Promotion!

Having experienced internships before coming to S. Africa I thought I had a fairly good understanding of what would be expected of me work wise, and the kinds of tasks I would be doing. Starting out I really liked how organized my small little NGO was, and I fell very easily into my role as intern for the HIV & Me project.

However, about a week after starting the guy that runs the whole NGO (Regency Networx) announced that his secretary would be filling a different role in the company so he was wondering if I would like to step up for a few weeks and fill the void until a replacement could be hired. This was an interesting change, but of course I accepted. Any type of experience here is one that I want to embrace and besides I was interested in learning more about the type of environmental work his side of the business deals with. So for the last two weeks I have been working alongside my boss scheduling meetings and sending intro letters to companies that might be interested in our sustainable business programs. We work alongside the United Nations to help business achieve the Millennium Development Goals, and the companies I email are based all over the world! It is sooo mind boggling to try and schedule phone meetings with people in so many different time zones. Googling "what time is it in ____ right now" has become my best friend.

Well today I go to work and was confronted with yet another curve ball. The coworker that has been helping me learn the job I have been doing for the past 2 weeks is leaving our NGO in a month, and my boss offered me his research position! Like, this is a legit official position at the NGO that normal people have to apply for. I don't know of another opportunity were I would be able to say that in one internship I actually was able to experience 3 separate jobs, working in my career field of interest. From what I understand, I will start job shadowing him next week and as I do I will be training my replacement.

So even if right now I'm not where I expected to be, I have learned that the unexpected can be as good or better than what I had planned on. The main point is that I am still working with this NGO to help accomplish the MDGs, something that I am very passionate about, regardless of if it is HIV/ AIDS or sustainable businesses. Did I mention that my boss has brought 4 chocolate cakes in the office since I started here? I think I could get used to this.

Not your average yoga

Is it bad that I am more sore from yoga than running up all these steep streets? My new exercise buddy told me she found a great place to practice yoga right down the road from my apartment and it has proved to be a great alternative to running when the weather is just down right crappy (I mean it is winter here after all).

I have considered trying out yoga in the States, but usually a packed schedule prevented me from starting. I am glad my first experience with it has been in a different country, there is something so pure about closing your eyes and finding your balance and then opening your eyes to see an African landscape bathed in the evening light. So beautiful. It’s has also been such a reflective time for me, calming after busy days. Most of the time I feel I have just been running around with my eyes opened so wide, trying to take everything in. Peaceful evenings stretching and breathing really allow me to appreciate what I’m doing, what I’m here for, and all the things I am learning.

Not going to lie, I thought that yoga was going to be something I would pick up pretty easily. NOT TRUE. The thing about yoga is that there is always a more difficult pose, a way to twist your body to make the stretch deeper or the balance harder to control. I love it though, what a great thing to be able to start from the beginning and see your progress.

Mmm delicious deals

Ok so when you are in a foreign country it is easy to think that you are playing with monopoly money when you shell out weird bills to pay for food and entertainment, so I have been pretty careful about what I have been spending. In one of the connect newsletters we found probably the best deal I have ever found for food, and being a poor intern working for nothing and trying not to spend my monopoly money too quickly I jumped at it. Three of the interns that arrived at the same time as I did in Cape Town and I jumped a cab down to the VA Waterfront to take advantage of a special at a place called Ferrymans. Get ready for it, pints for R5.50 and fish and chips for R9.50. For those of us that are not used to conversion, that’s about 70 cents for a beer (real beer, nothing like natty light so don’t try and explain away the great deal) and about $1.30 for food! Apparently the restaurant decided to do throwback prices for their 21^st anniversary so from the 1^st to the 21^st of September us poor interns can feed ourselves for about $2 from the hours of 3 to 7pm. Definitely worth the chilly temps for some deliciously cheap food! Posting this makes me realize I have been getting pretty excited over food lately… or maybe it was always like this but it was never documented… hmm.

The African Experience

So one of my favorite experiences so far in Cape Town has been eating dinner at The African Café. As soon as you enter the building you are surrounded by so many colors and lights, you know you are in for something spectacular. It’s a set menu restaurant that allows you to sample traditional dishes from all over Africa. This is great for me, because all I had to choose was my drink! Mmm Moroccan mint: imagine lime juice with crushed mint leaves creating almost a foam on top. It tasted just like chewing on a fresh mint leaf. The meal started with hand washing from a basin because traditionally in many African cultures you eat with your hands. Once I was told this I pretty much chucked my silverware under the table. Seriously, you give me the option to eat ridiculously in public I am totally going to take it. Only about 3 others in my group followed suit however, I guess they were intimidated by trying to eat salad with their fingers. Of the 15 courses (yeah, I know right?!) The ones that stood out were:

Mozambican organic sprout salad: Fresh salad with avocados, walnuts, feta and so much else I really don’t remember

Channa fish: Seems to be a staple around this area, with chickpea batter

Tanzanian mchicha wa nazi: Picture warm spinach

Portia’s Broccoli and Nut salad: Really fresh with a lemon honey dressing

Zimbabwean sweet corn and sweet potato mash: Pretty self-explanatory

Traditional vetkoek: The most amazing fried bread balls

During the meal, which was served tapas style 1-3 courses at a time, the girls were also offered face painting. It was so great; the women painted so beautifully and seemed to give each of us a design that matched our personality. Before the last course there was also lots of dancing and singing by the waiters, so amazing! The great part about this restaurant is that once all the courses (except dessert) had been served, you can request to have more helpings of anything on the menu. Paradise! The last course was a fudgy brownie with the most delicious and flavorful vanilla ice cream I have ever tasted. If you thought I would punk out at this point and get a spoon, you think incorrectly. Oh yes, it takes much more skill to eat brownies a la mode with your bare hands. All in all, another great bonding experience with some of the connect interns as we all acquired huge food babies.

Settling In

It is already halfway through my second week here in Cape Town, and I feel like I'm beginning to understand what normal may eventually feel like. I mean, really how normal can you feel in a different country, but still. I have formulated a bit of a daily schedule for myself to keep on top of things that goes a little like this...

8:00am wake up and breakfast with the roommate

8:55am leave for work

9:00am arrive at work (lol I know, walking to work is GREAT)

3:00pm (or whenever I finish projects that I'm working on) leave the office

3:15pm snack time and chill before heading out on a run

5:00pm snack, get ready for dinner OR make dinner with the roommate

10:00pm TRY to go to bed, doesn't always happen

My sleep schedule was the most frustrating thing of this trip. It's super hard to fathom what a 6hr time difference feels like until it actually happens. So for the first week I just allowed myself to stay up until I was actually tired (like 2am here) and just force myself up in the morning, hoping exhaustion would eventually sink in. Worked pretty well until the weekend when I actually wanted to stay up late but my body wanted rest. Guess who prevailed... :)

My first weekend here was actually amazing. I took a trip to Boulder Beach and Cape Point. The first is famous for its penguin population and the latter is an outlook of the Atlantic ocean and False Bay, a famous spot for whale watching. The excursion also served as a great way to meet the other interns living and working here in Cape Town.

Running has been a bit of a challenge here. I have been desperately searching for other interns that could help me navigate this crazy city, and finally in the elevator on my way back from work I think I have finally found one! In my search for local running clubs I have also found out that Cape Town is hosting a marathon and 10k the weekend of the 26th... definitely considering that too. I just can't wait until I have found trails and no longer find myself hopelessly lost in post work foot traffic and street vendors.

First Day of Work!

Today I started work at my internship program! I was a little nervous how I would fit into their work environment, 3 1/2 months is a long time to be working somewhere you don't like. Thankfully, I LOVE my placement!

Regency is an NGO based in the UK, but has a satellite program here in Cape Town. It is a small operation, but they are extremely professional and really productive. My boss is amazing, she started the program I will be working with called HIV and Me. From what I learned today, Regency solicits corporate sponsors that would have a personal interest in HIV/AIDS prevention programs, often local companies that are in districts that have history of high infection rates within their workforce or in the surrounding area. Once they solidify the sponsorship, they use the funds to sponsor a set number of schools that will get the HIV and Me training. The great part about this program is that we train the teachers of the school so that the program is sustainable after the training is completed. The program also fits in really well into the already established natural science and life orientation curriculum. So they learn about the immune system, viruses, virus transmission while learning to role play and say no to peer pressure.

My job, as I understand, will be going through the post-program evaluations in order to identify knowledge gaps and where there are still misunderstandings about HIV/ AIDS. I might also be in charge of a newsletter that Regency will be sending to their corporate sponsors letting them know about our projects and any updates we might have for them. My boss also mentioned that when schools are let out in December I might also help with research about the environmental programs Regency also sponsor. My impression of the whole operation: super professional and really proactive. I am SO exited to be working there! More about the work environment to come, this blog is already suuuper long :)

Sightseeing tour!

Here are a few pics of my first day in Cape Town. Three other interns that also arrived on the same day as me decided to take our free bus voucher and make a day trip of it. We were taken up to table mountain where we had an incredible view of the town and the bay area, then we were driven all the way down to the ocean!

Why hello there table mountain

So as of about 9:30 local time on Monday I officially landed in Cape Town! What is even better, my luggage arrived as well. Seriously happy about that one. On leg one of my trip I met a guy who works with NGO's here in Cape Town and said if I ever wanted to come back he would sponsor a 5 year visa for me (don't freak out, it's not that I would be gone for that long but that I would have the ability to come and go for 5 years)! I thought it funny trying to make plans to go back to a place I hadn't even been yet. Also, european airline meals are far superior than u.s. meals. Apparently we need to learn a little something about presentation, and pasta! I kept pretty busy watching probably more movies in the last 24 hours than I have all summer on the plane and using my awesome circle scarf as a blanket :) When I had finagled my gigantic luggage off the conveyer belt (might I add semi effortlessly and on the first try, I was super nervous about looking ridiculous picking up a bag about as big as myself) I walked through the terminal to a nice man with a "Sarah Brewer" sign. So awesome, I have always wanted to be one of those people who gets picked up with people with a sign. Once I checked in at the main desk of my apartment I set about unpacking and getting to know my roommates. More on them later. Being like 4 or 5pm in the states, I wasn't quite ready to go to bed when they were, so I just put the ipod to Paramore Final Riot and drifted in and out, thinking about the day. This morning I woke up and could hardly believe I was actually here, but a look out the window to one of the most amazing mountain views reminded me it wasn't a dream. I have about 15 minutes before orientation, so I better finish my coffee and muffin I just bought at the cafe and head back. Can't wait to tell you all more!

THANK GOODNESS!

Good news everyone! After a early morning road trip to the South African Consulate in Chicago (during which I very nearly threw up from anxiety) and a little chit-chat with a friendly receptionist about an hour before the office opened I have FINALLY acquired my volunteer visa! We decided it was my mix of conviction with a hint of desperation I exuded when explaining my situation along with the assurance that I would stay at their office until close to make sure I left with my visa. Thank you so much K for spending a long day with me and attempting to calm me down (but really, how calm can an overly caffeinated Sarah be) during an incredibly stressful day. Couldn't have done it without you! Now nothing stands in my way from taking off Sunday for Cape Town!

Crunch Time

Ok time for the crossed fingers. I finally got my final document needed to finalize my visa in the mail today, and I have decided to take a huge risk and road trip it out to the South African consulate (in Chicago) to see if I can get my visa approved in one business day. My plan, look sad/cute/pathetic so someone takes pity on me and makes magic happen somehow between the business hours of 9am-12pm. If this plan fails, it doesn't mean I can't go, it just means I have to spend extra money to change my flight and spend less time in Africa (sad face) so lets hope this doesn't happen. Someone wish on a star for me!