Oh you feel and you taste it and you want to go higher

I should probably stop entering races before looking at the route. But then again...

This weekend I devoted my early Sunday morning to my first trail run here in S.A at the Paul Cluver Estate in Elgin. Just meant to be my long run of the week (just under 16k) and a good benchmark for the start of my trail training that will lead to Two Oceans and beyond. Lets keep this casual, no need to stress... ahaha. Right.

Lets just say that the course forced me to not take it seriously. An 800m elevation change in the first 8k's definitely takes the kick out of the legs. It was hard not to enjoy it though, being surrounded by some of the most amazing landscapes I have seen here. Besides, the downhills were what terrified me anyway. Single track switchback decent littered with rocks and brutal shrubbery, actually was passed by more runners then! Throw in a rock bridge over a river and some rope work completed this adventure race. I was awarded with 4 cuts, 1 bruise, numerous blisters and half my body covered in dirt despite never actually falling, amazing!

Another bonus, while trying not to get trampled by all the macho men trying to break their ankles running ridiculously fast down the part I opted to scootch down cautiously I met another potential trail runner friend! Actually, kind of freaked me out... while yelling out asking if anyone needed me to move over someone responded with "No Sarah, I'm fine with this pace, just take your time." ...uhhhh no one here knows me. Turns out he was behind me at registration and remembered my name/ recognized my uh back? Anyway, turns out to be a nice fellow and we ended up bonding over the ropes section (aka Sarah clinging for dear life while chatting, nervous not to look anywhere but at the very small trail as my elbows got wrecked by trees and roots as I scramble up the river bank). Hooray for more running connections!

The rest of my day consisted on scrubbing my legs clean and eating. A lot. Couldn't decide on which breakfast I wanted so ended up making both a proper English breakfast (ok well sunny side up egg, tomato, toast, minus the bacon) AND homemade oat pancakes with nutella :) Topped the day off with some rainbow rolls and spicy tuna (another bonus, realizing that the local supermarket does fresh sushi!) and about 1.5L of strawberry water. mmmmm.

Can I have another weekend like this please?

See I'm trying to find my place

So here I am again, back in South Africa. Its a strange feeling to be back to Cape Town, but also bizarre figuring out Hout Bay for the first time. Where I live is considered a suburb of Cape Town, about 20km from where I used to live as an intern. Now I am in a flat that is directly connected to the office that I work at, giving me about a 30 second commute to work! One of my favorite aspects is the proximity to the beach, a great way to cool off after a run in the burning African sun! (seriously, my skin is already getting upset with me).

The initial scary/ intimidating adjustment to a new place is now pretty much over and I have been really enjoying figuring out this new place on my own. Today I even found some trails for the first time that I can run on! Also looking forward to Tuesday night when I will get to find out what the local running club is all about. For those of you that don't know, my new training focus is a 20km trail run included in the Two Oceans series in April. Definitely going to be a challenge, totally didn't realize how tough it was going to be until after I entered lol. Ah well, probably would have done it anyway!

What is the most strange is not having all the interns and friends around that I have come to associate with this place. I have been able to get together with a few that are left, but as with most adventurous sorts they are about to move on to the next exciting location. I am welcoming this opportunity I have now to meet even more people and experience a different South Africa.

Work has been going well, everyone is adjusting to the new office space but we are all very excited about what 2011 will bring for our NGO. The most exciting of these is the development of an environmental program to bring into schools much like our HIV & Me lessons. I am still responsible for research on companies but the great thing about small offices is that there is lots of room to develop and help others when needed.

One more thing, fingers crossed for no hassle with my visa... hate these silly things, always a struggle!

I know, I know for sure that life is beautiful around the world

So after a freaking amazing intern/ work experience in Cape Town, I have some pretty sweet news. After working as a fill in researcher my boss offered to assist me in coming back to work for Regency for 6 more months! So after about 3 weeks back in snowy Michigan I am about to head back to South Africa. Its been a whirlwind crazy time trying to get plane tickets sorted out and its still not over as far as my visa renewal (fingers crossed for that one!) not to mention trying to see everyone before I head back!

This experience will definitely test me in lots of ways. No more interns as eager as I am to make friends and soak up everything that South Africa has to offer. I will be living solo in a more relaxed coastal area called Hout Bay, outside the bustling city center of Cape Town. I will also have all the responsibilities that come with a full time job on top of continuing to plan out/ study for/ applying to graduate programs back home. I can't wait to really dive into work though, and I hope that the experience i will gain through this opportunity will help shape my future in the international public health field.

I will be flying out of Detroit Jan 10th and will be returning on July 19th. I'm anxious to see how it will be to enter the real world half way around the world.

(The picture is me and my boss walking down to Hout Bay beach, right down the road from my new apartment... which is also connected to our new office building!)