[a temporary lapse in internet]

{i have been out of contact the past couple days (and of all times, the week of thanksgiving) because we have "run out of the internet" for our house. each month, we get 3 gigs of data transfer, like cell phone minutes. its about 100mb a day. i have never had to keep track of how much data i send/receive, and it was easy to tell that because in doing my work around the internet, i blew through the last bit of the month's supply of data in no time at all. i miss the usa.}

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happy thanksgiving, america.

i was able to assist in the cooking of a "pumpkin pie" here; i leave it in quotations because it was a raw dish that had no pumpkin in it. but somehow, it tasted just like pumpkin pie. i still haven't figured it out, but enjoy trying again and again to solve this mystery. i hope you all enjoyed your pumpkin pie and festive combinations of potatoes, bird, and other american grub. i miss it more than i would have thought.

i made pancakes the day before thanksgiving, which was a good touch-of-home feeling for me. i miss the epic breakfasts that we had at 4704. egg white omelets with spinach, onions, peppers, mushrooms, feta and other cheeses, and pancakes with oats, nuts, fruit, honey, cinnamon, yogurt, and more honey or syrup on top.

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during my internet escape, i have been able to head down to boulders beach, which my study abroad class visited last time i was here. last time, we were all on the "protected" boardwalk side of the beach, which was just around the corner from a "locals" beach, where i was now. the joke is on all the tourist (us two years ago) that pay to look at the penguins, but could walk around to the beach side and stand or take a swim with them. these photos are from the last time i was here.



i was able to get my feet on some 'cycle' petals on the way there and back, taking turns on bicycle to do legs of the trip. the ride included, in cape fashion, giant hills and some really amazing views. please accept my apologies for not taking any photos as i either flew down ocean-lined-cliffs or huffed up switchbacks working my way back up the backbone-like hills that surround the cape.

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after being here for two weeks, and in my third week of traveling, i decided it was time to shave. much to my disappointment, and the unknown-to-her celebration from my mother, the only thing i have here is good 'ol shaving cream and a razor. the last time i shaved with a razor was four years ago, in my freshman year of college. i am sure my mother misses those days. and for her birthday, which is on the 4th, a photo of me clean shaven for her. brad, the mustache is for you.




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on saturday, i had my first official braai (south african barbecue). this entailed watching lots of rugby with beer, eating lots of good food, walking down to the beach with a glass of wine, and trying to make sure none of the seemly hundreds of kids got seriously hurt. american football and rugby are not all too different, but the largest difference was that the rugby game was effectively commercial free. why are american sports so designed for commercial breaks? south africa lost (apparently really bad strategy trying to overcompensate for the weather), but the next match between australia and whales was a good match to see. the mothers of the party all went skinny dipping, but i refused to go with them. the girls i ended up chatting the night away with (they were from grande comore) said it best: "these people are crazy".

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before the braai, we went to an art club that rachel, my host "mother", was part of for her fieldwork on childhood in south africa. while i was there, i felt inspired by my ceramic friends before me, and attempted to make my own coffee mug. it isn't quite as large as i was hoping, but i figure that won't be a bad thing since i will be traveling a long way with it. next week i should be able to glaze it and have it in another month- i can't wait to have a hand-made mug again, and this one is certain to have lots of 'character'.




this image is used for this week's wallpaper.


(standard | widescreen).

and i realized that i forgot to include a link to last week's wallpaper last time i blogged


(standard | widescreen).

. . . .

i feel like i have adapted to living in this house:
i am used to a blinding period of the day when the sun reflects off the atlantic ocean and back into the house, making it almost impossible to look west from six to eight every night (i will photo this soon).
i am use to waking up early to the sounds of children, always thinking about when i can work based on if they are in the house, and knowing that everything in the world takes longer to do when you have children.
i am use to the girls singing a lot of christmas carols (my alarm clock) and making christmas cards, and have found myself getting into the holiday spirit.
i am use to thinking about getting a sunburn and wearing shorts, t-shirts, and sandals everywhere while still thinking about christmas.
i am used to the amazing night skies and the large moon the past couple nights.



but i am still in wonder of it all. south africa constantly amazes me.

. . . .

for anyone wishing to post me something in time for christmas, my address will be
5 Bokkemanskloof road, Hout Bay, 7806 RSA

i would suggest sending soon, as the post will take a long time to get here, especially with the holidays. and i will only be there until january 30th, for the next day, we set off on the road to the garden route.

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tomorrow should be really exciting- i am going out with one of the neighbors, that works as a professional rock climbing route guide, to trad climb table mountain. i will certainly be bringing my camera, as i feel i have not photographed enough of my trip already.

i hope all is well, to everyone in the states or otherwise.
and again, happy birthday, mom.

cheers to sunny weather without too much wind tomorrow,

tbk

hitting the ground running

[i fully admit this blog is way too long, but the programs are too amazing to not mention in their entirity. if you do not like reading all these words (decampo), just enjoy the pretty pictures]



after a day of settling in at scarborough, i was off again, heading to grootbos nature reserve. we were traveling to this five-star lodge to make a sample promotional video of the lodge, a dvd/online video series about the lodge's social upliftment and conservation projects, and a video and audio recording of our first "great guide." this was to be a test-run of what is to come for the next year; staying at a lodge for four or five nights in exchange for video and photos, and getting to record a great guide for our website too. not bad, right?





well... this lodge has four programs, amazing programs, and we originally had three nights to cover them and our guide and the lodge. this made for a very very busy visit, where i never was able to do anything that the typical tourist that visit are able to do. like shark-cage diving, whale watching, penguin and sea lion colony visits, guided tours through the nature reserve, horseback riding, or flying over the local region. i was left running around interviewing almost every staff member, students of the educational programs, and getting photos and video of the lodge. and then every night i downloaded the video so i can record more the next day, which tended to keep me up past one am. the work level turned out to be too much for three days, and we had to stay an extra day to cover everything.

following is a shot of me working and then some stills from a handful of interviews i did.



at the end of the day, my stay at grootbos was still absolutely worth it for three reasons: the programs (and participants) are amazing, i ate and slept wonderfully, and i enjoyed my mini adventures.

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the four programs broke down to: green futures, growing futures, spaces for sport, and future trees.



green futures is an work and life skills education program that takes twelve unemployed local residents and pays them to go through their one-year institution, teaching them horticulture, landscaping, english, computer skills, and other life skills. half of every day is hands-on working, teaching practical skills and also using the work as a way to pay for the tuition of the school. for the six years it has been running, all seventy two graduates have found employment at the end of the program. many of the students go on to work or guide at grootbos, teaching and inspiring future students.





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growing futures is in its first year, and is based on the green futures model. it takes eight unemployed women from the local community and teaches them vegetables gardening, chicken and pig farming, and english, while also working on computer, life, and small business skills. while only in it's first couple months, the women have learned a lot, and their vegetables are sold to the grootbos lodge and served to guests. any left-over organic food from the lodge also comes back to growing futures to be used as food for the pigs and compost materials for the plants. since the program is new, they have not hatched their own chicks, and only have chickens with their beaks half cut-off. soon, they hope to hatch their own chickens and have true free-range and fairly treated animals.

we were lucky enough to get the women to get together and sing some songs for us, and i will work on posting some of their music here soon.








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spaces for sport is an after-school program for youth of the local town, gansbaai. it takes children from all different racial groups within the town, breaking down racial stereotypes and giving children a way to interact not typically available before, and through soccer and other sports, teaches them about sportsmanship, teamwork, discipline, and english. before this program was started, the town's soccer 'pitch' was basically a sand pit, and now they have the only fifa certified artificial pitch in southern africa and other practice fields. this is also the only opportunity that the children have access to professional coaches. many of the other coaches are volunteer students from around the world. it is an amazing youth program, not only by keeping the children off the streets in the afternoon and teaching them sport, but by teaching them other skills like english and about cultures.



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future trees was a program started after a devastating 2006 forest fire that burned much of the milkwood forest of the reserve, an entire one-year-old lodge of grootbos, as well as many other local flower farms. it left many people of the town jobless, caused eight months of guest-disturbance to grootbos, and destroyed large portions a a very fire-retardant forest. the milkwood plants are naturally strong against fire, but the sheer size of this fire killed many trees, some as old as 800 years or more. this program invites guest to buy a milkwood tree, plant it themselves, and gives them the gps coordinates to they will forever be able to locate it. it also employed many local residents in the early recovery effort.




all of these programs are on their way to being completely self-sufficient from the lodge, whether from donor contributions or money raised through the program itself (by selling the vegetables or labor to the lodge). it would be very hard to say whether the lodge is the focus of grootbos, or if it was purely the engine needed to fund the social and conservation work needed to be done for the community. either way, they have a great lodge and even better people to run it and their programs.

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as for my stay, i was stuck in this little shabby room all by myself. it was only good for the fact i could hide away by myself after a hard days work, make tea or coffee, and enjoy the view from my deck. i thought the heated towel-rack and bedroom carpeting was a little much, but it did keep my towels and toes warm. the bed was a little bit nicer than the one back a scarborough, and it felt good enough to get the couple of hours of sleep that i managed to get.



the meals were a world all themselves. not only did i have baked alaska for the first time in my life, i also had my first ten course meal and mini wine tasting at the same time. the food was all very good, but because of the serving style, everything was in little portions on big plates, and it took at least three hours to eat supper. we would show up for dinner at eight, and not finish until eleven or later. by the end of the trip, i was ready for a home-cooked meal, as well as doing some cooking myself. i haven't cooked since i left the states, and i miss it.

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this was my faithful companion for my mini adventure the first night i was at grootbos. i left my cottage to wonder around the property to get familiar with the lodge, to find good places for photos of everything, and this cat started to stalk me. when he came close enough, i held him for a bit, missing girl back home in baltimore. he then led me around the trails of the property, always keeping a couple paces in front of me, and only parted from me when i went inside to eat.




my other adventures typically took place at night, wandering without my camera, just enjoying the night sky and being surrounded by nature. more adventures took place as i sat in bed with a cup of rooibos tea reading the alchemist, a gift from a good friend before i left.

. . . .

i am now back in scarborough, sorting out all the materials we collected at the lodge, preparing for more recording trips to great guides, and trying to get to know the local area better. the town is extremely small, so meeting people my age is tricky. there isn't even a corner shop or cafe. the only real spot i can hang out at outside the house is the beach, full of surfers, dog owners, and families. as i get more grounded here, i hope to travel out to some bouldering spots nearby, visit a kite shop the next town over, and do some hiking and cycling around the cape of good hope.

cheers too having internet again.

hope all is well,

tbk