South Africa Day 5

Finally some sunshine today!  It has been torrential raining since I have arrived, weird weather Riana says for summer time.  I am at Daniela and Lucas' house in Pretoria.  Lucas is in Namibia for work and Daniela is also working.  I am staying in today because I have been fighting some kind of cold bug and trying to rest and be 100% before camp starts Friday. (This ended up being little lengthy please read when you have time)

Recap of the last few days: 

Riana and I did go to Pilanesburg animal reserve on Sunday.  A 4 hour drive Joburg I got to see the country side along the way.  You wouldn't believe how green and lush it is right now.  Aside from being the largest man made forest in the world (in Joburg all the trees were planted by man and continue to with dedication) there are rolling green hills outside the city limits, it reminds me of my favorite part of the drive to SF right before you reach Vallejo.  

The animal reserve is enormous and gives a sanctuary for wild animals. It was very Jurassic park, imagine Riana has a FJ cruiser and you drive along trails anxiously searching for animals.  As soon as we drove in we saw a male elephant....oh my god he was massive and so beautiful.  Super pumped we watched him for bit and continued driving, that day we say impala, springbuck, pumba pigs, other kinds of buffalo, giraffe and much more.  We then checked out Sun City resort which is nestled in the mountains...you should google it.  It was a palace/hotel/resort meets wild waters.  We had lunch at Santorini restaurant which surprisingly had amazing kefthedes.

Riana got called into work for a surprise audit so her friend Aret offered to host me.  Aret is in her 50s super sassy and youthful and married to Henrick a lawyer.  They live in a swanky beautiful suburb Kilanesburg with their youngest of 5 children Christian.  They are all incredibly tall and gorgeous, speak perfect English and are super kind and not pretentious.  I spent two days with Aret where she talked my ear off (I was warned by Riana and Daniela), but we truly had a great time.  We discussed everything from politics, apartheid, medicine, education, Reno, my family her family...on and on.  She was very knowledgable on everything South Africa so I was excited to pick her brains. The first day with her we checked out another game reserve where I played with 4 month old white lion cubs...cutest little things ever...even when they try to bite.  Don't worry I took lots of pics and video. Also saw a rhino and her baby out feeding, literally so beautiful.  We also went to Maraping also known as the "cradle of civilization" which refers to this part of SA where there are about 13 archeological sites of fossils of our Original ancestors.  The best skull found here is called Mrs Ples and she was Australopithecus africanus and another full skeleton at another site.  There was a great museum discussing all the hominid ancestors and discussing evolution, earth origin etc.  it's the first time I've ever seen one of these hominid remnants that I have learned about for so many years in biology class.  

The second day with Aret we checked out the gym where is I was in a sea of GORGEOUS people.  South Africans are very vain, very concerned with the state of their skin, hair and body, and very very nice to look at.  I had to laugh because I was literally speechless when I walked in the gym....although it could have been the spaceship I was trying to operate that was the treadmill.  This treadmill had so many buttons: iPod, tv, movies, fan and also joysticks for incline and speed.  I'm telling you I have not seen anything like them in the states...and who do you expect is behind this wonderland gym that also played incredible house music so loud I felt I was at burning man instead of running my ass off...Sir Richard Branson.  Apparently Virgin enterprise now operates gyms and health centers...well played Sir, well played. 

I had an interesting situation with Maria, Aret's family housekeeper of 27 years.  As per usual custom in the states to take the sheets off the bed you used at a friends/relatives house i proceeded with it thinking I would give her less work.  Well later that first day, I learned I was staying another night since Rianas audit was ongoing, I walked to my room and there was Maria. I say "hi it's so nice to meet you Maria, I am Anna Maria" she gives me a sassy look and points to the pile of sheets I had stripped. I said "oh yes I'm sorry I took them off because I thought I was only staying one night" she stands their with her hands on her hips and mumbles "mmmhmmmm" I said "no really, I'm sorry that's how we do it at home, I was just trying to be nice" she says "uh huh yeah ok" clearly not convinced and probably thinking I'm sort of princess that needs her sheets changed everyday. Nuts.

Which leads me to an interesting aspect of SA life, everyone has a maid/housekeeper/domestic and a gardener.  All of them are black and some will literally walk 3-4 hours to get to that job.  Some are treated very well, like the ones Aret, Riana and Daniela employ...for ex Aret's family bought her a house in the township, buy her medicine and clothes and sometimes share special holidays together.  Others are paid half as much and are treated with the same racist attitude as in apartheid.   Today Daniela's "domestic" is here, her picked out English name is Future, very young and sweet...but I am so uncomfortable around her. Not because she is Black, but the idea of a Black person working for white person in the house just makes me think of the south and US history.   The concept is such a stigma for most of us in the US and I certainly never grew up having maids around so it's very hard me for to grasp.  Same with Maria, they both have treated me a certain way, with respect and trying to follow me around to clean up after me and I've had to say, "it's ok, I can do it" :).

This country suffers from a violent past and old wounds that have not healed.  The new ANC Or the African National Congress serves as pretty much the main political party here.  They currently have a member of their group, Zuma, serving as president.  Zuma apparently has no experience in politics, government or social work.  He implements corruption and hardly does anything for his own kind.  White people, English and Afrikaaners are the minority now in this county.  The president has created mandates that give their jobs to Black people.  Trying to create more balance is fine, but poorly educated Blacks are being given positions of power in government, education, trade etc and are failing...thus giving into corruptible behaviors. This leads to a crumbling of basic needs, like education: a school district did not have books for a full year because someone took a kickback from a supplier of textbooks, the textbooks were never delivered and later found floating in a river. Hundreds of textbooks gone.  There are kickbacks everywhere: a guy comes up with a fictitious business and bids on a government project.  He bids high and over estimates costs.  He then gets in touch with a government official working with the project, he offers a cut of the bid award if he is given the job.  He get the job, he gives the cut, takes the rest and the project is never completed.

What makes sense to me is it is a typical example of colonialism.  A native people overtaken by foreigners, then told how to live their lives and by what means usually finds themselves relying on said foreigners for everything.  That is exactly what is happening today...there is lack of initiative and sometimes such utter despair that it is easier to just ask for the handout or turn to crime.  Mix in tribal values then overrun by Christian missionaries, you now have native population living on values that work when they want them to.  On top of that, they see a happy life as one full of cars, $$, houses and clothes and they strive for that.

Not to say that the whites are angels over here.  Apartheid was awful, truly awful and they continue to pay for past decisions and mistakes.

South Africa Day 2

Today we spent the day touring organic markets, all fancy and driven by white south african customers.  Also saw some of the "squatter" areas where immigrants from the rest of Africa have settled.  Now we are at Rianas girlfriends house having a "braai" which is SA for a potluck BBQ.  THey love to bbq here, especially lamb.  So we bought lamb chops and I covered them in lemon, oregano and salt/pepper.

Tomorrow we are going to Sun City, where hopefully we will see the "Big Five" game....rhino, cheeta, leapord, elephant and buffalo.  We plan to leave at 4 a.m. in hopes to see the animals before it gets too hot.

http://www.sun-city-south-africa.com/

Apparently there is a huge palace to check out.  There is also goign to be a big golfing tournament that hoepfully we can steer clear of.  I thnk we are just going for the day because staying over night would be super expensive.

Monday I think we are going to check out the Crescent of Civilization where they found the oldest skeleton and then a lion park with baby lions.

The country is very backwards, in terms of poilcy and mentality.  I will explain more, but its quite facinating how the white Afrikaaners and black Africans live amongst each other.  None of it makes any sense.

I am still in shock that I am here!!!

Jungle Time

Hola amigos!! Estamos en Bosque del Cabo! Es en la Osa peninsula en el sur del pais. We are in a nature reserve that a couple has created and preserved. We are staying in a house that has walls but no windows, the kitchen and sitting area is all open, and the bathrooms and showers are outside with just little privacy walls. Being 8 of us, we have created a system using towels to make sure we dont walk in on each other using the toilet! Showering is pretty amazing when you can see monkeys hanging in the trees right next to you.

This is our 3rd day here and so far we have been on a few hikes where we saw spider, howler and whitefaced monkeys. Howlers sound like zombies, not a very nice sound especially at 4:30 in the morning which seems to be a ritual for them. Spider monkeys walk upright on the branches sometimes, and you can't help but get a weird feeling that we are related. There are tons of beautiful birds, including my favorite the toucan!!! We are pretty lucky, our house overlooks the ocean and has plenty of wildlife and all we have to do is sit in our patio chairs.

We have been eatingg.....and eatingg....3 square meals a day! All the food has been incredibly delicious, but I have actually grown weary of eating. Yes me, a foodie has literally gotten tired of eating. I wish though to bring home this salsa that is served at every table called Lizano...it is haeaven and goes on everything!!!

It's my birthday today! 25! I think its a pretty sweet way to enjoy it :) We are hiking today to the ocean and a waterfall - which hiking here is so different than what we are used to in the high desert. Here it is wet, the mud is like clay and you can't help but wonder if there is a snake under all those leaves. The canopy and trees block a lot of the sun light so it is fairly dark in the forest.

So far, we have not had any awful bug encounters...and knock on wood the mosquitos have not eaten us alive.

We have learned to get used to wet clothing, as nothing dries here, just stays damp, including the hiking shoes...heres to hoping I dont get foot rot or something dramatic and gross like that.

Considring that we are literally in the jungle it has been quite an experience, and the set up makes it feel like you are roughing it without actually roughing it. I am very lucky that Phil and Sarah's mom and Bernie have brought me on this incredible and somewhat lush experience.

We are here for another 2 days then head to Zancudo which is across the little bay called Golfito. Bernie and Donna say we will really be roughing it there, so far we know we are staying in banana cabinos on the beach, and I guess there is only one hotel in the area? We shall have to see!

On a funny side note, we have all falled in love with the local beer Imperial. So much that in our first place, we had to have beer brought everyday and when we arrived to the Osa peninsula, Puerto Jimenez to be exact, we asked the driver to stop at the local grocery store. Quite a sight to see a whirlwind of 8 white tourists sweep through the market in about 10 minutes collecting snacks, 10 bottles of wine and about 2 cases of Imperial. Probably the most action for these locals in a long time, we were happy to entertain and support local business. :)

Internet and phones are limited here so not sure when the next post will be...love to all!

Pura Vida - Manuel Antonio

So the first segment of the costa rica adventure....I'm here in manuel antonio, which is a three hour drive from San Jose airport, with phils family. We have been staying in a rented villa, since there is w total of 8 of us, that sits on the hillside in the vegetation overlooking the beach and natural forest reserve. Every day consists of incredible eating with tons of fresh seafood prepared by the in house chef, a 22 year old costa rican with incredible talent. He is great an none of us can get enough of the fresh fruit and seafood. Each day we usuall hit up the beach for some ocean swimming and head back to he house, about 5 min taxi drive or 20 min walk, to have lunch, swim in the pool and take a nap. Dinner is usUally at 7 so we read or chat after our nap till then. One day we did a ziplining tour where we did 10 ziplines, one Tarzan swing (exactly how it sounds), and two repels down trees. The thrill and the rush of flying through the trees is unlike anything else and u would never believe how high u r because u cannot see the bottom floor. Another day we went on a guided hike through the natural preserve where we saw sloths, an incredile amount of white faced monkeys, lizards, and leaf cutter ants that have incredible strength. We came acros a pack of monkeys that were literally two feet away from me playing and going nuts, stealing cookies from tourists it was fantastic. I have videos of it to post when I come home. Everything has been wonderful so far, 5 days has felt like two weeks! Except for the massive cockroach I found in my room or the scorpion jeff found in his shorts in his room. Sort of nervous for the bug situation at the next place, you can look up the website by searching for Bosque del Cabo. We depart from here tomorrow and will be at the Eco lodge for 5 nights after which we check out zancudo for the remaining time, then I meet eve in the Dominican to see Stacie! Anyway that is the scoop thus far I will try to write at the next place!!!! Also last night we experience a crazy thunderstorm! The lightening was lighting the whole sky evey 5 seconds and when the storm was over our place it sounded like a nuclear war! It wasnt necessarily scary but our nerves were on edge for about 2 hours! And the sweltering heat kicked in after the power went out! Ok thumbs hurt Now from writing on the iPhone love to u all!

I Love Dance

I had a day to myself on the Saturday before Phil arrived so I decided to see the local ballet company called the Victor Ullate Ballet Comapany, they had a showing of all choreography created by their director.  The 6 pieces were based upon classic ballet fundamentals but had modern movement and interpretation.  It was truly fantastic! What was also very unique and consistent was the type of dances that have been chosen to represent this company.  All of the dancers, male and female, were very strong and defined, not grossly muscular but very prominent definition.  The females were not soft and dainty as some ballet dancers, and the males were some of the tallest ballet dancers I have ever seen (one had to be at least Phil’s height).  Despite this different variety, each was incredibly talented and beautiful; even though they were strong and carried such a presence the movement was complimentary and showed off the body as a piece of art itself.  Once piece in particular that was simply amazing was in the final where the dancers ended up in leotards and body suits in a nude color.  The lighting was not too bright so it seemed that the dancers were nude but without the exposure of body parts.  As I mentioned, each dancer was fairly defined, and the choice of a nude bodysuit amplified the creativity of the movement and the celebration of the human body.  Mixing point and classic ballet variations to modern jerky movement it was truly a blend of the classic and new to bring forth the vision of the director.  If you are interested in his work, look him up online, I haven’t had the chance yet but if I find a link I will post it.

Some friends and I decided to see another flamenco show, this time with a  dinner included…well so we thought.  There are many dinner/show places in Madrid, and the Casa de las Patas was recommended by my Spanish teacher.  A friend called ahead to make sure it was a package and she was reassured it was.  When we arrived to the restaurant we were seated right next to the stage and the our eyes were level with the stage (thus looking up a little to the dancers).  However, when we looked at the menu dinner was not included with the show and the show was already $25.  We were a little nervous because the menu was ridiculously expensive…Phil and I shared a half a bottle of wine and a small appetizer.  Despite the attack on our wallet I would have paid 100 more euro for the dancing we saw.  Two guitarists, four flamenco singers (including one female) and nine dancers graced the stage with a passion and talent that was hard to internalize.  Three of the female dancers were I older and experienced and another was a younger girl of apprentice level, however all of them despite “putting on a show” truly exuded the flair and passion that is typical of a flamenco dancer.  It reminds me of Zembekiko of the Greek culture where it is used as a means of expression for feelings and emotions…these women had the same.  There were some songs that were sad and the angst within their faces was as if their heart was just broken…you couldn’t help but cry too.  What was fantastic was that each dancer was different from the other in style and skill level…one woman was great at fast turns while stomping her feet, the younger girl was very expressive and stunning, the other could do amazing sequences minutes at a time without breaking a sweat…and the last woman to dance…words cannot describe.  She was androgynous looking because of her very strong features, but she was very beautiful at the same time.  She played on this look of hers and danced a finale in a male costume, which was similar to a matador.  Her entire body was solid and she commanded attention…you could not peel your eyes away from her.  Anyway, her sequence of movement, steps, stomps and variation lasted at least 15 min…the sweat was pouring down her face but she was still so beautiful.  I took so much video of her so I will post that too.  Anyway, the show lasted over two hours and by the time we left my ears were ringing and my heart was pounding from the intensity of it all…I felt like I had been dancing for two hours!  Oh and worth mentioning, the same dancers put on the same show 15 min later for another group of guests and another 2 hours.  After that show I was thoroughly convinced I need to start learning Flamenco.       

SPANISH CUSTOMS AND QUIRKS

I decided to try to keep track of the differences I’ve noticed in between the Spanish culture and others I have seen, here are some so far:

1 - Obvious – Obsession with Pork.  Every store that has food has Jamon Serrano, Jamon York and Iberico, two of which are the cured and dried version.  Now I have always been a sucker for prosciutto at home, but this is overkill.  I mean I love ham and cheese sandwiches but this has been my lunch now for over a month!  It’s the only thing you can get on the go without having McDonalds or Burger King.  Ok so this is the typical lunch on the go: there are bocadillos which are baguettes of bread with just ham (all kinds), just cheese, ham and cheese or tortilla (which is a omelet with just egg and potatoes).  Then there is sandwich mixto which is square sliced bread (called Pan Molde here, which my roommate and I thought meant bread with mold at first) with ham and cheese melted.  This is my favorite; I could eat like 3 of them to really be full.  Finally, there are the baguettes which are mini baguettes with any of the above mentioned fillers. 

2 - The cafeteria at school has these sandwiches as well as Amstel on tap and other beer and wine selections.  This is something unusual but fantastic!

3 - Spaniards are obsessed with donuts.  Dunkin Donuts are everywhere and another brand they sell in stores called Donuts that when you go to the store, people have about 10 of these packages in their carts.  I mean its intense.  I have not succumbed to the donut obsession…I prefer their homemade sweets like chocolate croissants.

4 – Spaniards are embarrassing beer drinkers.  Ok Im not sure if it’s a Reno thing, but I know I love beer and so do all the people I know back home.  Spaniards don’t have any world famous beers, their selection is Estrella, Mahou and Cruzcampo.  I think the latter is the most known…however Spaniards add lemon fanta to their beer…oh my gosh are you kidding me?! Call me crazy but just drink some juice with soda water!  You should see the looks I get when I have a beer without juice, bigger than half a pint and its like unbelievable when I have a Guiness (which by the way is not that tasty here).

5 – Spaniards and Europeans in general have to be matching.  If you have a pink shirt on, you most definitely have a pink bag, belt or shoes to match.  I know that matching is better than not in some sort of color scheme…haha I don’t know.

6 - A new fashion fad here in Spain...genie pants.  Almost every girl wears these pants, that are cotton with a fit loose around the bum and the crotch seem can either be at the knee or lower...basically it looks like you have junk in your pants.  Not to mention they fit at the ankle tightly like old 80s jeans...sometimes its cute, but most of the time its uh weird.

7 - I would say 90% of the teenagers in Madrid have facial piercings, and one in particular that is a small white ball that is under the lip or right above like a Monroe.  However, they are very small and so at glance it appears that all these kids have huge whiteheads on their face...sorry for the graphic wording but it cracks me up! 

8 - Phil has noticed this...most of the people in the stores HATE breaking a 50 euro bill, either they can't count or are too lazy but every time phil offers one they scowl and huff and puff and ask for something smaller.  

9 - Grandparents are a big part of the lives of their grandchildren.  Only on the weekends do you really see parent with their children, rather during the week most grandparents are out with their grandchildren.  Newborns to young teens there is a strong affection and relationship between the children and their elders…also there is a general respect towards elders that we don’t see very much in the states, from all ages.

Almost Done

My last two weeks in Madrid were a whirlwind, a movie literally on fast forward at like x34 speed and I was doing my best to keep up.  I had a midterm in every class that was either a test or project or both combined.  So all my work and studying kept me from venturing out too late or causing a ruckus in the streets of Madrid.  I did however finally make it to the Prado museum (which is free every night from 6-8) with Sonya and we spent three evenings wandering around and drooling over the incredible skill of the artists within.

The Prado has quite an extensive collection of the 13^th-17^th century paintings from Flemish, Italian, Spanish, German, and English styles.  I never thought I would be able to determine the differences between each, but once you look at enough within a short period of time and all together in the same area the differences are clear.  It is first important to note that all painters of this time were interested in depicting the life of Christ.  Whether it was the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary, the Birth or the passion, I would guess every single painter had completed some work that was religiously inspired.  To me its beautiful not only because of my Christian background but because depicting something you have never seen before is the hardest and it is a true creation of the imagination of that painter.  Also, when you have 100 paintings of the Crucifixion it gives the opportunity to begin to interpret what the artist was thinking and what techniques he used.

The Flemish style of painting is very unique, because for me, it is the farthest from reality.  Typically almond shaped faces with very full cheeks and tiny facial attributes seem like the comics of the time.  Not to say they look ridiculous, just very different, and the second attribute is that they are very angelic like.  The subjects in the paintings are all very pale and angelic whereas those attributes are typically saved for angels or other supernatural elements in other styles.  Despite the different take on reality, I did enjoy Flemish painting, especially one in particular called “The Garden of Earthly Delights”.  This was painted on a three-fold panel of wood and depicts the earthly temptations that man comes in contact with.  There are literally hundreds of figures in this painting and creatures that I find absolutely amazing and creative.  You must look it up online.

This week I also experienced when public transportation fails you are basically screwed.  Sonya and I take three trains every morning to get to school, and the second train, line 6 is a joke.  Well they are doing construction on it but basically it runs when it wants to and is never on time.  So this particular morning we get to line 6, wait for 20 min then someone comes on over the loud speaker.  All of a sudden the masses are making a frantic run for the door and out of the metro.  Sonya and I are dumbstruck and have no idea what is going on because I could not understand what the heck the lady was saying.  So I ask a nice lady next to me and she says the train is not coming for another 30 min…well that sucks because our class starts in 30 min.  Luckily we were able to call USAC offices and they laughed that it wasn’t a big deal and they would tell our teacher.  What is hysterical is that there are only 4 girls in my class, one was out that day for a hurt ankle so it was the one girl with our teacher for 45 min till Sonya and I strolled in.

Speaking of my teacher, he showed us a Spanish film called “All About My Mother” which was part of Sundance Film Festival, I think, but at any rate was really good…I suggest it to everyone who likes crazy stories especially ones that include transgender and dry humor.  It was a fantastic story, but to be quite honest I was quite uncomfortable watching it with my teacher…well he is young so I guess it wasn’t a big deal, but there were many sexual references and heres the kicker…he kept translating some of these words and references into English!  Hahah oh man, this teacher is so funny, first of all because every time he says something in English his voice drops as if he’s afraid to speak English, and then he saying these words it was like the funniest thing I have ever seen.  Anyway, good movie nonetheless…

I took some friends of mine here to a Greek restaurant that I found a review for from the New York Times, called Delfos.  Oh man it was soooooo good.  To start we had hummus, feta, aubergine paste, roe paste, and three more with warm pita bread and dolmades.  Then we split some chicken souvlaki and the grand finale was a huge plate completely covered of sweets.  Baklava, galactobureko, rum cake, yogurht with honey and a few others.  There was enough for each of us to have at least 4 pieices, it was amazing.  Needless too say, my friends are hooked and want to come to Reno for the Greek festival.  The waiter there also spoke Greek and it was fun to switch between Greek, Spanish and English depending on what words I knew the best.  Which I have a new appreciation for people who are fluent in more than one language because I have had Spanish in my brain 24/7 for the past 3 weeks and it was sooo hard to remember the Greek words.  I believe the point of fluency  comes from being able to switch between languages without difficulty and without forgetting the words.  Some day ill get there!

more to come!