Bits and Pieces

JOBURG

For photos of the Lion Park, go here:
https://picasaweb.google.com/110694280613933350423/SouthAfricaLionPark?authkey=Gv1sRgCIGu8-eAwISp2QE#

Life in South Africa has finally taken shape but it's been a rough 3 weeks. From a work perspective, I was working on bits and pieces of other people's projects and not understanding them completely from the getgo - but I have been taking them on and doing what I can anyway. Plus, the office is small so everyone is in their own office with their head buried in their work. So a little lonely, too.

Only now am I starting to own some projects and I can feel the momentum building. I have a reputation as somewhat of a Google expert and so any research project or funding possibility is given to me to try and find. And as luck would have it, I have been somewhat successful! I have also starting working at the CEF office once per week for the South African National Energy Research Institute (housed within CEF) where (get this) I have to build a framework protocol for water management within a structure that will achieve carbon credits within the World Bank's CDM (clean development mechanism) model. A mouthful, huh?! I have NO idea how to build a framework protocol but again, guess what, I'm going to tackle it somehow. Oh....how I WISH I could take this work back to Canada with me. VooDoo Ladies: please PRAY!!!

So here are some bits and pieces of news, thoughts, insights....etc.

The big thing here is to serve rusks for breakfast. What are they? Basically dried up pieces of bread that when dunked into a coffee or tea, expand (all into your drink) to make you feel like the rusk isn't stale. Which - because it is so dry - you wouldn't know anyway. I don't see the fascination personally.

At an LED conference I went to, they served only tea. If that had been in the U.S., someone would have been murdered. (ok - not a funny joke being in Johannesburg). But you get my point.

I'm fascinated by the South African black culture daily. For instance, when you approach a guard or someone who works at a certain facility (conference center, golf country club) and ask for directions, like "I'm looking for Building 5". "Is it this way?" Their reply "Yes, Yes". "Which way do I go?" Their reply "This way {pointing}". "So to the left?" Their reply "Yes, Yes". I go left, park and walk to get the Building 5. What building did I end up going into, you ask? Building 29.

Lesson: "Yes, Yes" for a B.S.A. (black South African) means "I really haven't a clue".

The men are very polite here. I have never opened a door for myself when there was a man there nor has a man EVER walked through a doorway before me. Plus in a buffet line, the man in front of me always invites me to go ahead of him. Someone call my ex-boyfriends and tell them what real man are like, please. I love that! Chivalry is NOT dead.

Also loving the culture that has a GIANT screen t.v. at the mall so that the locals can watch the current rugby or cricket match in the food court (how cool is that?). Office floors (at CEF) also sport flat screen t.v.s (yes, in the middle of the cubicles) so that employees can keep up with the game(s). Sure would cut down on folks in Canada secretely surfing the web to find the latest on the Masters score, wouldn't it? I vote YES.

The B.S.A. taxis are C-R-A-Z-Y. They pull across 3 lanes of traffic and come to a grinding halt. They pull back into the highway no matter who is there or how fast you're going. And when these taxis (mini-caravans) can only legally hold 8-10 people, they are carrying 12-16.

Motocyles don't use a lane, they use the dotted line as their lane. It's quite something to see them (and worse, to hear them before you see them) scream past you on the dotted line of your lane. Heaven help them if a car or two drift or happen to want to change lanes.

Work last Friday was cool. It was 4pm and Mike and I were trying to finish a UN Climate Change adaptation and mitigation proposal and so we (along with Avril and Loveos) pulled out the beer and cider. My proposal writing went much smoother (and blurrier) after that.

It's a funny psychology being white in South Africa. There are 40 million blacks and 4 million whites (and a spattering of coloreds and indians). The crime and murders are poor versus rich, as I've said before. Not white versus black. In FACT, black on black crime is higher. As one B.S.A. told me (who was shot in the back from someone wanting to steal his car), black on black crime is worse because there is a jealousy factor. Almost like they are trying to drag a part of the black class back into poverty with them?? I must say though, I can't help but smile when a see a well-to-do B.S.A. family. I see them at the malls, at the supermarkets...they are well dressed, well mannered. And they don't seem to associate themselves whatsoever with black poor. Interesting. And at the same time, I completely understand.

Since I've heard my fair share of stories if carjacking, highjacking, murders and smash-and-grabs, I am automatically leary of anyone approaching me when I'm walking or when I'm in my car. I remarked the other day as there were swarms of B.S.A. poor (I mean literally a swarm) around my car at a stop light on Saturday shoving their flyers or cheap-Chinese-crap in my face "Do you want this, do you want this?". So as I was being hyper aware, I saw 2 white teens crossing this grassy knoll towards this intersection and I think my body eased up because I thought, "ok, they're white so I'm safe". But seriously, think about that!! How wrong is that? But since I've been here, everyone has conditioned me with their warnings and their stories of the poor B.S.A....The irony is: I'll probably get highjacked by a white guy!! I mean, this is a white-crime-gold-mine of a city when you think about it. Because you would never in a million years expect it. You're so paranoid about the black man that the white man could run circles around you and strip you blind.

Check out the link above for photos of the Lion Park. It was marvy. I also went to the Walter Sisulu Botanical Gardens. Very nice and a nice, safe place to stretch my legs and walk and hike.

I've gone to the Virgin Active gym a few times now to swim. I'm getting frustrated because I still cannot get my breath and do my lane time. Can it really be taking that long to get used to swimming laps at 6,000 feet?!

Some days I don't think I'll last 3 months. And other days I feel like the time for me to leave here is right around the corner. Both make me a little anxious. Depends on if I'm having a good day or not, if I'm overtired, if I am feeling particularly friend deprived or socially devoid. My Dad asks me everytime he talks to me (and it's just about the only thing he says to me) "Are you going to make it?" i.e. I hear "Have you given up yet and realized what a mistake you've made?". I swear if I was poorer than poor, injured or lame, sad or wrecked, I would stay. Anywhere I could, doing whatever I could just to make it to 3 months. If ever you've wondered where some of my motivation comes from! So for this Dad, I say "Thanks".

Hugs, Lisa