Cape Point
Week Two - Getting Settled & Music Festival
So, its been more than a full week here in Cape Town and I’m still getting settled. After Monday’s long hike, I spent most of the week battling jet lag and focusing on research at work (reading Board packages and strategic plans) and establishing my objectives for the next six months. The dynamic and culture of the office is fascinating. I’m learning a lot about how the model operates and the balance between challenges/opportunities. Interesting note…Elton John just made a grant and plans to visit next month during his tour.
Thursday, my boss Mike took me out to dinner at Salt, a restaurant on Bantra Bay. His wife lives in Atlanta and was visiting so he wanted me to meet her (not sure how they do it, but they seem to make it work not to mention seemed so in love). Over dinner, I learned that this guy is an adrenaline junkie and athlete!! He is running a 56K race in a month which is 35 miles, an 80 mile bike race a few weeks after that, another 100 mile race this summer, then a full Iron Man in the fall (this will be his fifth). Did I mention he is 50?? Oh…and I saw dolphins!
Friday night we celebrated a girl’s going away party at Cape de Cuba restaurant on Long Street, which is known for local African restaurants, bars and music venues. The sounds of indigenous African music, drums and singing resonate throughout the area. I was exhausted, but was talked into going to a “birthday party” for a my co-worker Byron’s friend. Picture this, we arrive and go looking for the birthday boy. Turns out, we are at the wrong party and it’s a gay bar…so what did we do?...stayed and danced of course. Fun times.
Saturday, went to check out the national lifeguard competition at the beach. It included kayaking, swimming, running, surfing, etc. It reminded me of growing up and doing similar competitions when I was a Junior Lifeguard in Seal Beach. My events were flags and surf balls (california people, you know what I’m talking about :) .
In the evening, after starting at Asoka for tapas, I was talked into going on a small adventure about an hour deep into the mountains of Cape Town. Part of me was hesitant, but a part of me was curious and wanted to just do what the locals do right? The destination was an all weekend electronic dance festival set in the middle of basically nowhere. Picture a bunch of hippies (mixed with internationals, local Afrikaans – from dutch settlement; many live in the country & local Africans) dancing around barefoot, glow in the dark body paint, costumes and of course at least a dozen djs. Some people camped out for the entire weekend….we stayed until 3am, enough time for me to absorb the madness and get painted.
Today is Sunday and it was spent relaxing & in shelter…it was 104 degrees today! I am also getting ready to move out of the Best Western and move into my apartment. I cannot wait!
For more pictures, see: http://picasaweb.google.com/nicolenys/Week2
Thursday, my boss Mike took me out to dinner at Salt, a restaurant on Bantra Bay. His wife lives in Atlanta and was visiting so he wanted me to meet her (not sure how they do it, but they seem to make it work not to mention seemed so in love). Over dinner, I learned that this guy is an adrenaline junkie and athlete!! He is running a 56K race in a month which is 35 miles, an 80 mile bike race a few weeks after that, another 100 mile race this summer, then a full Iron Man in the fall (this will be his fifth). Did I mention he is 50?? Oh…and I saw dolphins!
Friday night we celebrated a girl’s going away party at Cape de Cuba restaurant on Long Street, which is known for local African restaurants, bars and music venues. The sounds of indigenous African music, drums and singing resonate throughout the area. I was exhausted, but was talked into going to a “birthday party” for a my co-worker Byron’s friend. Picture this, we arrive and go looking for the birthday boy. Turns out, we are at the wrong party and it’s a gay bar…so what did we do?...stayed and danced of course. Fun times.
Saturday, went to check out the national lifeguard competition at the beach. It included kayaking, swimming, running, surfing, etc. It reminded me of growing up and doing similar competitions when I was a Junior Lifeguard in Seal Beach. My events were flags and surf balls (california people, you know what I’m talking about :) .
In the evening, after starting at Asoka for tapas, I was talked into going on a small adventure about an hour deep into the mountains of Cape Town. Part of me was hesitant, but a part of me was curious and wanted to just do what the locals do right? The destination was an all weekend electronic dance festival set in the middle of basically nowhere. Picture a bunch of hippies (mixed with internationals, local Afrikaans – from dutch settlement; many live in the country & local Africans) dancing around barefoot, glow in the dark body paint, costumes and of course at least a dozen djs. Some people camped out for the entire weekend….we stayed until 3am, enough time for me to absorb the madness and get painted.
Today is Sunday and it was spent relaxing & in shelter…it was 104 degrees today! I am also getting ready to move out of the Best Western and move into my apartment. I cannot wait!
For more pictures, see: http://picasaweb.google.com/nicolenys/Week2
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About Me
- nicolenys
- Cape Town, South Africa
- For the next six months, I will be participating in a program through Pfizer called Global Health Fellows where I'll be volunteering at a partner non-profit organization in Cape Town, South Africa. It is an opportunity to teach and develop skills locally in order to build capacity and sustainability rather than just donating medicine or money. The organization is called mothers2mothers (m2m) which provides education/awareness, counseling, medicine and support to those living with AIDS/HIV, with a focus on preventing transmission of the virus from mother to child. While I'm here I also plan to explore as much of Cape Town, South Africa and surrounding countries as possible. There is an abundance of adventure, beauty, culture and energy and I intend to be apart of all of it and to capture and share my stories with you.
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