Getting started

Hello everyone!

It is cold and raining here, just like Portland in the winter except that none of the buildings here have any heat in them! That makes me want to stay in bed a really long time in the morning, even though I should get up and do things :). My backpacker is REALLY noisy on weekend nights, too! The partying seriously goes on until 5:00 or 6:00 in the morning. But I hope I'll be out of there and into other lodging soon. Now that I'm up and out I think I will browse a used bookstore because I am almost done with the books I brought with me. And somehow, nothing feels better than curling up with a cup of hot tea and a book when it is gross and rainy out (not to mention unsafe after dark).

For anyone who is interested, I now have a cell phone and you can email me to get the number. There is a way to do free international calling, but I left that info at home so I'll have to email it to all of you another day. But incoming calls should be free on my phone, so as long as you can calculate the time difference (9 hrs ahead) I would love to talk to you!

I am at loose ends today, but I found a really nice coffee shop/cafe where I sat and had some coffee and some butternut squash soup. It was tasty! My stomach is bothering me a bit, but I think that's just because I am still nervous about a lot of things. It's interesting to feel that way, because I can't remember ever having a physical reaction to nervousness that lasted longer than a few hours. I think I will feel a lot better once I have a long-term place to live. I am seriously considering the shared-houses that one of the other SAEP volunteers recommended. It sounds like you have to start out in a backpacker-style lodge with dorm rooms and shared facilities, but that you can move to a nicer lodge (owned by the same people) after a little while. The nicer lodges have much more space, private rooms, and bathrooms (most of which have showers) in the rooms. I might try to live there for a few weeks and if I don't enjoy it I will try to find another place. It sounds nice because it will be easy to meet students and travelers, which might be harder if I were to take a room in someone's home (I had a recommendation for a nice lady who has two rooms to let). We'll see! It seems like everyone at SAEP has friends outside of work that they spend a lot of time with, so I want to make sure I can also meet other people.

There is a lot of ATM fraud here... which makes sense, but still feels strange after living in Iowa for four years :). Everyone warns you not to use an ATM that is outdoors, or one without a guard near it. Yes, they actually have security guards at their ATMs! Apparently it's the most common form of theft and it happens most to tourists who aren't careful. The thieves somehow get the machine to jam with your card in it, and most people don't realize until after you have entered your PIN. At which point you go inside to notify the bank, and the thief robs your account and takes your card. So far, none of this has happened to me... the backpacker has been very nice about suggesting ATMs to use, they must have a lot of experience with stupid tourists :).

There are also these funny taxis here called "minibus taxis" that are essentially minivans, and they run through the city with an operator who calls and whistles out the side window. They'll stop anywhere and pick you up if you wave, or let you off anywhere you ask. They are more common than actual buses or commuter trains. It's a funny system, but really cheap. There are some routes that are unsafe to take the minibus on because the drivers are a bit crazy, but the one running from Observatory (where the shared houses are) and Rondebosch (where the SAEP office is) is a safer one because you don't have to go on the freeway. Anyhow, I got to ride one yesterday and it was an interesting experience!

Anyhow, that's all the news from here! Hope to hear from all of you soon!

I've Arrived!

I arrived in Cape Town yesterday afternoon and I feel like I'm just barely getting my feet under me! It is rainy here and cold-ish... nothing like Iowa but still pretty chilly. I'm staying at a hostel in the city bowl, which is basically tourist central. I'll be contacting the South African Education Project this afternoon, they're helping me get set up with my first group. Actually, I should have done that already, but I'm a bit shy when it comes to calling people. I guess that will have to change!

Anyhow, I was feeling very confident until I started talking to some of the other travelers at my hostel yesterday. Everyone seems to think that it is just SO dangerous here, which makes me nervous about doing the simplest things. But despite my personal apprehensions, I had to venture out today to get food...I'd been mostly eating airport food until now, so I had to be daring and go for a walk in broad daylight :). Seriously, though, I didn't expect to feel nearly this nervous just being here.

Another surprise--hostels don't heat their rooms! So it's a good thing that I brought a sleeping bag. At least this hostel has hot water... the one I stayed at in Joburg was seriously lacking in that department. I'm not sure what's going to happen for me in terms of housing, I guess I'll find out after I call Norton this afternoon. If nothing else, I can always stay at the hostel for a few nights longer than I'd planned.

Anyhow, over and out! I hope that all of you are enjoying summer back in the Northern hemisphere!

Four Days and Counting!

Hello again!

This time I am coming to you from my home in Portland, OR... a mere 4 days before I depart on my trip! I am stocked with fancy travel gadgets and wondering how I will ever fit my gear into my bags. I'm really hoping to get by with just my large backpack to start with, since I know I'll acquire more throughout the year.

Finally, there has been a victory on the visa front! After many MANY trials and tribulations I received my year-long visa to South Africa via FedEx yesterday (5 days before departure). Now, it's not that I didn't get all the ridiculous amounts of paperwork in to the consulate in time, actually, I did. But deadlines are flexible there, it seems, and allowing four weeks for a visa that is supposed to process in five days was just barely enough. In fact, I got a call on Tuesday (7 days before departure, three weeks after the consulate received the application) notifying me that a Portland police department clearance was not sufficient, although this was never mentioned in the application packet, and I had to run out to get fingerprinted so that I could apply for an FBI clearance. Personally, I wonder how many people make this mistake, since the requirement simply asks for a "police clearance"! Surely they could save some time at the consulate by being more specific? But anyhow, I got the visa and I can go :).

I have four flights to get me to my first destination--Cape Town, South Africa. A couple full days of travel... Portland-->New York-->Dubai-->Johannesburg-->Cape Town... on three different airlines, and a strong hope that my baggage makes it there with me :). I'm starting out in Cape Town with the South African Education Project, which can connect me with a township high school that has had a marimba program for several years. It also turns out that the SAEP needs someone with knowledge of basic laboratory chemistry to help them start up a science unit, so I'll be useful on more than one front. There are also rumors of a music camp in Gabarone that I might dash over to in August, but I can't seem to find out when, what, or where this festival is, so it's still just a rumor.

So, with that I am over and out. I hope to have some pictures and another update for you in about a week!