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Today was a pretty standard day at work. I worked on the website and started detailing the work we've been doing behind each of the projects here at P.A.B. You can view the website for the page I've been working on here (although it's under construction). Later in the day, I worked with one of the women on some computer skills - she said that she was going to start working in two weeks and wanted to be prepared. I asked her what she was doing and where she was working, but she didn't know. Soo... I did the best I could to give her an overview of important computer skills. I thought the lesson went well, and she was developing a confidence and curiosity for the computer that was impressive.
After I got off of work, we headed to the Fan Park to watch the USA-Slovenia game! I even got to buy a USA Scarf (FINALLY!) which was both cheap and patriotic!
I forgot to bring my camera to the fan park, so I had to take this picture of the scarf (without me) after the fact.After a horrid first half followed by an amazing comeback from the US, we were only able to pull out a draw. Thanks a lot, ref! We headed to the Clay Oven, a pizza place on Long Street in downtown Cape Town for dinner and to debrief after that stressful game. Afterward, we watched the England-Algeria game (Another draw.. sigh) in the Dubliner, an Irish pub. There was a really nice piano with a glass top that I wanted to play (Side Note: I think I'm going through piano withdrawal from not touching a real piano in so long; I start playing "air piano" in my pockets whenever I walk throughout the day), but the pub was way too loud. When the game ended, the pub promptly started playing cheesy 80's soft rock. Anddddd mood destroyed. Next venue!
We walked around Cape Town for quite some time trying to find somewhere to hang out, but we never really found a place that suited everyone. We eventually headed home after being unsuccessful.
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And now, I'd thought I'd take a sec to talk about things in South Africa that are different, irk me, make me laugh, make me in awe.. etc. I call it, David's Random Musings.
David's Random Musings
Musing 1: Indoor Heating (or lack thereof)
You have no idea how much you'll miss this Western luxury until you get here. Only restaurants and large office buildings have indoor heating; finding it in a home is almost impossible. So, you get to use LOTS of blankets - it's not miserable, but definitely a life adjustment. Things like this really make me realize how much we take for granted back home.
Musing 2: Apostrophes
(I realize this musing is largely unnecessary and probably sounds kind of pretentious; please indulge me and just let me get this out, so I stay sane, hehe)
This goes for the entire world. Why can't we realize that apostrophes are only used for indicating possession or for contractions? It does not mean, "Look Out, there's an 'S' coming!" Phrases like "Call this number for time's available" and "Save our School's " make me want to become an English teacher.
Musing 3: Sense of Time
If someone says he or she will pick you up at 3:00 PM, go ahead and plan for 3:15, and even possibly 3:30. Just a fact of life. Punctuality is not a priority here; in a way, it's kind of nice - people are very relaxed and seem much less stressed. Still, I do miss the Western sense of time.
Musing 4: Race Relations
Although South Africa is considered the 'Rainbow Nation' for its multicultural makeup and general diversity, it is not without its race issues. I've noticed that there is a significant divide between the Blacks and Cape Coloureds (note this is actually the politically correct term. Check the link for details). One primary example is the makeup of the Bafana Bafana soccer team - I've talked to people at work and at my host family who expressed harsh remarks about there not being enough Coloureds on the team. Also, there is also criticism against the coach of Bafana Bafana for being a pawn of the government. Who knew that soccer was so political? I think that this issue is very intriguing, and I intend to find out more about the race relations in this area during the rest of my stay here.
We walked around Cape Town for quite some time trying to find somewhere to hang out, but we never really found a place that suited everyone. We eventually headed home after being unsuccessful.
==========
And now, I'd thought I'd take a sec to talk about things in South Africa that are different, irk me, make me laugh, make me in awe.. etc. I call it, David's Random Musings.
David's Random Musings
Musing 1: Indoor Heating (or lack thereof)
You have no idea how much you'll miss this Western luxury until you get here. Only restaurants and large office buildings have indoor heating; finding it in a home is almost impossible. So, you get to use LOTS of blankets - it's not miserable, but definitely a life adjustment. Things like this really make me realize how much we take for granted back home.
Musing 2: Apostrophes
(I realize this musing is largely unnecessary and probably sounds kind of pretentious; please indulge me and just let me get this out, so I stay sane, hehe)
This goes for the entire world. Why can't we realize that apostrophes are only used for indicating possession or for contractions? It does not mean, "Look Out, there's an 'S' coming!" Phrases like "Call this number for time's available" and "Save our School's " make me want to become an English teacher.
Musing 3: Sense of Time
If someone says he or she will pick you up at 3:00 PM, go ahead and plan for 3:15, and even possibly 3:30. Just a fact of life. Punctuality is not a priority here; in a way, it's kind of nice - people are very relaxed and seem much less stressed. Still, I do miss the Western sense of time.
Musing 4: Race Relations
Although South Africa is considered the 'Rainbow Nation' for its multicultural makeup and general diversity, it is not without its race issues. I've noticed that there is a significant divide between the Blacks and Cape Coloureds (note this is actually the politically correct term. Check the link for details). One primary example is the makeup of the Bafana Bafana soccer team - I've talked to people at work and at my host family who expressed harsh remarks about there not being enough Coloureds on the team. Also, there is also criticism against the coach of Bafana Bafana for being a pawn of the government. Who knew that soccer was so political? I think that this issue is very intriguing, and I intend to find out more about the race relations in this area during the rest of my stay here.
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