicious! Much better than toast, fruit, and occasional runny eggs at the homebase. We left the home base shortly after 10 and headed to the beach to see a cave that Shamiel wanted to show us during low tide. However, we missed the peak of low tide and the tide was rising too quickly so we had to turn around. We will find out when low tide is in the morning and will come back tomorrow.

We decided to head out to Struisbaai to look into surfboard and/or kayak rentals since no one in Arniston has equipment to rent. We pulled up to Struisbaai about half an hour after we left Arniston because we had to drive up to Bredasdorp because the van was not built for off-road on the dirt roads. Shamiel took us to the longest boardwalk in the southern hemisphere, which winds around the rocky shore to the beach. We walked most of it, then turned back because we wanted to go drive the 10 minutes or so to L'Agulhas to go to the most southern point and the lighthouse.

At L'Agulhas we first we climbed to the top of the lighthouse, all 71 steps. Rather than steps, there were 71 rungs of 5 ladders we climbed to the top. It was a bit windy on the ground and the wind strength was multiplied on the top of the light house. I had to slide my feet on the deck to ensure my flip flops didn't go flying off. It was fun to lean into the wind with arms outstretch and the view was incredible. I could see out into the Indian and see the Atlantic Ocean in the distance. For a good minute I heard my mom yelling in my head about the height and the wind (she's not fond of heights). It made me smile to have her there with me. I love you, Mom! I peered in at the light, as it was off, and admired the powerful beacon that warns ships of the rocky coast of southern Africa. The light can be seen for 30 nautical miles and has an intensity of 7,500,000 candlepower. After about 10 minutes atop the lighthouse Derek and I climbed down and we headed a few kilometres west to the most southern point in Africa.

Standing near the monument while others were taking pictures I took in the landscape. The shore was quite rocky and large, jagged rocks lined the shore. I was unable to stand with one foot in the Indian and the other in the Atlantic because of the jagged rocks. If I had proper water shoes on rather than cheap flip flops I would have been more adventurous to walk in the water. Derek and I had Shamiel take plenty of pictures of us at the monument that symbolizes how far south we are. The surrounding area to the point was undeveloped, protected land which looked more like reclaimed land. It was sandy, rocky, and grassy, with its image completely reliant on mother nature.

We decided to grab a bite to eat at a seafood takeaway. I ordered hake & chips and a Savannah. It tasted great, similar to fish & chips back home, but quite fresh, as I'm sure it was caught the day before. It was the best fish and chips I had so far. It was not fishy tasting at all. Today marks 9 weeks in South Africa and 3 to go. I have to start taking pictures of places in Rondebosch and at the Scalabrini Centre soon. I want to make sure I have pictures of everything and everyone.

As I said earlier it was quite windy and we soon found out no one would let us rent a surfboard or a kayak. We decided to check out a Die Mond nature reserve, but it had closed by the time we pulled up. We plan to come back tomorrow morning after we go to the cave. Defeated, we headed back to our hotel. Derek went out to the beach to swim for half an hour. I intended to swim and then shower, but I got caught up in the movie Jack on the TV. I quickly showered and Derek and I headed down to dinner at the hotel's bar with Shamiel at 7. I had the most amazing tomato and basil soup, about a quarter of a “beef” patty that tasted more like ostrich and I didn't like it, and a good slice of cheesecake. I had Smirnoff Storm to drink, which is essentially Smirnoff Ice. While Derek and Shamiel were smoking some cigars I left to go up to the room to call my family who were all together at my aunt and uncle's house for family Christmas. It was nice to talk to everyone. I came back down to have one last drink with Shamiel and Derek before I headed back upstairs for bed.

Cape Agulhas Holiday: Day 1

Author's Note: I wrote some of this in the van, some of it afterwards.

I'm so excited to get out of the city! Derek, Shamiel and I have been looking forward to this trip for the past two weeks. Shamiel isn't even looking at this as work, rather as a fun holiday with friends who are paying for his accommodation and paying him to drive them because we can't drive here. We are blasting Goldfish and are calling our van the party bus. The scenery is beautiful, lush, and green. There are beautiful vistas where I can see for kilometres, mountains in the distance with rolling green hills of farmland and vineyards. Reminds me of photos of Ireland, actually. Shamiel estimates the drive to be about 2 hours to Arniston.

We arrive in Arniston around 11. We took a walk, about a km up the road towards the beach. There were some of the most incredible sand dunes on the right side of the road and the Indian Ocean on the left. We walked down to the shore, rolled up our pant legs (I forgot my capris at the home base!) and waded around the shore skipping stones and admiring our first look at the Indian Ocean (well, first look for Derek and I). The Indian Ocean is much lighter in color, similar to the azure blue of the Caribbean Sea. It is much warmer than the Atlantic and looks much more inviting. The Atlantic is a very deep blue and looks like dangerous and mysterious, like it holds many secrets. Shortly thereafter we headed back towards the hotel to check in. Our rooms were not ready just yet, so we decided to grab some lunch at a seafood place. There was a poster on a phone poll about “The Cave” which boasted the best seafood. We found it, however, it wasn't exactly a restaurant. It was a trailer that served seafood. Derek and I ordered calamari & chips and Shamiel had hake & chips (plain fish fillet). The calamari was good, however I am not a big seafood fan or calamari fan, so I only ate about half of my calamari. Derek was kind enough to finish off what was too much for me. According to Derek, the calamari was fried perfectly, as it was not gummy. He said most calamari is overfried in the US, but this was perfect. It was a bit greasy, but most fried fish is.

By 3pm we arrived back at the hotel and found our rooms. Derek and I were sharing a room and Shamiel had is own room at a tour guide's rate. The Arniston Hotel is a 4 star hotel and was worth the $125/night. The furniture was whitewashed, we had a large balcony overlooking the pool, and an extremely large, tilled bathroom, complete with whirlpool. Shamiel had a similar sized room, but we only had to pay $50/night for him. We had a TV in the room with satellite TV and complementary brandy, too bad neither Derek or I like brandy. Interestingly enough, Derek and I each had a twin bed. The two beds were pushed together to look like a king size bed, but they each had their own linens.

The guys decided it was nap time, as Shamiel had been working since 4:30am and Derek said he was exhausted from not sleeping well. We decided to meet in the hotel lobby for dinner at 6. Derek was out within 5 minutes so he didn't hear me change into my suimsuit and go down to the pool. I was eager to swim in a pool, rather than ocean because the smell of saltwater was getting to me. The pool was not heated however, and took me a few minutes to acclimate. It was rather small, not even large enough to swim laps, but I swam around underwater, enjoying the feeling of weightlessness without the motion of the ocean tossing me about. It was quite peaceful. After about 15 minutes I got out and laid on the chaise lounge chair to dry and tan. It was a wonderful feeling to be swimming in an outdoor pool and laying out in the sun on the day after Christmas. I've always been in Michigan for Christmas and I soaked up the sun for all it was worth for 40 minutes. I went back to the room around 4:30 to shower and call home on the balcony. I noticed I was a bit pink, but with a few rubs of aloe I hope the slight burn will turn into a tan, as I have not been able to tan since I've been here. I had to wake Derek at 6 for dinner.

We ate dinner in the hotel's bar. I had a wonderful 200g steak, though it was a bit sweet and dry, and chips, washed down by Savannah Dry. I of course did not finish the steak, as that is 10oz. All three of us succumbed to the calling of desert and I had two brownies with vanilla ice cream. I couldn't even finish that! I had a brownie and a half before I called it quits. After stomaching all this food, we each got our bills. Guess how much all of this food cost? R135 ($13.50!) I am so spoiled with prices here, it will be difficult to go home to pay the expensive prices. We hung around talking and drinking until the bar closed at 11. I was enjoying myself so much that I was sad for the night to end. We were plenty entertained by the 2 saltwater fish tanks, each of which were about 50 gallons (my guess). The fish would swim away fast when your hand got close to the glass so we kept playing with the fish for a good twenty minutes. The bar top even had a fish tank! The top where customer's drink rested was clear because there was a shallow tank that allowed the fish to swim all around the bartender and entertain patrons. I crashed about midnight.

Map of Southwestern South Africa

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Note: Waenhuiskrans is the Afrikaans name of Arniston. L'Agulhas is the town where the southern tip is located. Struis Bay is the English name of the town Struisbaai.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

So what makes it “feel” like Christmas? Many of the volunteers here say it does not feel like Christmas, even I've sad it. So why doesn't it? Is it the routine we have the makes it Christmas? The decorations? Does it not feel like Christmas because I'm away from all the commercialization? I am not bombarded here with music and Christmas items here so it is easy to miss the holiday. I miss my family, but not as much as I thought today. I missed them more yesterday than I have since shortly after I arrived here. I really missed our traditional of Christmas Eve presents. It is on Christmas Eve that I give my parents a special gift, one I want them to take time to look at and appreciate. I work hard on these presents and I did not do that this year because I am gone. However, there is one special gift I am bringing back from Africa for both my parents and I hope they appreciate as much as I love it.

Moving on to the best part of today. Ten of us went to Sarah Fox Convalescent Children's Hospital to play with the children. I had an amazing time. The children had a few presents already given by local charities or people and I sat down with this one boy and played with a car and two Power Rangers. He spoke no English, just Xhosa, and the only Xhosa word I know is molo, which means hello. But we didn't need language really, he would hand me the car and the power rangers and I figured out he wanted me to stick them through the open windshield to push them around. The best communication was body language, as it's universal. I smiled and waved, which they reciprocated. They would bring a toy over and we would play, both talking in our own languages and not understanding what the other was saying. After about 10 minutes we took almost all the children to play outside. Some of the smaller children had never been outside because the number of volunteers is so low, they can only let the children who can occupy themselves go out to play. Most of the children live in cribs or cots in a big open room. Despite being away from their families, they were happy to play on the swings and the playground equipment. I made the mistake of sitting on the ground and I became part of the playground equipment. They would come up and sit on my lap, jump on my back and dance around me. If one kid moved, another would take their spot. I ticked the kids and tried everything else I knew to make them laugh. Many of the kids are sick, their faces are disfigured or are burn victims. One boy had been burned on nearly all of his skin. The nurses told me his head wrapping just came off and until then all you could see were the slits of his eyes. The other children were afraid of him. Now he's a bully, taking toys away from the smaller children. We tried to tell them no when they do something wrong, but it is not our place to discipline. Most often a stern voice will stop the negative behavior and send the children running away to do something else. The children loved to pose for our cameras. We cannot use the photos for our own profit/gain, but we can use them to show other people. Plus, the kids love to sit down and take a picture with you, as long as you show them their picture. It makes them smile and giggle because they feel important.

At 12:30 we were picked up and I was beat. Being a human jungle gym took a lot out of me. We ate leftover Christmas dinner for lunch, since all the staff, save for security, had the day off. I am so happy they are; it was because I was so upset they had to work that I said something and the staff was given the option to come in for double pay or stay home for no pay. I wanted them to have a paid day off, but I am happy with them choosing to stay home to be with their families and to go to church. Most of them were very happy they could go to church today. After lunch we took our miniature tree into the lounge and put our presents underneath it. We set a limit of R50 ($5) and each bought something for a gift exchange. We went around and picked presents and had a stealing frenzy. It was fun. Most gifts were food purchased at Pick N Pay or Checkers. I ended up with some chocolates. I had a few, offered most of them away and still have many left. I will definitely offer them to the staff when I see them on Monday. I do not need to eat 400g worth of chocolates. As tasty as it would be I would get sick and it would ruin all the weight loss I've done so far.

I spent the afternoon resting, calling friends and family, and then laying around outside. I'm going to see what to do about dinner and then relax around the house the rest of the night. Christmas is always a lazy day for me so I'm doing the same here in South Africa. I need to pack tonight, as tomorrow morning around 8am I'm off to Cape Agulhas. I cannot wait. I'm so excited for a beautiful and fun filled weekend with Derek and Shamiel.

Merry Christmas to all and I hope you had a wonderful day as well with your family. I've uploaded pictures from dinner last night, the bonfire, and Sarah Fox. Click the link on the right labeled “Photo Album”.

Cheers!

Merry Christmas Eve

Here's a video for you all! Enjoy!



Merry Christmas Eve! In fact by the time I post this it will be just after midnight and will be Christmas. Today I helped Erica cook Christmas dinner. I peeled carrots and did other odds and ends. I decided to make custard pie, but unfortunately, it did not turn out the way I hoped. It still was delicious, but sad that the layers did not solidify. It was custard soup pie, as Derek called it. There was vanilla and chocolate custard with a wonderful graham cracker crust that I made. I was very proud of my crust. Erica was organizing and cooking dinner and I helped when she asked and when there wasn't anything to do I came back to my room to do a few random things on the computer. We ate dinner at 4:30. The staff enjoyed the meal as did I. Erica said it wasn't as great as she wanted it because she had to make alterations to her recipes, but I think Christmas dinner was better than Thanksgiving. We made lots of extra food as the leftovers will be our food tomorrow. Francis and Tahira gave the choice to the staff if they wanted to come in or stay home tomorrow and not surprisingly, they all chose against coming it. I could not get them a paid day off, but I at least gave them the choice. They all wanted to be home with their families and go to church. I know most of them enjoy going to church on Sundays and I am happy I was able to help them go on Christmas. I am sad they loose a day of pay, but they realize that there are more important things in life, especially on Christmas.

As you can see I finally go a video to upload! I've been having trouble and typically get too frustrated to continue, but I had a nice evening to spend working on uploading. The video I took about a month after I arrived in Cape Town and as it states, it is a tour of the house. The video is about 5 minutes long. Now that I successfully uploaded the video, I hope to upload a few more in the coming week. I have many on my computer to show you.

I decided shortly before dusk that I wanted to have a bonfire. Despite having numerous fireplaces in the house, none are working. Other volunteers had filled the fire pit with wood so we just put a newspaper inside and lit it up. Within a few minutes we decided no Christmas bonfire would be complete without s'mores. Jaime called a cab and we gave him some money to go buy supplies. We had some amazing s'mores, Cadbury chocolate, slight strawberry tasting marshmellows, and good graham crackers. We borrowed the grilling surface from the grill and put it over the fire to cook s'mores in foil. I had never heard of this, but Mike said he does it all the time to make good s'mores. He made a s'more, wrapped it in foil, and set it on the grill. With tongs he rotated the cooking surface and we opened them every few minutes and ate them when they were melted. Delicious. Fire and candle light is always associated with Christmas so it was nice to have a bonfire, even better not to be shivering without the heat, as it was still in the 60s outside.

I am off to bed. I wish everyone a wonderful day with family and friends. This year you may be celebrating traditionally or not, but no matter what you do, enjoy yourself and smile. Christmas is but only one day a year. And for those who do not celebrate Christmas but have another holiday in December or January, I wish you the best as well. Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, Merry Christmas, and to all, a wonderful end of the year.

Personal Thoughts and Commentary

For a change I'm going to update when I'm not sleepy and wanting to go to bed.

This week is Christmas and I cannot wrap my head around it. I was sitting here working on my Refugee Welcome Packet with the window cracked in a t-shirt and khakis and heard a weed whacker. At first I ignored it as usual, but then I realized today is the 23rd of DECEMBER! I am stunned to realize that tomorrow is Christmas EVE and Thursday is Christmas DAY. We have a small Christmas tree and just bought a few decorations to decorate the dining room and front door entry for Christmas but for the most part the house looks the same as always. When I go outside, there is no evidence of Christmas either. There are no Christmas lights dangling off every tree, wreaths on every front door or signs about last minute deals. There are a few trees in the mall (the size of the mall is much smaller than any mall in the US I've been to, only about 20 small stores and 1 big store) and a few decorations, but no neon signs reminding you there are two days until Christmas. Inside the grocery store is the only place I've noticed Christmas approaching. About every third song played on the sound system is Christmas so I sing along a little bit. There are sales on Christmas candy and the bargain bin. There are a few decorations hanging around as well. You could almost miss Christmas if you didn't know what today's date was. In the US, the Christmas season starts in October/November, officially on the day after Thanksgiving. There is nothing of the sort here.

The more touristy areas have a bit more Christmas spirit, but when I bought wine yesterday, the person at the counter didn't say a word to me. In fact, they do not even tell you the total of your purchases, they just expect you to hand over cash or a credit card. When I ask, they move the screen and point to the amount, somewhere between R50 and R100. I say thank you and happy holidays and they just wave to the next customer. Rude? Maybe. Exhausted and overworked? Yes. People work long hours for a small wage (similar to at home) or they are unemployed. South Africa has a 40% unemployment rate. I think Michigan is nearing 10%. We complain about a bad economy (which is true) but we're doing better than some other countries.

Let me digress a little and actually comment on some newsworthy events occurring in the US. I have been keeping up with the news (via Google News) and cannot wrap my head around all the government bailouts. Everyone is near bankruptcy. Where is all this money coming from that the US government can bail out the banks, the auto industry, and California? What about Michigan? Can't the movie stars in California give a few million each to the state they live in? The countries wealthiest people live in that state and it gets new for the government running out of money, while in Michigan we've been out of money for nearly a year or more and nothing happens? I have no idea how to fix the country but I hope our president-elect, Barack Obama does. I can foresee one of two things happening – either the economy rebounds or the country implodes. I hope it's the former.

Back to South Africa. Yesterday and today have been relatively cool days. I think about 65F and a chilly wind. I wore long sleeves yesterday. I'm wearing a t-shirt now but I may just put a sweatshirt on soon. Last night I did a quick inventory of the purchased gifts and souvenirs to see if I fall under my allotted amount. Right now I calculated I'm bringing about $400 worth of goods into the country and am allotted $800. I do, however, have to pay tax on my wine. I'm only allowed to bring in 1 litre duty-free but I'm bringing in about 5 litres. I have six bottles, each are 750ml. I'll be taxed at about 3% on the price I paid here in South Africa, which is about $2-5/bottle, depending on which bottle. I cannot believe the wine is so inexpensive here. I can buy a good bottle of wine for about R32 or $3.20! At home good wine costs about $20. Of course the brandy is more expensive, but I think the highest priced brandy I've found is about $50 and the highest alcohol price $89. I did not like the brandy when I tried it; it was 40% alcohol, too strong for me. I really enjoyed the white wines and actually the reds as well. I didn't like most of the red wines I drank in Australia, but I liked some of the red wines here and LOVED the white wines. I will definitely be buying South African wines when I run out of all my wine I currently have, which should be awhile from now. Also if I can find Savannah Dry at home (probably at the Red Wagon Shoppe, I will buy that as well. It tastes similar to Strongbow as it is an alcoholic cider but I think it is less bitter than Strongbow.

I have become accustomed to the low standard of living that I think it will be hard to go back to the US and pay a more expensive price. For instance, tonight I ordered a 200g (7.2oz) steak, a side order of onion rings, and 500ml (16oz) coke light. Including delivery, VAT (tax), and tip, it cost me R100 ($10)! When I went to the grocery store yesterday, I bought a CD for the volunteer's gift exchange, three bottles of wine, and a wine cooler for $15! I can get a standard pizza, which is 23cm (9inch) for $2.69. A 300ml can of coke light is about $0.50 and a 500ml bottle is $0.75. True the 500ml is only about 16oz, but the US equivalent is typically $1.35 (about R13.50). Ugh, too much!

There is a physiological “disorder” called culture shock. This means when you travel to a vastly different place than what you are used to, your mind has a bit of a shock regarding its new surroundings. Once you become accustomed to the new surroundings and then travel back to the old place, you have a somewhat reverse culture shock. I'm sure that will be the case for me. I will have to get used to robots (traffic lights) overhanging the road, rather on the side, like a sign. Traffic will be on the right, not the left. I unconsciously move to the left now when I see people coming toward me (when I'm really tired though I will move to the right). I use different words for things and have picked up on slang. I repeat “yeah” a few times in agreement or understanding of something. Instead of “really?” people here say “is it?”. I have no comfortably acclimated to the South African culture that I am disappointed to know it won't be part of my every day hearing. I don't know if I'll keep some of the slang when I come back or if I'll quickly revert back to US dialect of English. I've tried to use the slang in my posts to illustrate the dialect of South African English.

I will miss the staff very much. I am quite fond of Bongi, Simone, Nolundi, and Linda. They make me smile, they look after me, and make the house feel like a home. Without them the house would not have the comforting feeling to it. I look forward to getting up in the morning to see them and when I'm bored I'll go and chat with them in the kitchen. This morning I ate muffins that I bought yesterday in my room so I did not come out for breakfast and each one of them (except Nolundi because she's on leave) came in to say good morning and make sure I was up working. It is their job to look after me, but it's not just a job, they care about the volunteers personally. They ask how my night was after they left, not just for small talk but because they are truly interested in how I spent my evening. They hold a special place in my heart and I will definitely cry when I leave. I need to think of a special way to thank them for all they've done without getting them in trouble for accepting gifts. Francis, the new house manager, is quite strict, more strict than any other admin staff member and I do not want to give him a reason to yell at those I care about. A letter of appreciation just doesn't seem enough. Any thoughts? I think food might be acceptable though. I might buy some chocolates. I bought muffins and ate two and every time the staff came to check on me I told them to have one. This way I didn't give them muffins.

I am still covered in bug bites. I do not see any bugs or mosquitoes around yet I'm always discovering new bites! I think I've seen three mosquitoes and I've killed two of them. I have no idea where I'm getting 30+ bites. Even after putting on 1% anti-itch cream I still scratch them because I cannot control the scratching. Then they bleed and scab over. The scabs then itch and without realizing it I break open the scab. I am covered in bites and scabs. I'm sure I've broken a few open too many times that I will scar from it. Why get a tattoo when I can get a scar from African mosquitoes? A little less painful and a little less noticeable!

Wow this entry is getting long, but I have so much commentary that I haven't been able to add because I've been so tired I just want to get the facts down and then go to sleep. I will try to post in the coming days, but I will be busy celebrating that I do not know when I'll be able to write. Tomorrow is Christmas Eve and I will be cooking on and off all day. Similar to Thanksgiving, the volunteers are making dinner for ourselves and the staff. I love the staff so much I enjoy cooking for them. I'm planning to make my mom's wonderful pudding pie with somewhat similar South African ingredients. We shall see how it goes. Then the volunteers are having a gift exchange in the evening. Christmas morning I and the other volunteers are going to Sarah Fox Convalescent Children's Hospital to give the children gifts and play with them. I am looking forward to it. I do not know what we are doing in the afternoon but if people are going to the beach then I'll go surfing or I plan to lay out in the sun. Nathalie is trying to think of ways to get my white skin tan. I cannot tan at all. I just burn or turn pink. Sigh. On Friday morning around 8am Derek, Shamiel and I leave for Cape Agulhas for the weekend. We're staying at the Arniston Hotel near the Cape and Shamiel has a great trip planned for us. I am excited!

I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas with friends and family. I do miss home and though I will listen to Christmas music, I won't listen to Silent Night because it will make me cry. I might listen to it by myself Christmas Eve before I go to bed with the glare of a flashlight outside or in my room.

Merry Christmas!

PS: There are a few pictures posted in the photo album of the CCS staff, if you want to put a face to a name.

Goldfish

Today started out as a lazy Sunday. I slept in then laid in bed for awhile just daydreaming. After getting up around 10:30, I hung around the house and left for Rondebosch around lunchtime. I ran a few errands and then ate lunch at St. Elmo's. Their pizza tastes so much better coming right from the oven then 10 minutes later when it's being delivered. I meandered around Pick N Pay to see if they had some substitute ingredients to make pudding pie. I found “Digestive Crackers” which are essentially graham crackers but they look different. They do not have pudding mix so I am going to use custard instead. I have to remember to give Simone or Tahira the list of ingredients I will need.

After coming back I relaxed on the futon on the porch while listening to my iPod and playing Skip-Bo and Uno on my Nintendo DS. I love sitting on the futon outside. It's breezy but not hot and I can hear the sounds of South Africa, the birds, the trees rustling, and the training going by. It is so peaceful and calming on the porch. I love to hang out there for hours just being lazy because it makes me feel like I live here rather than just visiting.

Around 6:30 Derek, Mike, Greg and I took a taxi to La Med, a club in Camps Bay to hear Goldfish play live. Goldfish is an extremely popular band in South Africa. I had heard a few songs from their CD awhile ago. We met up with David, Jaime and Steph (back from her trek in the Eastern Cape) and danced in the mosh pit. It was so hot, we were just sweat balls. There were so many people just packed in like sardines. It was so hard to dance/move inside. I had a few drinks, but not many. Savannah Dry is good, it's alcoholic cider. When we finally headed outside for air, the guys could wring their shirt out. I smelt of beer and cigarettes from everyone around me. I'm not a club going type of person so I was a bit uncomfortable and out of my comfort zone, but I went along because I wanted to. It was a good night out. Some people bought CDs so they're going to give me a copy of it. We got home late because we shared a cab back with Steph who was going to City Lodge. She leaves Monday evening to go back home. So even though we were a little past curfew, Nokuanda said it was okay because we took Steph home. I came home and showered because I was disgusting and drank lots of water.

Speaking of it being late, I am tired so I'm heading to bed. Night

Wine and Dine in the Cape

It's been a good, long day. This morning I got up shortly before 8 and went with Erica, Michael, and Jared to the winelands. Faried from ATS drove us all day. We first drove out to Paarl where we enjoyed the beautiful architecture of the small town built up around the vineyards and wineries. We grabbed some coffee and a quick bite to eat then headed to our first winery, KWV, which turned out to be my favorite one.

We arrived at KWV and immediately started the tour. There was a five minute video that introduced us to the estate in Paarl and gave us a bit of the estate's history. We then began the tour of the cellars. The first cellar was lined with casks all along the left wall, sometimes 4 deep and 4 high. We walked around the casks and headed towards the large cask at the back wall, called Big Bill. This cask is over 200 years old and can no longer age wine, however, it is currently used to store port. We left the first cellar and entered the cathedral cellar, which was breathtaking. First it was cool (but humid) and then you notice the 30 or so 10,000 litre casks with wood carvings on them. The carvings had an order to them, depicting the history of wine making in the Cape. We walked around the remainder of the two cellars admiring the different casks and then the stainless steal white wine vats that distill the white wine. Upon completion of our tour, we began wine tasting. We sampled about 6 wines, 2 ports, and one 10 year old brandy. I was not a fan of the red wines nor the brandy. The ports were too strong (40% alcohol) so I was unable to really decide whether I enjoyed it as I was slightly dizzy from the aroma of the brandy. At KWV I bought a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc Reserve label that we sampled. I highly recommend any wine, brandy, or port from KWV if you can find it at Meijer, Red Wagon Wine Shoppe or any of your local wine shops. Please visit http://www.kwv.co.za/ to learn more about the winery. I highly recommend the winery to everyone, but if you cannot go to the winery, purchase anything with their label – you will not be disappointed.

We then drove to Franshooek where I had been before when I went with Steph to pick up her phone at the police station. I enjoyed seeing the town again. In Franshooek we had reservations for this French bistro restaurant. We ate leisurely on the patio outside with the gorgeous view of mountains and vineyards. When I mean leisurely, I mean European leisurely. Our starter probably was not served until 25 minutes after we ordered. I enjoyed the French bread while Erica and Michael ate salad. Jared ate scallops. Another half hour later our main course arrived. I ordered an oglet of beef (a medium well steak) with pepper and grilled onions. It was served with delicious potato wedges as well. I had a glass of Sauvignon Blanc and a sip of the red wine Erica and Michael ordered. For desert I had a mouth-watering apple tart with vanilla ice cream. We left shortly after we finished lunch because we had been there for 2.5 hours and needed to be on our way.

Shortly after lunch we arrived at Schloms Delta where we sampled 8 wines outside on the deck next to the vineyard. Most of them tasted good, but nothing stood out to me. However, the Cape Town Jazz was a light sparkling red wine that I enjoyed so I bought a bottle. We did not tour the facilities, just tasted the wine and left about an hour after we arrived.

The rest of the group was growing weary, from the wine or just being relaxed, I'm not sure, but they decided they wanted to skip the last winery and just go straight to Spier where they could pet cheetahs. I loved watching the cheetahs but since I petted them before I chose instead to wander around the cheetah conservancy and admire the animals. I got a few good pictures. I also saw the conservancy raised some dogs to be non aggressive. They were adorable dogs and one came up to the fence when I walked by and I stuck my fingers through the fence and he licked my fingers. I melted. Dogs have a special place in my heart and I hate how many dogs I see walking around the townships who are hungry and have nothing to eat. They are skinny and it makes me sad. Dogs are pets, they are family, and they deserve just as much as I do. But I guess in a place where there isn't enough food to go around for the people, dogs are that important. Faried said dogs and cats are domesticated here and kept as pets.

After the conservancy, everyone was tired so we headed back to the home base. I was so full from my leisurely lunch that I didn't eat dinner. I talked with a few volunteers about their day and then came into my room for a 40 minute power nap. It was more just resting on my bed daydreaming rather than sleeping, but it was restful.

Tomorrow I plan on being lazy, I need to walk to Rondebosch to send some postcards and buy more minutes for my phone. I will probably lay out in the sun if it's a nice day or just relax on the futon again like I did last Tuesday. I'm somewhat glad we have a Halaal kitchen/house, which means no alcohol in the house. I would drink all my wine tomorrow without anyone to stop me! But I recommend to everyone if you are looking for something new to try, South African wines are excellent. The 20 or so I tried today we great, some more than other, but I think there was maybe one specialty wine I didn't like. For a white wine drinker, I recommend the sauvingnon blanc. The chardonnay was enjoyable, but not as good as the sauvingnon blanc. For a red wine drinker I recommend any of the wines, as I prefer whites but the reds were good. And look for KWV from South Africa, it is well-known as the best winery in the Cape. And I agree.

Bottoms up! Cheers.

PS: Photos from the cellar tour at KWV and a few cheetah pictures have been uploaded. Just click the "Photo Album" link on the right.

Last Day at Scalabrini Before the Holidays

I feel these entries are a bit repetitive always starting at the beginning, but it makes to start with waking up and move through the day, rather than jumping around and confusing you. So, here we go, starting with getting out of bed at 7:15am. Got ready as usual and as I was grabbing breakfast people kept coming up to me teasing me about my lunch plans. I thought they saw lunch was lamb curry and since I'm allergic to lamb they figured I was going out. I shrugged it off and ate a couple bites of eggs and a banana. As I walked towards the front door David pointed to the white board where Anthony left a long/large message for me. Since there was a large snowstorm hitting the East Coast (he lives in Boston), he was leaving this afternoon instead of tomorrow afternoon and asked if we could go to lunch today. I guess he wasn't up yet because he was taking the morning to pack. I replied with a yes and went off to placement. He promised to take me to breakfast on the day he left so instead we went to lunch today, but nevertheless it did not help quell the teasing regarding Anthony and I. We're FRIENDS. Sigh.

Went off to Scalabrini, but nothing really happened today. As we are closing for 2 weeks after today, some staff members left early and those left were lazily wrapping up a few things. I applied for a few jobs for Monica, Chipo, and Roberto, but that was it. I chatted with the staff and bid everyone a happy holidays before leaving at 12:30. Right as I got back, Anthony and I headed to the cafe at the garden centre a block away to have lunch. I had some chicken and chips with cheesecake for desert. Tasty! Shortly after returning Derek and I went with Anthony to the airport. Anthony was quite choked up, as he was here 12 weeks. He flies home for the holidays and then in two weeks he flies to Europe for a month.

Derek has been sick for the past week so on our way back from the airport Israel stopped at a clinic. While he was being seen I went next door to the grocery store to buy some coke light and ramen as I was running low. I also withdrew some cash from the ATM as I'm running low and have plans to go on a wine tour tomorrow. I can purchase wine and store it in my suitcase but since we have a Halaal kitchen/house, we are not allowed to drink alcohol in the home base. I'm nearly sure I'm going to buy some wine for me and my parents. I still have my four bottles of wine from the winery in New Mexico at home so I don't want to buy too much, but it'll be nice to celebrate my return with my family with a good bottle of wine.

I've spent the rest of the afternoon/evening just bumming around the house. I'm still covered in mosquito bites. I can't get rid of them. I put on bug spray and it helps reduce the numbers a bit, but these bites itch more than I can ever remember mosquito bites itching. They're everywhere, on my legs, arms, back, stomach, and I just found one on my neck. I've gone through so much anti-itch cream! I don't even know what else to do! I'm red and blochy because these bug bites are everywhere. I try to scratch them, but I just cannot help it. Someone said the potassium in bananas attract them. I tried to test the theory, but I don't think it made much of a difference. But I'm not the only one with bites, maybe the most frequently bitten, but everyone has bites.

The only left to do today is to shower, so off to clean myself and then instantly cover myself in bug spray. But I think I might take these bites in favor of the feet of snow at home. It's definitely a white Christmas there. With the lack of commercialization of Christmas here, I am still stunned to realize I've been here 8 weeks and Christmas is next Thursday. Next weekend I'm going to Cape Agulhas. 4 more weeks from now I'll be packing to go home. I can't believe I'm 2/3 done with this trip. I wish I could stop time to just stay here for longer, but I've got a life to go back to and in all honesty, I miss that life. I am a different person, but I miss being a professional writer. I miss my family and friends and the life I have there. I wouldn't trade being in South Africa for anything, but I am not interested in making this permanent. I think in 4 weeks I will be sad to leave and probably not want to leave because I will miss places and people here, but I cannot merge the two lives beyond what I've learned. I've got email and facebook which is great to keep in touch. I don't think I'll ever be ready to leave, but I think I'll be okay with it. I'll find the strength somewhere to leave a place I'd love to come back to, but in my heart I know I won't be back.

Until tomorrow,
Cheers.

Reach down your hand in your pocket, Pull out some hope for me

I apologize now, I am dead tired so if something is incoherent, that is why. And the title comes from a Matchbox Twenty song.

Security banged on my door this morning 5 minutes before my alarm went off telling me they have to talk to me and to come out of my room. Annoyed I turn off my alarm and stumble towards the dining room. I snack on a banana while I wait for the rest of the volunteers to wander in. Eric wanted to tell us that if we are outside the house (yet still on the fenced-in property) we need to let security know or stay on the veranda so they do not think there is an intruder. Apparently one of the volunteers was walking around outside last night because he couldn't sleep and security was unsure if the person was a volunteer or an intruder and pushed the panic button. I had taken allergex and missed the whole alarm. Not good, but Eric told us today if we here the panic alarm, we're supposed to stay in our room until security tells us otherwise. Anywho, I was rather annoyed that this could not have waited another half hour until breakfast. I went back to bed for 20 minutes but I was already too awake.

I packed a lunch today since I planned to stay at Scalabrini all day. Israel and Wonga were driving the new volunteers to Bo Kaap and the Slave Lodge so trying to pick me up and then drop me off again would be a hassle, so I decided it would just be easier to stay and eat lunch there. I packed PB&J, an apple and a coke light and most of the staff couldn't believe I was full after that. “No wonder you're losing weight, Kat, you don't eat!” they said. They tried to get me to eat rice and slop from the kitchen for the refugees but I refused. I don't need to eat any more than that and I didn't want to eat the slop. It probably tastes fine, but I was not about to find out.

There were only about 10 people who came to the help desk today. By 10:30 I was done with everyone. Monica, Chipo, Mercy, and Nancy all came in so I took turns talking to them and helping them set up a plan for continuing their job search while Scalabrini is closed for the next two weeks. I hope everyone comes back and tells me that Santa brought them a job for Christmas. That would be amazing.

I took an hour's lunch break and then continued searching Gumtree and applying for positions for the Oxfam clients. I found several good ones and applied for about 10 positions for about 5 people. Not bad. Around 4 I quit for the day and waited around until 4:45 when we left for the Scalabrini Christmas Picnic at Wynberg Park. Standing outside Scalabrini, Landi told us to hop in the back of her boyfriend's pickup truck. I thought “when in Africa” and hopped in. The pickup was covered, but nevertheless uncomfortable, hot, and squished. There were 5 of us in the back along with heaps of food. For over an hour I sat there growing tired, my bum hurting from sitting on a mat and sweating in the heat. At first I was annoyed, but then I grew calm and reflected on the experience. Hundreds of refugees pack into smaller spaces to cross borders (all over the world) and they have no idea where they're going, where they are, when (or if) they'll get there. It was heartbreaking to think of the hours refugees spend doing the same thing, just sitting there in the bed of a pickup doing nothing but waiting to arrive at their destination. I could not do it again.

After we finally get to Wynberg Park we find out we cannot braai like the website and the park manager confirmed this week. So no cooked meat for us! Instead we munched on potato chips, cold salads, and sipped beverages: soda/pop and beer. I didn't drink because I don't like beer. It was nice to sit in the park and chat with coworkers. I talked a lot with Camilla, one of Miranda's daughter's. She just finished Gr. 5. She was very talkative and interested in my life in America and here in Cape Town. I really enjoyed our conversations. I also talked with some other about the school system here. Most schools are so close to where people live that there are no school buses, unless you attend a private school or university.

As dusk fell we gathered up our mess and left. Miranda gave me a lift home because she lives in Mowbray, the next town over from me.

Well, I'm going cross-eyed so anything more will have to be added tomorrow. Good Night.

Holiday Reflections

I itch. The bugs refuse to leave me alone. I don't even see the bugs. I just scratch at an itch and sudden realize there is a large bite that itches like hell and I can't make it stop. I put on anti-itch cream (1% cordizone) and take anti-histamine but I can't get it to stop. I even put on bug spray and yet they still find me tasty! I am at my wits end with this mozies (mosquitoes). LEAVE ME ALONE, BUGS! I can't help the itching so I scratch until I'm red and bleeding and it still doesn't stop. I put on more cream and more cream and yet I can't make it stop. Sigh.

Moving on...Today I worked at Scalabrini all morning helping Clive and a few other refugees find and apply for some jobs. Clive is a funny, good-hearted young man who lost his left leg when he was in the Zimbabwean army fighting in Sierra Leone and stepped on a land mine. He likes to laugh about missing his leg, tries to use it to make me feel sorry for him, but I make jokes right back. All the refugees think I'm hilarious and are so excited to see me sitting at the desk. It feels good to know I've influenced their lives.

I came home for lunch and munched on some ramen (was not interested in lentil bake) and then took a 20 minute rest/nap. Shortly before I left for Scalabrini, Shamiel stopped by to help Derek and I book accommodation near Cape Agulhas. The backpacker's lodge I wanted to stay at was booked :( but I understand it is summer, Christmastime, and I'm booking one week in advance. We settled on a bit more expensive, near 5 star hotel in nearby Arniston. It's R1250 a night, per person, about $125. A bit more than what I expected, but you know what, it's Christmas and I'm going to splurge a little. I'm so excited to go, I might as well sleep in style. Our plans for the trip are open-ended, as we are going to just go with the flow, however, we have outlined activities we want to do and a few have specific times. Shamiel has some “surprises” he wants to show us and won't tell us anymore than it's somewhere we have to be at low-tide. We are going to the tip of the continent (the main reason for going), kayaking, visiting a lighthouse, seeing some shipwrecks, and meandering through small, coastal towns, most of which are untouched by tourism.

I cannot believe next Thursday is Christmas. It does not feel like Christmas at all. True it is summer, but there are hardly any Christmas lights up, rarely hear Christmas songs on the radio (though I did hear Auld Lang Sign (sp?) while at Shoprite this afternoon), and I only occasionally see Christmas decorations in shops. It is a drastic change to what I'm used to. In the US, Christmas music starts playing on the radio in October, you can't go anywhere without running into decorations in the shops while buying Thanksgiving gourds, and by the time Christmas finally comes, I just want the commercialization to be over with. But here, with the different weather and the low-key preparations, it just feels like summer and not December. Every day I write the date, but because the date is written DAY/MONTH/YEAR here, it adds to the disorientation (today is 17/12/08). I've asked some people at placement whether Christmas is a big holiday and they say yes, but it's mostly just on the day. There are a few celebrations, but mostly it just gives a theme to the summer holidays (vacation) and end of year celebrations.

I was eager to see Christmas from another perspective and I am intrigued to see it downplayed so much. I've been to the mall at the waterfront which is a bit upscale, a bit touristy, and very large. Yet they don't have Santa sitting there in the center for children to come sit on his lap and whisper what they want for Christmas. Is it because most parents cannot afford presents so the commercialization has not spread? Is that the reason it's so commercialized in the US, because we can afford to buy numerous expensive presents? I really intended to analyze the differences between the US and South Africa and determine the cause or the reason behind such drastically different methods of celebrating. South Africa is just as Christian as the US I think, intermixed with Muslim and other faiths. I have looked at over 200 CV's since I started at Scalabrini and most say they are Christian. The staff (who are not working on Sundays) typically go to church for 5 hours on Sunday. So it is not a question of religion, as both countries both are strong in their religious beliefs behind the holiday, it is really a question of commercialization. There are two volunteers from the UK and Australia who we've asked the magnitude that Halloween and other holidays are celebrated. Even Greg and I have taken to comparing the US and Canada, since he lives in Toronto, there are many similarities and differences. Derek lives in California and it's amazing to see what restaurants are all around and what seem to only be local chains.

I've been quite reflective and analytical about the differences between the US and South Africa. They are similar, more than I originally thought. Both countries had slavery, both are now democratic, both have made advances to rectify the wrongdoings of previous governments, both have extreme poverty and extreme wealth, both have safe places and shady places, and both have a westernized culture. I did not expect South Africa to be as westernized as it is. However, I have only been to Cape Town and its environs and the Garden Route, both are “touristy”. But in conversations with Natz about the youth of SA, she says they watch American movies and TV, listen to American music, buy American name brand clothing, and act as though they are American. The traditions of the Khoi, the San, and all the other tribes are dying out. Some say it is because times are changing, others say the youth are not embracing the past or heritage, and other people have their own theories. According to Natz, boys are being circumcised at birth rather than going to the “mountain”/bush at 14 to become a man via circumcision. I wonder why traditions are being replaced by the American culture. What is so special about American culture that would have people choosing against their heritage and culture to embrace it? I would love to have my heritage rooted in who I am. However, any ethnic traditions have fallen away in my family. I know I'm Lithuanian, Irish, and English (as well as a few other misc. European ethnicities) but I would love to have traditions, something to connect me to my personal history. I am a product of all the unions in my family tree and would love to know more about my heritage, but unfortunately there is not a lot known about the Davis family side.

I've now realized I've gone off on some slight tangents, but that is okay because they are reflections involving South Africa. Plus, the rest of the afternoon at Scalabrini was similar to the morning in terms of what I did. I applied for jobs for the Oxfam clients via Gumtree adverts.

I was invited to Scalabrini's year end Christmas party tomorrow so I will be staying at Scalabrini all day (not coming home for lunch) and going straight to Wynberg park, rather than having someone pick me up at 4pm. Miranda lives in Mowbray so she will drop me off at the homebase after our party ceases. There will be braai, food, alcohol, and laughing. I had Israel stop by Shoprite in Mowbray on my way home from Scalabrini this afternoon to pick up chips (potato chips, not fries) as that is what I signed up to bring tomorrow.

Well, the anti-histimine I took an hour ago for my bites is starting to kick in and I think I'm going to fall asleep sitting here (at least I don't itch!) so I must end the entry for today.

Cheers!

Sunbathing in December

Unfortunately the plans to hike Table Mountain fell through. Some people woke up late, others were not feeling well and so we pushed it back an hour or so but it soon became apparent it just was not going to happen. No big deal, I was interested in relaxing anyway. I did indeed relax, not just physically, but mentally. I sat on the futon on the porch most of the morning listening to my iPod and playing Skip-Bo on my Nintendo DS. I munched on some crackers and peanut butter for lunch and then lathered up the sunscreen and laid out on the grass in the sun for about two hours or so. I was sweating bullets, as the sun is strong here but it felt good to bask in the sunlight. Eventually I was too hot and went back to the futon on the porch. I love sitting on the futon, I could do it for hours, and that is exactly what I did today, just mentally turned my brain off.

Today was a public holiday, Day of Reconciliation, which is why I did not go to placement. It is a public holiday which means most companies have the day off. Tomorrow I am back to work at Scalabrini and I'm very excited.

Shamiel dropped by this evening while I was in the shower and I didn't get much time to speak with him about Cape Agulhas. Many volunteers want to go on the Garden Route that weekend, but Derek and I are still planning to go to the Cape, as my dad was kind enough to give me an early Christmas present of some money to help pay for the trip. I am thrilled, as I really want to go without killing my bank account.

Off to put cream on my mosquito bites and then sleep.

Cheers!

A Noticeable Effect/Affect

Unfortunately I am exhausted so this entry will not be as comprehensive as most have been. Yesterday was rather slow, just hung out around the house so I did not write. Today I work at Scalabrini all day. It was quite exhausting because numerous refugees came in today requesting help with their CV's, making phone calls, etc (EHD stuff) because Scalabrini is closed tomorrow because it's a public holiday (Day of Reconciliation). I opted to help them instead of my Oxfam refugees/participants because the people who came in were more eager for jobs, we would be unable to assist them until Thursday and the fact that Scalabrini closes at the end of the week for 2 weeks for the holidays. Most of the refugees who came in today I've been helping for weeks so it was nice to be able to joke around and laugh with them, rather than be serious. There was more EHD work than hours for me to work today. It was exciting to be in such demand, to be sought out for help/advice, and to be told they had interviews this week because I made them take CV's around this weekend to local shops and restaurants.

I'm really starting to affect people's lives here, not just for one day or once week, but for the long run. I'm teaching them skills that will help them apply for the correct jobs rather than “anything”. I'm showing them you have to be detailed, play by their rules, and be passionate. I'm really noticing and increase in passion and time spent on job searches since I've lectured on being proactive. It's increased their confidence, they are generally happier, and take an interest in other people. I've sparked an understanding of a career rather than a job to pay bills. I am honored to have helped them and love every time they thank me. I'm telling everyone that they have to come in in January so I can take pictures of them so I can show everyone who I've been helping all this time.

After placement I bummed around the house talking to other volunteers, munching on food (we ordered Chinese for dinner because not many people wanted the tuna), and overall just being lazy. I am exhausted and my brain is turning off and my eyes are closing so I must go to sleep. I have to be up somewhat early tomorrow as we are leaving at 9am to go hike Table Mountain. I did not do it the first time around, but with losing weight and the other volunteers agreeing they won't say “we'll just meet you at the top”, I'm confident I'll have a good, exhausting hike. It's mostly steep stairs I hear, but I'm looking forward to a challenge. I hear the climb is beautiful. Will bring plenty of water and still hope to lose a few pounds on the mountain.

Cheers!

Telescopes and Tequila

Today was a day of excitement, hello, sadness, and goodbye. Three volunteers left, heading back home and we welcomed 7 new volunteers. Well, 6, as the 7th is MIA. He was supposed to find his own way to the house but never showed up. All day Derek and I rode with Wonga to and from the airport picking up and dropping off. It is about a 15 minute drive from Cape Town International to the home base. With the windows rolled down/opened I stared out at the beautiful landscape. I reflected a bit, as today marks 7 weeks in Cape Town and 5 more left. I've done so much and I am a changed person.

We said goodbye to my roommate Sabrina (15 weeks here), Angelique (3 weeks here), and Victoria (7 weeks here). The new group of volunteers is a much older group, the youngest is 18 but most people are in their 30s-40s. Some are here 3 weeks and one is here for 12. This time we have volunteers from the UK, Australia, USA, and Canada. It is nice to have a bit more mix of people.

At 7:30pm Derek, Greg, and I took a cab to the South African Astronomical Observatory. The second Saturday of every month is Open Night where we were allowed to go and tour the facilities. The Main Building was breathtaking (for me anyway) because of the floor to ceiling bookshelves filled with astronomical journals and books. There were several old globes too that piqued my interest. The SAAO is still used for research, however, there is too much light pollution in Cape Town that they have had to move the majority of research to Sutherland (in the middle of nowhere). In Sutherland they have SALT (South African Large Telescope), which is the largest telescope in the southern hemisphere and is a joint project between numerous nations, including the USA.

Just after 8 we headed out to the main telescope and museum. While walking our guide pointed up and we saw Jupiter. We could see it with the naked eye as a twinkle of light, just south of Venus in the twilight. Inside the museum, Derek, Greg, and I admired the small, old telescopes, time-keeping devices, and other equipment laid out around the small room. We stood in a queue for about 10 minutes and went into the dome to see the telescope. The doom has a raised floor so we stood there as the floor rose about 8 feet to get closer to the telescope. The skies were clear and Venus was setting so the guide adjusted the telescope and we were able to look through the view finder and see Venus. It looked like a circular dot of light, however, because the atmosphere is too thick to see the surface of Venus. Instead we just see the sun's rays reflecting off the clouds. It was amazing to look through a giant telescope at Venus. It is expensive to book time to use these type of telescopes and we look through for free!

As we exited the museum, night had fallen and more stars were visible. We saw Orion, the Big Dipper, and the Southern Cross. Venus was still the brightest star in the sky. We left the Observatory and headed towards the suburb's main road. We settled on a Mexican restaurant called Pancho's for some nachos. First we had a tequila shot, welcoming Greg to South Africa. We shared a jug of lime & strawberry margarita while we ate the most amazing nachos. They were cheesy, with fresh chips and delicious salsa. We celebrated again with another tequila shot. Then we called a cab and while we waited we went back inside for one last shot. I had fun with the guys, talking about a whole range of topics, agreeing on so many things. Greg is from Toronto and he just arrived today. He'll be here for 3 weeks. Derek has been here since I arrived but we haven't had much time to hang out together. We came home shortly after 11 and hung out talking until quarter past 2. We called it a night then.

I definitely want to go back to Pancho's; I loved it and the food was cheap! The 6 shots, the jug of margarita, and the large nachos came to R280. We each put in R100. So $30 for all of it! Crazy! And a great night.

PS: Photos of the drive through the Winelands and the Observatory uploaded.

Small Successes Still Feel Good

This morning at Scalabrini I checked up on some job postings I had applied to on behalf of my Oxfam clients. I was updating each person's job tracking sheet with application email responses and then sending follow up emails if there had been no communication in a few days time. Usually if they do not respond quickly it means the application was not successful, however, a follow up email is always important. I also checked Gumtree and sent a few application emails out for Roberto, Wilfrid, Monica, and Chipo. About halfway through the morning another refugee I have been working on and off with for the past two weeks stopped by and I helped him look for some jobs on Gumtree and the newspaper for him He could not remember his password for his email and so we took nearly half an hour trying to remember the answer to his security questions but never were able to recover the password. We'll try again on Monday.

Lunch was good, we had pizza and Simone made cheese pizzas because I don't like the chicken. I really enjoyed it. I went back to Scalabrini this afternoon to continue my work this morning. Instead, Roberto came up to me and asked if I'd help make changes to his CV as he just completed his carpentry training course successfully. I congratulated him and of course wanted to help him. The course had given him a CV but he wanted to merge it with the one Scalabrini has. So we sat there for over an hour hammering out details to make his CV better. He had worked two construction jobs and I spent time drawing out specific details to flesh out his previous work experiences. I think his CV is amazing now. It is very detailed and reflects the capabilities he has. I'm sure with this new CV he'll get job. He is much more confident about his job search after I spoke with him about being more proactive and feeling confident about himself and his abilities. He is eager to work and comes in more often.

Israel picked me up at 4pm and I came back home to relax for a little while before showering. Tonight was the farewell dinner for some volunteers so I dressed up. There were 12 of us that went, 6 staff members and 6 volunteers. I love having meals with the staff, as I do not feel as though they are below me because they take care of me at the house. It is their job to cook and clean, but that doesn't mean they are any different than me.

Dinner was at Nyoni's Kraal, a cultural experience dinner. We were seated on the second floor where there was a band playing live music. We swayed to the music, ate food, drank, and had a good time. I had two rum and cokes, roasted chicken, and cheesecake for desert. The cheesecake was quite soft and had too much cream cheese in it. Israel stood up on stage and danced (while we all laughed) as did Simone. Simone was definitely the better dancer. Sabrina ordered sheep's head and chicken feet. Gross. I've had chicken feet before (at a Chinese restaurant in Australia) and did not want to try the sheep's head because 1) I wasn't sure how close to lamb a sheep is and I'm allergic to lamb and 2) It looked like a head on the plate and I just could not bring myself to eat it. Sabrina said she liked the cheek the most and it was missing the brain because you don't eat it here. I don't eat organs, except muscle, which is normal. Liver, heart, tongue, brain, etc is just not appetizing to me.

I am exhausted. Tomorrow marks 7 weeks in South Africa and 5 more to go. I cannot believe it. It makes me sad to think of a time limit left on my trip. Derek and I plan to go back and forth to the airport tomorrow to pick up and drop off volunteers. Sunday I think I might go shopping at the waterfront. There were some gifts I was thinking about purchasing so I'll go to look at them again. Next Tuesday is a public holiday so we do not have placement. Derek and I plan to go to the beach and go surfing. My goal is to even the score, but as it stands now, it is Atlantic Ocean 1, Kat 0.

Off to sleep. Cheers.

The 11 of December

This morning at Scalabrini I ran the help desk. There were many new refugees today, no doubt to yesterday being the Welcome Programme. I explained to them what the role of the EHD was and what we offer. Several people went upstairs to type CV's, but several more stayed downstairs claiming they could not type. I tried a few times to get them to try but gave up when they said they've never used a computer before. There were plenty of people signed up which meant no favors today. Quite a few refugees were from D.R.C., which means they had thick African-French accents (different than France accents) and either failed English in school or were playing dumb. We had numerous difficulties communicating so I occasionally had to borrow one of the other refugees I knew who spoke fluent English and African-French to translate between us. I was able to train Stefano (a new volunteer from Italy) on the desk so he helped me out quite a bit.

Since today was the staff's end-of-the-year party we were on our own for lunch and dinner. They gave each person R70 ($7) for the two meals. We decided to go as a group out to lunch and then be on our own for dinner, whatever choice we made. We had our driver drop us off at Spur and we had a great time talking and enjoying ourselves. I ordered the fish and chips, but the skin/scales were still attached beneath the breading! And it was fishy tasting. Not too good, but the chips were great! David ordered fajitas and the waitress corrected him and told him they were fa-ji-tas, not fa-heat-as. We laughed quite hard, we didn't think anyone really mispronounced them (it is not a SA thing, the staff pronounces it correctly). After stuffing ourselves with lots of food, we then ordered desert. And let me tell you, I had a wonderful brownie, ice cream, and hot fudge desert. So good. And we all rolled out of there and fit 9 of us in a cab for 7. There was some squishing and laughs as we all awkwardly fit into the cab.

I rested about 5 minutes before taking off to Rondebosch for errands. I had to get more anti-itch cream, some food, go to the ATM, and other misc. things. I was back by 4:00 and Shamiel stopped by around 4:45pm to talk about Cape Agulhas with Derek and I. He's has some great places he wants to take us and I've found great accommodations that I need to book tomorrow. We'll be gone from the 26th to the 28th of December. I am so stoked for the trip. To bring the cost down Derek and I need to recruit 6 people to go with us and there are 7 people coming in the next group on Saturday. We can go with 6, but we'd really love 8. Shamiel even said there was a surprise to show us! His surprises are usually good ones and he know the best places. He also wants to take some volunteers (Derek and I included) on a wine tour. So excited! Derek and I are also starting to think about New Year's as well. Time is flying! I think the warm weather helps, as it doesn't really feel like 11 December. Speaking of which, I'm sure the air and the sun drain my energy as I am dead tired early every night.

I am having the time of my life here. I am a different person now than who I was when I arrived. I have pushed my comfort zone, accepted myself for who I am, and helped so many people. I definitely want to continue volunteering somehow when I go home. I know I'm making a difference and I cannot go back to just working 8:30-5 without continuing to do something. I'm sure there are food banks or soup kitchens in the area that would love volunteers one day during the weekend.

I was so stuffed from lunch that I did not even eat dinner, I was full. We also ate about 2:00, so it was a large late lunch, with a ton of calories. I do feel better about the lunch I had by not having dinner. I thought I'd munch on something for dinner, but I don't need to. I spent the evening talking with Anthony. Now my eyes can barely stay open and I'm off to sleep.

Cheers.

Happy Birthday Furryness!

Happy Birthday, Missy! Today would have been my dog's 14th birthday. She became Missy Davis on December 10, 1994. She was about 7 months old when we got her, a stray who found my dad's sister. She passed away on 06 September, 2008, due to hip displaysia. I miss her terribly. She was part of my family, a confidant who would never tell my secrets. She consistently always found a way to cheer me up when I was sad. Her brown eyes, soft fur, and gentle kisses squashed my fury or sadness. I yearn to pet her, to kiss her, to play with her, and hold her close. Her ashes reside upstairs at home in the States so all I have of her right now is two photographs and my memories. My friends here have been very encouraging to have me talk about Missy today and I thank them for it. I have been trying to hold back tears, but I don't know how much longer that will last. I love you, Furry.

The taxi riots in Khalelitsha subsided and it was safe again for our volunteers to go to their placements today. I went to Scalabrini where I helped prepare some green beans in the kitchen before going upstairs to work. I ripped off the ends and threw out the rotten beans. There were about 5kg of beans to prepare but I only finished third of a kilo before I left. They were all sandy too; Aly said she'd wash them after we cut off the ends.

Wednesday's are Welcome Programme Days so the office was filled with new refugees who all looked a little scared, a little lost, and a little sad. I know they all miss home; they would rather be in Zimbabwe, Congo, or wherever their from, if they could. I kept smiling and being polite in answering any questions. I spoke with several about what services the Employment Help Desk can provide and where they can look for adverts. One woman is a school teacher and she is very eager, yet shy. I hope to see her tomorrow at the EHD. She's the type of refugee I love helping.

Interspersed with answering questions I worked on trying to find Monica, Chipo, Mercy, and Nancy other waitressing positions. These four ladies just completed a waitron training course at a 5 star hotel restaurant and had some issues with tardiness. After some difficulty communicating, I finally was able to update their CV's so they can distribute revised CV's to local restaurants. Two of the ladies, Monica and Chipo, live in Rondebosch so I told them to take their CV's around to restaurants and then come back and tell me which ones. As I live near Rondebosch I know at least 6 restaurants they each could approach for vacancies.

This afternoon Steph, Derek, Anthony, Israel and I drove to Fransehoek (spelling?) about an hour away from the home base to retrieve Steph's American phone. Technically Israel drove the van and the rest of us were along for the ride through the beautiful winelands. Several weeks ago Steph was paying her bill at a restaurant at the waterfront when her purse was stolen. Thankfully she was holding her wallet in her hands so only her phone and camera were stolen. Interestingly enough, that night a police officer pulled over a car with the stolen phone in it. Steph had no reported the phone stolen, but it was obvious it was stolen. One of the officers was able to unlock the phone and called “Mom's Cell” at 3am local time in the US and started out with “This is the South African Police...” Poor Steph's Mom. Long story short, they told her mom they had the phone, her mom told Steph and Steph had to come in person to the police station in the county in which it was confiscated by the police to retrieve it. Israel said he'd drive and Steph asked anyone to join her, as the ride through the countryside and winelands was beautiful. I joined her, having nothing else pressing but errands in Rondebosch.

I enjoyed our drive through Paarl to Fransehoek. There were numerous large vineyards and estates we saw. On our way back we took a different route through Stellenbosch. I loved looking out the window while in the car. In fact the ride, couple with good music, was so relaxing both Derek and I nodded off for awhile. I just could not keep my eyes open any longer.

For dinner Sabrina and I ordered Nando's. I ordered a 1/4 of a chicken, chips, and a roll. They really meant 1/4 of a chicken as it was a wing and a breast, but literally the chicken was quartered and I had one section. I munched on the meal, as it was good, but I was not that hungry. I ended up sharing the chicken with Angelique who loves Nando's. I figured it was better than throwing good food out because I was full and there was no point in saving it as the next few days will have lots of food as some volunteers leave and new ones come.

I am exhausted so I think I'll just cut it short tonight and go to sleep. Nothing much interesting happened in the evening anyway.

Cheers!

Riots in Khalelitsha

This morning started out like every morning before placement. I got up at 7:15, put on anti-itch cream for all my bites (I'm unsure as to which bug is causing them – some people say mites, some say mosquitoes, some say fleas) and grabbed breakfast before heading out to Israel's van. As we backed out, Wonga started waving at us to stop. Luann was on the phone and needed to speak to Israel.

We soon found out there were riots in Khalelitsha (a township on the outskirts of Cape Town where four of our volunteers are placed). The taxi drivers (they are technically minibuses, about the size of 15 passenger vans, but called taxis, not to be confused with the other kind of taxis that are cars/minivans) were striking. As I heard, it was the regulation of the taxi industry. The drivers did not want to be regulated, they wanted to be able to have whatever safety rules they want and charge whatever they want. Rioters were igniting buses (Golden Arrow buses, like Greyhound buses) on fire, the minibus taxis on fire, throwing stones at other people who tried to help people burning in the flames, and tried every way to stop the trains going to Cape Town.

When Luann left at the end of the day today, she left a message on the board that say the riots are still occurring and it is not safe to go to Khalelitsha tomorrow. They are to stay home and Luann will figure something out in the morning. We live in Rosebank, 10 miles or so from the riots. We are safe at home. My placement is in Cape Town (downtown) and I am safe there. The only risk to me is if the riots move from Khalelitsha to the parliament building, which is a block from me. However, 10 miles is quite far for the riot to move, as the drivers are concerned with the long/expensive trek from Khalelitsha to Cape Town right now. Khalelitsha isn't that safe (our volunteer sites are though) and most people are joining in just because they want to riot, even though they are not involved in the dispute.

Since Israel was unsure this morning if there was any rioting in some of the other townships, I was dropped off first today at 8:15am rather than 9am when they open. Aly and Fazel were in the kitchen so I just knocked on the kitchen window and they let me in. I stayed in the kitchen for awhile just talking to Aly and Fazel and then meandered upstairs at 9 to open the employment help desk. There were probably about 12 people today, most of whom I already knew. I was happily sending emails and faxes, chatting with the refugees when Brian comes up with a not-so-good grin on his face.

Brian had bad news. Lots of it. First, the interview we sent Roberto to on Monday was a scam. He payed R175 ($17.50, but adjusting for standard of living, it was equivalent to giving $90, a good chunk of change) to “sign up”. In order to get paid and start selling retail merchandise he needs to get 10 people to sign up and pay R175. It's essentially a pyramid scam. Secondly, Francis (a refugee whom I haven't worked with much but know of) DECLINED a job offer because it was “too far away”. Mine you, the security company offered him transport from the main office to the far away site and back. The main office was not far from his accommodation. He just didn't want the job and looked for an excuse to get out of it. Brian phoned him to tell him to take the job and Francis said he'll ask, but in my opinion, he screwed himself. Thirdly, the four ladies who were finishing up a waitressing training program at Devon Valley Hotel essentially had guaranteed jobs at the place if they proved themselves during training. Showing up nearly 2 hours late (at 10am instead of 8am) proved they were not reliable and when the training ended on Monday they were not offered jobs. They want me to find them other ones.

I was livid. Okay, I could deal with Roberto, he was at least trying to find a job and we all played into the scam, but I was a little upset he gave them money. It was probably a language barrier issue. He didn't really know what he was doing and gave them money anyways. Francis isn't assigned to me, but nevertheless, I am peeved that he would consider declining a good job. The saying goes “you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink” but we feel we dunked his head in the water, forced water down his throat by massaging the throat and then he went and threw it up! But I am most livid with the four women trying to find waitressing positions. There is hardly an excuse for tardiness (especially 2 hours!). No one is going to hire you and find that behavior acceptable. One of them is coming in tomorrow at 9am (which probably means 10:30am to her) and she is not going to enjoy her conversation with me. She'll probably play dumb with the language barrier but she will not mistake my tone and body language. I do not feel I should continue to work hard for her when she isn't willing to work hard on her part. I could complain for paragraphs, but I think you get my point, so, moving on...

I came home for lunch, which was some pizza delivery (but it was specialty pizzas, no plain cheese! So I just nibbled on it and then went back to Scalabrini. Brian and I had a little chat about how we wanted to proceed with the Oxfam clients (Roberto, Wilfrid, and others). I went to the employment help desk and searched for some general jobs on Gumtree and began applying for some jobs for Hermann and Roberto.

Around 3 Roberto came into the office and we sat down to talk about the scam and where to go from here. His training program ends this Friday for carpentry so we searched Gumtree for some handyman positions. He has experience in gardening so I thought handyman would be excellent. Together we drafted a cover letter to fax with his CV to explain what he is able to do now and when the training program will terminate. We had some difficulty drafting the letter because his English isn't that great and I don't know French, however one other refugee I know speaks fluent English and French so when I couldn't get through to Roberto he would help me in French. Apparently 1-10 and “my name is Kat” and “hello” in French won't help me communicate what he did in his carpentry training program. There were lots of hand gestures and laughs/frustrations trying to communicate, but Pastor Alain said my accent is too American and I have to speak softer. When I did, Roberto could understand me more, but I couldn't understand him any better. But by the time I left at 4, we had a good letter drafted and I left it with Brian to fax.

Arriving home just after 4 was the same time Nathalie, the Afrikaans teacher, arrived. Anthony, Derek, and I chatted with Nats about South African culture, differences between the US and South Africa, Holland and the US, Holland and South Africa, and other African countries. Nathalie spent a year in Holland and was able to use that as a good comparison. I rather enjoyed our conversation, we talked about the people of South Africa and their internal motivation to do something, weather differences, where we want to travel, the advantages of international travel, and all sorts of cultural topics. At 6pm Nathalie left and I had some ramen for dinner because I was not interested in the minced pie. To me, it looked like a pie crust with barf in it. It was ground beef tightly packed with some veggies in a crust. It did not look appetizing.

Tomorrow afternoon we're going on a scenic drive somewhere to pick up Steph's stolen phone. It's a long story which I will tell tomorrow. Around 4:30 Shamiel is going to stop by to talk to me about planning a trip to Cape Agulhas. He already has one “surprise” in the area to take us and I just want to talk over cost, things to do, get a plan going so I can put up a sign up sheet for when the new volunteers come on Saturday to get several people interested in going to help defer the cost. It is R2 500 for the van round trip and in an 8 person dorm at a nice hostel is R80/person/night. There is whale watching cruises (I hope that's still in season), quad biking, kayaking, lazing by the pool, sunset cruises, etc. I'm planning on doing this the weekend after Christmas to have some sort of Christmas vacation. It would be the 27th-28th, but I'll talk to Shamiel tomorrow to see what he suggests, talk with other volunteers and then make a decision. I'm so excited though, I really want to go to Cape Agulhas. I just hope enough people sign up to keep costs low.

Off to bed, Cheers!

The All-You-Can-Eat Buffet Has Closed Permanetly

With the approaching holidays, there doesn't seem to be much to do at Scalabrini. Many companies are waiting until the new year to hire new permanent staff. I'm still looking for jobs, but it is difficult. I'm trying to encourage the refugees to take a holiday job to get some experience in SA and get a little money in their pocket, but no one is too thrilled about a short-term job.

Roberto did call the retail shop on Friday and stopped by this morning to tell me he had an interview with them this morning in Durbanville. I was happy for him so I didn't keep him long. I hope he came back later to tell Brian or Laura about it. Wilfrid is starting a training program in the next few days with a guaranteed job, which is encouraging. Without much else to do, Brian had me focus on Pastor Alain and one of his clients, Hermann. I applied for 2 jobs for Hermann and found a few adverts to let Pastor Alain know about when he comes in tomorrow. I'll be running the desk, but I'll tell him if I see him.

With the lack of things to do in the office and in the kitchen, Brian advised me to stay home and work on my Refugee Welcome Packet. I worked a little, but read mostly. When I became bored/tired of reading I went and talked to Derek for awhile. He was finishing the movie Catch Me If You Can. I bummed around the house the rest of the evening doing little things, talking to people and just being social. I feel like I should do more, but as Derek and I were saying, this feels like we live here when we don't do much for days on end, rather than a vacation when we constantly do touristy things.

I am planning a trip for the weekend of the 27th to go hang out at Cape Agulhas. This is the most southern point of Africa. There is this cool backpacker's hostel I found that has kayaking, swimming pool, quad biking, whale watching cruises, and sunset cruises (among other things) to do. It sounds like a fun Christmas trip. I'm trying to organize it so when the new group comes on the 13th I can just put up a sign up sheet. It's an open-ended trip so we just share the fee to hire a van to drive us and then we can do our own thing at the Cape.

Some mosquitoes here think I'm an all-you-can-eat buffet. I am not. I have about 30 bites on my right leg (mostly on the inside of the leg) and a couple on my back near the waistline. They ITCH! I've been taking anti-histamine for too long now because I was sick and now I need it to stop the itching. I've used nearly a whole tube of anti-itch cream. I need to buy more when I go to Rondebosch in a few days. I've put on bug spray and will just smell like bug spray until the bugs learn, do not eat the white meat. It may taste good, but it is BAD FOR YOU. Unhealthy. And I hate scratching at the bug bites and smelling like bug spray because you think “hey, the all-you-can-eat buffet is open 24/7”. It is not. It is now closed for good. So go away. If not, I'll borrow some of Aly's bodyguards (spiders) to protect me.

Cheers!