Roads and faces are becoming familiar. I'm making good friends, learning slang, and getting out to explore. I've finally settled into an apartment and am able to walk to work every day. My flat is small but brand new, quite nice, and all my own. (And the kitchen provides a much welcome change from the peanut butter sandwiches that sustained me during my first month in a hotel.) It doesn't hurt that I can enjoy a glass of South African wine on my very own balcony with a sprawling view of the city, too. But the new apartment also explains my delinquency in writing. If the internet company says they'll get it set up "just now," it means you better buy another book.
For those of you who have finished binge-watching Stranger Things and need something else to do, I'm back on my biweekly posting schedule. The past four weeks have been packed, so we'll have to settle for the highlight reel. (I'll rely on the slide show at the bottom to tell the most important part of the stories. Trust me, they're not all flattering.)
I was able to attend the AIDS 2016 Conference in Durban during the last week of July with the rest of the HIV Prevention team at work. The tickets were last minute and I was quite excited to make the trip. The last time this annual conference was hosted by South Africa, their president denied the link between HIV and AIDS. The conference this year was a celebration of how far the country has come in the battle against HIV/AIDS and an acknowledgment of how much work remains to be done. The conference is a rare gathering, bringing clinical and academic professionals together with activists and peer educators passionate about reaching traditionally ostracized populations. Being able to attend multiple sessions and learn about both the academic and human aspects of this crisis deepened my interest in the work I'll be doing for the rest of the year.
The conference also draws a lot of notable speakers and supporters. To casually name drop, I hung out with Elton John and Bill Gates to share ideas for next steps and innovation. (Read: I staked out seats in the front row to smile awkwardly at them and convince myself their sweeping glances were searching me out.) The biggest disappointment was being stood up by Prince Harry, whose speaking schedule changed. Say what you will, I'm convinced our ginger connection would have been strong enough to inspire a renewed U.S.-UK relationship that would inevitably lead to mass refugee resettlement.
My colleague, Cebele, and I tried to see a bit of Durban before we left. It's the site of the world's largest swing, which I booked in a heart beat. When we got there, though, the entire stadium was closed for an impromptu staff meeting with no indication of when it would re-open. I've learned sudden changes of plan like that are quite routine here, and was just thankful I hadn't spent the money yet. My (completely unsubstantiated) assumption is that the place was closed down for Prince Harry to have the swing to himself. He must have that kind of clout.
Like any rational human beings, Cebele and I ran straight into the Indian Ocean instead. Please see the slideshow at the bottom for an unfiltered and unflattering reaction to the cold water and views of the Durban skyline.
South Africa also seems to be the land of national holidays. America could learn some things from what they prioritize. The entire country shuts down on election day - August 3 - to make sure everyone has the time to make it to their local polls. As nonresidents, Cebele and I took this chance to visit Haartbeesport Dam. It's an hour away, so we rented a car and had our first experience driving on the wrong side of the road. The drive was punctuated by a CD of local music compiled by the last cohort of PiAF fellows, laughter, and shrieks of delight when we spotted multiple monkeys hanging out in trees along the road.
After riding cable cars to the top of a mountain where we ate stone-fired pizza (and our own hair in mad gusts of wind), we drove to the nearby elephant sanctuary to meet our new friends. Our guide, Charles, was fantastic and arranged for our group to feed, touch, and walk with the elephants. Wow, are they big up close. Our first lesson was a reminder that these animals are trained, but still very much wild. If you stand near them without food, you can expect a smack from their searching trunk. Their working motto is "No food, no friendship." In other words, if you don't have a snack to offer, you better get out of that elephant's way. (Friends will realize the disappointment I felt when there was no one around who knows my dad to appreciate the obvious joke opportunities.)
Side note: I've finally found creatures that enjoy peanut butter as much as I do. No, Jeremy, this does not give you license to compare me to an elephant.
Last week, we had a day off of work for National Women's Day. Regardless of the day off, this day is actually quite neat. It's especially in honor of the women that protested pass laws during Apartheid, and South Africans take it quite seriously. Throughout the day, I received text messages from my South African friends wishing me a Happy Women's Day. Men driving by rolled down their windows to greet women with a Happy Women's Day, and our tour guides constantly mentioned it and the importance of women on shaping the area.
We used our day off to take a bike tour around Soweto (shortened from South Western Township). This is far and away my favorite thing I've done since being here. (Mom, Dad, and Grandfather should fully expect to be taken on this tour when they visit.) The city is just outside of Johannesburg and was home to the impoverished black communities literally kicked out. A group of about fifteen of us was led around the city by three Sowetans on borrowed bikes for four hours.
Weaving in and out of hostels, housing establishments, and historic buildings, we stopped frequently to learn about the city's history and meet the people that are proud to live here. Stops included Nelson Mandela's house, Desmond Tutu's house, and sites of infamous and bloody protests. The guides exhibited an obvious pride in their hometown and a joy in sharing it with us. We were repeatedly reminded that we are welcome visitors, not tourists. Tourists, they said, are too busy in Cape Town and on game reserves to see Soweto. White people used to be a source of tension, but now whites visiting the town signify the reconciliation between races.
This welcome was reflected by every child we passed on the road. Hearing us coming, they would run out into the tangle of bikes, waving and eagerly reaching out for high fives. Though obviously adorable, this was also rather alarming. The kids must be used to much better bikers than we were, because they often came so close we had to swerve to avoid bowling them over. At one point, I was identified as the weakest link and besieged by these smiling faces. Small boys climbed on the front of the bike with me, urging me to take them for a ride. Eventually, I was unseated altogether and let them take turns. I'm pretty convinced the skills it took to negotiate the release of that bike qualify me for some serious national security work in future.
I also learned that my personality hasn't changed much since being here. I still have an unexplained desire to lead the pack and ended up in front for most of the trip. The guides started having me guess which direction to go, and jokingly offered me a job as a tour guide with them at the end. Work at CHAI has been going well, but it's always nice to have a back up plan.
Other adventure highlights include meeting new friends for rooftop drinks and live music in Sandton, strolling around the Arts on Main market in Maboneng, and taking a walking tour of Johannesburg's Central Business District.
Happily, I've been making a great group of friends during all of these excursions. I think bonding happens quickly here because so many of us are new and therefore equally clueless and excited. That also means, though, that the South African friends I've made have witnessed some of my rather embarrassing "new to this country" moments.
To paint a picture, I decided to have a friend over for dinner during my first weekend in my new place. An hour before they were set to arrive, I blew a fuse and found myself standing in the dark and surrounded by now useless kitchen appliances. Not an ideal way to provide a meal for a new friend. Those who know me well also know my characteristic need to be able to handle everything myself. But after far too long fiddling with the fuse box with no result, I was forced to go to the apartment security for help. My friend, of course, arrived just in time to see the security officer touch a single button on the fuse panel and light the entire place up. I could feel myself blushing and hear my stammered assertions that I had done that exact same thing many times to no avail, but my independent cred was only further tarnished when I had to ask how to properly use this oven. Ah, well.
I've found a level of comfort and joy here I didn't expect to find so quickly. Some days are stressful and hard, but every day ends in the lingering disbelief that this is actually my life. I'm learning so much about the field I'm passionate about at work, and even more about myself and who I want to become at home. I'm thrilled to learn that my drive to push myself out of my comfort zone and jump whole-heartedly into something new is genuine and lasting. I actually love the feeling of the unknown and having to figure things out on my own. That drive leads to equally interesting and embarrassing stories that I'm only too happy to share with you all.
I'm convinced the biggest reason I've settled in so quickly is all of you. (Cue my brothers rolling their eyes and fake vomiting at this emotion.) Embarking on this fellowship and moving to a new continent was not a decision I made lightly, or alone. I know everywhere I go, I go with the prayers and endless support of my family and friends at home. They bolster me in times that I forget to pray for myself or question my resolve. There is a peace in knowing you are exactly where you are supposed to be, and surrounded by the faith and people that have helped get you there. Please, don't stop!
Finally, hearing from you has been such a joy to me. I've gotten hilarious e-mails from home and family friends that bring me back into the craziness of the Andridges of Lake Orion and our favorite supporting characters. (Props to you, Sean Doody, and the beach volleyball burn!) Over one hundred people have visited my blog so far (so cool and unexpected to have you all on this journey with me!), so I know you're out there. I'm eager to share my experiences with you all, but please don't forget to keep me in the loop of your lives, too!!