December 16, 2008
South Africa
It is quite lovely here. "Quite" meaning "incredibly," "amazingly," "exceptionally," etc. I am super happy I came.
I held baby lions yesterday. (I'm allergic to them, too.) I saw elephants. So human-like. Baboons are too, but in a naughty way.
The scenery is amazing. One part was like the Southwest (coincidentally, a few days later, on the other side of the Cape, a Dutch tourist asked me if I thought the area I had been in looked like Canyonlands), many parts like Oregon, like San Diego, like Africa, like everywhere and nowhere else. It's quite something.
I've had interesting experiences and interactions here regarding race. And am learning some things about myself. Intriguing. And valuable.
The wine is delicious. Absolutely incredibly delicious. And cheap. I can buy a bottle in a restaurant for 100 ZAR. About $10. Good food is cheap, too. (Mediocre food is dirt cheap.) Service, in general, is absolutely abysmal. Until I realized that it's because I'm using my own standards of time.
Time is much more flexible here. Relaxed. Now is in a little while. Now now is a bit sooner. I'm lounging around a lot. It's so lovely.
The weather is beautiful. 30 degrees. 35 degrees. Almost 40 degrees one day. (Too hot for me, but nice to experience.) Most days are comfortably warm, breezy, and beautiful beyond most comparison.
LBCC has posted the food service manager position. I'm somewhat tempted, based on the benefit and vacation package. But then I couldn't move next year. I'm thinking about moving. I know I'm always thinking about moving, but I've stopped (for the most part) looking at jobs in Portland, and started looking in Boston and DC and Chicago.
I'm really, really enjoying traveling by myself. It's incredibly refreshing, and incredibly flexible. It accommodates my anxiety perfectly (though offers no support when I'm freaking out), and is peaceful. I miss people though. A couple people, in particular, I guess.
It's quite lovely here.
Posted by Sean at December 16, 2008 03:44 AM