my favorite view (camps bay from atop Table Mountain)4/18/09
Friday at RCCH was pretty steady. I’m falling more in love with the patient’s on C2 everyday. They are so incredibly interactive and responsive. There is certainly a difference between children who are bombarded with media and technology and those who are not. It’s not a matter of one being “better” than the other, just that there is a significant difference. My “interaction of the week” was with a 4 year old boy. As a result of his injury, his eyes have been swollen shut. In the beginning he slept most of the time. The following day, I noticed he was more awake, though still unable to open his eyes. I held his hands, read to him and (even though his first language is Afrikaans) I talked to him…a lot, making sure to describe his environment and what was happening around him. On Friday, I did my first “co-treat” at RCCH. While I was playing blocks with my little friend, the physical therapist came in. She encouraged him to open his eyes and I was the first person he looked at. I was so happy for him to finally see me and we continued to work with blocks and bubbles to encourage deep breathing, balance in sitting on his own and using his arms and hands to interact. He became more and more animated and delighted in play. It continues to amaze me how truly resilient children are, and how incredible a vehicle play can be to reaching them.
Friday night my friends Pippa (England) and Meghan (Philidelphia) and I attended Ash Tanga Yoga. I had wanted to get into a Bikram Yoga (Hot Yoga) class while here, and before leaving, that’s what we thought we were going to. This, however, was a bit too “yoga” for me. The “oooommms” and crazy pretzel moves were a little beyond me, but it was an all-in-all good experience. I adore the people and the places that surround me everyday here in Cape Town, but I realized during yoga that, in the last two weeks, I have not had any real space to myself. We were encouraged to create this “space” and to keep everyone and everything out of it…and so forth and so on blah blah. But the general idea was pretty nice for me. I have never been one to really “require” my own space most of the time…it’s almost like I need to be TOLD to do so. This yoga provided that…along with some really good laughs! ….yup, we were those girls giggling in the back…
I started my day this morning with a run to the waterfront. I covered about 5 miles exploring my neighborhood. I decided that running is the best way to do this. You can easily avoid looking at or talking to anyone (because both can get you into a situation you don’t want to be in) without seeming rude or having to make any real effort (because for friendly people like us, it can be hard). Furthermore, if you DO find yourself in an uncomfortable situation, it’s not weird if you suddenly break into a sprint. And lastly, if you happen to stop and explore the sights, you can avoid the beggars and street vendors easily by shrugging and saying, “I don’t have money on me, I was just out for a run”. They don’t even attempt to challenge you...because typically you have to deny them 3 or 4 times before they even begin to leave you alone. A lot of people here with connect are pretty active. I almost always have a workout partner, which is fun.
Our original plan was to hit the beach by early afternoon, but the forecasted, “70 degrees and sunny” proved to be just the opposite: Overcast and 61F. So instead, Jamie and I set out to find a yummy breakfast. Boy, did we EVER! Over by Long St (the popular st) we found a plethora of options. We finally settled on a place called “Greens” (deciding that we would have to make this a weekly event to cover all the different cafes and restaurants). I ordered French Toast and Jamie got Flapjacks with Banana and Honey. We also split a (large) bowl of fruit. In a word: delectable! The French toast was made with a split croissant: GENIUS!! It was the most amazing French toast I’ve ever had in my life. And that’s how I really feel. We explored some of the local shops, then sat down for some hot chocolate and a muffin. We ate outside both times. It was so enjoyable and relaxing. We got to talking about how the concept of “going out to eat” is so different in the US. Restaurants are so concerned with making as much money as possible that they turn over tables as quickly as possible. Here in SA there is no sense of urgency. None. My first dinner experience was highly frustrating! It took FOREVER to get our food and drinks. I should note that this was actually exceptionally slow, but the general idea of going out here is to relax and socialize. The connect staff even made a point to mention this during my “orientation.” What’s more, you have to ASK for the check. They will not bring you your bill until you mention it. We thought this was strange at first (and still have a hard time remembering every now and then) but I’ve come to really enjoy this style of dining. I can recall feeling distracted and almost offended when a waiter brings the check prematurely. Here, they avoid that entirely and always invite the customer to enjoy tea or more drinks following your meal. Since we get our meal so spread out, there’s always room for dessert!
In the evening a bunch of us joined the Connect bunch for a sunset cruise. Just before, we had a quick dinner at “Steers”, an apparently fast food joint. Note to self: Don’t eat fast food in Africa. Blech! The cruise itself was a blast. The connect staff are super fun and friendly. The boat was hands down the rockiest I have ever been on. Certainly spiced up the event a touch! The boat was more of an oversized yacht and I’m truly surprised we didn’t lose any one over the edge. A few people were beginning to get sea sick, but the trip ended just in time. We docked out by the beaches to watch the sunset to a champagne toast. Given the grey day, the sunset was surprisingly beautiful. The skies cleared just in time for us to watch it disappear. The city lights were gorgeous heading back in. We finished the night with ice cream and shopping. I have officially started my “souvenir collection”.
Friday at RCCH was pretty steady. I’m falling more in love with the patient’s on C2 everyday. They are so incredibly interactive and responsive. There is certainly a difference between children who are bombarded with media and technology and those who are not. It’s not a matter of one being “better” than the other, just that there is a significant difference. My “interaction of the week” was with a 4 year old boy. As a result of his injury, his eyes have been swollen shut. In the beginning he slept most of the time. The following day, I noticed he was more awake, though still unable to open his eyes. I held his hands, read to him and (even though his first language is Afrikaans) I talked to him…a lot, making sure to describe his environment and what was happening around him. On Friday, I did my first “co-treat” at RCCH. While I was playing blocks with my little friend, the physical therapist came in. She encouraged him to open his eyes and I was the first person he looked at. I was so happy for him to finally see me and we continued to work with blocks and bubbles to encourage deep breathing, balance in sitting on his own and using his arms and hands to interact. He became more and more animated and delighted in play. It continues to amaze me how truly resilient children are, and how incredible a vehicle play can be to reaching them.
Friday night my friends Pippa (England) and Meghan (Philidelphia) and I attended Ash Tanga Yoga. I had wanted to get into a Bikram Yoga (Hot Yoga) class while here, and before leaving, that’s what we thought we were going to. This, however, was a bit too “yoga” for me. The “oooommms” and crazy pretzel moves were a little beyond me, but it was an all-in-all good experience. I adore the people and the places that surround me everyday here in Cape Town, but I realized during yoga that, in the last two weeks, I have not had any real space to myself. We were encouraged to create this “space” and to keep everyone and everything out of it…and so forth and so on blah blah. But the general idea was pretty nice for me. I have never been one to really “require” my own space most of the time…it’s almost like I need to be TOLD to do so. This yoga provided that…along with some really good laughs! ….yup, we were those girls giggling in the back…
I started my day this morning with a run to the waterfront. I covered about 5 miles exploring my neighborhood. I decided that running is the best way to do this. You can easily avoid looking at or talking to anyone (because both can get you into a situation you don’t want to be in) without seeming rude or having to make any real effort (because for friendly people like us, it can be hard). Furthermore, if you DO find yourself in an uncomfortable situation, it’s not weird if you suddenly break into a sprint. And lastly, if you happen to stop and explore the sights, you can avoid the beggars and street vendors easily by shrugging and saying, “I don’t have money on me, I was just out for a run”. They don’t even attempt to challenge you...because typically you have to deny them 3 or 4 times before they even begin to leave you alone. A lot of people here with connect are pretty active. I almost always have a workout partner, which is fun.
Our original plan was to hit the beach by early afternoon, but the forecasted, “70 degrees and sunny” proved to be just the opposite: Overcast and 61F. So instead, Jamie and I set out to find a yummy breakfast. Boy, did we EVER! Over by Long St (the popular st) we found a plethora of options. We finally settled on a place called “Greens” (deciding that we would have to make this a weekly event to cover all the different cafes and restaurants). I ordered French Toast and Jamie got Flapjacks with Banana and Honey. We also split a (large) bowl of fruit. In a word: delectable! The French toast was made with a split croissant: GENIUS!! It was the most amazing French toast I’ve ever had in my life. And that’s how I really feel. We explored some of the local shops, then sat down for some hot chocolate and a muffin. We ate outside both times. It was so enjoyable and relaxing. We got to talking about how the concept of “going out to eat” is so different in the US. Restaurants are so concerned with making as much money as possible that they turn over tables as quickly as possible. Here in SA there is no sense of urgency. None. My first dinner experience was highly frustrating! It took FOREVER to get our food and drinks. I should note that this was actually exceptionally slow, but the general idea of going out here is to relax and socialize. The connect staff even made a point to mention this during my “orientation.” What’s more, you have to ASK for the check. They will not bring you your bill until you mention it. We thought this was strange at first (and still have a hard time remembering every now and then) but I’ve come to really enjoy this style of dining. I can recall feeling distracted and almost offended when a waiter brings the check prematurely. Here, they avoid that entirely and always invite the customer to enjoy tea or more drinks following your meal. Since we get our meal so spread out, there’s always room for dessert!
In the evening a bunch of us joined the Connect bunch for a sunset cruise. Just before, we had a quick dinner at “Steers”, an apparently fast food joint. Note to self: Don’t eat fast food in Africa. Blech! The cruise itself was a blast. The connect staff are super fun and friendly. The boat was hands down the rockiest I have ever been on. Certainly spiced up the event a touch! The boat was more of an oversized yacht and I’m truly surprised we didn’t lose any one over the edge. A few people were beginning to get sea sick, but the trip ended just in time. We docked out by the beaches to watch the sunset to a champagne toast. Given the grey day, the sunset was surprisingly beautiful. The skies cleared just in time for us to watch it disappear. The city lights were gorgeous heading back in. We finished the night with ice cream and shopping. I have officially started my “souvenir collection”.
Jamie and I also started our “Cape Town Bucket List” this week. She and I arrived here about the same time. The other girls had been here a while and have done a lot of the big touristy things. This also makes them a great resource! We are up to about 15 items and have already completed a couple. We are making the most out of our time here.
FYE: So one of the items on “The Jamie and Dani Cape Town Bucket List” is a Safari. Our friends, Cara and Tami, had one already planned in Kruger for next weekend. We decided to try and join them. This required plane tickets and securing a spot with the safari program. With the holidays, they were near impossible to get in touch with. We had been researching the tickets on line and found pretty cheap airfare. However, we didn’t dare book that before being SURE we had a spot on the Safari. We finally got in touch with them Wednesday night. Not only was there space for the both of us, but they seemed like a super fun, quality Safari team. He also mentioned that they had to mother lions who had just given birth to cubs that were “running about”. Jamie and I jumped immediately online to book our flight. We decided to book them separately. That was a horrible idea. Never in my life have I done that, and I don’t know why I thought S. Africa was a good place to start. You know where this is going…Even though we were booking the flight side-by-side, each of us on our respective lap tops, I somehow got the LAST seat available on the plane. What?!! Of course. We spent the rest of the night pulling our friends together, scheming, planning, calling, emailing, and bartering to try and figure it out. Feeling defeated, we finally called it a night. On a whim Thursday night, we decided to look up the tickets one last time…success!! Our flights home are different but only by a few hours. Whew! We ALL rejoiced as, by this point, even the girls not attending the safari were invested. I hate learning things the hard way…
LESSON #14: TAKE THE TIME TO ENJOY LIFE...this is especially easy for me these days with only 5-6 hours of work/ day and no other commitments, but it's nice to take the time to truly BE in each moment and live at the slow pace that is South Africa.
LESSON #15: LOOK BOTH WAYS. THE RIGHT WAY…I am struggling to grasp the traffic laws here in South Africa. Nearly every time my friends and I set out we look right, then left when we should be looking left, then right. The coast looks clear so you step onto the street only to be mere inches away from loosing your toes to the oncoming cars. What’s more, pedestrians don’t have the right of way. Or any rights for that matter. Cars actually speed up when they see you crossing (even if you have the walk signal), I’m convinced just to get their kicks out of watching us scurry out of the way.
LESSON #15: LOOK BOTH WAYS. THE RIGHT WAY…I am struggling to grasp the traffic laws here in South Africa. Nearly every time my friends and I set out we look right, then left when we should be looking left, then right. The coast looks clear so you step onto the street only to be mere inches away from loosing your toes to the oncoming cars. What’s more, pedestrians don’t have the right of way. Or any rights for that matter. Cars actually speed up when they see you crossing (even if you have the walk signal), I’m convinced just to get their kicks out of watching us scurry out of the way. 
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