Two weeks in the making….

Posted on March 6, 2013 by pricemv

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 ; )

Back again.

Posted on February 25, 2013 by pricemv

A flatmate gone and a new place

Posted on February 20, 2013 by pricemv

Feb 8th – 21st

Sierra one of my flatmates left for USA the 9th. Leaving me with one flatmate. I miss hanging-out with her,but if I ever go to Chicago I can hang out with her again. ^_^

I went to my NZ family’s place and got to see the 2/3 week old kittens! They at so cute! I loved spending time with the kittens and the family. I helped give the kittens a flea bath and Meka the mother cat one too. I also helped one of the kittens finish opening his eyes, for he was the only one with his eyes partly closed. the rest of the litter had there eyes fully open. The is four kittens 2 female and 2 male. they were walking about very wobbly then and watched with curiosity.

I worked on Monday at the Gallery. It was just me and another lady working that day, because the three main people had to be somewhere else. So I helped open and close the gallery, plus anything else that needed to be figured out and computer work. Tuesday I only worked half a day because I had gotten a mi-gran with looking at the computer with out my glasses. I was only going to take an hour nap at my flat and then come back to work at 1pm, but I slept though my alarm and didn’t wake until 7pm! so I just went back to sleep, and went in on the next day to finish my work.

On Valentine’s day I got to talk to my Grandparents and my sister Rachel! I miss the so much. then went to oriental beach and swam in the bay/ocean. it was very salty, cold but not numbing cold like Oregon’s ocean and it was clearish. I think I even saw a fish.

At Zealandia I helped decorate the wedding table decore. all’s they had was green plants and some planted in clear jars showing the dirt. Anna was frustrated with the little thought that went into their decorations. so she assigned me to make them look better for the photos that were to be taken for a website to advertise Zealandia’s weddings. And that’s what I did. 🙂

Sunday I visited my NZ family and got to taste native cooking. In the old day’s the Maori would dig a hole then put hot rocks in it, then the food covered in cloth and lastly Banana leaves and dirt. it’s called Māori hangi ovens. The family mondernised it with no hole, hot rocks, chicken wire, food wrapped in tinfoil and heaps of wet newspapers. the food tasted good.After eating I saw the kittens again and now they were wobbly playing. so cute!

Monday I got to talk to my sister Talya! that was a lot of fun!and on Wednesday after work Katie and I (with the help of Angela) moved to a hostle, cause the lodge was filling up with students from the University. So here I am at the library to get free internet because the new place has none.

What would life be without people?

Posted on February 19, 2013 by pricemv

Let us be grateful to people who make us happy, they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom. ~marcel proust~

What a joy people are. I love food, a personal accomplishment, a beautiful sight or an exciting challenge, but what gives all these things colour is the interactions with others during such pursuits. I have been so blessed with the people I am able to interact daily with here in Cape Town. The interns: At first, I was determined to distance myself from the other interns. Although we all come from different countries and are working at unique job placements, I didn’t want anything anchoring me to a label as ‘tourist,’ ‘foreigner’ or the very worst…’American’ ; ) There’s about five apartment style houses throughout Cape Town and 50 interns total. After I got off the plane at 11:30 pm, jet lagged, hungry, and giddy the first night, I ran into some of them going to Stones (a pool bar with half price beers on Wednesday!). Even though they didn’t cut the local label I was searching for, I couldn’t resist going out and downloading about my flight and first impressions of SA. From that night on, I realized I had met a very amazing group of people.

High tea at the Nelson Mandela Hotel with some of my very stylish intern friends ; )

Everyone has come here to invest in a career they feel passionately about- whether that be international law, medicine, film, marketing, social work or financing, each has a story that intrigues and inspires. Ester is from Belgium and is studying international law in Cape Town while interning at a refugee centre. She was the first to show me around the city (the fateful sunburn initiation day) and I’ve learned so much from her about being graceful in difficult situations and since she is a bit of a wine snob, I’v likewise developed a more sophisticated taste for the fermented grape . Kristy is from Singapore, went to school at NYU, was a competitive Latin dancer, and later worked on Wall Street as a banker. Now she researches policies that alleviates poverty in SA and scuba dives with me on the weekends: ) Precious is from New Orleans and has just been offered a yearlong job with the organization she is working for here. Precious is my American friend when we need to talk loud and eat lots and reassure each other that America isn’t as bad as everyone says. I could write pages about all the other interns, the adventures I’ve had with them, and how amazing they all are- but in conclusion I love my experience as an individual and as part of this incredible group.

some of my dearest friends from Singapore, Belgium and New Orleans

The locals: When it comes to locals there are huge discrepancies in background, race, and economic status. Regardless though, I thrive and live for every interaction good, bad, interesting, awkward or incredible. Afrikaners are from Dutch decent and were the first Europeans to settle in SA. I know how they put up such a fierce fight against the British during the Boer wars now. They are survivors for sure but can come across as a bit abrupt or rude. I’ve really started to appreciate the ones I come in contact with however. Cobus is Afrikaans and is a taxi driver. It’s not safe to take the train after dark so Cobus and I have become quite good friends since he gives me a ride, the inside scoop on Cape Town news, and antidotes from his personal life fairly often. The vendors are also some of my favourite people. Always ready to sell something but also up just for a little chat, my vendor friends have perfected my bargaining skills, and ability to strike up a conversation any time of the day.

These girls were born in Botswana but now live in Canada but have German citizenship!

Co-workers: I am so blessed that I get to invest in the people and product of one small seed. From 9-5 every day I am with creative minds and although the team is small, we get life done! This morning the Editor-in-Chief/founder Giuseppe was interviewed on the radio and we enjoyed a little break as we huddled around the speakers to listen to him. The publication is going through some changes concerning productions which allow me to be part of transitions and decision making, making work interesting. I feel like there is the right balance of professionalism and familiarity at work and it’s been an ideal environment to grow as a journalist.

Devils peak hike wasn’t as productive as I had hoped

There is countless interactions routine and spontaneous that I could talk about but in respect to room and the patient reader who has read this far, I will save those stories for another time. here are some links to some of the stories I’ve published https://www.onesmallseed.com/2013/02/passionate-art-interview-with-anwar-davids/ https://www.onesmallseed.com/2013/01/inked-skin-deep-2013-cape-town-tattoo-convention-makes-permanent-impression/ https://www.onesmallseed.com/2013/01/through-rose-glasses-paris-caught-in-coloured-past/

just another day in Cape Town

Scuba diving at the beach! So incredible and something I want to keep doing for the rest of my life

A classic dance moves by some friends

at the train station entertaining on a Sunday afternoon

beer after a day of diving with friends = <3

I want to have a good body but I love food more

Nothing like a classy bar after a hard day of eating sweets and treats

Reality Check

Posted on February 10, 2013 by pricemv

Clarity comes only after confusion, I am certain. When one is away from a normal routine the mind is free or rather forced to explore new possibilities and options. Potential for floundering and discontentment but also clarity is awakened with this new horizon of opportunities. This marks my 4th Wednesday in Cape Town and I am now experiencing some much needed clarity. Of course this “clarity” formed only after some pretty major mind freak out (of which I am sure will manifest themselves again before I am safely on my dying bed -all secrets of the universe known and meaning of life in the bag) but for now those freak outs are mute.

There was a point last week that I felt very defeated. My phone was stolen, I couldn’t figure out the technology at work, and I ordered a chocolate milkshake after vowing them off. My mind started down the slippery slope of comparison. I mind stalked dozens of people who already have a Wikipedia page, 100, 0000 hits on YouTube, those who have excelled in their craft and stand as the best or are in the pursuit of a goal they know they can attain with the right amount of dedication and people who run ultra marathons for kicks and giggles. I got this chip on my shoulder that I wasn’t Justin Bieber, Anderson Cooper, or Michelle Obama.

Because of this distraction, I almost forgot I was participating in my dream internship in one of the most exotic and stimulating countries in the world. Already I have published a half dozen articles on our online magazine, researched countless topics ranging from new inventions to classic art, interviewed Oscar nominated directors and now in the process of shooting a documentary and writing a script based on the Kwaito dance/music movement. In other news I can navigate public transportation like a boss and just got my scuba diving license! My social network has grown, my mouytai martial arts moves developed, eating habits improved, hiking skills perfected and cultural awareness ballooned. Last week I went to a J&B horse race that was a flurry of colours and a feast for the eyes (all the who’s who people were there in extravagance)then to Mzoli’s meat market that was incredible. Mzoli is one of the most successful business men in the townships and has created a dance and braai(bbq) feast for tourists and locals alike. I have so many plans for the next few weeks (wine tour, holi festival, rugby game, robins island, museums, the beach, shark cage diving….) I just wish I had a few more life times here!

The international tattoo convention was held here (got to write an article about it!)

Ludwig the chicken has been to over 8 countries with me…best travel companion ever

Mzoli’s famous meat market

meat for daysss

a classic braai

this guy just started rapping outside of Mzoli’s it was all in Xhosa but so full of passion

sunday best for a day at Mzol’s

on the rooftops of the buildings there is the mini bus station and opportunity for gambling

my friend is an intern at a surf shop (lucky duck) so I had to see her office

Karaoke night at the beach with the brits!

my gate to my little home : )

phase 1 complete of scuba diving! completely thrilling experience

part of my work space at one small seed

the yoga ball

Every day to work I see the beautiful flower market

more mini buses!

Jan 22-28

Posted on February 7, 2013 by pricemv

Nothing much happen during the week other then working at the gallery and at Zealandia in their cafe. I got to learn how to make coffee for the first time. That was interesting. I messed up a lot but by the end of the day I could make a decent white flat coffee.

The weekend was the exciting part. ^_^ my flatmates and I went to Christchurch on the South Island. We found cheap airplane tickets and flew over. It was a really short flight. We spent the day walking around and finding the hostel we were to stay at. It was beautiful and sunny time being there.

Sunday we went to a big outside market then went to the museum. After that we saw a little of the botanical gardens. It was beautiful! I wish we had more time to see the rest of the gardens. At the end of the day we sat in the Jacuzzi at the hostel and chatted with the other backpackers there.

Monday we went to the zoo and got to hand feed Giraffes 🙂

and saw their 9 week old calf. We saw a lot of cool animals there. After that we had to fly back to Wellington so we could get to work the next day.

I had fun there even though I saw the damage of the earthquake that happened 2 years ago Christchurch is still a beautiful place.

Week One: Orientation, Matriculation, and General Settling

Posted on February 1, 2013 by pricemv

Ten A.M. becomes a rather peculiar brand of early when sleep deprivation is mixed with jet-lag. I probably wouldn’t have woken up at all if it weren’t for the fact that all of the American study abroad students were put in the same buildings so I heard my flatmates getting ready to leave. We bused over to Craiglockhart campus, one of three main ones for Napier and where the orientation was going to be. Luckily it’s not where my classes are because it’s an hour walk from my flat. I may or may not have confirmed this myself in order to get a picture of it.

I didn’t get a picture on the day due the previously mentioned sleep deprivation/jet-lag combo. I don’t think it would have mattered if I remembered anyway since I’m pretty sure my camera was still buried in my bag at this point.

The real point of interest of the event, which was mostly just logistical details, was their list of 10 Things to do While in Scotland (I might have added the capitals myself. I honestly don’t remember.) I wrote them all down, but I know I at the very least omitted “do a pub crawl,” and I think I might have condensed one or two points, so my list only consists of seven.

One: Go on the Edinburgh ghost tour. I wasn’t actually aware this existed, so I’m glad they pointed it out. I do remember my mom telling that Edinburgh has portions of underground city, so that’s something I’d like to check out too.

Two: Climb Arthur’s Seat. Which can apparently get really icy, so you have to make sure it’s a nice day. Probably going to wait for the weather to get a little nicer before I think about doing that. So, the way things are going, I might not get up there at all.

Turns out I can actually see it from my window. That, along with the fact that it’s name does in fact refer to the King Arthur of legend, is the extent of my knowledge on this particular piece of geography. I can also see a tree covered in ivy from my window, but I doubt it has any significance beyond looking cool.

Three: Go to the Highlands and the West Coast. We do get two weeks off for Easter, (interesting little example of none secularization there) so that might end up happening.

Four: Try Haggis and Irn Bru. It’s nice to have haggis confirmed as something you Have To Have by actual Scottish people because you hear about it so much in the states you start to wonder if this is just something Americans obsess over. It isn’t, in case you were wondering. Irn Bru, which I’d never heard of before, is a Scottish soda. It is amazing.

It also happens to be something that defies description. The best I can say is “it tastes like Irn Bru,” which probably has every writing teacher I’ve ever had hanging their head in defeat.

Five: Go to a Ceilidh. Another thing I hadn’t heard of before. It’s a type of dance thing I know embarrassingly little about, but if I get the chance I think I’ll go.

Six: Go to the Edinburgh Beltane Fire Festival. I should probably find out when that is….

Seven: Go to a rugby and/or football match. I’m not a sports person myself, but since neither of those have anywhere near the popularity in the states that they have here, I think it’s some thing I should do anyway.

Not much happened on Monday after that, beyond almost managing to get myself lost walking back.

This is not the street I’m supposed to turn onto. This doesn’t even look like the street I’m supposed to turn onto. The only reason I went down here to begin with was because I’d been walking for awhile and it felt like I should be there already and there was a street there so hey, why not?

Tuesday I got to meet the academic advisers for my faculty (division) which consisted of the distributions of the forms we needed for matriculation (a word which is new to me) and a powerpoint about Napier University and scotland in general. The advisor giving the powerpoint presentation brought up Braveheart as one of the things people think of as quintesntially Scottish along with kilts and bagpipes. Considering I spent most of my time growing up confusing Braveheart with Die Hard, I can safely say that isn’t the case for me.

The rest of the week was spent figuring out where to buy dishes and textbook, though not all in one place. Universities here apparently don’t have their own bookstores, so there’s a chain that focuses specifically on academic texts.

I figured out the route to get here using google maps’ satilite view and I didn’t realize why it looked wrong to me until I actually walked down the path and realized their pictures had been taken back when the trees had leaves.

Then when the weekend rolled around I went on a photo adventure. I anticipate I’ll be going on a lot of photo adventures, be it at museums or, as in this case, just by wandering around random neighborhoods.

42 of my 152 photos were close ups of stone walls, if you wanted any indication of what my photo adventures tend to be like.

22 hours later…

Posted on January 28, 2013 by pricemv

My first time studying abroad and I get lucky enough to get a flight that has a 22 hour travel time. I literally lost a day to international travel, I suppose I can officially cross that off of my list, but I am so happy that I did!

When I first landed in Scotland all I saw was the snow. I expected it but I did not expect as

Snow all around me!

much. I always had this notion that Scotland had a lot of snow, but apparently that is not the case. The locals do not like the snow here at all. Seeing as how they have cobble stone streets I can completely understand why, but when I think of Scotland I think of four things: snow, kilts, haggis, and bagpipes. Three out of the four being correct is not that bad though I have got to say.

The picture to the right is my view from my room overlooking the meadows with Arthur’s Seat in the background. Just looking at all of the greenery makes it almost appear to be Oregon, but Oregon is much warmer than Scotland.

Road lines in Scotland.

The program that I am with was kind enough to provide airport pickup so I did not have to worry about figuring out airport pick-up right after getting off of a 22 hour travel excursion. His driving though tarified me. All of the lines on the road are different and he had no problem with dialing and talking on his phone while he weaved in and out of cars, and for a minute at the beginning I forgot that they drive on the opposite side of the road than we do back in the states, so I was not a fan of that as well. They have some lines on the road that are rig rag and have not been able to figure out a cause or a meaning as to what they mean.

One thing that did strike me as odd while driving from the airport to my apartment was that they have a lot of Subways, I mean a lot! In a three block radius you can find four different ones. I was completely not expecting Subway to have such a huge store front

Delicious Subway!

here, it made me laugh. I expected McDonalds, but never in my wildest fantasies Subway, but I love it! I have had Subway so much since I have arrived it is amazing! Between all of the delicious Scottish food and all of the Subway I am sure that I will be coming home a couple of pant sizes bigger!

-Haylee

Airports And A Few Other Things

Posted on January 28, 2013 by pricemv

When traveling, especially to a new place, I’m so focused on making sure I remember all the major things, that I often forget the smaller things.

Like taking pictures.

With the camera I buried in the middle of my luggage.

And therefore couldn’t have gotten to anyway.

Which unfortunately means I don’t have any pictures of Heathrow or Edinburgh airport.

Heathrow was possibly the strangest part of the trip because it wasn’t like any other airports I’ve been to. To start, it was bigger than Sea-Tac (the airport I am the most familiar with), but I think the part I found strangest was the way it didn’t feel like an airport. Instead it was more like a mall that decided to include international flights as one of its services, provided malls had a 50/50 ratio of normal shops to duty free ones. The thing I most wish I had gotten a picture of was the children’s play structure that I ended up sitting next to, not just because it existed (really, more airports should have them) but because it was simple unobtrusive colors of muted purple and grey rather than the bright, gaudy colors that structures in places geared towards children tend to be.

Edinburgh airport by contrast was very much an airport, with a lower concentration of shops that where very clearly geared towards things that travelers might need. Not much time was spent there beyond waiting for the shuttle driver who took me and the other international students from my flight to the student accommodations where we would be staying.

( House 28 is separated from House 34 by a Tavern. I’m curious what happened to Houses 29 through 33, but I feel I’d get lost if I went looking for them. I’m not all that interested in what happened 1 through 27 though. Also, Word Press won’t let me add my descriptions of my pictures as a caption right now, so I’m going to have to add them this way until the Deities of the Internet decide to smile upon me again. )

This is the point where I wanted to just go to sleep since I had slept a grand total of not at all on the plane, but I was also hungry and the site director for my program had set up a dinner at The Blackbird so everyone here with CIS could meet each other, so I ended up going to that.

( Their fish stew was more a pile of fish and potatoes and some shellfish than a thick soup, which is what I thing of as stew, but it was tasty. Also, I found out I have no idea how to eat mussels. )

I wasn’t really able to retain much information from the conversations over dinner since it was loud so I couldn’t hear anyone, and I was really tired, but it was fun none the less.

After that there wasn’t much to do but go to bed so I could get up for orientation in the morning.

Monday Through Friday

Posted on January 27, 2013 by pricemv

Sights, sounds, friends, drink, food, adventure- all these things are incredible aspects to this journey in Cape Town. Work, however is why I am here and why I rise at 6 am to catch the train to Cape Town Center and make my little 30 minute commute to one small seed studio. With a courtyard out front complete with ferns, a water fountain and benches, I am immediately refreshed as I asked to get buzzed in through the gates out of breath with a “this is Heather so sorry I am a bit late!” We all sit on yoga balls at the office. This strengthens our core and work ethic. I’ll introduce you too a few fellow yoga ball bouncers- Geseppie is the editor-and-chief, from Luxembourg, and very fashionable indeed. Sarah is an editor who is always upbeat and just has that cool vibe that is contagious and then Loyiso is our film editor who is helping me with the language Xhosa. I would feel like the girl from ‘The devil wears Prada’ because of how unfashionable and “cool” I am not, but everyone is so chill and welcoming I cant help but feel accepted. The first day Geseppie took us all out for a drink- I had two mojitos and was a very employee.

A normal day for me looks like editing posts, managing social media, researching possible story leads, emailing potential contacts and bouncing on my yoga ball and skyping my co-workers (we don’t usually talk to each other….Iv learned a lot of emotion face thingingies in order to express myself better)… .

The other day I tried to make icebergs sexy…epic fail. I had my first assignment in which a random topic was selected and I proceeded to write a 300 post on it. Striped icebergs was my muse for brilliance and even though they are incredible to look at, I found it a tad bit tricky to make them the edgy, artsy kinda thing that captures a readers attention. So I bounced on my core firming yoga ball for about 5 hours and hoped I would hit by a lighting bolt of inspiration….or maybe just the lightening bolt. Well the story got written- it was along the lines of nature being an inspiration for art, fashion, architecture using as many avant-garde irreverent words I could think of. An iceberg was the downfall of many a good venture and I was sure this would be my titanic. Since that post though, I have been much encouraged! Iv been writing about new inventions and researching Kwaito music for an article in which we might be able to film in the townships for. The other day I got to make up questions for Bryn Buckley “the king of the super bowl” he has directed the most superbowl adds so far but just recently made a short film ASAD that was nominated for the Oscars. The film is set in Somalia but filmed in South Africa and is an amazing story that will inspire and challenge. Writing the questions for his interview was a great way to learn about his work and get to be part of informing the public about this amazing project.

Tomorrow is Monday and a start a new week of stories, art, and yoga ball bouncing!

WOU Students Abroad

Author Archives: pricemv