And so it Goes

Posted at local time

I think I'll preface this entry with the following: I don't think I've ever been this busy for such an extended period in my life; comparable only to a night before a final or the night before a paper was due at UCD.  It's almost like half of the reason I'm looking forward to coming home is that I'll have some time to RELAX.  However, I've been keeping up with juggling a working life and a highly active social life quite successfully.  I can handle it :)

So, where are we... Mid Feb already?  That means it's time to come home.  My flight home leaves OR Tambo International Airport at 8:20 pm on Thursday the 24th-- and for the next 17 hours, I'll be wining (tres chic!)  and dining (involuntary shiver) at 37,000 feet.  Maybe I can hibernate for most of that period.  It would drastically shorten that crazy long flight if I were unconscious!  To add insult to injury, I have another five hours after I take off from Atlanta.  I'll be home on Friday morning at around 10:30. And so it goes!

Some highlights over the past few months:

• The Game Reserve trip... What an unbelievable experience. 5 Star accommodation in the form of my own personal suite, 700+ photos of close viewings of Leopard (male and female, with cubs), Cheetah, Elephant, Giraffe, Lion, Lioness (and cubs), Kudu, Antelope, Hippopotamus, Warthog, and more.  Easily the most incredible thing I've done in my life thus far.
  
• The South African Police Force (SAPS) and Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD).  I won't go into too much detail, but I do have to say that my experiences with them were very interesting.  Ask me in person!
  
• The enchanting union of Gareth and Angela Myers.  What a beautiful occasion-- It was such an untold honor to be present at their fairly exclusive wedding.  That said, the absolute and infinite hospitality of all the Myerses here has been greatly appreciated.  I feel as though I'm part of the family when I'm around them.
  
• The trip to Botswana. I had a good time for this short-lived jaunt into another African country.  Lazing by the pool, enjoying a bit of sun and a refreshing dip, then sinking into hotel linens.  Air Botswana even had Biltong on the flight!
  
• University of the Witwatersrand Street Party.  All I have to say about this one is "yassus."  Reminded me a lot of when I went to Santa Barbara for Halloween.  So much fun!  The night before, I went to a rugby game at Wits.  It was like being at an English soccer match...  There's video for this one! Among many other things, of course.

A sincere and heartfelt thank you goes out to my aunt Penny for many reasons, including but not limited to providing me with a place to stay, putting up with my late nights, and feeding me.

To everyone I've met, especially those who came through for me in many different ways, including Penny, Ricci, Natalie, Bianca, Rory, Johnny, Lauren, Carli, Adam, Kim, Gareth and Angie, Dani, Gary, Abby, Ed, Jarrad, Jess, Chelsea, Ash, and so many, many more.  You guys have all been so amazing and I'm so happy to have been accepted into your groups.  I know we'll be in touch, and if you guys come to LA, don't hesitate to contact me.  I'm only too pleased to help you guys out in the City of Angels!

They say that all good things come to an end, and maybe they do.  I think of leaving South Africa not so much as an end, but more of a "to be continued."  I will be back here in no uncertain terms.  This country has given me so much, and I return to the USA a better person after my experiences here.

Fear not, this won't be my last entry.  Even though I'm giving up my rental car, I've still got 6 days to fill with much of the same social activity that has populated the last 4 months.  Speaking of the rental car, number 5 was a success.  I would gladly advocate a Toyota Tazz to any one of my friends; even though it's not available in the States.  I'm a bit sad to see it go, but am REALLY looking forward to driving my S80 when I get home.  Might have to reset the clock though!

Incidentally, I'm really looking forward to being able to use my iPhone as a phone again.  Seeing 3G in the header will be such a relief.  Using it as, essentially, an iPod was convenient, but I'm looking forward to the convenience of having access to anything anywhere, regardless of WiFi.  Carrying two phones has been pretty cumbersome!

Life is filled with experiences, positive and negative, that define and shape our paths.  The path I've traveled for the last four months has seen me through a monopoly of good times, and I know that this can continue anywhere I go.

Life is a series of paths.  And so it goes.

Botswana, et al.

Posted at 12:17 pm local time

Hello readers, it's been a while (again) but here I am to provide you with another update.

I went to Botswana on Monday (24 Jan) for a night and had a hell of a time. Here are my impressions:

What an interesting excursion.  It was nice to have a hotel room all to myself in a new and unfamiliar city.  Upon arriving, I settled down into my accommodation after feeling the humid Gaborone heat infiltrate my very being.

After a little relaxation, I went down to explore the hotel and grounds.  I found that I would have to take a taxi to town if I wanted to look around, but then discovered that it was raining and there was flooding in a few areas, which resulted in a lot of traffic.  Scratch that idea!  I went to the casino in the hotel, where the odds were worse than in Vegas.  After an hour or so in there, I went back to the pool deck to see if anything had changed weather-wise. The sun had come out, and a few revelers were out basking in its glory.  I jumped back upstairs, changed into my boardshorts, and went for a lie down by the pool.  I ordered a castle lager, and spread out underneath the Miami-like sun, then went for a swim.  The environment was very resort-esque and beautiful.

After my swim, I went back tot my room and found out about the Moscow airport blasts.  Terrorists are truly despicable creatures.  They really will stop at nothing, I suppose.  After watching the scenes of carnage for a half hour or so, I showered in the rather grandiose shower, and got ready for dinner.

Dinner was a nice affair, I had my choice of two venues: Savuti or Mahogany.  Savuti had a buffet style dining experience, whereas mahogany offered an a-la-carte style.  Considering the fact that I was alone, I decided to just go for the buffet.  I did not regret my decision.  Curry, Mongolian BBQ, several types of salad, and an extensive dessert selection was available.  I tried a little bit of almost everything.

Sleeping that night wasn't too easy-- the air conditioning unit was very loud but impossible to be comfortable without.  I did have a few periods of sleep, however.

When I arose in the morning, I showered again and went down to see what the included breakfast buffet had to offer.  Omelets, toast, an assortment of fruit, juices, and other goodies greeted me in the brief Botswana morning sun-- before it started raining again.  I indulged in an omelet, toast, some cantaloupe, and coffee before preparing to check out and leave.

All in all, it was a fun little jaunt into Botswana, and I had a great time.  The flight was very easy at a mere 35 minutes, and they served us biltong!  I love biltong, and will miss it very much when I go home.  Fortunately my Mom put me on to a nice place in Hollywood that makes their own biltong and I'll be going there at least once every few weeks!

Back to the grind in South Africa now I suppose, let's see what I've been up to the past few weeks, and what I've got in store for the future:

At the Rosebank mall, there is a market every Sunday that I love to go to.  There are always very interesting wares on display there, including many trinkets and fine sculptures and such.  I will be bringing a few home!  Some of the best Indian Samosas I've ever had are sold there, and I usually get a few to munch on while browsing.

I've been jolling (partying) a lot, as usual. I frequent places such as those in Parkhurst, Greenside, and the club "Clapham Gold." I've also gone to sports clubs at the Zoo lake close to where I'm staying, including Zoo Lake Sports Club and the Bowls club at same.  The environment is infectious; everyone is excited and there is a hell of an energy.  Places are often packed beyond capacity with revelers.  Nightlife is so accessible out here, and I can always find a few mates who are up for a last minute jol!

The other night, I was with a friend of mine and two girls when we got pulled over.  The cops were driving a citigolf outfitted in full police regalia.  They asked my mate and me to get out of the car and searched it for paraphernalia, and found nothing.  I was wearing my boardshorts, and they said that the pockets were very full.  I have to carry a lot in SA, and I had my iphone and wallet in one pocket, then my SA phone and two sets of keys in the other pocket.  The amount of keys one has to carry in SA is absolutely ridiculous!  They also went through the girls' purses. After they discovered that we weren't hiding anything, they sent us on our way.  A rare case of RSA police actually doing their job and not bribing! Well, from what I hear, anyway.

Tonight I'm going to the Zone at Rosebank to meet up with a group of mates for a birthday.  It should be fun!  I'm looking forward to it.  Tomorrow is Thursday, and Thursday is a big night. I'll most likely be going out to either Clapham or Parkhurst.  Greenside will probably feature on Friday or Saturday night.

Speaking of Saturday night, I may go out for Karaoke again at the Colony Arms.  I went on Tuesday of last week to the Waverley Soccer Club, and decided to sing for a crowd that my aunt sometimes goes with.  Apparently I did really well, because after singing "Save Tonight" by Eagle Eye Cherry and "Can't Help Falling in Love" in the style of Elvis, I received a standing ovation from many of the patrons.  My aunt was shocked and has been telling me (and anyone who'll listen) how shocked she is that I can sing for several days since then.  I'm amazed that I was received so well; I think I need voice lessons!

My flight home is booked for February 24th, and I'm starting to look forward to coming home.  I miss my family, puppy, friends, car, room, bed, and the ocean!  And it'll be nice to use my iphone as a phone again too, lol.  See you all soon! Less than a month :)

Alright, I think that's it for now.  I couldn't update at home because the internet was out (AGAIN!!!!!!! ARGH!!) but as of this morning it was working again.  Hopefully this one will hold out longer than a few weeks, as is custom with the ADSL line in my aunt's house.  Strange!

Cheers guys, hope your week is off to a great start!

Adam

2011

Posted at 10:37 pm local time

I'm sorry to say that my computer problems went from bad to worse, and my laptop now refuses to work for longer than a few seconds after turning on before blacking out and giving up.  I guess I'll just have to deal.  Thankfully I'm now doing a bit of work for my cousin's husband's sister's husband, and he's loaned me a laptop so I can give my iPhone a rest because it's been my sole connection to the internet since before the New Year.  Oh well!

Speaking of the New Year, I certainly hope that my friends and readers brought it in in style.  I had a great time at a house in Morningside, surrounded by friends. South Africa's celebration of the new year is similar to that at home.  There are lots of parties, but they have fireworks.  People asked me if we had fireworks on New Years, and I told them that fieworks were usually reserved for Independence Day.  They looked puzzled.

So back to 2011.  I wasn't sad to see 2010 go.  It was a year filled with pain for me starting with a bang and twinge of epic pain which caused me to lose 15-20 pounds and go through a period of sincere agony.  Those of you familiar with the circumstances, I thank you again and again for helping me make it through them-- your assistance was invaluable to me.  It didn't get much better from there, as life had two more hurdles to throw at me, in the form of losing my dogs Lucy and Matisse.  Such incredible animals I will never know.  Matisse was not very intelligent, but he looked it, and was one of the most unconditionally loving beings I've ever had contact with.  Lucy was equally as loving, but was so smart she could even open doors, even ones opening inward.  If one of us got locked out of the house, she would be able to open the front door, and even had discretion as to who she would open it for.  I took the loss hard; those dogs were the reason I made it through my university career.

In September, we got another lovely little Aussie, named Cody.  I miss him so much and if I ever find myself feeling a little homesick, I scroll through the pictures on my phone and remember what's waiting for me when I get home.  He'll look much different, however.  He already does! Anyway, the year drew to a close with another great loss for my family, which I won't detail.  In short, for me, the only good news 2010 brought was a new puppy, and graduation from UC Davis with a BA in English and Creative Writing.  Good riddance.

2011 has been off to a phenomenal start here in Johannesburg.  I've got plenty of friends, I'm social, busy, always happy and and meeting new people.  Between Christmas and New Years, the entire city packed their bags and left.  Many businesses were closed.  Robots (traffic lights) were all kinds of messed up, but there were few cars on the road to be hampered by this, and the few that were there just ran them anyway.  One can't deny that this city has got character!  I did have some friends in town to keep busy with, and we all got up to some fun times at the places that were still open, which were few.  The criminals were also home for the holidays, so Joburg enjoyed a sort of serene stasis.  I found it very relaxing. 

And now that, too, has come to an end. The people are back, the roads busy and bustling.  The beggars that I'm so used to are back in the middle of the road, constituting living obstacles during active traffic that I have become so adept at avoiding.  All my SA friends have returned from holiday and are still rearing to go out.  Tomorrow night I believe we're all going to Clapham Gold  (a club in Four Ways) again and I'm preparing for a long, fun night!  I've definitely done my fair share here, and am continuing to have an amazing time.

That brings me to a bit of news.  I may be staying for an extra month, as long as I can get my Visa sorted.  I'll update when I learn the outcome of that.  Otherwise, it's home on January 19th.  I was thinking about how long it's been and how much has probably changed since late October.  Then I realized that it's been nearly 3 months since I last saw my dad, sister, Cody, my friends at home, my bed, car, parked without a club, left a window open... There are definitely very many things about home that I love and miss, and when I go back, I know I'll have a different sort of appreciation for everything I have there.  Until I do, I'm loving life, living life, and having a hell of a time with some incredible people in some incredible places. 

Here's to South Africa, and the life I never knew I had.  Cheers!

Adam