August to December in pictures

I realize I've been remiss in adding pictures here. It takes almost an entire day for my poor internet connection to cope with uploading a few MB but I've been on summer vacation for over a week now so I have no excuse. Here are a few pictures from August to December.

I got to see a lot of Johannesburg during the college's first ever Spring Break. It was September 23 - 30 and we started it off by going to Gold Reef City, the local amusement park. I went with Debbie, Talia, Terri-Lee, Kerry, Aiden and Skyla. There were a few rides I absolutely refused to go on, but for the most part I was game. In fact, I was terrified to go on The Tower of Terror (it's like the one at Disneyland, but you face the ground while falling) but then I was the one convincing Talia to go two more times. The ride attendants cut us off after 3 times. They were concerned for our health. We bought pictures for almost every ride that offered them, and dressed up as fugitives. It was great fun.

Gold Reef City western pic


Kerry, Aiden, Terri-Lee, Talia & me at GRC


Aiden & me on the ferris wheel at GRC


Terri-Lee, Talia & me on train at GRC


Me, Terri-Lee, Talia & Debbie on JoBurg Express


Kerry, Aiden, me and Talia on JoBurg Express


Debbie, Talia, me, Kerry & Aiden on the rapids at GRC


On September 11th Debbie and Phil took me to the Bruma flea market. It's my favorite of the three I've been to.

Phil, me, & Mr. J at Bruma flea market


Phil, me, & 2 vendors at Bruma


Me and the shop owner from Bruma


Me and Bruma vendor haggling over what "great price" means


I've been to the Lion and Rhino Park twice now- once on August 29 and then again on November 13. The first time I played with a 10 week old cub and a 3 month old. When I went back in November those two had been sold to another park, but there were new lions to play with, along with sables and a cheetah.

White lions eating a horse at Lion & Rhino park


10 week old lion on my leg at Lion & Rhino park


Cheetah at Lion & Rhino park


Me and a sable


Me and a cheetah


Me and 10 month old lions


Me and 10 week old lions


3 month old lion


3 month old lion on my lap


Me & 3 month old lion


Lion & Rhino park view


November was a busy month for me. I went to Cape Town, to the Lion & Rhino Park, to Soweto on a half-day tour, I started helping in the Dispatch department of the college, and I rode in the 94.7 Cycle Challenge (which was actually 97.4 km / 60.52 miles, of which I completed 60 km / 37.28 miles).

Me and Lloyd at a shebeen in Soweto, with our JoBurg beer


Motsoaledi informal settlement street


Soweto tour


Mandela's cell on Robben Island


Limestone quarry on Robben Island


Simon's Town Penguin Beach


Simon's Town beach


94.7 Cycle Challenge morning


The Salvation Army church always has something going on. I took a few pictures at one of the practices for the Nativity play.

Brittany and Steven at the Salvation Army's nativity play practice


Salvation Army kids and teachers at Nativity play practice


And here's a picture of the library, so you can kind of see where I work for most of the year.



Those are all of the pictures that seem to want to load today. I hope everyone has a nice New Year.

Geseende Kersfees! UKhisimusi omuhle! Mele Kalikimaka! Feliz Navidad! Joyeux Noel! Merry Christmas!

My first Christmas in South Africa was wonderful.

I didn't buy a Christmas tree because my garden is full of trees. This was my makeshift tree.



There was a massive thunderstorm on Christmas Eve and I was trying to upload a video to blogspot (didn't work, obviously) so I was up pretty late.

At 10:30 a.m. Terri-Lee and Michael picked me up so I could join them in spending Christmas Day with their family. It was me, Terri-Lee, Michael, Debbie, Phil, Kerry, Paul, Aiden, Skyla, and Brittany. Debbie and Skyla handed out presents from under the tree and everyone sort of dug in at once. I know I keep talking about how hospitable and kind my South African friends are, but seriously- it'd be impossible to overemphasize that quality in them. And I'm not just talking about the gifts they gave me, though those were incredibly thoughtful and very much appreciated. When I talk about their hospitality I'm really talking about how they make me feel right at home, like I've known them for years instead of months.





After opening gifts everyone moved out to the patio to talk until lunch was ready. The Christmas table was set with even more gifts for everyone, and lunch was amazing. Before eating we went around the table and everyone said what they were thankful for.




I especially wish I'd taken a picture of the pumpkin. Pumpkin is delicious and I can't believe how much of it I used to waste every Halloween. The pumpkin had feta, garlic, spinach, and other wonderful things in it. There was also rice, mushrooms, potato wedges, brussel sprouts, salad, asparagus, and about 5 other things I can't even remember because there was so much to choose from. For starters the omnivores had shrimp cocktails while Brittany and I had lettuce, avo and tomato. There was also ham, I think, but I've been vegetarian long enough that I don't really notice the meat. For dessert there was chocolate and strawberry homemade ice cream and fruit salad. And there was a LOT of wine and non-alcoholic beer.

After stuffing ourselves everyone sat around talking for a while longer. Skyla played with my camera.




Swimming was an option, but I decided just to watch because I had a fresh sunburn. Watching turned out to be fun when Kerry and Aiden got into a diving competition. This is Aiden trying to one-up his mom on the "Ballerina jump."



We spent the afternoon hanging out on the patio, talking.



Terri-Lee, Michael and I left around 3 p.m. They took me home so I could drop off my presents before going to their house to meet up with friends that were coming to visit. I left my camera at home so I don't have pictures of the rest of the day. Denise, Nick and Shane all came over and we sat outside on Terri-Lee and Michael's patio, talking. Tyron and Cindy stopped by for a while as well. We were up so late that I decided to sleep over at Terri-Lee and Michael's house. The next morning everyone was lazy and Michael made eggs and toast (bacon for the omnivores) for brunch.

So, that was my first South African Christmas- full of friends and fun. I hope I'm able to be here for a few more Christmases, because this was great.

My Stubborn v. Germs' Will To Live

When I get sick it goes downhill pretty quickly. One minute I'll be fine, and the next I'll have a 105F (40.5C) fever and will have to lie down on the sidewalk until I can figure out how to move again. Luckily I usually only get sick once a year, if that.

Unfortunately, this year I got sick about a week and a half before moving to South Africa. My medical insurance wouldn't kick in until August 2nd, a good 5 days away. I holed up and dealt with what I figured out to be strep throat. I was mostly better by August 2nd, so I didn't go to the doctor. By August 4th when my strep throat made a strong resurgence, I had medical insurance but didn't want to hand over the co-pay. And I was leaving for South Africa in a day and a half. I hoped it would go away.

So that's why I spent something like 14 hours crying in Heathrow Airport in London, debating whether or not I should go to the on-site clinic that isn't really on-site. I decided to take a nap in a corner instead.

On my third day in South Africa, my first day at the college, I made it to a doctor. Before landing at OR Tambo I had decided that I was going to out-willpower strep throat. I wasn't going to let on that I was in anything other than perfect health. But Debbie was sick and had mentioned going to the doctor, so I asked if I might tag along. I didn't mention that there was practically a war in my throat because I was still out-willpowering the bacteria.

Debbie's doctor agreed to see me with zero notice. He asked about my anemia (medical records are faster than ninjas, it seems) and we chatted about South Africa for a while before he looked at my throat and said "Whoa." That was followed up with a prescription for codeine. I was really excited to discover that doctor's visits and prescriptions are so cheap in South Africa. I decided I would be very healthy here since penicillin would give my willpower the upper edge over bacteria.

The college closed for summer holidays this past Wednesday. I celebrated by going home and taking a 6 hour nap, waking up and then going back to sleep for another 14 hours. That's how my parents used to tell if I was getting the flu.

On Thursday, remembering that S.A. has cheap meds, I walked to Dis-Chem. It doesn't matter what time of day it is- DisChem is always crowded. This is a problem as I'm an avoidant sick person. I don't want to see anyone, even strangers. Don't even look at me if I have a fever.

My plan was to get in and out of Dis-Chem as quickly as possible with the South African equivalent of Vicks, Benadryl and Dayquil. Maybe a thermometer if I could find one quickly. But this is where job creation and my own stubbornness ruined those plans. If there is something here that a person can be paid to do, there will be two people doing that one job. I don't think that half of the people in Johannesburg know how to pump their own gas (petrol), and I haven't bagged my own groceries once.

It turns out that if you want anything stronger than paracetemol or valerian root from Dis-Chem you have to stand in line and speak with a pharmacist, something I am not prepared to do while sick. So I grabbed paracetemol, valerian root and something called Med-Lemon that seems like Thera-flu, which was a ridiculous choice because I won't take Thera-flu. I thought maybe the germs would see I was serious and back down. Nope. They're calling my bluff.

All of that to say it's 2:15 a.m. and I just rubbed Icy Hot under my nose as a Vicks substitute.

If I'm not germ-free by Monday I'm going to talk to a pharmacist.

New Digs

I moved into my flat on November 6th. It’s perfect- big enough for me and small enough to keep me from being tempted to bring home a puppy. Debbie and Phil helped me move the impressive amount of stuff I’ve somehow accumulated (did you know I like to shop? I really, really do.) and Craig had everything set up and ready for me. Terri-Lee was there when I arrived and offered to take me to Checkers and Spar to get anything else I might need. I said I needed everything- the only food I brought were some Butterfingers that an American friend sent me. She and Debbie said I should check my cupboards.

Apparently a collection was taken up at the college to make sure I would have everything I could possibly need right off the bat. I hadn’t expected that at all. There were pots and pans, cleaning supplies, towels, bug spray, dishes, tons of food and candy (“chocolates”), clothes hangers, a tv, an iron- even three wine glasses to go with THREE bottles of wine. They had thought of everything I would need before I even considered it. And since it was all there already set up all I had to do was unpack my bags and it looked like a home. It only took me about an hour and a half and everything was done.

A lot of people from the college live in the area. After I finished unpacking I went for a practice drive in the college car and made it all the way to Terri-Lee and Michael’s house 3 or 4 blocks away without stalling.

So. Next step: driving.

Cycle Challenge Sunday

My thoughts throughout Sunday, the day of the 97.4 km (60.5 mile) bike race:

5 a.m. – awake, terrified.

6:30 a.m. – Debbie, Phil, Terri-Lee, Kerry, Aiden, Skyla and I leave for Sandton

8:30 a.m. – Phil and I say goodbye to the rest of the group and make it 5km up to the starting point. His start time is before mine, so we split up.

9:38 a.m. – My start time... still terrified, but laughing because I signed up for this horrible torture voluntarily.

10:15 a.m. – Stop for 30 seconds to eat half a granola bar and to think, “Surely the end of the (all uphill) highway portion is near...”

10:30 a.m. - YAY the end of the highway!

10:32 a.m. - WHAT? Another STEEPER hill? DOES THIS RACE END ON THE TOP OF MOUNT EVEREST?

10:40 a.m. - Isn’t there a water point somewhere? Pain. Ow.

10:43 a.m. - Someone rammed his bike into mine and messed up my bike chain. Fixed it myself. Feeling industrious.

11 a.m. – Back on another highway. Uphill, of course. Just make it to Mandela Bridge. I just want to ride across Mandela Bridge.

11:15 a.m. – Some lady decided that it would be a good idea to walk in the road with thousands of cyclists, stick her umbrella out in front of me and then open it. Almost took us both out.

11:20 a.m. – YAY the Bridge! Just make it to Gandhi Square. I just want to ride through the Square.

11:25 a.m. – YAY the Square! Just make it to see Debbie, Kerry, Terri-Lee and the kids at the spectator point.

11:49 a.m. - Look! Free candy from strangers! (Bar One was a sponsor.) Too bad I'm going too fast to grab some.

11:50 a.m. – Hey! There's Terri-Lee and Skyla yelling for me; there's Debbie and Aiden, too. Very cool. Okay, just keep going.

12:17 p.m. – Agh, choking on Powerade. This is the worst decision I’ve ever made.

12:20 p.m. – I’m halfway through? Seriously? AWESOME. I can FINISH.

12:25 p.m. – Big hill. No way I can finish. Just keep going. Ow.

12:38 p.m. – 3 hours! Wow! Cool. I didn’t think I’d make it this far.

12:45 p.m. – Pain. Leg cramps. Pain. Big hill. Ow. Even 1st gear is difficult. Envying spectators.

12:50 p.m. – 58 km. Ow, ow, ow. Lady said I’m only 2 minutes ahead of the cut off time. Gotta hurry.

1 p.m. – THAT IS THE BIGGEST HILL I’VE EVER SEEN. Forget it. I’m going to catch a ride back to the start from the last water point.

1:30 p.m. – Wait? THIS is the cut off time for this water point? I had plenty of time! Arg.

3:20 p.m. – Looking at the hills for the last 38 km from the bus, I think quitting was the right choice.

3:31 p.m. – Terri-Lee texted to say that they can’t get through the road blocks. Gonna have to bike the last 5 km to where they’re parked. This is a joke?

3:35 p.m. – Not a joke.

3:52 p.m. – Biking back to where they’re parked. Can’t complain since I’ve had a 2.5 hour break. Phil actually finished the race and biked back.

5 p.m. – Celebratory dinner with Debbie, Phil, Terri-Lee, Kerry and the kids at Spur. No one has eaten today (though I had a banana and 2 granola bars on the road). Everyone smells nasty.

6:30 p.m. – Home! Shower! Wine! Bed!



Now I know I can make it 60 km with no training. So maybe next year I can train and actually finish. It was wonderful to have people on the sidelines cheering. I'm very thankful to all of them.

My legs are a little sore and swollen today and I've been having weird muscle twitching, but otherwise I've come out of the race unscathed. Maybe next year I'll take along a disposible camera and take photos of these impossible hills and all of the spectators with their funny signs (lots of free tequila along the route... I don't think there were many takers. It's just not something you want when you're already worried about falling over). And I'll take photos of the crowds of cyclists. It's amazing that there weren't more accidents. They sent us off in groups of 200 - 400 every 4 minutes for 4.5 hours. There were over 26,000 cyclists competing. 6,000 had never done the race before.

Also, thanks to Terri-Lee I now have internet at home! Very slow internet, yes, but that should be fixed in about 3 weeks. Just in time for Christmas holidays. :)

Cape Town

Things I did in Cape Town:
Saw penguins
Saw Table Mountain (I had no inclination to go up in the cable car)
Saw Kaylitscha
Swam with a penguin (just one)
Walked around Simon's Town
Shopped in Simon's Town
Went hiking at the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Point
Saw baboons
Swam with baboons (okay, I made that one up)
Visited Robben Island (definitely worth it)
Went shopping at the waterfront
Walked around to Stellenbosch
Shopped in Stellenbosch
Realized the car was broken into in Stellenbosch

And what was Callie's response to learning that her rental car had been broken into and all of our things had been rifled through?
We did a winetasting at the first vineyard we could find.
That's why Callie is an excellent person to go on vacation with.

Cape Town bonus: Their airport had Butterfingers.
I'm very glad to be back in Johannesburg, though.