Crazy Few Days...

Posted at 9:57 am local time

Sorry for the delay, I've been super busy over the last few days and didn't really have time to update!

It's now the morning of Halloween, and the last few days are blending together a bit for me.  I've been so busy!  The two days before yesterday mainly consisted of visiting my grandpa in hospital and driving around town to see how things have changed. Went to a few shopping centers to pop in and get a few things necessary around the house and for friends of my aunt.  I've also been doing a good bit of meeting new people and building bridges for my time in South Africa; and based on the fact that they've all been nice, I'm sure that the good time I'm having is bound to continue.

I can't believe how different people are here in terms of friendliness and conduct.  I have yet to meet a mean, unhappy, ungracious person; despite any mood they might be in.  I know it's bound to happen over the three months I'm here, but yet I find myself doubting it.  There's a warm, approachable quality to everybody here, and it's something I feel I expected of people back in the USA but would rarely encounter.  It's also so odd that I can mention a relative's name, and a complete stranger can somehow find a way to place who I am and spout off a bit of family I'm related to.  It's like the identity I never knew I had and am now exploring-- I found out I'm related to people I never knew existed.  Bizarre but inviting!

Yesterday I met up with a few of my friend Russel's cousins and his family.  I had a fantastic time catching up with them--  cracking jokes, having a laugh... It's all very light-hearted and friendly.  Honestly, such gracious people I never knew; inviting me into their homes and showing me a good time.  I'm very lucky to have the friends I do, South African and not. It seems that I'm really picky when it comes to choosing friends.  But I think that's a good thing.

My cousin, his girlfriend, and I went out last night to a few bars in Greenside.  The nightlife in South Africa is a hell of a thing, I'll have to expound on that later when I've experienced more. I did see a bunch of people dressed up in costumes for Halloween, which isn't celebrated here. It was a little strange that they did it on the night before, but I'm sure that's because it was a Saturday night and Halloween falls on a Sunday this year. It's fantastic to have extended family here who cares about what I'm up to.  I'm so happy I could catch up with my cousin, and I know that I'll have the opportunity to catch up with more of my family here. I'm really looking forward to it.  I'm quite a bit sorry I couldn't connect with everyone earlier, but I'm happy it's not too late now that I'm doing so.  Life is too short to leave out family, and I intend to make sure that I don't.

Another comment in regard to South Africa's party atmosphere; the way that people work and do business here is different as well.  Things get done, and quite well at that, but people take breaks more often and seem happier and less stressed than at home in the USA.  I always see lots of people hanging out at cafes on the street, and people are always out and about at any time of day.  It's strange when I compare it to home, where you can predict the times that restaurants and businesses (like in the mall) will flare up based upon when people have their hour for lunch.  Not to say that it's not like that here to some extent, but definitely to a lesser degree.  It would appear that people have a lot more freedom.

There's also a high prevalence of the "I'll get you now, you get me later" mentality in terms of paying for drinks and food in a group.  It's a lot more convenient than figuring out checks to the dime and penny like we do at home, but I feel like that's being fazed out a bit with my friends at home as well.

My accent is doing wonders for meeting people too.  Even when I'm just conversing with someone in a public area, people will pick up on it and look over in curiosity.  Rather like people at home have trouble understanding some of my South African friends when they talk fast, people have trouble understanding me when I talk fast.  Intuitive, but interesting nonetheless!

I'm off to another brunch in a bit at one of my mom's friends. It's just starting to hot up here in terms of weather, so I'm bringing my boardshorts and am hitting the pool!

Catch ya later :)

Adam

Arrival and First Impressions

Posted at 10:11 am local time

I'm here! Traversed the Atlantic Ocean with success!

I had anticipated that I'd need to go with my aunt and mom to buy a wireless router for my grandpa's house, which is where I'm staying.  Luckily enough, she had a DSL modem/ wireless router already and didn't even know it.  I got my phone linked up to the WiFi last night, but hadn't unpacked my laptop yet-- so apologies for the late update.  All set and running now!

The flight from LAX to Atlanta wasn't too terrible; we enjoyed a rather monumental tailwind that got us in far earlier than anyone could have expected.  After that, my mom and I sat in the terminal until our flight departed at 7 pm Atlanta time.  Then it was time to sit for the roughly 12 hours it took for us to fly to Johannesburg.  Longest flight of my life.  I vaguely remember sitting through that flight in the past when I'd come to South Africa, but because I was so little, it didn't have that much of an effect on me.  After this particular instance, however, I was too exhausted when I got into OR Tambo at about 4 pm local time to do much of anything but catch the Gautrain, get picked up by my cousin in Sandton, eat, shower, and go to bed.  It took exactly 24 hours to get from door to door.

Flying in to Jo'burg after 12 years of being away is very intense.  You fly through an intense, black oblivion for hours and hours and then the sun rises over the Atlantic, turning the sky into a rich, burnt orange-blue.  Then you pass over the west coast of Africa and begin to see that it is a land of red clay dirt.  Even from the sky you can see how robust the color of the land is.  I saw numerous fires on my way in, but they all appeared to be in sparsely populated areas.  I had few memories of the flight in last time, and I can't remember what time it  arrived, but I vaguely remember the airport which is now completely different-- renovated in part for the hosting of the FIFA 2010 World Cup.  We then caught the new Gautrain (Gauteng+ train, where Guateng is the location of Johannesburg) to Sandton City, where we were met by my cousin Bianca, who was thrilled to see me after 12 years.  She hasn't changed a bit, but I'm taller than her now :P

After that, it was on to the house I only ever had memories half-a-lifetime old.  When my grampa began to slow down a few years ago, my aunt moved in with him to take care of him. She decided to renovate the house, which is now absolutely beautiful.  Vestiges of its remembered past take shape in the form of the pressed ceilings, scents, original light fixtures, and various bits and pieces that have been integrated into the newer portions.  Some rooms have retained their original purpose, but many have been repurposed.  What used to be the living room, dining room and foyer have been transformed into the suite that forms my aunt's bedroom.  The house had only one bathroom when I was last here, but that is now a storage room. The former kitchen is now a bedroom, which is to be mine for the duration of my stay.  The two bedrooms which used to be empty (but had previously served as my mom and aunt's room, and my other aunt and uncle's room in their childhoods respectively) are still the same, although they now have ensuite bathrooms, and one is my grampa's room.  My grampa and grandma's room has been transformed into the kitchen, and an entirely new area was added on consisting of the living room, dining room, and an office for my aunt.  It's crazy that I have a picture in my head of all these things before, and how I can compare them to what exists now.  Ah, nostalgia.

After a bit of supper, my aunt arrived back from a meeting, and we all spoke for a bit before retiring.  I slept well, and I have no real feeling of jetlag yet, but I was very tired after the flight, and it felt extremely refreshing to sleep while laying flat. Today, I have plans to visit my grampa, attend a birthday lunch, and probably go for a bit of an outing to buy some things to eat for breakfast.  My cousin Ricci will be returning from Port Elizabeth today, and he's going to coach me on the Dos and Don'ts for my stay in South Africa.  I'll let you know what transpires!

Time for a shower, a SHAVE (good god I have a full beard after that flight, I swear, traveling accelerates beard growth) and then to get going!  Ciao!

Adam

Foreword...

Hey guys,

Welcome to my blog; a chronicle of my trip to Johannesburg, South Africa beginning on Tuesday, October 26, 2010 and ending in January 2011.

I couldn't be looking forward to the trip more, despite the sad events which prompted it in the first place.  My grandfather isn't doing too well, and we're not too sure what the outcome of that is going to be.  Please keep him in your prayers.

In regards to posting, I'm going to try my best to post every day, keeping you updated on events as they occur in relative real time.  I have a few planned (and unplanned, I'm sure) trips that may leave me without access to my computer and/or internet, including a trip to a game reserve (For want of a better term; a Safari, for those of you who are unfamiliar) and will update whenever possible.

On to the matter of photos.  I am bringing my DSLR camera and I will upload pictures as I go if I have the time.  Look for an album on facebook!

My flight is at 9:00 am on Tuesday, October 26th, and I will spend the next roughly 24 hours in the air before touching down at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg on Wednesday, October 27.  That's when you can expect my next entry!  While I'm abroad, I will have my iPhone but will not be able to use it as a phone. I have skype on it and and on my laptop, so add me: sfvstyle.

Farewell my friends, until Wednesday!

Adam