Cape Town

Hello all,

I have now been in Cape Town for two weeks. I really like Cape Town, the pace is a lot slower here than in Johannesburg. CT is definitely more like the West Coast in the US, whereas Joburg feels more like the East Coast.

I haven't really explored the city very much yet, I have been busy at the Sports Science Institute (SSISA). But I have been working on some cool projects for SSISA. One is called the Ithuseng Project, it is for South Africa's professional soccer teams. A lot of soccer players in SA do not have a high school diploma, their highest level of education being secondary school. They have it in their mindset that they are going to be soccer stars and make a lot of money by playing for clubs overseas. In reality, despite a lot of the players having a tremendous amount of talent, only a certain number will make it big. So the players who don't make it are left at the end of their soccer careers without any job skills to fall back on. Even the players who do "make it" have a tendency to blow their money on extravagent things and end up pretty much where they began. Drug and alcohol abuse is a big problem within SA's soccer clubs.

Project Ithuseng teaches the soccer players life skills. They learn about banking, HIV/AIDs, drug and alcohol abuse, media training, nutrition, etc. If the player completes 80% of the course he or she recieves a certificate, it is something that they can put on their CV. I got to go with one of my coworkers to a local soccer team that is affiliated with the Dutch club Ajax. I got to meet the players and kick the ball around with them. It was a lot of fun.

A few days ago I went into a township where SSISA has a programme set up for the children called "Little Champs." This programme helps the children develop coordination. Recently, studies have shown that children growing up in townships are lacking some important motor skills, Little Champs is helping solve this problem by using fun games with the young children as a way to develop these motor skills. The children are adorable! I wanted to adopt every single one of them. I don't know what is wrong with me, but lately I have been feeling very motherly. It is like my internal clock has kicked in and my body is telling me that I am ready for a child of my own. I may be ready physically; but financially, emotionally, etc. I am certainly not ready to take that step. I am suffering from what I like to call "Femotion," it is when a woman is emotional for no apparent reason. If you take femotion and add children to the mix it leads to intense motherly feelings. Kittens are also bad for femotion.

On another, less emotional note, I am hoping to head to the beach this week. I would also like to climb Table Mountain and see if I can beat my previous record of reaching the top in 35 minutes. But I cannot hike Table Mountain alone because I would most likely be mugged for my tennis shoes and camera. It is only safe to go up in groups. This is unfortunate, because I would have already climbed it by now. There are some desperate people in SA who have reverted to violent acts in order to get what they need to survive. I just need to have my wits about me at all times when I am out and about. I never carry more money than what I need, I hardly ever carry a purse, and I will not walk alone at night. But really, no matter where you are in the world, you should be doing the same thing. Street smarts people.. street smarts.

On a final note, I would like to encourage all of you to check out Tegan and Sara's new albulm Sainthood that comes out tomorrow (Tuesday.) It is going to be excellent. They are talented musicians. They are also going on tour, so you should check out if they are going to be in your city! Do it for me.. so I can live vicariously through you. You will walk away a fan.. guaranteed.

Cheers!

Tight, Bright and Lumo

 

Dance Skillz...

What Internet?

Hi all,

Sorry that it has been so long since my last post. I have been a busy woman!

I am writing this full of frustrations. I just want to clarify right now, before I start to rant, that I do love South Africa. There are many wonderful things about this country. I will get into the good things another time, right now I want to talk about what needs to be changed.

First off, the internet here sucks. The entire system is ridiculous and unfair. The way you purchase Internet in South Africa is by megabytes or gigabytes. It is very expensive. You have to purchase it through a telephone company. The company I choose to purchase from is called Vodacom, which is a cellular company. I believe that there are only 3, yes 3, different cellular phone companies here. Not much competition. In order to make the internet work, I had to purchase a special USB stick that holds a SIM card. I then had to purchase a SIM card. After I bought a new SIM card I had to buy the amount of megabytes I wanted. Being that I don't have credit in South Africa, I cannot purchase a year contract with monthly plans. This is unfortunate because it would have saved me a tremendous amount of money. If I could purchase the yearly contract, I would have gotten a free USB stick-SIM card holder. Instead I had to buy one for $1,399 Rand which is around $200 US dollars. YIKES! I then purchased one gigabyte of internet access. This cost about $300 rand or $35 US dollars. This gigabyte supposedly was meant to last a month. Let me tell you how long it took me to use it all...... 7 HOURS!!!!!! I am still in shock over this.

I do not understand how companies can charge per gigabyte. It is insane, it doesn't make sense. Why are you only allowed to download a certain amount of things before being penalized? I miss the vast, great, FREE internet access in the US. I mean, it isn't really free. But it certainly isn't restricted. UGH.

The reason why companies are getting away with this is because a lot of people here are uneducated and do not understand how the internet works. They don't understand that they should not be paying per megabyte, but per month for a plan that allows unrestricted access. I am so frustrated by this that I am planning on writing in to local newspapers to make people aware of how they are being manipulated and used by companies. These companies need to change, and it all starts with public awareness to the problem. If my work Visa is denied it is because I went on an internet rampage.. but I don't care. Someone has to be the first to step up and address the problem. Let it be a stereotypical loud-mouthed American.

Profession: Rugby Player

Last night I practiced with a local women's rugby team. I was under the assumption that this would be a kick-around women's fun league type thing. I have never been more wrong in my life! We were put through intense drills, sprints, etc. There was also a full-on coach. After practice (which was a blast and a great work-out) the coach came up to me and said that he was bummed that I was moving to Cape Town for two months, but that he would be there next week and could bring my paycheck with him. MY PAYCHECK!?!?!?!?! My jaw must have hit the ground. I was, and still am, in shock. Apparently you are paid per practice and per match to play on that team. The team is affiliated to the Lions, which is a men's pro team. I practiced with a women's semi-pro team and was paid for it, as a walk on. Crazy sauce. Does this make me a professional athlete? I think so. :-)

Life is good my friends.. too good.

On the road again..

Hello friends,

Goeie more (good morning in Afrikaans). I hope everyone had a great weekend. I went to my first professional rugby match on Saturday. It was a blast and I am now addicted. :-) I actually will be practicing with a team on Wednesday. I just can't keep away from sports for too long, they keep me sane. I am a Blue Bulls fan, if anyone is wondering. Also, I recently discovered that the US has a national women's rugby team. Maybe it's not too late to pursue becoming a professional athlete after-all! ........... Just kidding Mom and Dad..... you can breath again.

Lisa, Kate, and I watching the Bulls annihilate the Griquas.

Thanks to Lisa for the awesome tickets!

On Monday I will be moving to Cape Town to work at the Sports Science Institute, I will be there for about 2 months working on a child outreach program. I will drive to Cape Town with Lynray (Ezlyn's brother). It will be a 10-13 hour drive depending on traffic, road construction, and the amount of stops we decide to make. Also, I will be driving on the opposite side of the road than what I am used to. That should be an interesting experience. The car is a manual and being that people drive on the opposite side of the road in SA, the drivers side is also opposite and you shift with your left hand. This is a strange thing to get used to.

Cape Town is a great city and I am looking forward to spending some time there. But I am sad to leave the friends that I have recently made in Johannesburg, I will be back soon though!



For the last few days I have been craving Starbucks coffee like nobodies business. There is not a single Starbucks in South Africa!!! Can you believe that? Damn. Instant coffee is very popular in SA, and it hasn't been quenching my coffee cravings. Tish is going to send me a care package though. She is a life saver! Thanks buddy!


That's all for now.

Gesondheid! (Cheers)

Hilary

Art of Living

This to me is what we should all be trying to achieve in life. It is posted on one of my coworkers walls.

The Master in the art of living makes little distinction between his work and his play, his labor and his leisure, his mind and his body, his education and his recreation, his love and his religion. He hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence in whatever he does, leaving others to decide whether he is working or playing. To him he is always doing both.

-- Zen Buddhist Text