N2 Adventures

This past weekend was a good one.
It was a 4-day weekend so a group of 8 Americans decided to go on a little road trip called the Garden Route. You basically drive from Cape Town along one highway called the N2 until your heart desires. Considering we didn't have the average amount of 2 weeks time, we only made it as far as Plettenburg Bay. But still. It was beautiful. To give you a little breakdown of what the trip looked like....

On the first day, we drove out of Cape Town for 4 hours and checked into the backpackers at Mossel Bay. We had a sweet room. 4 bunk beds so all the guys and gals slept in the same room (yah, I think we're old enough and past the cootie stage). We had an outdoor porch with the sweetest hammock I've ever seen. The place looked nice, but we had to check out early and get the show on the road. We decided to eat breakfast at Mugg & Bean. My new favorite breakfast place!! I ordered the Belgian Waffles with ice cream (hey, it's never too early for ice cream) and a cheese omelet with toast. I was hungry. To everyone's surprise, I finished every last morsel. We played a few fun games while we were waiting forever for our food. I can't wait to share them with friends back home. So after breakfast, we drove to our first activity of the trip: the Cango Caves Adventure Tour. We were led by the most serious tour guide I've ever met - he would tell us these scary things and not even flinch his emotions. It was crazy..one of our girls almost backed out but she toughed it out. He led us through a few beautiful chambers but our main fear was the end of the tour when we would have to squeeze tightly in the caves. By the end, we were pretty much on our stomachs and hands just wiggling to get through the holes and crevices. The last thing was the hardest part for me (curse my short legs!) but I managed to lift up to the platform thingamajigger. After everyone squeezed through, we walked back outside and we were never so happy to have fresh oxygen. Definitely not for a claustrophobic person! Afterwards, we drove to our next destination but stopped at various points to take photos. We stopped by the camels, the ostrich farm, and scenic mountains and valleys. We got into Kynsna in the evening time and had dinner at 34 South that Nikki & Donielle recommended to us. I ordered the Kassler Chops with sweet potato on the side - it was deelish. mmm. Some of the group went out to partyparty but most of us came back early and had some birthday cookies & cake.

The next day, we checked out pretty early. Something about the day was off from the start. The weather was gloomy and grey and our group was separated doing their own things. And the car I was in got a ticket for parking in the No Loading Zone. How were we supposed to know all the street signs and their meanings?? Two of us were sitting in the car waiting for a friend to get flu medicine from the pharmacy when an officer came up to us and handed us a ticket. He didn't even give us a warning... But ehhhh, what can we do. So anyways, we just grabbed breakfast quickly and met up with the others near the beautiful lagoons. Took some photos and then we took off for the next activity: BUNGY JUMPING. I had absolutely no desire to jump. Like...I never did. I have always wanted to go skydiving but not jump off a bridge. 4 friends were committed jumpers and 3 of us were bungy buddies who could escort them to the platform. 1 stayed behind just because. 1 out of 3 bungy buddies turned into a jumper....and it wasn't me. I had a percentage going on if I was to change my mind. It went from 5% to 98%. Yes, I was THAT sure I was going to jump. I spoke to the guy in charge and told him I wanted to sign up, but he said I could....without my friends being there. Not even a few friends! The reason behind this craziness was because a new group was coming in so something about the capacity. Sooo I said never mind and said maybe I'll come back. But now I definitely want to go back after hearing about everyone's jump and watching their videos. Besides, it's the world's HIGHEST jump. 216 meters. Eek. Just even doing the bridge walk made me a little woozy. It was awesome though because we met up with a couple of our other intern friends who were also doing the Garden Route. Sweet little reunion. After everyone jumped their fears away, we went to our next destination: Plettenburg Bay.

Easter Sunday. I went with two friends to a church across the street for service. It turned out to be a Catholic church so it worked out for my Catholic friends, and it worked out for me too cause I just wanted to go to a service. It was nice. We met up with the others and got breakfast at Europa. I ordered a layered bagel sandwich with rocket, tomatoes, and balsamic vinaigrette. Then we took off for our last adventure of the trip: ziplining! We drove about an hour away to the Tsitsikamma National Park. We got strapped up with harnesses and cables, along with dorky helmets and huge gloves, and got started right away. We did 8 ziplines - the coolest ones being the ones over waterfalls. It was a lot of fun and the day was just gorgeous. We were supposed to paintball and quad bike, but those things didn't really work out so we just drove around to some scenic areas instead. We also planned a braai (BBQ) at the backpackers' camp fire so we prepared the burgers, hot dogs, and chicken kebabs. But before dinner started, a few of us went to Flashbacks (a local pub) to watch a soccer game and to grab a few beers/pizza. It was interesting and fun because my friend, Doug, is such a passionate fanatic so we all learned a little bit more about the sport. The girls went back early to cook. It was really nice to have everyone in a circle by the fire...especially since it was our last night. We had some good laughs and stories.

The last day was pretty much spent driving back to Cape Town. I took over about 3 hours of the way back and it made me verrrrry sleepy...especially because we were stuck in bumper to bumper traffic for an hour.

All in all, I had a fantastic time. My group was young, reckless, and easygoing. I couldn't have asked for a better group.

I am PSYCHED about the few upcoming trips. I might do a Nomad trip with the boys up to Namibia, Botswana, Vic Falls, and Chobe. Possibly a 20-day camping trip.

I have another story to tell, but it is a bit of an embarrassing one.
I fell through the toilet on Tuesday.
Let me explain.
I usually stand on top of the toilet seat cover because our mirrors are a little high for me and we don't have full body length mirrors. Well, I do this pretty often...but for some reason, the seat cover decided to crack on me. I fell through and my legs/feet were cut and bruised along the way. It wasn't a very pretty sight. But I cleaned up quickly and still decided to go into work. My carpool buddy offered to take me to the hospital but I said no. When I got to work, my boss told me to go to the hospital just in case. So my co-worker drove me to the ER and I got it checked out. Turns out on my left foot, I have a deep cut with a little bit of tissue that was removed. And then on my right foot, I have a sprained toe. So yeah....I can't walk well at all because both feet are injured. Eck. I wish I had a better reason for why I'm walking this funny and why I have cuts all over my legs. Something heroic like I got in a fight with a mugger who stole someone's purse. Or even something like falling on a hike. But nope...I have to be the one who fell through the toilet. Oh well, it could've been a lot worse.

So anyways, back to the Cape Town daily grind. Yeaaah, it was hard coming back after such an amazing trip, but I can never get sick of this city and lifestyle. Lots of work to catch up on. And I am moving up to the penthouse for April and May. I am stoked beyond belief. But it's also bittersweet because about 10 interns are leaving at the end of this month. My roommate, Kelly, being one of them. :(

I've been telling a few friends that even though this year of traveling has been the most incredible experience of my life, I am almost excited to be back in Boston and just return to my student lifestyle. I miss having events to go to, having a class schedule, learning things, meeting and connecting with new people, etc. But wherever I am, I am just thankful for everything, as cheesy as that may sound. I am thankful for Cape Town, the things I am being exposed to and forced to think about, the people I am meeting, the things I am learning. And I know when I return to the states, I will be thankful for the convenience of everything, being near family and friends, and etc. But anywho, for now I am thankful for being here.

CHECKING OUT

I'm leaving for a 5-day road trip. (!!!! EXCITED !!!!) A group of 8 of us will be doing the Garden Route trip stopping at various points: Mossel Bay, Knysna, Oudtshoorn, Jeffrey's Bay, Pletteburg Bay, Tsitsikamma. Pictures & stories will be posted once I return. :)

Cheers.

Y'ello.

Hey loves,
Thanks for checking into my falling behind blog.

Want some updates?

1) I am happily overwhelmed at work. The product manager handed me over a month-long project while he is away for vacay, and also his AC-ed office (woohoo, no more sweating like a dog at work). 10 of the bowl samples came back, I set up a mini exhibition in the boardroom for the staff to choose their top 3 favorites, their top 3 dislikes, and other random questions. I narrowed it down to 5 bowls for this batch. Another batch is coming in tomorrow... and that means I need to get working on more designs for the last batch! The last will be the hardest because I need to graphically design it from our popular sardine label, while trying to stay on top of the trendy colors for the upcoming seasons. I also need to create a format for the new product catalog that we will launch on April 1. The website is lacking as much priority nowadays since it is really just a makeover for our "brand recognition" while the new product catalogs will bring in more income, which we desperately need. No complaints from me though - I like doing more creative things anyhow.

2) I ended up going to the Strandloper lunch on Saturday with Doug & Donielle. It was about an hour and a half drive outside of the city. It was located on Langebaan beach - the eating area was very rustic and quaint. Large ropes on the sandy terrain, chipped paint on random boats set up around the tables, benches set up on cement blocks filled with oyster and sea shells, and bugs everywhere ready to attack our yummy food. We arrived one or two courses late, but we still got to enjoy the mussels, seafood paella, endless bread with homemade butter/jams, braaied snoek with potatoes & sweet potatoes, and bokkoms. Oh, and also a cup of made-over-the-fire coffee to wash it all down. In between the courses, we ventured out to the beach. The water was unbelievably beautiful and clear, and the huge boulders were situated in just the right areas with seagulls perched on each of them. Sailboats could be seen from afar and the most gorgeous shells could be picked up along the shore. It was an amazing day.

3) I went to the one of South Africa's largest townships, called Khayelitsha. I went to one of Wola Nani's program sites hoping to observe another counseling session, but it was even better this time. I had to wait outside while my co-workers had a meeting, but I was surprised with a wave of school children. They were dripping beads of sweat from walking in the scorching sun, still dressed in their starchy school uniforms, and each of them had an indescribable glow. The girls danced for us, followed by the boys. They were so cute and funny. These kids are so strong. Despite all of the hardships they experience in life, they continue on with the most optimistic and hopeful mindsets. One of the girls, appearing to be the leader of the pack, was an orphan until her relatives took her in because both her parents passed away from AIDS. She was the best at English, and she wrote down all of her friends' names along with their meanings. Her name is Unathi, which means "God is with us." They inspired me.

4) I watched Blood Diamond last week and I felt like I was watching it with a new pair of eyes. After being here for a month, my sentiments about this country and culture have been changing uncontrollably. My exposure to how REAL and BEAUTIFUL this country is increases day by day.

5) I am stuck in a westernized world. Majority of my friends are American, I go along with the touristy activities, and I am comfortable... too comfortable. I would really like to branch out more with the locals and into where they live/how they live. And I would really like to start learning more about the history and framework of South Africa. Northeasterners will be going on a trip to Robben Island at the end of this month, so that gives me a lot of motivation to finish Nelson Mandela's, A Long Walk to Freedom.

6) Plans for upcoming trips are tentative, but they include the Garden Route roadtrip, a few days in Namibia/Botswana/Vic Falls, a trip up north to see baobabs!, and *hopefully* a trip to La Réunion. If all goes as planned, I will see my good friend in her home country (with active volcanoes!).

7) I am thankful for the weather lately. It is finally starting to cool down which automatically puts me in a better mood from when I used to be energy drained by the heat.

8) I miss home, inevitably. I miss the taste of my mom's cooking and the close presence of my family and friends.

I wish I could've reached 10, but I couldn't think of 2 more.
Sorry to leave y'all hanging there.

Until next time...
sending lots of love your way.

Under the Weather Bug

Something has been going around.
Something weeeeeird.
Not a flu or a cold or anything like that.
Just a grey cloud that has been sprinkling a little bit of its gloominess on people and things.
I can't quite put my finger on it, but the past few days have been a little off.
It's weird cause I thought it was just me going through my homesick/thinking about life phase, but others seem to be going through something similar at the same time.
Weird weird weird.. !

But for some comic relief, a bunch of us went to On Broadway (Short Market St.) to watch David Newton and his "Politically Incorrect" show. It was hil-ar-ious. He had me in tears at more than I can count on one hand. He dived into areas that left a lot of us "politically correct" Americans uncomfortable, but I personally thought he was just making a good joke out of a bad situation. Laughing never hurt anyone, right? He was also one of our South African friend's (Siv) good friend, so he came by our table before and after to say hello. Funny guy.

And yesterday was what...Tuesday?
Ahhh that's right.
Another karaoke night at Catu Irish Bar.
If it wasn't for all us Connect interns, the place would've been dead.

My new roommate came in yesterday from Zambia. Well, she's actually from Wisconsin but she was volunteering for a month in Zambia. She seems like a cool girl so far and I'm excited to get to know her.

I had two driving lessons with my carpool buddy, Keith, last week.
It was pretty successful in the aspect that I got the concept down... but when I took it out on the streets, the pedestrians seemed deathly afraid of me. When I reached a crosswalk, I had to stop cause so many cars were moving back and forth, and people were trying to cross. So everytime I put my foot on the brake, I would forget to keep it on the clutch also. And not to mention they have London-style streets! Too much multi-tasking for me. So literally, I stalled out about 5 times at the crosswalk. I had to turn the engine back on, put it into the first gear, make a fool out of myself, etc. etc. etc. But it was fun. I think I will try to drive home from work today....

Things are reaaaally picking up at work.
I have lots to do hence the lack of blogging this past week! (Sorry to my loyal reader, Ria).
:)
I'm excited about the new project I got because it's like...my own!
After the April 1 deadline, I'll be smooth sailing. But for now, it's just crunch time everyday.

Tea time.

Love y'all.

And I say hey, hey, hey, hey

I still have "What's Going On" stuck in my head after last night's karaoke session at Catu Irish Bar. I was too full and food coma-ed out to do anything so I enjoyed people scream their hearts out instead. My favorite was when the same lady went out for 5 songs in a row. And my least favorite part was when the karaoke DJ tried to pull me out on the stage when he saw me singing along to "Fly Me to the Moon." I persistently denied because I didn't feel like making a fool out of myself.

The reason for me being so food coma-ed out was because a group of us went to Africa Café for dinner beforehand. Located on the corner of Hout Street, it looks pretty standard from the outside. But when we entered the restaurant, we were greeted by two beautiful South African women dressed in traditional wear and makeup. As they escorted us to our table, I caught a few glimpses of the restaurant; there were so many colors and crafty decors that I couldn't help but squeal. And the best part about it was my friend recognized a few of the Wola Nani bowls at their giftshop! I'm glad they're really getting out there and I am going to do my best to make them known. But back to the dinner table. We were told that we were going to be sharing a "communal feast" which is common in South Africa, where meals in bowls come out continually. I can't remember the count of how many different dishes we tried, but it was definitely over 10. From cheesy Cassava bread, to Zanzibar bean stew, to Morrocan chick pea and phyllo parcels, to Ethiopian Sik Sik Wat, just to name a few. But before we feasted our hearts out, we began with a hand washing ceremony where the ladies came around with a pitcher of fresh lemon water and a bowl to catch the falling water from our hands. They said South Africans tend to use their hands a lot during meals so it was only appropriate. Lauren, Katie, Natasha, and I shared two bottles of 2006 Riesling from the local vineyard, Stellenbosch. Nothing but delicious and refreshing. The ladies came out again and brought with them bowls and bowls of food, along with explanations of what each food was and where it originated from. I've never seen so many colors and flavors on one table before. My favorites were the Spicy Chicken Salad, Mozambican Peri Peri Prawns, the Cassava bread, and the Ethiopian lamb cooked in paprika sauce. Mmm'mmm'good! After all the courses came out, we could decide if we wanted to order anything else. The price is fixed because it is a set menu, so we could eat away to our heart and stomach's content without being charged for it. I'm glad I had a light lunch yesterday because it is definitely a meal that you want to be prepared for - pretty much like Thanksgiving. Oh, and to end it all off, we were brought out teacups poured with an option of Rooibos tea or Kenyan coffee, and a Lemon & Almond Tart to nibble on. It was definitely one of the best dining out experiences of my life, and my favorite one so far in Cape Town. Altogether the price came out to R220, which is a little over $30. WELL worth it, though. I took photos of each dish that came out and warned my dining mates beforehand how obnoxious it will seem, but c'mon....someone's gotta do it.

I'm pretty much spending my month's food money on this week alone because I still have two or three big eating experiences. One in just a few hours with Donielle - we will be going to Sushi Zone right around where we both work, and the best part....it has a Korean menu! I am so ecstatic about it. Another is this Saturday for a Connect-123 organized trip to eat a Strandloper lunch. It's going to be located at a stunning beach on a lagoon where we basically just eat and eat and eat with the accompaniment of live guitar music. Meals will be served in individual courses extending over a three to four hour period (10 couses. oh my god!). There's going to be an open braai area with mussels soaked in wine and traditional treats like paella, angel fish, sweet potatoes, and bread.

So much for losing my France baguette weight.

Just a random goal I have: I want to open a huge restaurant (size of a factory) where I will have 4 compartmental restaurants once you get inside - flavors from all over the world, but personal to where I've been and am attached to. France, South Africa, South Korea, and probably Atlanta or Boston. I'm shooting for by the time I'm 30. My brother already said he'll manage one of them. Haha. But seriously, food is my life. It's everyone's life if you really think about it. There are snooty connoisseurs who eat nothing but the best, and there are ordinary eaters who are content with items from the McDonald's dollar menu. But the point is, everyone needs food to survive. And I'm sure it's not just my favorite thing, but isn't good food in good company one of the best things in life? Food is like glue - it brings everyone to the table, young and old, black and white, he and she.

But enough of my shpeal on food, I have an important announcement to make.
I will be skydiving next weekend with a few friends from my internship program and I am scared out of my wits. Some e-moral support will be nice over the next week, please. :)

Work is picking up again. I got a new project I'm working on and it's a lot of fun and just around the corner of what I love to do - working hands on with colors, combinations, and developing new products.

I wonder if it's possible to extend my stay here for the rest of my life...?

hmph!

South Africa to allow elephant killing???!!!

NOOOOOOO :*(

Another (for-my-own-sake) Recap

It's supposed to rain today.
I hope it does...it's been too hot lately. We need a cool down.

A recap of another great few days cause my memory is awful.

Friday - No work. I did some chores, went out to Crush for lunch with some of the girls, haggled prices for souvenirs at Green Market, chilled on the rooftop with Foster's & good company, went to The Assembly for the Dirty Skirts & Johnny Neon concert, and then hung out at the Neighborhood on Long St.

Saturday - Woke up early, surprisingly. Went to Clifton Beach, but left after an hour because the wind was too harsh so it felt like it was whipping us. Went to V & A Waterfront and had a yummy fish & chips meal with live music in the background, took a really long nap, and then woke up again to go out to Long St. for Natasha's birthday bash. From Baghdad to Neighborhood to Dubliner to The Waiting Room.

Sunday - Woke up early again, surprisingly. But this time with a reason. Went to church with Doug - it was really nice and.....refreshing. Came back home and cooked banana pancakes & scrambled eggs/omelets for Natasha & April's birthday brunch. Made pages for Natasha's birthday/going-away scrapbook present. Ate birthday cake & pizza with good conversations. Finished the night with watching A Very Long Engagement.