Oh Africa

Yes! I have been waiting AGES to write about backpacking the last few days I was in Africa. Since I will probably see you all very soon I will keep it brief, but just wanted to jot down some highlights of the trip :)

Leg 1: Cape Town to Johannesburg. Hello 18 hr bus ride with a bus company that many people warned us was the least reliable/ most likely to end in an accident. Don't they understand travel budges? You do what you have to lol. Had a blast spending 2 days in Jo'Burg with a friend of a friend who lives right in the CBD. Managed to see all the sites highlighted in my travel book in 48hrs! Highlights were the Apartheid museum and a bike tour of Soweto where we even visited a local shebeen and Nelson Mandela's house.

Leg 2: Johannesburg to Hazyview. Picked up a rental car on the way through Nelspruit (yay our little yaris!) and stayed at Bushpackers with the dorm to ourselves! Couldn't work the stove so made dinner with only a kettle and a pocket knife.

Leg 3: Hazyview to Kruger Park. Safari time! Drove ourselves through the park seeing zebras, springbok, giraffes, elephants and buffalos. Stayed at lower Sabie Rest Camp and did both a sunset and sunrise game drive where we saw rhinos, bushbabies, chamelions, rhinos and LIONS! Sooo worth getting up at 3am!

Leg 4: Kruger to Nelspruit. Seriously, one of the craziest towns ever. Everyone we met was absolutely insane, and not in a good way. As soon as we got to Old Vic Travelers lodge we were promptly greeted by a plethora of the most deranged looking cats and asked by one of the long term residents to go out to fetch her some milk and rolls (she doesn't eat the white ones, so don't get those). Seemed like crazy Dave the landlord was really the only semi normal one, ironically.

Leg 5: Nelspruit to Maputo. Bus about 2 hrs late, per usual. Also, our first border crossing experience of our travels. When we got to the border the bus attendant told us to run (literally) to get in line. Sprinting through the longest no-man’s land in 35 C weather looking very foreign = unideal. Managed getting onto the same bus and therefore not left at the border trying to get a visa = ideal.

Leg 6: Maputo to Tofo. Maputo is kind of intense, very big, very sketch. Had just enough time for a few hrs sleep at Fatima’s before catching the early shuttle to Tofo. Enter the beginning of our long love/hate relationship with public transit. You haven’t traveled in Africa until you have taken a 10+ hr minibus ride 8 people over capacity. So worth it though, Tofo’s beaches and chilled attitude was just what we were looking for. Also, I have decided that the Indian Ocean is my fav.

Leg 7: Tofo to Maputo. Minibus ride slightly shorter despite getting a flat tire and the engine overheating. Was able to see all 3 of the sites there are to see in Maputo and procured a tuk tuk ride to the bus rank for the following day.

Leg 8: Maputo to Manzini: Best minibus and most chill border crossing yet. Swaziland is absolutely beautiful, love being in the mountains and really liked our Legends backpackers we stayed at in Ezulwini Valley. Visited Mantenga Nature Reserve and the Royal Palace to witness the Incwala festival. So amazing!

Leg 9: Manzini to Durban. Got up at the crack of dawn just to wait at a taxi rank for 4 hours to fill up our bus, but still manged to get into Durban before sunset. When we called a taxi to get to our backpackers I got ridiculously excited for seatbelts again. Loved visiting the ISKCON temple, Indian market and being reunited with the ocean again. Disliked being locked out of our backpackers at night and being forced to hide behind trees and call armed response to get back in.

Leg 10: Durban to Cape Town. All of our travel fiasco’s happened in the very last day of travel. I suppose that’s what you get for 18 days of relatively hassle free travel across three countries. Ridiculously happy to make it back to a place where I understand where to get where I need to go. Bittersweet being back where it all started because all the people I associate with this place are gone now, but liked having time there to myself (getting bored was not a pretty sight though, involving too much coffee, solo dancing, fort making and pantry cleaning).

After all this, 27 hrs in transit back home seems like a piece of cake.

'Cause all we really needed Was our bare feet and a pair of wings to fly

Yesterday marked exactly 2 months since I arrived here in Cape Town! It’s really bizarre that it has been that long. After what was probably best described as a rollercoaster month of September filled with sightseeing, new experiences and trying like mad to fit into a group of intern friends, October was a time for settling into a routine for daily life here. I liked both months for different reasons, and am looking forward to November, which will bring a whole new feel to my experience here. It will be a time for really understanding how much I have learned here. My mom will be visiting from the 20-27^th and in preparation I have already been tracking down all the amazing things I want her to see and do. In making these lists and plans, it has occurred to me how far I have come in understanding this city. Names of roads don’t seem so strange, public transit is not intimidating, and I can actually recommend a fair amount of places I have been myself. This is ridiculously reassuring.

Also, I have started booking tickets/ accommodations for my 2-week backpacking trip I am taking with some friends I have met here. The day my mom returns to the states I will be heading to Johannesburg, Kurger, Mozambique, and ending in Durban. It has been so crazy figuring out busses/ car hire/ planes! I will never again take for granted just hoping in the car for a road trip ever again!

Today was such a wonderful day, one of those just genuinely feeling content days that you would love to savor. After a lovely night sleep I woke up with some tea made for me by my lovely roommate and sat chatting over a chocolate cupcake J After slipping out of sleep and into a more awake state we continued to just listen to music while I looked up travel things on my compy. A Sunday here isn’t complete without a trip to pick and pay for some groceries for the week, and after some homemade spinach feta tomato pizza we both had a little cat nap as I waited for my sheets to dry in the sun coming through our big windows (long story about needing clean sheets, involving the invading of my room by some sort of African fleas, most likely picked up from the townships). We woke up just in time to sip down some coffee and head to signal hill for the sunset. While waiting for the sun, my friends and I chatted about our experience here and ended with listing off what were the best gifts we have ever given anybody. Coming back to the apartment for some homemade white chocolate/ oatmeal/ raisin cookies and fresh cream was another excellent treat. If I couldn’t handle enough greatness for the day, my roomie and I somehow put together an amazing late night Mexican dinner. Now just sitting in my room, all squeaky clean from a shower, belly full of good foods, sheets freshly deflea-ed, and mellowing out to Owl City. It’s going to be hard to say goodbye to this day.

I went up to the mountain Because you asked me to Up over the clouds To where the sky was blue

This weekend’s theme was running, first with errands then in race form. I had one of the most productive Saturdays here, mostly in preparation for the race. See, when you register for something here, usually they want you to directly deposit the money into their bank account, something that slightly intimidated me. However, I got myself up early and walked myself down to the garden center, a mini mall of sorts, and to my amazement I found the bank I was looking for and a teller that was kind enough to show my sleepy American self how to fill out a deposit slip. Feeling so proud of my accomplishment I treated myself to breakfast at the Blue Cat Café, a place I had been wishing to go to that I always walk by on my way to get groceries. After the best yogurt/ fresh fruit/ muesli and coffee ever I proceeded to go slightly overboard getting groceries for this week. By the time I got back to my apartment at 11:30 I felt very much accomplished.

Today I ran the Constantia Valley Grape Run, aka how far up the mountain can we get them to run in 21k. It was seriously the most intense half marathon of my life. But backtrack to this morning. See, I don’t think I have had so much uncertainty going into an event. Some things that were running through my mind as I drifted off on Saturday night were 1. will the taxi come at 5:30 am like promised? (yes, he actually came 10 min early) 2. will he charge me the rate we agreed on during our phone convo the day before? (even better, he ran the meter and it actually ended up being less) 3. one of my biggest worries, did my registration/ payment get processed? (yes! and they didn’t even ask for proof of payment) 4. how the heck do you use water sachets? ( here they use water bags instead of cups, and after witnessing this in the 5k two weeks ago I was nervous to try. However they are actually loads easier than cups, the u.s. should look into this).

The course was absolutely beautiful; it started on the main road in Constantia and entered one of the most famous wineries in South Africa, Groot Constantia. There we took dirt service roads that wound up and along all of the vineyards all the way up the mountainside. At one point, we were at such a high elevation that I could see the ocean! Racing in S. Africa has made me realize that they do things much differently here in regards to race management. First, they are very polite cheerers. Instead of the earsplitting screams I get in the states, spectators calmly give you a “well done” and “nearly there”. Also, timing is a bit sketch. My last race wasn’t even timed or places recorded. This one I was given a temporary license to pin onto my shorts and at the finish I was given a laminated pouch with my place number on, that you slip your info card into and place on a huge wooden board in the slot corresponding to your place. No chips, no bib rip-offs. Strange. Also, post race refreshment of choice, coke???

Despite a gigantic blister (I’m pretty positive it formed from my foot slipping in my shoe from all the hills/ down hills) I think I held up pretty well for the type of running I have been doing here. I finished 131 out of 1500 runners, and I believe in the top 10-15 of females. The weather was perfect too, nice and cool in the morning with the sun breaking out around 10km. I’m so glad I didn’t give up on this race. The logistics were pretty crazy; I will never take for granted cars and online race registration ever lol. My friend had a great time too. She ran her first 5k with me two weeks ago and today she took 2 mins off her time! Afterward she asked me if I knew of another race in the area we could do before we leave, oh yeah she is hooked.

Things that made me happy today 1. old couple course marshalling blasting classic rock from their car. 2. raffle prizes were cases of wine! so ideal. 3. mini bus we took back to cape town was rocking out to boys II men, beyonce and neyo. 4. getting the running high I have been missing J Yay endorphins!

Saw the waves but not the tide/ I couldn't stay, I don't know why

I have decided that all my weekends need themes, just to keep them straight and maintain some OCD in my life. If I had to choose I would refer to this past weekend as the weekend of the waves. Starting with Friday I was part of a crowd wave IN A REAL LIFE WORLD CUP STADIUM! Not going to lie, I was a little homesick for the Big House, I kept waiting for the speed up/ slow it down/ split the wave signals. Sigh. It was pretty great though, the stadium was amazing and we had tickets for the 3^rd row! Some things to note about S. African football (soccer) 1. Stadium food here is ridiculously cheap. We should look into this. 2. Vuvuzelas are just as annoying in person as they are via television. I don’t think they stopped blowing those things once. 3. Cheerleaders here… have capes?

The following morning some friends and I took the train to Muizenberg (suburb of Cape Town, about a 45min ride via the lovely public transit) for some more waves, this time the ocean kind. Or the really cold/ salty kind. Same thing. A girl we know lives there and teaches surf lessons to the local kids, so we were able to use wetsuits and boards for free. They don’t call it the surfing capital of Africa for nothing, there were seriously a LOT of waves. I just tried not to think about sharks. I did manage after a few tries to get into a lunge on my board while catching a wave. I say mission accomplished.

After we had our fill of being wrecked by waves and salt, we had a little picnic on the beach with our new friends. Good thing our eyes were bigger than our stomachs, we had meant to buy enough food for us plus our surf friends, but once we got back 4 local kids that often take surf lessons showed up too. Thankfully R230 ($32) was able to satisfy 10 hungry bellies. The kids here are so great, it breaks my heart to think that if we hadn’t given them food they might not have eaten until dinner, if then. After lounging on the beach a little while longer, the sun went away and the wind picked up (per usual) and we decided to warm up at a place called the Coffee Sha-Bean where we got the thickest hot chocolate I have ever witnessed. My little plastic spoon stood straight up in the mug! I will attempt to recreate this at home, but something tells me this is just the magic of Africa.

Saturdays in Paradise

So this Saturday I have decided was the official day of delicious food and everything else wonderful (besides the game of course, we aren't going to discuss that). One of the highlights of living in Cape Town is a gem of a place called the Old Biscuit Mill. Its open only on Saturdays and by 11am its absolutely packed. Its pretty hard to describe this establishment, like a farmers market but with pretty much everything from fresh produce, juices, smoothies, organic coffee to prepared crepes, pizzas, gyros and the most amazing pastries you have ever seen. All the vendors are set up and you can browse and take samples at most stations. My menu consisted of

1. organic coffee (naturally)

2. the freshest pizza I have ever tasted (picture exceptionally thin crust, just a bit of sauce for flavoring, fresh greens, artichokes, roma tomatoes, parmesan shavings and topped off with some balsamic vinegar)

3. fresh orange mango smoothie

4. flan flavored pastry (it was like you get 2 in 1; pastry crust, flan filling, topped with fresh whip cream and crumbles)

As food coma started to set in, we decided to go to the roof to get some sun. After chillin and eating all day, we decided to finish off the evening with a nice braai (bbq). C and I decided to go veggie style with some meatless, braai flavored sausages and roasted corn on the cob. As a shout out to my sister, I prepared them in chilean/ completos style (which pretty much means adding a gigantic amount of mayo, ketchup and guac to your sausage). All of this was almost a disaster when we forgot to get coals and then once we did procure them, we couldn't get them to light. Thankfully some others on the roof were using the braai as well and took pity on us and said we could use their fire starters/ tools/ hot coals. Thank goodness!

Learning a lil' acceptance

This weekend for me was all about learning how possible it is for acceptance, even though nowadays it seems like such a foreign word. On Saturday I visited the District Six museum just down the street from where I live. For those unfamiliar with the history of Apartheid in S.Africa I would recommend you find yourself a computer and wikipedia it immediately. What I found the most inspirational was the museum guide himself, and his personal history associated with District Six. It was here that Cape Town really embraced all the different cultural backgrounds of the people living in this unique community. Our guide talked about how no matter what your religion, when a holiday came around everyone celebrated. Jews celebrated the Chinese New Year and Muslims celebrated Christmas, everyone celebrated together all the special occasions. How cool would that be, to have like 5 times the number of fun celebrations?!

Also, on Sunday some friends and I decided to go to an ISKCOM temple for a guest speaker, traditional worship, and then a delicious Indian feast. It was so wonderful to be invited into a new community so warmly. The cutest old woman decided to take us under her wing (us, stick out at Hindu temple? lol) and explain some of their practices and she even got us to the food line first (can anyone say AMAZING)! While eating we talked a little about how nice it is for my friends and I to be able to freely choose where and how we decide to worship because our parents had allowed us to think openly about religion and spirituality, something that was very uncommon in their generation. Thank goodness for hippie parents :)

Township Experience: Guguletu

Picture from last Sunday, a day spent eating braai (bbq) with some friends at the township called Guguletu

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!

Red Tape: My Nemesis

So despite my best efforts to stay calm about this trip, the process of procuring a visa is beginning to unnerve me. Unfortunately for me, I have had to wait on some documents from the places I will be working for and staying with while in South Africa. This means applying for a visa much later than I would like to be. My five calls to the consulate in the past few weeks to make sure I have everything in order did not save me from having an incomplete application with less than two weeks from departure. Breathe. My sister and I have been playing the worst case scenario game and this has managed to put things in perspective. Yes I'm doing everything I can (Including going to the most sketch walk in clinic ever while visiting my dad in Florida, trying to sound like needing a chest x ray and physical in a state I don't really live in to leave the country is no big deal) and yes, I might have to change my travel plans slightly but I WILL MAKE IT TO SOUTH AFRICA. Everybody cross your fingers!

Preparations

Its a weird feeling to spend more money than I ever have before on something as intangible as rent for the next 4 months. But each preparation like this makes my trip feel that much closer to reality. I have surprised myself with the lack of concern or worry I have felt, which is awesome! Who would want to waste time feeling anything but excitement about such a great experience. I really think that talking to my sister and sharing in her experiences abroad has really settled any anxiety I would have had. In reality, its just geography.

Also, I would like to thank everyone who has offered up contacts of friends and family that may be in Africa when I will be there. I appreciate all the help and advice! So if anyone else out there has any info that would be beneficial just shoot me a comment, I love being prepared :)

Speaking of which, the daunting task of packing up my life in less than 50 lbs. is looming in the distance. I am very much an over packer (who wouldn't want to be totally over prepared for everything?) so this is going to be the challenge of a lifetime. I'm heading to cross country camp for a week on Wednesday so in order to get into a more minimalist mindset I will only be taking a backpack. I am actually looking forward to having fewer choices. Gives me time for more important things, like running :)

The Countdown Begins!

Hello everyone! Welcome to my South African blog! I can't believe after over a year of thinking about this and months of planning, I am almost ready to take off! A few vaccinations and a visa approval is all that separates me from this new adventure. My trip begins September 5th from Detroit, then after a brief layover in Amsterdam I will be landing in Cape Town about 26 hours later.

For those that don't know, I was placed by a program called Connect 123 into an unpaid internship with an NGO (Non Governmental Organization) called Regency. http://www.regency.org/ Specifically, I will be helping with a project called HIV & Me, an HIV/AIDS education and prevention program targeting 12-15 year olds. My role will be doing project research and evaluation for the organization. It is estimated that 11% of the population in South Africa are HIV positive, and this country holds the highest infection rate in the world (20%). Programs like these need to be continually evaluated in order to ensure that the goal of infection reduction is being met.

I also plan on volunteering with Child Safe, a program that documents child accidents in Africa and creates education programs to prevent more harm to be done. My Connect 123 contact has offered to take me with her when she collects data for the program.

I have already google earthed my apartment there (yes, I know, a little stalker-ish but I was too excited!) and I am really pumped to be right down the road from the South African Parliment building, and only a few minutes walk from where I will be working. I also can not wait to explore Table Mountian and all the trails I'm sure are surrounding it.