moonrise from my apt
4/9/09
I haven’t started ‘work’ yet. Because of the holidays, we have Friday and Monday off. My team didn’t think it would make sense for me to start on Thursday only to then have four days off. So I used the day to acclimate myself to my new neighborhood. After catching up on some (much needed) sleep, I went for a run to the base of Table Mountain. It was no more than 2 miles. That’s how insanely close we are! It was UPhill most of the way. Heartbreak hill’s got nothing on this incline. Nothing. As you get closer to the mountain the neighborhood gets very posh. It’s like a mini Malibu. It’s also so quiet that you can really see and hear the birds. I’m not a real fan of anything with wings, but I was actually pretty taken by the ones up there.
I also checked out the rooftop gym and “pool”. The view is absolutely breathtaking. There is no other way to explain it. I walked out the door and around and literally had my breath taken from me. These views move me to near tears. We are just so close and it’s soo blue and just gorgeous. I have never…
I haven’t started ‘work’ yet. Because of the holidays, we have Friday and Monday off. My team didn’t think it would make sense for me to start on Thursday only to then have four days off. So I used the day to acclimate myself to my new neighborhood. After catching up on some (much needed) sleep, I went for a run to the base of Table Mountain. It was no more than 2 miles. That’s how insanely close we are! It was UPhill most of the way. Heartbreak hill’s got nothing on this incline. Nothing. As you get closer to the mountain the neighborhood gets very posh. It’s like a mini Malibu. It’s also so quiet that you can really see and hear the birds. I’m not a real fan of anything with wings, but I was actually pretty taken by the ones up there.
I also checked out the rooftop gym and “pool”. The view is absolutely breathtaking. There is no other way to explain it. I walked out the door and around and literally had my breath taken from me. These views move me to near tears. We are just so close and it’s soo blue and just gorgeous. I have never…
We later had our potluck dinner. I learned that I love love LOVE hosting! I guess I never really have before. Our apt is perfect for it. Readily equipped with serving dishes, wine glasses, goblets, mugs, a loose tea brewer and a creamer, and more dishes and silverware than Lucy and I would ever use alone, we easily entertained 8 or so people. We had the most fabulous time. The food was delicious and diverse. I broke in my “Table Topics” with the group and, as always, they were a huge hit. We learned a lot about each other and chatted on for nearly 4 hours. I realized that given all the wishes and money in the world, I would be doing just this. This is all I’ve EVER wanted to do; travel the world sharing my knowledge and giving my time and skills wherever I can and to anyone who would appreciate and benefit from it; to surround myself with beautiful landscapes and people. Serving both at no cost, only to show them that I appreciate their presence. This is my dream come true. 
Pippa, Me, caroline, Tami, Therese and Megan
LESSON #11: NAVIGATING THE MEAN STREETS OF CAPE TOWN...I’m finding out that Cape Town can be a pretty rough neighborhood. Out apt is on a pretty safe st and the building itself is like a vault. But the surrounding areas can be almost scary. We always travel in groups and take cabs at night instead of walking (even though everything is super close). The st where the nightlife is is horrible; lots of beggars and pick pocketing. The staff and seasoned volunteers are really helpful and keep a fairly short leash on everyone. They equip us with reputable taxi numbers and helpful hints such as what streets to avoid and to walk with your hands in your pockets and very little cash. I haven’t felt unsafe at any point but I would never go anywhere alone after sundown. I def can’t go exploring like I did in Barcelona.
Also, the general way women are treated here is utterly disturbing. In talking with some of the girls volunteering in aids clinics and such, women are not encouraged to speak for or defend themselves, that if a man makes “advances” she supposed to submit. Even if she didn’t, she would have no argument anyway. Obviously, this is widely known, but even still, it is eye-opening to be in the midst of it. Just walking down the street, the men go so far beyond cat calling and whistling. That happens everywhere. But I’ve heard some of the most vulgar comments just walking down the street in the middle of the day! They men themselves are essentially harmless, not coming anywhere near you (and also scrawny and unfit). It is the equivalent of a bunch of college guys honking at a girl, but because it’s tolerated, they take it to the next level.
What I DID have a really hard time with was the begging children. As soon as you get out of the cab, they surround you. I’ve experienced this many times before, but these kids are trained really well. One little boy told us, “please. I need to eat.” In the most heartbreaking way and my insides melted. That’s literally what it felt like. I, reluctantly, kept walking, especially after I saw the others do the same. In talking about it later we realized that even if he hadn’t eaten, any money we gave him would NOT go to food..at least not for him. Caroline and I vowed to start carrying granola bars in our purses.
Afrikaans:
Robot = stop light or traffic light
Soccer = soccer! They don’t call it football
The “big 5” that I mentioned before are shown on each of the notes (10, 20, 50, 100, and 200).
Also, the general way women are treated here is utterly disturbing. In talking with some of the girls volunteering in aids clinics and such, women are not encouraged to speak for or defend themselves, that if a man makes “advances” she supposed to submit. Even if she didn’t, she would have no argument anyway. Obviously, this is widely known, but even still, it is eye-opening to be in the midst of it. Just walking down the street, the men go so far beyond cat calling and whistling. That happens everywhere. But I’ve heard some of the most vulgar comments just walking down the street in the middle of the day! They men themselves are essentially harmless, not coming anywhere near you (and also scrawny and unfit). It is the equivalent of a bunch of college guys honking at a girl, but because it’s tolerated, they take it to the next level.
What I DID have a really hard time with was the begging children. As soon as you get out of the cab, they surround you. I’ve experienced this many times before, but these kids are trained really well. One little boy told us, “please. I need to eat.” In the most heartbreaking way and my insides melted. That’s literally what it felt like. I, reluctantly, kept walking, especially after I saw the others do the same. In talking about it later we realized that even if he hadn’t eaten, any money we gave him would NOT go to food..at least not for him. Caroline and I vowed to start carrying granola bars in our purses.
Afrikaans:
Robot = stop light or traffic light
Soccer = soccer! They don’t call it football
The “big 5” that I mentioned before are shown on each of the notes (10, 20, 50, 100, and 200).
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