Consistency can never be overrated. If I had kept a dependable blog every week, I would not be overwhelmed now.  A lifetime happens in 24 hours here let alone two weeks but I digress – let’s give this our best shot…

In the last two weeks I have gone shark cage diving, biked 142k to Cape Point and back, spent 10 hours in a hospital, had my phone stolen (again), fraternised with baboons and their babies, watched documentaries on roof tops, further developed my Xhosa language and muay thai skills all while enjoying some Cape Town wine on the side and working a 9-5.  Each of these stories plays a part in my journey. Whether I am pushing my limits biking 12 hours, looking into the soul of a Great White, sleeping on the hospital floor waiting for my Zimbabwean friend to have his gashed leg (bone showing) stitched up, learning clicks and vocab from the Xhosa ladies, or sweating like a pig at Dragon Power gym sparing with a friend, I am discovering and challenging who I am every day.

142k bike ride!
The big question is whether you are going to be able to say a hearty yes to your adventure.

TOGETHER we stand, TOGETHER we fall, TOGETHER we win, and winners take ALL!

The man who thinks he can and the man who thinks he can’t are both right. Which one are you?”

shark cage diving!

Through these endeavors, I also have the opportunity to be exposed to a variety of people from different walks of life.  The majority of locals here are physically active to the extreme.  There is always someone who is ready to hike a mountain and conquer the world with daring acts of adventure, biking and diving. The lovely ladies who clean the house are teaching me Xhosa. They are so patient with me and sometimes in between learning ‘I am hungry’ (ndilambile) and ‘Where do you stay’ (uhlalaphi?), I get to hear their stories.  Yesterday, the youngest of the four was telling me an embarrassing tale of her friend who was married to a Zimbabwean.  Her friend speaks Xhosa but Zimbabweans speak shona. Upon meeting her in laws her friend greeted them with the informal shona  greeting. The in laws were shocked and never forgave her ignorance. My friend has been married for 7 years to her Zimbabwean husband but since hearing that story has refused to meet the in-laws in fear of making a foupa and embarrassing her husband. At first I was indignant. I needed to empower this woman to take life by the horns and confront the in-laws whether speaking Xhosa, shona, or jibberish- no one should live in such fear! But then she talked of the love she had for her husband and how blessed she was to have such a man in her life. Her eyes lit up when talking about him and the thought of making trouble for him with his parents broke her heart. She says she will know when she is ready and in a better place (she doesn’t want to be a cleaner when she meets them and wants to be fluent in shona)

I learned a lot about family that day.

After X-rays, consulting, stiches and bandages and even though it took 10 hours to be seen at the hospital, my friend got better care than I would of in the States and it cost a fraction of what I would of paid in Oregon.  While in the waiting room, I saw dead bodies being rolled by, mutated jaws due to a hammer fights, and fingers falling off. The chaos was organized however and by the end of the night everyone had been serviced.

I got to be an observer of South African health care that night.

After a little tumble on the scooter. Such a great experience at the hospital!

The most exciting thing that has taken place over these two weeks has been meeting and working with Kim Highfield.  In 2010 she opened the first children’s hospice in South Africa. After her 3 year old daughter was diagnosed with cancer, she realized the extreme lack of support for families with terminally ill children. Her patron is Desmond Tutu and hopefully I’ll be able to meet him before my visit is over!  Recently I have been cleaning and organizing the place and setting up her social media in order to communicate more effectively and stay connected. I am writing an article on the work she is doing and I couldn’t be more excited.

Kim and Jill getting ready for the children at the Hospice

My take away messages from these last few weeks include: never stop pushing, tugging and challenging doors to be open. Never say no to an experience. Love everyone but don’t trust everyone.  Anything is impossible until it’s done and the Ukulele brings joy and happiness.

Uke playing on the train….didn’t get kicked off so I guess thats a good sign ; )