Rob's Adventures

Loss of a Friend

2010-08-25T09:47:00.003-06:00

On Monday, while watching the morning news as i got ready for work, a news story caught my attention. The headline read "couple killed in head on collision outside of Calgary, seven week old baby miraculously survives." Normally i don't pay much attention to these stories, the local news tends to focus heavily on death and the more negative aspects of what is going on in the world today, but thins one held a personal connection and i guess that's all you need to become interested.

Michael Melnyk and his wife were killed Friday evening on their way home from a family wedding. I worked with Mike for two summers, 2006 - 2006, at the Glenrose in between university. He was a really great guy and we got along really well. When i met him he has just returned from Costa Rica doing missionary work (he was Mormon - from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) and was looking to become a heavy duty mechanic. Over the time i knew him he had gotten engaged but then his, then, fiance left him. He has obviously moved on from that relationship and found love after all.

I then moved away to South Africa after that last summer and we lost touch. Flash forward to a couple of weeks ago and i had been thinking of trying to reconnect with him, see what he was up to and see if he was still living in the city. Sadly i never acted on that thought.

Its just a terrible thing to happen to such a young family.

For the full news story and further information you can check it out here.

Witty, wistful, wonderful writer? Maybe, but not today.

2010-06-07T21:41:00.004-06:00

This afternoon i was browsing my Twitter feed and came across a tweet from Scott Jones, a TV host for Electric Playground. He tweeted the address to his blog The Jones Report. In a desperate move to take a break from subdivision applications, i had a read. Now it may not be the most intellectual of content, but i found it amusing nonetheless.

It, however, did get me thinking, how can i write as witty and entertaining as he does?
I tend to just report the facts as they happen in my life, or at least i did when i updated this blog with any regularity.

Anyways, not that i aspire to become a videogame blogger, i hardly have time to dust off my Wii, let alone play it, cause i don't. I do, however aspire to write about my life, find adventure in the everyday and convey my own personal view of said adventures within the confines of this blog...as a hobby. Just to clarify.

Cheers

May 11th!!!

2010-05-11T21:11:00.003-06:00

It has been a very long time since i last updated this, and with any kind of regularity. I'm hoping to change that, not because i have a huge following or anything, but because i like having a bit of a chronological diary that i can go back to (now at anytime thanks to the iPhone) and savour the memories.

I ran into Jarret's parents last Saturday at Costco and we made a little bit of small talk as you do. It was an interesting conversation. Mrs. Dyrbye kept rattling off certain accomplishments that Erin and I had made to congratulate us:
Mrs. Dyrbye: "i hear you bought a house! Congratulations."
Rob: "Thank you."
Mrs. Dyrbye: "And got engaged!"
Rob: "Yep!"
Mrs. Dyrbye: "And got a puppy!!"
Rob: "Sure did!"
And then they ran off to go and buy a rain barrel and potting plants.
It made me think, hell ya a lot has happened in mine and Erin's life. And you know what, i am really really happy.

So for those of you who do read this blog, or may stumble across it, i hope to keep you a little more updated on what is going on in my life, our life and any other topics that i find interesting along the way.

And for those of you who are wondering, it is less than 4 months until the wedding!!! :)
Rob.

12:22am on a friday morning

2009-02-06T00:22:00.002-07:00

This is one of the first times, in a long time, where i haven't been able to sleep. So i decided to grab myself a glass of cold milk and hit the old laptop to do some facebook surfing. I started that at 11:30pm.

It's good though, i was looking up a bunch of people i hadn't heard from in a long while and i'm glad i had this time to myself. I hope to contribute to this more, but life (and/or procrastination) has a way of keeping me from getting things done. As i'm sure Erin can attest to.

If anyone out there still checks in on this thing, here is a brief snippet of what is going on in the life of Rob these days.

I am now living in Edmonton, Alberta. I currently work for an Engineering firm, in the planning department. My job title is "Junior Planner." I just celebrated my two year anniversary with my girlfriend Erin. My parents are going away on a cruise tomorrow and i get to drive them to the airport.

I think i am going to go to bed now, it is late and i have to be up at 6am tomorrow.

Erin has taken over Rob's Blog!

2008-11-02T14:30:00.002-07:00

So, Rob has really been slacking at keeping everyone in the loop about what is going on in his life. Either that or Facebook has become his new modem. All that being said, I have decided to do a mini update to anyone that still reads this.

Maybe he just doesn't feel like his life is an adventure anymore. That could not be further from the truth. For starters, he lives with me! Yes, that is definitely an adventure! We have also been living in two different places around Canada for the last two year. Last year we moved to Kelowna, BC to be together and to get more work experience. I thought it would be easy for Rob to find a great job too... but I was wrong.

So after a rewarding but challenging year, several wine tastings, and making a couple really cool friends, we are back in Edmonton. Our apartment is really cute. Rob had to find it while I was still in Kelowna. I must admit, he did a great job! (with a little help from my sister)

Rob is now working at an engineering firm here in Edmonton as a "junior planner". He really likes it. Sadly, he hates the fact that I take the car while he takes the bus... due to me working just east of Edmonton.

Anyway, that's it for now. Hopefully Rob will start updating this more... who knows but if now you can always get in touch with him on facebook or in person!

Cheers,
Rob's super cool GF

I want a house like this

2008-03-13T01:32:00.001-06:00

Go here to see the rest of the videos.

Countdown to Mexico is on

2008-02-01T15:14:00.000-07:00

Only 14 more days until i get to hop a plane to Edmonton to rendez-vous with my family before we jet-set off to sunny, sunny Mexico! I didn't think i would be this excited about going but now that it is closer to departure date, i'm getting really excited!

I think i just need a bit of a change of pace. Things here in the Okanagan are puttering along as per usual, i'm busy searching for work at home while Erin travels between her 3 Katimavik communities. I need something to break up the everyday and get me not thinking about the pressing matter of job search.

I don't mean to make it as negative as that previous paragraph sounds, in actuality i've been quite busy this week re-establishing contacts with individuals and organizations in Kelowna, applying for several jobs, and i did manage to get some great networking done at the Downtown after 5 networking event last wednesday.

Also, i finally have managed to save up enough money to purchase myself a new video camera. I'm really excited about this because i will have it just in time for Mexico and in addition i can start to work on editing the Christmas footage i took in December!!!

Well i'd better get back to the job search. I'm going to find the perfect job for me, right now!

Trying to find something useful to do with this Blog

2008-01-26T03:54:00.001-07:00

I have been slacking as of late, in regards to getting this blog updated with news and info regarding my life. Unfortunately, not a whole heck of a lot.

I was contemplating this blog and the reasons why i started it in the first place. I wasn't aiming to become an avid blogger, someone who writes editorial-style to the masses on the world-wide web about what i like and what i don't like, nor did i intend to educate the public on my various political views or about what celebrity is doing who (and Brittany, let's not forget about Brittany!).

Nope, the reason for the existence of this little page on the internet, was a method for me to write home about my various adventures in far off placed without having to send out mass e-mails. And, i believe, for that purpose this blog has succeeded.
The reason i haven't up-dated it recently is because my life is incredibly boring at the moment. I am currently just working trying to make rent and pay the bills. Erin and I spend our spare time doing things in Kelowna or just chill at home. We argue just like any other couple, but we laugh a lot too. It's the laughter that i love the most.

But regardless of that, I do hope to do more with this blog that simply write about my experiences. I hope to contribute in some small way to the information sharing of the internet and somehow create linkages between myself (the author) and the reader (you guys). I haven't quite figured this all out, but i'm working on it. At the very least, i'll just keep doing what i'm doing and post info about my life on the internet for Grandma and Jill to read, but hopefully i'll be able to start adding interactive media and video blogs here in the near future for all to enjoy. Rob's Adventures is headed into bold and new directions, let's see how this pans out...

Rob's Video Blog 2.0

2007-12-29T11:22:00.000-07:00

This past Christmas Erin and I went up to Edmonton to visit family and friends for the holidays. Driving there was touch and go due to weather in B.C., but overall the trip there and back was great. I had an awesome Christmas, spent with my family, Erin's family and as many of our friends we could squeeze in, in the short time that we were home.
But i'll up-date that later, once i get a chance to upload my photos from the holidays. So until then, Check out the latest installment of my Video Blog series that Jarret filmed and edited for me.

Totally Radical!!!

Perceptions

2007-12-02T03:36:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking a bit lately about how I perceive others. I have this tendancy to assume certain things about other people. Like for instance age. I'm currently working two jobs where my colleagues vary in age from 19 to 60. when interacting with these people i, like most people do when getting to know another person, ask the general questions; how's it going?; do you have a day job?; and what's your age?
on several occasions i have been taken aback by the age of the person i'm talking to. in making my snap judgments (thank you Malcolm Gladwell) i just assume that this person is around the same age as myself. Yet when they answer 19, 20 or 21 i'm always shocked. Do these people look older for their age, or am i still perceiving myself as being 19,20, or 21 and erego don't notice the disparity in age.
now i know 21 is not all that removed from 25, but i figure it isn't all that hard to judge someone's age somewhat accurately.
This kind of perception had an opposite effect for those in an authoritative role. anyone, for instance the floor managers at the casino, who holds a higher rank to myself is automatically older than myself. So this generally comes as a shock to find out that they're younger or roughly the same age.
Anyways, i was just wondering if anyone else perceives people this way. I could write more on this subject but it is way too late in the night for further examples.

Snow

2007-11-27T19:06:00.000-07:00

last night was the first time, in about a year and a half that i had seen the ground completely covered with snow. It was pretty cool. I had been inside all evening dealing blackjack, which i'm getting better at but still need to practice adding 7's, they're hard!, but when i left the casino at 2:30am everything was peaceful. The snow was still falling, it wasn't too cold out, and the world had a whitish-orange glow to it through a combination of the downtown street lights and the waning full moon.

Today i had to take my car in to get new winter tires put on. Last night i got to experience both extremes of winter, my likes and dislikes. The first snowfall, the ground covered with fresh snow blanketing everything in white is one of the beautiful sights to me. However, driving in wet,snowy conditions, with all the sludge, brown snow, black ice and residue from cars in not particularly picturesque. i had been shopping around earlier that day for decent deals on winter tires because i knew that the ones i had on my car currently, i still don't officially know if they are all season or summer tires, would not be very safe for winter driving conditions.
driving home from the casino last night made that inkling very clear.

The road to our house is windy, has a few inclines and at one point does a complete U-turn. As i turned on to this road i had to slow down considerably because it hadn't been plowed yet and everything was very slippery. every time i braked the car seemed to skid because it had next to no traction in those conditions. so i slowed down as i entered a decline and slowed down even more as i hit the U-turn. as the road started to incline the car proceeded to lose traction and for the majority of the drive up the hill the wheels were spinning out because it couldn't find any grip. i ended up having to tap the gas just to keep it at 20km/hr and to give the tires some time to find some sort of grip.

luckily i made it home is one piece, i did have the advantage of driving home late at night so that there weren't other cars getting mad and passing me as i tried to make my way up the hill. that could have made things a lot worse.

but i digress...as i was waiting for the new tires to be installed, which (grandma) you'd like to hear i got an amazing deal on some higher end tires, i was having a look at the vineyards and orchards in the surrounding area and having that thin layer of snow fall blanketing them made everything look that much more breath-taking.

life in Kelowna

2007-11-25T23:04:00.000-07:00

has been incredibly busy!
but things are plugging along and i've been keeping busy. Hence the neglecting of the regular up-dates. though that argument can be countered by the fact that in the past i've been not busy and not up-dated either. but this time my excuse is legit.
October was a month of trying to get settled, figuring out what life in Kelowna had to offer and figuring out the basics of everyday life. Time was taken exploring the region, the city, figuring out how to get around, what to do and, of course, job search.
November has involved living that life. I've had to take on a few cash-flow jobs in order to meet living needs and have been busy with those, banquet serving at the coast capri hotel and blackjack dealing at the local casino. I had my first shift last week and enjoyed it and am looking forward to my next shift tomorrow.
This past week i've been too busy with work to focus on my job search, working 16hr days does not leave room in the day for much more than working and sleeping, with a little bit of eating thrown in there for flavour.
however, this week i'm spending the days doing the job search, i have a few more leads on potential employers, and then working at the Casino or banquets in the evenings. I'm hoping more on the casino because it is more fun, i think.

ps. i also had an awesome hr long chat with some friends in the UK today and that totally made my day!

Adventures in Kelowna

2007-11-04T20:34:00.000-07:00

I don't have any pictures to show for the first 3 weeks i've been living here in kelowna. Erin was the one taking all the pictures and i haven't had the chance to steal them from her computer yet.

Anyways, i've also been quite busy with establishing a new life here in Kelowna. Since moving here i've been busy looking for work, learning how to career search, network, and meet people in the community. After all that, there is little time left for blogging.

However, now it is sunday evening, and i'm all alone at home want for things to do so i thought i'd share some of my stories with everyone. This weekend Erin left for Montreal for her Project Coordinator training with Katimavik. She will be gone for 5 months and i'll be here in Kelowna looking for work. Hopefully i'll have some bites on my hook by the time she gets back.

Luckily for me my cousin Marcus came down from Kelowna for a visit and mangaed to full the Erin void for a day or so. Well as best he could. :P
Not only was he in Kelowna for a few short hours before the excitment started. At a quarter to 12 a red Civic honda crashed into the front yard of the house that Erin and I are renting. The car, as best we could figure, was speeding down the road, lost control and skidded off the main road. He crossed the front drive of the neighbours house, hit a fire hydrant on it's right (passenger side) then swung 180 degrees and landed right-side up in the front yard, about 5-8 feet away from the house and about 2-3 feet away from the boat parked in the front of the house. for the local news write-up of the story, go here.

Damage to the house below us.

The Car in the front yard

Mudslide into the houses below.

The Hydrant

The flow path, after the water had been shut off.

Marcus and I tried to help, we filled a few sandbags and positioned them so that they would divert the water away from the house. However, soon after we got to work emergency crews, in conjunction with B.C. Hydro, managed to shut off the water. I did manage to get a video with my digital camera.

The flowing water managed to erode nearly all the soil away from the right side of the house, fill our patio and the back yard with a ton of mud, and flood the houses that are down the hill below us. The one house's back yard is completely covered in Mud and the basement flooded with about 2 feet of water.

After all was said and done there was little damage done to our house, there is a bit of moisture in our closet and the spare room that Darren and His family use, but other than that things are fine.

Marcus and I had a great time hanging out. we did a little shopping in the afternoon, then had diner and went to catch a movie downtown. We saw "into the wild."
It was a really awesome movie and i suggest people go and have a look at it. I feel it was really well acted and the direction and cinematography were done beautifully. (That is saying a lot considering i really dislike Sean Pen).

Today i dropped Marcus off at the bus depot and headed home to just chill. I cleaned up a bit, watched me some Avatar, and then made a few phone calls.

This week looks like it'll be promising. I have a temp job lined up for mon-wed, then thurs and fri can be dedicated towards the job search and networking. I passed my Blackjack dealers course last week and will be starting a part-time job as a Blackjack dealer. This on top of my Banquet serving job will keep me pretty busy for the next couple of weeks. so don't blame me if i don't update this thing again right away. but i will try to be more diligent in the future.

Marcus and I, Sunday Afternoon

Well i'd best be going. enjoy the videos, links, pictures and other media!
Rob.

postings to come

2007-10-28T23:24:00.001-06:00

lame, i know.
but i do have plans to up-date this blog with wonderful stories of my time so far in Kelowna. But i just can't do it right now. maybe next week.
anyways, if you want some tidbits of life in Kelowna, check out Erin's blog.

Die Schuld

2007-10-09T22:23:00.000-06:00

Here is the video that the U of A team 2 completed for the 24/One film competition. It was so much fun working on this film and meeting so many new people. As always i tend to meet so many cool people right before i leave a place. never fails.
Anyways, enjoy. It was a group effort and that effort shows in the awesomeness of this film.
Rob.

Video Blog 1.0

2007-10-05T00:30:00.000-06:00

So this is the explanation of why Erin and I didn't go to Japan, plus some fun footage of our trip to West Ed Mall where we met with our new landlord. We're moving to Kelowna!!!
I know i've been slack on the updates recently, and that they've all been videos. I'll try to muster up something intersting to write about in the near future. but for now i'm busy packing and getting ready to move on Saturday!!!
Enjoy the vid!

Montreal and Washington D.C.

2007-09-23T17:33:00.000-06:00

So here is a video montage of my trip to Montreal and Washington D.C. I was there from the 2nd to the 10th of August!
Enjoy!

Wedding Video

2007-09-17T09:31:00.000-06:00

So here are the 3 part montage of my cousin Blaine's wedding video plus Techno Remix.
Enjoy!!!

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Techno Remix

Rob's Adventures Version 0.0

2007-09-13T21:53:00.000-06:00

So here is version 0.0 of Rob's Adventures in Video Format. The editions of this will get better as time goes on. I will be better at editing, i will have more interesting things to talk about and better scenery.
So enjoy and stay tuned!!!

Ode To Summer (2007)

2007-08-30T23:24:00.000-06:00

I love summer, it is probably my favorite season. Spring is nice and uplifting as it marks the end of the cold winter, autumn is always beautiful with all the trees turning colour but it is the transitional period for winter and i do not like winter. Well that is a bit of an over statement, i enjoy winter, i just do not like the bitter cold that so often accompanies winter. Weather up to -15C i can handle, anything colder than that, no dice.

But summer, ah summer, that is a time i revel in. I love the long long summer days of Edmonton, sitting on a patio having a meal with friends drinking a beer, going for pic-nics in a finely manicured garden, going for a long run on the back country roads with the sun beating down on your back, the smell of freshly cut grass.

It is the social aspect i probably enjoy the most, passing those summer days in summer ways with the people you love, there simply is nothing better than.

I will always remember summer BBQ's and pool parties at Grandma's. These family gatherings have become a quintessential part of my childhood, diving off the diving board and slide, scouring the bottom of the deep end for what seemed like hours, contests to see who could swim from one side of the pool to the other in one breath, cooking hamburgers on the BBQ, sitting chatting in the Hot tub and Sauna. Now with cousins and family members moving away and Grandma slowing down, it seems like these family gatherings will become less of the norm and more like special events. These memories have been stored away in the back of my mind, preserved in bottles for another day. To be brought out and savored at the most appropriate time, like a fine wine these memories will only get better, grow more vivid, with age.

This summer was eventful and uneventful at the same time, i've had my share of "ups and downs and all arounds." There are a few memories that stick out for me now even as i type this, that will always remind me of this particular summer. Watching Old Strathcona come to life on Saturday morning in May, as i met a friend for coffee. Daycation. An evening dinner on the porch with my Uncle, Aunt and Cousin Veronica in Washington D.C. Harry Potter!!! Going on an impromptu hike in Montreal with Will, Alex and Mack. Spending more time reconnected with family I had taken for granted in the past. Evenings in St. Albert. Evenings in #207 on Saskatchewan Dr. Finally, remembering, to be a tourist in my own town, not only in the towns of others.

I guess i am being a touch sentimental in my "ode to summer" but seeing as it may be my last in Edmonton for at least a year, i am not only saying good bye to summer but farewell to my life here as well. because honestly, i do not know when i'll be back next.

My Simpson Avatar

2007-08-24T08:20:00.001-06:00

Office Speech

2007-08-21T14:33:00.000-06:00

I've always been aware of this kind of behaviour, ever since i started working at the Glenrose way back in 2001, and it has always annoyed me. Office speech.

Office speech is the midless little phrases or quips that office workers exchange with each other as a means for having a conversation without really having one. Examples of such office speech include: "Working hard or hardly working?"; "We're having a safety meeting...as long as no one is working, no one gets hurt."; How the day of the week determines your mood - "hey how's it going?" "oh you know, it's monday"; "same shit different day"; and so on and so forth.

In my reasoning there are two reasons behind this kind of behaviour, a) it easier to regurgitate a small little quip that both are familiar with rather than engage each other in a real conversation - this serves the purpose of maintaining office relationships without getting too personal or sharing too much of yourself in the process. And b) because often it is a cordial way to acknowledge a fellow co-worker without stopping for a long, indepth conversation because often your workload doesn't allow for indepth conversations. If i really tried harder i could think up a thousand more reasons behind this little phenomenon but honestly i don't have the time.

I just think that something happens to the brain when it is forced to do the same monontonous task over and over again and a large institutionalized setting. People go a little crazy and they begin to decorate their desks with little objects to entertain themselves. stuffed monkeys that have been decked out with a tiny corsage of fake flowers is not interesting and does not warrent a 5 minute conversation!
Okay, getting a bit ranty here, i'd better end this post.

Salut de Montréal

2007-08-02T19:37:00.001-06:00

I am now sitting in Montréeal on one of the hottest days of the year. Didn`t quite plan it this way but you have to roll with the punches when traveling to distant, far off places. :)
After an excruciating long flight, over night, to Montreal i was met at the airport by my beau-frere Martin. He took me back to his and Alex`s new condo and left me there to get caught up on some sleep. After about 2hrs i got up and headed into town to meet up with Alex for lunch. We had a picknic lunch on the grass outside one of Montreals huge churches. then i wandered around St. Catherine`s for about an hour before i returned to the condo to have another kip before Martin and Alex got home from work.
tomorrow i have free range of the city in the morning, then i`m going to hang out with Alex and Martin in the evening and then cathc my flight to DC on saturday. Will post more from there.
Rob

Ode to Strider

2007-07-29T21:36:00.000-06:00

A week ago, one of our wolfhounds, Strider, passed away. He had been struggling with a heart condition for a little over 6 months before it finally gave out. It wasn't totally unexpected to see him go, but it was a little startling to see him deteriorate so fast. I'm just glad that i got to be there to comfort him as he passed away. He was the Patriarch of our wolfhounds. He will be missed.

This is one of my favorite photos of Strider. I took this from inside the house on a cold February day back in 2005. Strider was out in the front yard doing his own thing as the full moon began to rise out of the east.
It was just one of those scenes that make you stop and just admire the beauty of the scenery.

Strider
August 14th 2004 - July 19th 2007

2007-07-18T07:58:00.000-06:00

Last night i went to bed at 8:30pm. I was super super tired. I tried to pass the time by watching tv, to prolong going to bed too early, but started to fall asleep in front of that too. I've come to the (happy) conclusion that i don't like to watch tv in the summer and should try to occupy my time in better ways. i've been reading a lot, going running in the evenings, visiting with friends and going out to movies.

I can't wait for August to get here, i'll have more time to do the things that i want to do, such as travel, spend more time with friends who have fallen by the wayside of a much too busy life, see Erin more, hang with the family, and actually spend some time outdoors!

Harry Potter Trumps Nelson Mandela, Sad but true

2007-07-04T07:31:00.000-06:00

So for the past month i ahve been reading Nelson Mandela's Autobiography "Long Walk to Freedom" and thus far it has been one of the most amazing (non-fiction) books i have ever read. I'm just over half way done with about 300 more pages to go. I thought i could have finished the book by July but i'm a terribly slow reader so unfortunately this is not the case. yesterday i put aside Nelson Mandela to begin re-reading the 6th book of Harry Potter, in preparation for the release of the 7th. I just thought that it was a bit sad in a way that a fictional character has trumped the life story of one of the most influential people of our time.
That is not to say that i've put down Nelson Mandela's story for good, but just that with all the hype of the 7th book and me not wanting to have the end spoiled for me, that i have had to schedule my recreational reading around the release of the 7th book.

P.s. I tend to ramble, a lot, in this blog

Rob's African Adventure!!!

2007-06-26T14:23:00.000-06:00

In 2006, Rob Rutherford left for the adventure of a lifetime...and almost didn't come back!!!
But he did and afterwards he and his friend Jarret compressed his +3000 photos into a video slideshow, consisting of 1000 of his favorite photos, and a few video clips here and there.
This video is up on the web (forever preserved by the internet archive project) for your viewing pleasure.
Now for a few words from Jarret, the videographer:

Rob's African Adventure video slideshow:
URL -- http://www.archive.org/details/IdlyByeRobsAfricanAdventure (Right-click save-as on QuickTime link)
Runtime -- 1:46:25
Size -- 786 MB
Format -- QuickTime H.264 (a recent version of QuickTime should play this without a hitch)
Approximate estimated download time -- 4 hours.

My apologies for the long download time. It is a long video and I squeezed it down as much as I could without sacrificing quality. Archive.org provides the file hosting for free, and they are constrained for how much bandwidth they can give. Another benefit Archive.org provides is, shockingly enough, archival. So theoretically, this link will still work for decades to come. I encourage you to become aware of the project and consider donating.

By the time you read this Rob will have a bunch of DVD copies of the slideshow as well. If you would like a copy, talk to him. They are NTSC format, which means they will only work on North American DVD players/TV sets.

Jarret

There is also a drinking game you can play whilst watching the video, so as to make the slideshow more entertaining and to keep people from becomming disinterested, though i don't know who would, i mean, its a slideshow all about Rob, and who doesn't like Rob?!?

Enjoy!!!
Rob

Videos

2007-06-24T11:13:00.000-06:00

I was reading Time Magazine one night last week as i was trying to get to sleep, i seemed to have a case of chronic insomnia last week, and i read that the following video has become one of the most popular videos on youtube as of recent, having over 5 million hits in just over a month. I has a particular interest in the video because it is of a pride of lions hunting water buffalo in Kruger National Park, South Africa. Honestly it is an incredibly awesome video of animals interacting in the "wilds" of a national park.

I watched the video at my friends Jarret and Jill's place and Dean was also there. Dean knew of another video called "I Was Robbed by Two Men." Honestly, this kind of thing makes me want to go to Japan all that much more! (not because of the dancing women and up-close chest shots - sickos, but because of how different everything there is, even tv.)

Lazy!

2007-06-21T19:41:00.001-06:00

Well i was going to write a big long blog entry on a few recent events, nothing major or exciting, but would provide an entertaining read nonetheless. But i'm being super lazy this evening. It is the first evening where i've been home at a decent hour and don't have a lot to do, so i'm enjoying it because i don't have a lot of lazing time over the next two weeks, it's going to be pretty much go go go for a while, so i'm just going to feed the dogs then go and watch the 3rd season of lost. i'll try to update this thing sunday or whatever.
Oh and go here, my friend Paul in the UK has a band and they've just put up their newest single. i can't seem to listen to it, but i'm sure you can. have a gander at BeattheRadar's myspace page.

Long Time Over-Due

2007-06-17T00:36:00.000-06:00

So it's been a while since i updated this thing so i figured what better time to do it than at 12:37am on a Sunday morning. I just got home from the Charlie Murphy show at the Comic Strip this evening. My brother decided that is what he wanted to do for his birthday so i was happy to go along.
I have to say that live comedy is something i haven't really given mush thought about in the past. But having seen a few comics this evening (Paul Brown MC'd, there was another comic that came up before Charlie Murphy), i have to say that it is quite an enjoyable way to spend an evening.
The group of nine of us, a mixture of camp friends and cousins, met up in West Ed and had dinner int he food court, which i think was a lot more fun than a sit down restaurant. we were getting up moving around, goofing off and not really disturbing the people around us. lot of fun.

I have some big news for this up-date, it probably should have been the headliner for this post, but meh, too much emphasis is placed on headlines these days. I got my Japan job. I am now going to Japan for a year to teach English! I'm quite stoked about it because I've always wanted to go to Japan, but there is also a part of me that wants to stay home and enjoy the company of my family for a little while longer. But I've already got one brother coming out to visit me, so maybe i can convince some other family/friends to take advantage of the free accommodation that I'll have available when I'm over there!!! Jarret and Jill, I'm going to be working on you two the most!! no Hawaii for you!
Okay, I'm done here.

boring stay at home life

2007-05-18T23:56:00.000-06:00

I realized today that this evening was the first time i had left my house in four days! how pathetic is that? Well its not that pathetic, i mean i am writing a research paper that is slowly sucking the life right on outta me!! but it's getting done and i'm thinking that in about 3 more days i'll have the rough draft completed and ready for editing. Jaqui, if you read this blog, it's coming, just give it time.
Anyways, thats about as exciting as my life gets.

I'm getting so frustrated with this paper. its not that the work is too hard, because it's not and i know i can pull this off, it is just that it's time consuming. I feel like i haven't been able to really start my life here in Canada because i'm still working on finishing my life up in South Africa. There are so many things that i want to be doing at the moment, like looking for some awesome community development projects to volunteer for, to maybe look for a better summer job than driving food carts at the hospital again (low point of my week actually, i accepted a shift for June 2nd - i want to kill myself), join a tae kwon do club in Edmonton, work out at the gym to lose the 15 pounds i gained in Africa, spend countless hours in front of the tv getting caught up on tv shows such as Grey's, Lost, Scrubs, the Office, Smallville, Heroes, etc., or prepare for my interview to go teach English in Japan which is on May 31st! There are many, many more things on that list, that i just can't do or get done becuase i am working on this paper, and when i'm not i'm trying not to think about the obscene amount of work i still have to do on that paper!!!

okay enough ranting...The GF is visiting for the weekend, so i'm happy, i can take the next two days off from paper writing to hang out with her!!!

and just cause i haven't uploaded a photo in a very long time...Here is an oldie of me in the Lake District during my 7 month stint in the UK. I'm doing my "the Hills are alive, with the sound of music" reinactment. and Who could blame me, just look at that awesome scenery!!

Just an update to keep the reader's reading

2007-05-08T08:44:00.000-06:00

So i don't have a lot to say this time around, my life has become quite boring as of late. I'm not having as many wacky and crazy adventures these days, back home in Alberta. Though i did travel to Saskatchewan last wednesday to visit my girlfriend in North Battleford.
Now i am working from home, trying to get the work done that i didn't finish while i was in South Africa. It should take me about a week. So i'd better get cracking.
I'll write up the wacky advenutres i had on the airplane back to North America in a little while, because now i must go and get ready to do some work!

Returning Home

2007-04-24T03:15:00.001-06:00

For all my readers out there, i am leaving South Africa tomorrow (wed April 25th) i'm experiencing mixed feelings about this mainly because i absolutely love South Africa, i've made so many friends here and had so many amazing experiences that the thought of leaving terrifies me. Also, i didn't really get to choose the date of my departure and thus i am feeling a bit like i'm being ripped from my home here. I'm not leaving on my terms and that makes me sad and angry. I realize that if i had been a bit more decisive, or stood up for myself a bit more, i would be leaving on May 7th like i had originally intended.
But having said that, i am also very excited to be returning home, first to Vancouver to give a presentation at UBC on my experiences in South Africa. I am always looking for ways to become more proficient at public speaking so I'm hoping that this experience will be a good one. Then its on to Edmonton to see the family and friends. I'm really excited. Yet a bit apprehensive as well, because like it was when i returned from England, i went back to living with my parents which is great, but i go back to being 15 and am dependent on them for my transportation needs, my mobility is restricted there, not because they stop me from doing what i want to do, they have been amazingly flexible to accommodate my wish to borrow the car and stuff like that, but in the end I'm still reliant on them and thats what bugs me and thats what i don't like about returning home. But it will only be for a short while and then I'll have found a job and get on with my life.
but to make sense of that rambling mess: I'm very excited to be returning home to being with my family, i look forward to chatting with them about how theyve changed and whats gone on in their lives and regaling them with stories of my African adventure. I may complain about leaving, but at the end of it i'm happy to be going home. So just bare with me as i say "i'm so happy to be going home but..."

Awesome People

2007-04-17T03:09:00.000-06:00

I'm very cross that i'm meeting so many amazing people in South Africa, a mere month before i return to Canada. this makes leaving all that much harder. I mean, i'll probably remember them for years to come, where as i'll probably only show up as a tiny little blip on their radar. sigh.
Today, for instance i had the opportunity to meet Patrick Chamusso the man who was tortured as a terrorist during the Apartheid era, partly blew up the Skunda power plant (the, then, largest coal to oil refinery in the world) and was sentenced to 25 years on Robbin Island. His story has been recounted in the film "Catch a Fire." He is so nice and so amazing and is just the coolest person i have ever met. he is my new hero and i can not wait to go back to his home/orphanage for AIDS orphans tomorrow.

Catch Up Blogging

2007-04-03T05:16:00.000-06:00

So here is an update for y'all.
I'm no longer living in Pretoria, i've recently moved to White River, Mpumalanga (on the eastern side of South Africa).

i had to leave the country on march 27th because that was when my visa expired. I went to swaziland and treated myself to a nice B and B.

upon my return to SA 2 days later, the jerks at home affairs only gave me an additional 30 days to remain in south africa. as a canadian entering as a tourist i automatically get 90 days. jerks.

i will leaving South Africa on April 28th (a saturday, i mean, couldn't they have given me 31 days, and leave on the sunday?). i still have to book my flight, but that is when i have to leave the country.

I'm not as sad about this as i thought i would be. which is suprising because if i had to leave back when i was supposed to, in february, it would have been kicking and screaming as i was tossed on to the airplane. i guess my time here in SA is finally up and i'm ready to return home. (Though there is still a part of me that will go kicking and screaming, and probably shed a few tears along the way)

i have a ton of work to do in these short 3 weeks, (they're short because there are a ton of bizarre mid-week national holidays in april, like on tuesdays and stuff) as well i have lots of friends to visit and places i want to go and see before i leave. So i will be putting in very long work days so i can goof off and have fun on the weekends and holidays.

Um, thats all the news for now. Will post pics when i can. but for now, just revel in the fact that you are literate and can read the words that i am writing...then go read something more meaningful cause this is a rob-centric blog and honestly, where are a bunch of ramblings about my life going to get you?

Idly Bye

2007-03-29T05:48:00.000-06:00

Jarret, along with some help from Jill, Dean and Alynne, have been busy putting together a series for internet viewers, based around the educational teachings of Dr. Thomas Clancey.
The launch of Part 0 was last tuesday, unfortunately i was unable to post the link until now.
So faithfull readers, you now have some video content to enjoy.
Rob.

ps. for anyone interested in other Idly Bye productions, check out the channel on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=idly+bye

Day 199

2007-03-23T07:11:00.000-06:00

Today at work has been a bit slow, it is my last day here at the CSIR. I don't intend on returning here for the last month and a bit that i am in South Africa. Not that i had a bad time here, but because i want to move on to other areas of the country (Mpumalanga!!!)and work on other things.

I packed up my desk today, cleaned out all the erroneous items and sheets of paper that have been accumulating for the past 7 months. Now all that is left is packing up everything into my car and turning in my key.

I went shopping and out for lunch with Rebecca and Elizabeth this afternoon, we had Thai food before going grocery shopping. I had an impulse buy of a Zulu to English dictionary, it now compliments my "how to learn Zulu" book that i have not opened once since i purchased it. I really want to learn these languages, but am so lazy that i don't put the effort into actually getting the work done.

Upon my return to the office, i thought it would be fun to calculate how long i have been away from home for. As it turns out, today is my 199th day since i arrived in South Africa. The longest i've ever been away from home in my entire life. My previous record of 186 days was when i was living in the UK for 6 months.

I'll have to do something special tomorrow, for my 200th day out of the country. I'll call Ayanda up and see if he wants to go out. Anyways, i'm working out the details for my final month in South Africa, i'll be getting paid for it too!!! But it looks like i'll be living out at EcoLink for the majority of it, but we'll just have to wait and see. Who knows, by monday i might even have a date for my flight home. That'll please a few folks back home *couMOMgh* *couJillgh*

Durban!!!

2007-03-16T13:08:00.000-06:00

So last Thursday I headed down to Durban, South Africa's 2nd most populous city (After Joburg).

With the new found freedom that only having a car can bring, I decided to take advantage of it all and drove down to Durban for a weekend visit with my friends Wandile and Andile, as well as finish up my scuba diving course while at the coast.

Thursday morning I was up bright and early at 5am, I had agreed to drive Kieran to the airport as he was leaving South Africa for two months while he travelled around east Africa (Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, and Uganda). I met up with him and Liz, another American who is interning in our research group. We dropped off his stuff at the office, as he is storing it here until he returns (after which he'll be returning to Canada). So at 6:30 we were finally on our way to O.R. Tambo International, in the middle of rush hour traffic!

And now for a section that I’ll call Rob's Adventures Driving in South Africa - as I have had many.
I was still getting the hand of the whole stick shift thing, switching gears while in motion is not hard at all, what I was having trouble with was getting the car moving from a stand still without peeling away at break-neck speeds or stalling. So when we hit the N1, and it was stand still traffic I had no choice but to get this right! So after stalling once, and nearly rear ending another car, I finally got the hang of it. I'm now driving like a pro.

So I dropped Kieran off at the airport and proceeded to head into Joburg to meet up with jaqui, as I had scheduled a meeting with her to talk about the stuff I’d be doing for her while I remain in South Africa for another 2 months. We talked about funding options, and she was going to fill in the applications. I don't think that has happened yet, and I’m beginning to think she's forgotten. But it's okay; I’ve kind of resigned myself to returning to Canada in May to look for new jobs and new opportunities. As much as I love South Africa, I need to start looking at the next phase of my life. There are going to be big changes when I return home, that can only happen when I return home so I’m a little anxious to meet them head on.

So after the meeting with jaqui, I am now going to finish up my poverty nodes paper, help out with the poverty nodes project as much as I can and finally write a report that will help jaqui, and to a certain extent IRES, bridge the gap between what the intern experiences on the ground and how the organizations can help prepare them for this placement.

Then I headed down to Durban. I left at 10am and 7hrs later I was at the coast!!! I stayed with my friend Wandile at his father's house. They have a very nice house in Westville and were very accommodating. After I had gotten settled in and met the family, Wandile lives there with his father, and two younger cousins, Wed headed out to meet up with Andile, another friend. Just for clarity, I met Wandile and Andile back over new years in Mozambique. We all stayed at Fatima's and hung out the entire time while we were all there.

Picture taken in Tofo on New Year's Eve 2006, Myself, Andile and Wandile are in the front row.
I'm really suprised how this group of complete strangers who all took a bus up to tofo from Maputo became so close is such a short timeframe. I'm not in regular communication with all of them, but Ayanda, Nkulu, Uchi, Andile and Wandile and I are all still in touch and i consider them really good friends. Thanks guys.

So we went out for a few drinks in Durban. We tried Morningside, a neighborhood in Durban, but everyplace we went to wanted a cover charge, so we headed down to the docks where there were a few pubs on the waterfront. It was good times.

Andile's Cousin, Wandile, Myself and Andile

Rob's Adventures Driving in South Africa, Episode 2
As we drove back to Morningside, we picked up Andile's flat mate, Dennis, who had been out drinking at another club. As we were driving back to their flat we were in a car accident! (Don’t worry, no one was hurt). This chick and her friends were driving a car in front of us, and then just randomly she decided to do a U-turn. Andile hooted his horn, hit the breaks and it looked like we were just about to stop.... BANG!!! We t-boned her. The damage was minimal as both parties were going slow, or had slowed enough to make sure that the damage was minimal. The driver of the other car, the "technical Educator" as she became to be known by us - she works at some hair college in Durban - was clearly drunk. Drinking and driving is a real problem here in South Africa. And I don't think it'll get any better due to the high crime rate and people not willing to take cabs home and pick up their cars in the morning, because the car won't be there in the morning if they do leave them.
Anyways, after exchanging information, we drove to the police station to report the accident. I kept laughing as Dennis kept making jokes pertaining to the "technical educator." I also found it quite funny that the South African Police Service's abbreviation is SAPS. I don't know why I found that funny.

Friday, I had a nice lie in, until 11am. Then I kind of hung around the house while Wandile was out doing deliveries, he works with his dad who manufactures an herbal tonic. Around 1pm i headed into Durban to explore the city a little bit. I ended up at the workshop, a mall in the centre of Durban. I wandered around looking at the shops and taking in the atmosphere. I stopped to watch some street performers who were singing in an amphitheatre just behind the workshop. Then I had lunch and had a brief walk around the city centre of Durban. I didn't bring my camera that day because I didn't want to stick out as a tourist. Though for a long while I didn't see another white person in the mall, so sticking out was inevitable.
Around 4pm I got back in my car and headed back to Westville, I was going to drive around the city for a bit, but it was rush hour and all the minibus taxis were making me nervous, they operate by their own rules of the road and I didn't like the fact that they were surrounding me.

I met up with Wandile back at his place around 6pm and then we headed out to pick up Andile for a night out. We went to this club called Del La Sol. it was a really cool place, in terms of the actual set up of the club. It was like a house with a huge porch, and outside area, inside there were three rooms, two bars on either side, with the dance floor in the middle. It was a bit of a meat market but if you ignore all the prima's and fellas and just have some good times with your friends, this can be a really fun place to hang out, drink and dance. We went out with some Andile's friends, Charlie, Jacqui, and another guy whose name I cannot remember.

Cheers

Me, Wandile, "the sports commentator", Jacquie, Charlie and Andile

Around 2am the music started to get slower and put me to sleep, so we decided to look for another place to hang out. We tried this one place, I don't remember the name of it but it had Bohemian in the name. Unfortunately it was closed. We then tried the Sunset coast, a casino, but then decided not to go and just called it a night.

Saturday, I had my first scuba diving session! I got so horribly lost trying to find the place. The M4 is the most elusive road in all of Durban, I tell thee, trying to find it is just impossible as far as I’m concerned!!! By some fluke, after ending all the way in Ballito!! (A town about two towns over from Durban) I finally found the M4 and made it to the dive centre. We dove in a rock quarry not too far from where Wandile lives. So I drove all that way for nothing essentially. But it was cool. I really enjoyed it. After our session, I left the quarry and just headed back to Wandile's.

Once I had gotten cleaned up and such, we headed back to Andile's to hang out for a while. This time I was driving, because Wandile's father had taken the bakkie out for a while. We hung out at Andile's for a while before driving all the way to the deep suburbs to attend the wedding reception of some couple that had gotten married earlier that day. Dennis had attended the wedding, and this was the after party. We first stopped off at their friend Sim's place to have a few drinks (I didn't drink because I was driving, and its a good thing too, but I’m getting to that). We hung out there until the girls arrived, some friends of Andile and Wandile, they were really cool. Then we drove in a convoy of three vehicles to this house party.

Tofo Reunion

It was quite different from the Canadian wedding reception. In the back yard they had a set up similar to what you'd expect to see at a wedding reception that is held at a home instead of a hall, they had tables, a dance floor and food. But in the front it looked like a house party, with people just sitting in chairs drinking beer, some people just hanging out in their cars in the drive way drinking. Sitting on the lawn socializing with friends.

Andile gave me the low down on the African wedding traditions and the entire process that they have to go through in order to get married. The best way to describe it is traditional with modern influences. (Andile, if I miss anything, please leave a comment) The groom first has to ask the bride's father for permission to marry her, and then they start the lebolla (dowry) negotiations. Now I think this is done in how many cows the groom has to offer (but in today's world, the cows are a set price in rands, at least this is what I was told by Sipo back over Christmas), Then there is the coming together of the two families, the actual wedding (which is where most of the western influence comes in) and then a celebration as the bride enters into the grooms family. I think I missing a few festivities, but that is the bare bones of how it is done.

I was telling Andile that I felt like I was crashing the wedding, I had just though we were going to a party. He replies, "You, of all people should feel like you are crashing the wedding." Dennis later told me that, because they have their token white guy, this is a good party.

I only stayed until 11, because I had to get up at 3am the next morning to go scuba diving.

Rob's Adventures in Driving in South Africa Part 3
On our way home we hit a police roadblock, they were actually checking for drunk drivers, it was good to see. They pulled me over and asked me if I had anything to drink. Being the honest guy I am, I told them yes, I had one beer earlier in the evening. He then proceeded to give me the Breathalyzer test, which came up Zero.

So we returned home with little incident and I went to bed.

Rob's Adventures in Driving in South Africa Part 4
I woke up at 3am, in order to get to the dive centre by 4am so that I could actually get into the ocean for my last two dives. I left the house at 3:30 thinking I had given myself enough time to drive there. Unfortunately I got lost, again. I ended up in the middle of Downtown Durban without any idea on how to get to the M4. I finally pulled out a map, sat on the side of the road with my headlamp on trying to figure out the best way to get to Durban north. I eventually found a good through route and arrived at the dive centre, but the bus had already left. So I called the guy who was organizing the dives, he tells me that if I hurry I’ll be able to make it to Scottsburg in time to make the 6am dive. It is now, 4:45am. So I hop back onto the N1 and I motor it the 80km to Scottsburg. I get there, just in time but have to put in my contact lenses so that I can see while under water!
I got one in, but the other one just refused to go in. turns out it was backwards and I was too stressed and nervous to try and figure that out. I just kept shoving it into my eye, and it kept falling out. Luckily everything eventually worked out and I was in the boat, with a wet suit on heading out into the Indian Ocean as the sun rose over South Africa. It was an awesome sight. I would have appreciated it a bit more if I hadn't been all stressed out, but as we drove the 15mins into the ocean I began to enjoy myself and was getting all excited for my dive.

The first dive was the better of the two. We saw so much marine life. There were tons of colorful fish and coral. The absolute highlight of the entire dive was getting to see a sea turtle that swam by me, not 5 feet away from me!!! It kind of stopped to check me out, then just kept swimming on its merry way. So cool.
There was also a Potato bass (or so I’m told) that was HUGE. It must have been at least a meter long, if not longer and it was fat too. About 2 feet wide.
When I got back to the surface and was back on the boat, I was hit by seasickness. I don't get motion sickness very easily, but due to the swell under the waves and being knocked around for 35mins there and then getting onto a rocking boat, I suddenly felt really ill. I almost was sick, but it turned out to be only gas, and then I was fine. It was really strange.

After a few hours back on shore, we headed out again. This time I enjoyed the journey much more, watching as land disappears into the distance, feeling the rocking motion of the boat, holing on for dear life so as not to fall off the side. I’m not a big boat fan, but I enjoyed this trip. And I didn't get seasick neither.
The second dive was a little more eventful than the first, not in terms of sea life, but in the fact that I was separated from the group and lost for a bit.

The current was extremely strong this time too; we were being knocked around, this way and that. Our dive leader found a hole in which we ducked into for shelter. By hole I mean, there was this huge hole in the coral that was about 4 meters deep and at least 10m wide. The current wasn't as strong there so we had time to hang out with the fishes that were also seeing shelter from the current. At one end of the hole there was a bit of a gorge where the two pieces of coral met, was swimming around there checking it out and then found myself caught in the current and was being dragged from the hole back into the current and away from the group. I turned around to try and swim back but the current was really strong and I was just keeping myself stationary. I looked to see where everyone else was and I had lost sight of them. I started turning around frantically for a brief moment, not knowing what to do, and then my tank came loose.

Another diver had gotten caught in the current as well, he tapped me on the shoulder and once I had gotten my orientation back I calmly let myself sink down and made it back to the group in the hole. The other diver had to go up to the surface because he couldn't make it through the current and he was running out of air. When I got back to the group, they helped me with my tank and I enjoyed the rest of the dive until my air ran out and I made my way back to the surface.

I totally recommend doing a dive course to anyone who has any sort of interest in exploring the seas. I’m definitely going to do it again!

That afternoon, after I had gotten my dive certification and returned to Wandile's, we headed out to Andile's again for lunch (or an early dinner cause we didn't arrive there until 5pm). We just hung out there until about 9pm and then I said my goodbye's to the friends I had made in Durban and hung out at Wandile's until I passed out at 10pm. only getting 3hrs of sleep the night before will do that to you.

The next morning I packed up my things, thanked Wandile and his father for their hospitality and then headed back up to Pretoria. Not before getting lost a couple of times, leaving Durban and then once again in Joburg when I took the wrong off ramp to Pretoria and ended up in Sandton.
I made it back in one piece and have been busy at work ever since. Things are going to get exciting here for the next couple of weeks, as there is ton of workshops and presentations to go to next week, AWIRU is having its official launch on Tuesday. Then my time at the CSIR will be coming to a close and I hope to move out to White River or somewhere in Mpumalanga to do some volunteer work and just experience rural South Africa for a little while, before I return to Canada.

In A Few Hours

2007-03-14T00:52:00.000-06:00

There will be a new post, with stories of my adventures in durban and other stories. I'm just waiting until lunch for when i can drive to Menlyn Mall and buy a USB cord to upload photos.
Have patience dear reader.
Sorry, scratch that, the pics and stories will be up by the weekend, promise!

Changes

2007-03-01T23:37:00.000-07:00

Today is March 2nd. If i hadn't extended my stay in South Africa I'd probably be in Vancouver right now or even back home in Edmonton at this point. Its kind of weird to think that i could be back home right now. I'm glad I'm still in Africa, i was not prepared to leave the country just yet, and i would probably feel miserable and moody had i left prior to being ready to leave.
Things have been in transition all week. I was rushed to complete my two internship reports, which were due on Wednesday, I had to pack up and move out of my house, and just dealing with the stress of what-the-heck-am-i-going-to-be-doing-for-the-next-2-months has left my head reeling.

So I've got a rough plan of action for the next two months. This weekend I'm renting a car for the month of March. I am totally excited about it. I feel like a little kid that is anxiously awaiting buying that must have new toy! Though, my "new" toy is a5 year old Mazda 323, standard. Yes, thats right I'm renting a standard vehicle. Not only that, but i have to go to Joburg this weekend to pick it up, so on Sunday, may your prayers be with me as i: learn to drive a standard transmission, deal with driving on the left and try to navigate the streets of Johannesburg (one of the largest and most populous cities in the world).
The following weekend, I'm going on a road trip! to Durban. I'm going to complete my scuba diving course there, as well as party it up with more friends that I've kept in contact with from Tofo, Mozambique (Andile and Wandile, and Ayanda, as well as Uchi, might be in town then too!)

I'm going to be living in Pretoria, with my co-worker and friend James, until the 23rd of March. I'm staying in town because i have a paper that I've not completed as well as AWIRU's official launch and workshop (at which I'll be presenting my Water Harvesting paper) are on the 19th-21st and i want to be a part of that.

Then, After the 23rd, I'm, tentatively, moving out to White River to help out with a few projects there. I'll be there until i return to Canada in May.

There is, however, this issue of the opportunity to stay on for another 6 months working with Jaqui and EcoLink to create water harvesting projects and water management courses/workshops for an EcoLink project. I'm currently exploring avenues for funding, but am waiting on Jaqui to give me the info i need in order to complete the applications. This is something that I'm willing to go for, but I'm getting a little bit discouraged. I guess I'll just have to wait and see. Until then I'd better get this poverty nodes paper written.

I'm going to a drumming circle tonight with some friends. should be fun.
I'll post pictures of my weekend, and my driving, on Monday.
Rob.

Braai-day

2007-02-25T07:44:00.000-07:00

I hosted a true South African braai last friday.
I'd been planning it all week and had invited everyone from work, a few friends who live at Entabeni and other friends from around Pretoria. The weather was awesome, hot, but not too hot, sunny and a nice cool breeze making its way through the CSIR grounds.
Everyone brought their own meet which Chad and myself then cooked. Jaqui, my boss, even showed up for a little bit and all of us UBC interns were finally in the same place as our South African bosses, as Tony Turton also came out for a little while.

Beginning of the Braai

Back Row: Sabrina, Kieran, Myself, and Wyianna.
Front Row: Tony and Jaqui

Bonex (from Malawi), Alfred (from Cameroon) and rob (from Canada)

Cooking the meat

Chilln' out waiting for the meet to cook

At about 9pm it was beginning to rain. It didn't last long, no longer than a few minutes, but it was enough to break off the braai portion of the evening as we headed back to Entabenin to drop off the supplies and then a large group of us headed out for a night on the town, starting out in Hatfield Square.

Wyanna and Ayanda

Me, Marijn, and Sabrina

Another group shot

After a bit, we decided to go to Drop Zone, the one "club" in Pretoria. Unfortunately, Sabrina couldn't get in because she didn't have ID, so Ayanda, his cousin Mfundu, Kieran, James, Wyanna and a couple of other girls went to Cool Runnings (a rasta bar) just down the street. At about 1am we decided to hit up Mamelodi again and dance to some House Music.
I was there until 3am. Good times.

Ayanda and I in Mams

Sat and Sun were very chilled days. I went to the pool for 3hrs on saturday and then to the gym in the evening. Sunday, i'm here in the office, surfing the net and blogging.
I'm moving this week, plus i'll be doing tons of work and looking for grants as well. So enjoy these pics and posts, because you aren't getting anymore for a while yet.

Catch Up Blogging - Cape Town

2007-02-25T06:49:00.000-07:00

My Adventures in Cape Town, A photo Essay

Thursday Feb 8th - Table Mountain with Rebecca

My first view of Table Mountian from Roeland Street, where Uchi lives.

Cityscape from the side of Table Mountain

Robbin Island from the top of Table Mountain (TM)

Rob and Rebecca conquor TM

The Cable cars disapearing into the table cloth

Me, hiking down Table Mountain

Saturday Feb 10th - Cape Peninsula with Uchi and friends

Me and False Bay

Cape Point!!!

Gerard, Uchi, Naoko, Michae, Amina, and I

Where two Oceans meet. (but not really, its acutally at Cape Agruilus, 200km east of Cape Point)

Charlie and Shelly at the Cape of Good Hope

Me on top of the Cape of Good Hope

Me at the Cape of Good Hope

Baboons from Cape Point National Park

Sunday Feb 11th - Wandering through the city and meetin up with friends

Uchi and I

View of TM from the roof of Uchi's building

The Bo-Kaap, one of the oldest neighbourhoods in Cape Town. Not a bad place for a Sunday stroll

Kirstenbosch, sunday. There was an outdoor concert with the Cape Town Highlanders playing (a bagpipe and drum band). great way to spend a sunday evening.

After the concert, we met up with Nkulu, who i also met in Tofo, and had chinese for dinner and a few beers. Myself, Nkulu and Uchi. Nkulu studies at UCT

Group photo: Naoko, her friend, myself, Nkulu, Hope and Uchi

Monday Feb 12th - Touring Cape Town with Lisa

Lisa and I in Camp's Bay

This is me braving the COLD Atlantic waters for a picture that says i've dipped my toes into the Atlantic Ocean

I've dipped my toes into the Atlantic Ocean

Lisa and the Cape Town waterfront, Victoria Wharf

Lisa and I went to the University of Cape Town to check it out. This is the main campus!

Me Lisa and Uchi out to dinner in Obs (Observatory - a trendy district in Cape Town)

Uchi and Lisa in Mama Africa's

Looking at my life through rose-coloured glasses

2007-02-21T14:09:00.000-07:00

Because thats all you'll ever get to see of me, up here on the internet.

I drove on the left for the very first time today!!!!
And it was stick shift!!
So i've been contemplating renting a car for the next month (maybe more if it proves to be cost effective) so that my mobility will be increased here in South Africa and so i can do a bit of traveling that will probably need to do regarding work and social committments. My friend (and co-worker) Nikki offered to teach me how to drive in her car, Ruby. We only drove around the CSIR campus (just to be safe) for about 30mins during lunch time. It was a little tough, and i stalled the car many a time, but i think by the end i was getting a handle on the whole clutch and brake, gear-shift thing. I reckon a few more lunch time drive sessions and i'll be road worth by the end of the month!!! Just in time to rent my car!

Work is really starting to heat up at the moment, i'm really glad i've decided to extend my stay, because there is no way i'd have been able to get all the work i need to do done by feb 28th. even if i didn't sleep from now until then! I met with Karen today, a social anthropologist in our research group, to discuss the direction of my South African identity paper. She is helping me solidify my ideas and turn it into a paper worthy of being published. She had some amazing stuff to say on identity, and how to approach the topic i've selected. I'm actually getting excited about reading up on this topic and writing the paper!!! Maybe there is a place for me in academia after all...well, maybe for a masters at least.

I got the news about the Nestle funding today from Jaqui. For those of you who may not know, Jaqui, my boss, offered me a "job" here in South Africa to continue the work i've been doing for her and to help out with a water project that she is trying to implement through Ecolink. The basis of the project is to implement water harvesting techniques in teh White River region of Mpumalanga, the area surrounding Ecolink.

Today i found out that she didn't get the funding. But she is busy trying to look at other sources, so i'm not out on the street just yet. I'll keep you posted. If i get this opportunity, i'll be getting hands-on experience in practical development work. I'll be helping out wiht workshops and liasing with experts in the field. Since comming to South Africa i've become more interested in this kind of work and spending these extra 6 months getting the experience, i feel, will solidify in my mind whether or not i want to do this kind of thing for the rest of my life.
The pay is still going to be shit, but enough to survive on. but I've still got another year ahead of me before i told myself i'll go back to school to get a masters, so i can make the bucks then.

This friday i'm hosting a Braai (South Africa BBQ) on the Entabeni grounds. I've invited practically everyone i know who lives in the Gauteng area. So if everyone shows up, it'll be a huge party, if not, it'll just be my co-workers, my boss(es) and a few other friends who have said that they'll come. I'll post pictures as soon as i get the chance. (and i still owe you all Cape Town Pics, don't worry, they're comming).

That is all.

Robert Needs...

2007-02-15T07:05:00.000-07:00

Okay, so this game seems to taking off like wildfire. First my sister's blog, then Jill's, so it's not surprising that I'm next.
Though really funny as i kind of followed the links to other peoples blogs and read their "needs" list.
(you just Google your name with needs after it, for those not familiar)

So this is what i "need":
1. Rob needs to SHUT UP!!! (...)
2. Rob needs a hero
3. Rob needs money (this one is true)
4. Rob needs a job (yep, this one too)
5. Rob needs therapy (well i could use some time on the couch, to talk about my feelings)
6. Rob needs your support and donations (I'm quite poor)
7. Rob needs Simone and Wendy in Amberieu Club to visit the UK (i don't even know who these people are, but I'm sure they'll have a wonderful time in the UK if they decide to go)
8. Rob needs a trip to a train museum (I don't like trains)
9. Rob needs the validation e-mail (It would be nice, every once and a while)
10. Rob needs Net Clued Lawyer, urgently (I don't even know what Net Clued is)
11. Rob needs remedial spelling (okay, i threwe in thes one , cause it was quiet funy)

So in other news, there is no other news. Life in Pretoria is plugging along as usual. I'm trying to get a ton of research done, but have to take breaks to do silly things on the internet such as weird Google games. Its the weekend in 2 days!! everyone rejoice!!!

Flight Change

2007-02-14T00:04:00.000-07:00

Well it is now official!
I am NOT flying home to Canada on the 28th of February. Figuring out when i'll be returning home, is another matter. I'll hopefully have a date selected by the beginning of next week.
To all my friends and family who may be disappointed with this decision, please try to understand and support the fact that this is something i feel i need to do.
love,
Rob

Trying to figure out what life's all about

2007-02-09T04:21:00.000-07:00

Well the rain hasn't stopped, in fact it's gotten harder, so i'm blogging again!! Blogger and Facebook, what a good waste of time!

I've actually been giving a lot of thought as to what direction i should be taking when my internship finnishes at the end of the month. There are so many opportunities available to me and so many different career paths. This internship has been great for me in that it has given me invaluable experience which will help me move on up the career ladder, but its just trying to figure out which ladder i want to start climbing.

I have no problem making a mistake and choosing the wrong path, and having to change later on in life, mistakes are a part of who i am, i've come to accept them and (as chiche as it sounds) learn from them.

I'm just starting to feel a little left behind by my peers. Like i should have some awesome job in a field that i love. I know this isn't true, look at what i'm doing. i have an awesome job in a field that i love (even though the pay is how shall we say, less than competitive).

I was talking to a friend that i made in Joburg last weekend and we were discussing our various african adventures (he's American, and has been living in SA for about as long as i have been). it is so easy to disassociate yourself from your life and the stories you tell. I'll tell somebody about the time i went swimming in a rock pool above victoria falls, or how i'll have three publications to my name when i'm finished my internship and to me it doesn't seem all that incredible or that huge of an accomplishement. Yet, i'll listen to my new American friend tell his stories of his summers in Europe, listen to Kieran go on about Austrailia or read an e-mail from Kendra (Lefleche - friend from uni) who is travelling through Kenya and i'll just feel like "you guys are sooooo coool1 i wish i could do awesome stuff like that."

I don't know exactly what i'm trying to get across here. I'm just waiting for the rain to stop. I guess the point of this is, when all is said and done, that i have a very hard time realizing the accomplishemnts i've made, which is, in turn, making it difficult to figure out what accomplishments i want to make next. How can you go out and do greater things when you can't see the great things you've already done?

Maybe i'm just comming across as conceided, but i don't think so. I just want to figure out what i want to do with my life next. I'm finding it very difficult to figure out what is best for me, when i see all the amazing stuff my friends and family are doing, and am influenced to change what i want because i see what they're doing as "better" or "more amazing."

Hey look, it stopped raining, i'm off to go and walk around Cape Town.

Address to the Nation

2007-02-09T04:10:00.000-07:00

So i've had a pretty cool morning here in Cape Town. Today was President Mbeki's opening address to parliment. I stood outside parliment for a little while as i watched everyone get ready for the president's arrival. theni wandered down the street to see if i could get a look at his motorcade (BTW- Motorcade is a new word that has entered into my vocabulary, regarding the procession of motorcycles and security vans that follow important dignitaries, before last weekend i'd never heard of such a thing. Do we have these in Canada? are they called Motorcades?) as it passed by. IT was kind of cool, there were a few protestors and onlookers but nothing that really warrented the kind of secutiry that was actually present. i'd guess where i was standing, in a wide open area, there were only about 100 people there to watch.
then after Mbeki had come and gone i went to watch the address on a tv screen in the department of parlimentary affairs (i dont't think thats the right name for the building, but it was just off of parliment). I sat there for about an hour, chatting with other onlookers and trying to hear what was being said over the buzz in the reception area. It was a really neat thing to be a part of. then when it was all over, i stood on the streets as all the members of parliment left and got onto their coaches to return to wherever they were going.
Now i'm just waiting for the rain to lighten up so i can go out and play again. i'll probably just end up wandering the city for the next couple of hours. its fun to do in a new city.

Pictures for those who are in Africa withdrawl

2007-02-01T01:31:00.000-07:00

Hey,
so i know I've been slacking off this last little while, with no posts and lack of photos from my sojourn through southern Africa from over a month ago. Work has been crazy busy and will continue to be so until the end of February. this is mainly due to the fact that I'm stealing time from work to go out and travel. as a result I'm forced to get all my work done in my spare time, so that i can have a few extra days to say...go to Johannesburg this weekend, EcoLink on Monday and Tuesday, and then to Cape Town for the rest of the week.
then it'll be back home for more work, work, work as i have a paper that is due on the 15th of Feb. Eeps, i guess I'd better get started.
Anyways, here are some pics from my recent trip to the Hartbeespoort Dam and Pilanesburg just north of Pretoria, from last weekend.
Cheers!
Rob

A Giraffe bending down to take a drink from a pool of water.

Sunsetting over a hill in Pilanesburg, with wildebeests grazing in the foreground.

Zebras in a row.

Myself, Rebecca, Marisa (American), and Ayanda (South African) at the Hartbeespoort Dam.

Rhinos!!!

Just as a side thought, i was speaking with the african lady who runs the cafeteeria in our building on monday, i was telling her all about my desire to see the "Big Five" here in Africa and how seeing all the Rhinos at Pilanesburg was such an amazing experience (for me, it's probably common place for her). She asked me what the big five of Canada are. Canada doesn't really have a "Big Five" that draws tourists like the Lion, Rhino, Elephant, Buffalo and leopard do here in Africa. So it got me thinking, if Canada was to advertise its wildlife to tourists, what would comprise the Canadian Big Five?
So far i've got: the Bison, Grizzly Bear, Moose, Wolf and Mountain lion. Other options were the Polar bear, caribou, and elk. I'm curious as to what everyone else thinks? feel free to leave comments.
Rob.

Ballancing Work and Travel

2007-01-29T00:02:00.000-07:00

Well there certainly has been a lack of updates on this thing since i returned to Pretoria hasn't there? There is a reason for this, in that i had a large water harvesting paper to complete for my boss. that took the better part of a week and a half.
now i am under pressure to get a few other projects done, namely; another working paper, this time based on the poverty nodes project that my boss has proposed (looks at push and pull factors of rural migrants to urban centers due to poverty), inputting of questionnaires for EcoLink's Early Childhood Development Program, and now that my water harvesting paper has been looked at i have a few touch-ups to go through and make.

And i have to get this all done within a week. because next Friday I'm going to Joburg for the weekend (just for fun because i want to explore the city), then to EcoLink on Monday - Wednesday, and then i want to go down to Cape Town from Thursday to Monday. It will probably the only time I'll have to visit the city, so I'm going to take advantage.

anyways, I'll try and squeeze in some blogging time, but I'm making no promises.

An African Soul

2007-01-24T02:07:00.000-07:00

I found this poem in Anthony's memoirs, and i really liked it. it's about, as far as i can tell, the identity of white South Africans (particularly Afrikaners).

Now i don't know much about South Africa's history (something I'm trying to fix by reading "South Africa: The First Man, The Last Nation" - A book that, if you are interested in history at all, you should read, because it has a very unbiased portrayal of South Africa's past), so i can't pass judgment on any particular group for playing any role in the darker parts of this country's past. I simply really enjoyed this poem because it deals with the concept of identity. Something i truly find interesting.

What makes us who we are? The place of our birth? the colour of our skin? our family's past? or the culture to which we live in?

Anyways, now I'm rambling and close to losing my point, so I'll just leave you with the poem and the website on which i found an electronic copy (Go here). Though i found it in my boss' memoirs first.

An African Soul
(Homeland By Michelle Frost)

Within my soul, within my mind,
There lies a place I cannot find.
Home of my heart. Land of my birth.
Smoke-coloured stone and flame-coloured earth.
Electric skies. Shivering heat.
Blood-red clay beneath my feet.

At night when finally alone,
I close my eyes - and I am home.
I kneel and touch the blood-warm sand
And feel the pulse beneath my hand
Of an ancient life too old to name,
In an ancient land too wild to tame.

How can I show you what I feel?
How can I make this essence real?
I search for words in dumb frustration
To try and form some explanation,
But how can heart and soul be caught
In one-dimensional written thought?

If love and longing are a "fire"
And man "consumed" by his desire,
Then this love is no simple flame
That mortal thought can hold or tame.
As deep within the earth's own core
The love of home burns evermore.

But what is home? I hear them say,
This never was yours anyway.
You have no birthright to this place,
Descendant from another race.
An immigrant? A pioneer?
You are no longer welcome here.

Whoever said that love made sense?
"I love" is an "imperfect" tense.
To love in vain has been man's fate
From history to present date.
I have no grounds for dispensation,
I know I have no home or nation.

For just one moment in the night
I am complete, my soul takes flight.
For just one moment.... then it's gone
and I am once again undone.
Never complete. Never whole.
White Skin and an African soul.

Updates

2007-01-11T22:46:00.001-07:00

So
I'm under a huge deadline, that i've put on myself, to get this water harvesting paper done by friday. So i haven't had the chance to update my blog or post any photos. you'll just have to sit tight and wait until the weekend for me to update everything.
in other exciting news. i might be going to Cape Town next week. just need to clear it with the boss.
Rob.

MONTAGE!!!!

2007-01-11T22:46:00.000-07:00

So here is a short video of my trip. i'll be posting pics later.
enjoy!

My Triumphant Return

2007-01-08T16:00:00.000-07:00

Well i'm back from my journys. got back this evening at 7pm. it is now 1am and i'm only just getting ready for bed. it's been a very long day, getting up at 5am, travelling for a couple hours by car, then 6hrs by bus and then spending all evening unpacking, doing laundry and getting ready for work tomorrow!
boy, what a day.
anyways, i'm back and will try to post pics and stories as soon as i can, but i've got a lot of work to do so it may not all happen until the weekend.
peace.
Rob

PS. Here is an updated map of all the countries that i've visited in my lifetime. i have a bit of a criteria that i use when judging which countries i've been to and it is roughly as follows:
I have to be able to remember being in the country (so my trip to the United States when i was super young, doesn't count thus no US on this map)
You have to actually enter the country. So Zimbabwe doesn't count, even though i went past the border control of Zambia and had my photo taken by the "welcome to Zimbabwe" sign. And...
You have to actually spend some time in the country. As such i don't count Singapore or South Korea, both of which i had a 1hr layover while flying to South Africa and will have the same going back.
So here is my map...

create your own visited countries map
17 Countries, 7% of the world

Directions in Maputo

2006-12-29T10:54:00.000-07:00

This is a real conversation i had in the city:

How do we get to the port?
You want to go to the port?
Yes, the port.
Well first you take Mau tse tsung to the 28th of July. Then from there, follow Karl Marx until the 25th of September. Turn right on the 25th, and you can't miss it!

Maputo has some strange street names

Maputo

2006-12-29T10:26:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone from Maputo!
Kieran and I arrived safe and sound in Mozambique after a wonderfull christmas with the Sambo family (Khensani's family). She dropped us off at the bus station in Nelspruit (hence my previous post) and we caught the 12:45 bus to Maputo.

We took an hour and some to get to the border and then had to disembark and make our way through South African customs and then walk about a kilometer to the Mozambiquian border crossing. thats the way it seems to work in all the african countries i've crossed into, they have this "no man's land" where after you've left the country, you have to walk about a kilometer before you reach the other country.

On the Mozambiquain (from here on in referred to as Moz.) side we had to enter this room, about the size of my parent's livingroom, to get our visas to enter Moz. i've come to the conclusing that the conditions in this office is a way for officials to prepare visitors for conditions they will be experiencing during their stay in Moz. There should be a sign that says, "Turn back now if you pass out before reaching the front desk." It was hot, humid and the air smelt of human sweat. this office was packed to capacity with people trying to enter the country, it was already 30+ degrees outside, inside it was like a sauna. I've never sweated so much in my life. I was in there, in line to get my visa, for about an hour. when i got out i was soaked! literally, i looked like someone had thrown a bucket of water on me, except it was my own sweat.

and like i said, the conditions in that tiny office are there to prepare you for how you will be in Moz., as i haven't stopped sweating since!

We arrived in Maputo around 6:30ish. we made our way to the hostel and tried to get a room or a space to tent. we had arrived 2 days before our original booking so we didn't officially have a room. Luckily, one of the other Canadians that i met back in Preotira (these were the ones who are through CIDA and the University of New Brunswick), was travelling with her boyfriend to Maputo as well, and staying at the same hostel, and had a private room with 3 extra beds in it! So i had a place to put my head that night.

The next day was all tourity things. wandering around the city, checking out the port of Maputo, taking pictures of random things that i found interesting. it was nice. Maputo isn't nearly as dangerous as South Africa, everyone is really friendly, and even though there is extreme poverty, and they are recovering from a huge civil war that took place in the 60's and 70's (i think, i could be mistaken about the dates), the crime rate is not nearly as high as in South Africa. Even walking around the city at night is okay, as long as you keep your wits about you. you only have to worry about having things stolen, not losing your life! it's great!

Finally, today i wandered around the city some more. then i caught a boat across the bay to the other side, the name of the beach excapes me at the moment. i wasn't there 10 mins before i had another african girlfriend. this woman walks up to me speaking Portugues. i don't speak portugese. she flags someone down who speaks english. he says that she want's to be my friend. she then takes me over to visit with her other friend and the friend's boyfriend. he speaks a little bit of english and tells me that she likes me.

so i have to explain to her that i'm not interested in a polite way so that she doesn't get offended. i tell her that i have a girlfriend back in Canada. apparently, she has a boyfriend here as well.

i sat with them for a few more mintues, trying to communicate, after a while i make a polite excuse and leave to go wander around the beach and take in the spectacular view of Maputo from across the bay.

when i leave, on the boat, i get confronted by this drunk african man who seems to think that because i'm white and "South African" (i didn't bother to tell him that i was Canadian), i should have the knowledge to make all of Moz. lifes better. i had to sit there and listen to him rant for 25 mins. he was very racally focused, so to tell him that i didn't want to talk to him (because he was drunk) was not a good way to get him to NOT make an even bigger scene.

but i made it back to the hostel in one piece. i had a shower and now, for the first time since arriving, don't feel all wet and sticky due to the heat, but that could be because i'm in an airconditioned internet cafe.

well time to go and eat something! we're off to Tofo tomorrow!
later gaters!

Nelspruit

2006-12-27T01:41:00.000-07:00

Merry (belated) Christmas!!!
I've been out in rural South Africa for the past 3 days and have not had any access to running water, a telephone line (land line that is, cellular network is everywhere in SA), and the internet.
In stead of staying in Gaborone for Christmas, i decided that it would be more memorable to spend it with some of my friends in South Africa, the ones i made at EcoLink. I SMS'd Khensani from Palapye and she agreed to have us (kieran and I) over to join her family for Christmas.
on the 23rd we set off, taking a bus from Palapye to Gaborone, the from Gabs to Pretoria via intercity Kombi. we arrived in Pretoria about 8ish and took a metered cab back home to Entabeni. We were only there for a few short hours in the evening, just enough time to have a nice hot shower (with real water pressure!!!) and get some laundry done.
The next morning, i caught a taxi to the kombi rank and caught an intercity kombi to Nelspruit. we were crammed in there like sardines, as there were 7 people, plus all their luggage!
We arrived in Nelspruit, a little stiff, but with no DVT, even though there was no leg room at all! We caught another taxi to Hazyview where Khensani met us and introduced us to her family. They took Kieran to drop off out luggage while i stayed with Khensani and her Brother-in-law, Sipo, at the gas station to wait for the return trip.
I could keep recounting the story of my time with these wonderful people, but that would take too long, so i'll just say that we had an amazing christmas. we went to church in the morning, then had a braai (BBQ) all day long, playing with the kids, drinking beers with the men and visiting with all of Khensani's 4 sisters. really felt like part of the family. It's a christmas i'll not soon forget.
i'll be posting pictures when i get back to Pretoria and back to work, but this jouney is not over yet. There are still 2 more countries to go and many adventures to be had.
It's off to Maputo, Mozambique now for a few days. then up north to get scuba certified for a week and spend new years. Then on our way back through South Africa, we are going to pop into Swaziland for a short visit.
I'll try to post at each internet point i can find, but hotmail is very finiky on slow connections and it has taken me 45mins to access my inbox! so sorry if you aren't getting regular messages from me. i might have to switch to G-mail, as Kieran doesn't seem to have any problems accessing his.
So until next time!
have a HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Palapye

2006-12-21T07:38:00.000-07:00

Well i'm in Palapye now. I was here to visit with a friend i made back in South Africa, at Entabeni. However due to circumstances beynd control, he didn't make it back home in time to recieve kieran and I. So we are now staying at a backpackers in town, with nothing really to do as Palapye is a very small town and there aren't really any tourist destinations. but its kind of nice we've been wadering down the streets, looking in the shops and relaxing in the hot hot hot Botswanan sun.
I think we are going to go to Gaborone tomorrow, or leave Palapye at any rate, on to new and exciting things!
but my time here at "the place" (thats the name of this internet cafe) is running out so i'd better post this and move on!
bye!

Maun

2006-12-18T04:55:00.000-07:00

Well i'm in Maun now. Arrived yesterday from Zambia. It took over 12 hours to get here, as we (kieran and I) had to take a bus, then a ferry, then a kombi and then hitch-hike across Botswana to get here. we took every form of land transport you can imagine, except for a train!
its now 34 degrees here and it is hot hot hot! last night we set up our little tent and could barely breath it was so hot in there! but we're surving. i'm certainly glad that there is showers at the backpackers were we're staying!
Tomorrow we're planning to do a canoe trip across the Delta to look at some game and take in the delta. i'm excited for it, not necessarily the canoe part (i'm not a big fan of being cramped up in a small boat for hours on end) but the being on the largest inland delta in the world part. i'm excited about that!
Well that is about all i have to say, i think i'm going to go and explore maun a little more and then head back to the backpackers for a while to catch up on some Z's and just relax for a while!
later,
Rob.

South African Address

2006-12-11T11:34:00.000-07:00

So i've been neglectfull in putting up my address here for people to send me cool stuff.
so here it is (3 months late):
Rob Rutherford
House 8, Entabeni
CSIR, Pretoria
South Africa
0001
that simple.
anyways, i'm only living at this address until February 28th. so you only really have until the end of january to send me things. so keep that in mind. it might just be easier to hold on to them until i get back to Canada.
but i hope not. i like recieving things in the mail. its such a nice suprise to see a card or post card sitting there on the table waiting for me, when i get home.

Before and After

2006-12-10T07:57:00.000-07:00

Well thats it, all my photos and adventures have been updated and i'm ready to go out and have some more.
See you in 3 weeks!
Rob.

Tuesday November 14th to Monday November 20th

2006-12-10T05:19:00.000-07:00

I know I’ve been a wee bit neglectful of this blog for the last little while and for that I apologize. It is very important to me, to be able to share my experiences with the people back home that I care about, and random strangers through the internet, via my blog. But rest assured that when I neglect to update this thing, it is one of two reasons, I am either out traveling and living more stories of which to share, or I’m way too busy with work to think about inventing stuff to keep everyone entertained.
So now that I’m actually dedicating the time, let me tell you a story, a story of an extremely busy, stressful, exciting and one of the most rewarding weeks of my internship, thus far. The week in question was Tuesday November 14th to Monday November 20th 2006.

Tuesday November 14th 2006
It all began early one grey Tuesday morning, as I woke up at 4:30am to catch a bus that would take me to Johannesburg and then on to Nelspruit, the capital city of Mpumalanga, the eastern most province of South Africa. It was a double-decker bus, of which I had the chance to get the front seat of the top deck. Pretty cool, as I got a bird’s eye view the entire trip through the flatlands, down the escarpment and into the bushveld. For those of you who don’t know, the continent of Africa, back in prehistoric times, suffered a huge uplift which forced the centre of the continent to surge upward, and resulted in a mountainous region as you get closer to the coast. Seeing as Pretoria is at 1330m above sea level and Nelspruit is at 674m, there is quite a difference.
Jaqui, my boss and the director of EcoLink, picked me up at the bus station in Nelspruit and after a few stops to get groceries and a few miscellaneous items for EcoLink’s birthday celebration, we made our way to White River and EcoLink.
I arrived just as the EcoLink staff (insert picture of the staff) were getting ready to head home. I shared a few hurried hellos and hugs and then, after they had left, went to get settled in to my cottage. Shortly afterwards, Jaqui took me into White River to help her download a flash slideshow presentation that she had prepared for a speech she has planned for EcoLink’s 21st birthday.

(Back Row: Eric, Thembi Shabalala, Jane Malope (purple), Kate Mathonsi, Khensani Sambo, Jaqui Goldin, Solly Mashego, Kesiah Mashele and Moses Thabethe. Front Row: Richard Shube, Thandi Magagula, Justice Mokgotho and Daniel Madidimalo. missing: Tshepo)

Jaqui rallying the team

Lunch at EcoLink

After a few minutes of trying to figure out how to get it working, we managed it and then headed back for dinner with Sue Hart, Jaqui’s aunt and the founder of EcoLink.

Wednesday November 15th 2006
Every morning, the EcoLink staff start the day with a song and prayer. Religion plays a large role in their lives, as can be noticed by the star badges surrounded by green and black felt that many Africans in this region wear, this is the symbol of their church. I’m not entirely sure what denomination they are, but I believe it is a form of Christianity. The music they create out of nowhere never ceases to amaze me. There is no deciding on what song they will sing that morning. One person begins and the rest follow. It is truly organic, fluid and natural. It is a sense of awe and wonder that will stay with me for many years to come.

Morning Song

That morning I had the opportunity to go out with Daniel into the field. We went to the Sivukile Woman’s group. An organization that was sponsored as one of EcoLink’s Earth Care program. Here these women grow crops to sell at local markets for supplementary income (*note* this may not be accurate, as I never really got the whole story of the co-op, but this is what I believe to be the case). Daniel was out there to check out their water situation. There is a small stream just beyond the co-op, it is heavily polluted and is not good for crop production, let alone drinking water. They have a few tanks in which they pump the water from the stream, and purify it using a variety of methods. Daniel and I went out with an Irish man who was working with the women to purify their water.

Woman working in the field

Rural South AFrica

As we were heading back to EcoLink, I had the chance to climb an abandoned water tower to get a better view of the surrounding terrain. It was abandoned because the pump that was used to fill it broke a number of years back. The locals sent it in to the government for a replacement but when the replacement finally arrived it turned out to be the wrong size, and thus rendered the water tower completely useless. Just another example of the reasons behind the water scarcity in South Africa. I did, however, manage to some great shots of the surrounding country side of Mpumalanga.

Mpumalanga Scenic Tour

Upon our return to EcoLink, in the late morning, I was getting bored just sitting around with nothing to do. If you don’t have a designated job out there, EcoLink can be a bit boring as there is none of the conventional sources of entertainment, internet, TV. etc., so I made up my mind to go to the Resource Centre and hang out with the youth group, who were there because they needed to practice their songs for the 21st birthday party. I had been a bit anxious about going up there last time I had been out at EcoLink because they all spoke their native tongue around each other and, with out Jaqui as a buffer, I was just the awkward white guy in the corner who doesn’t say anything. This time I was determined to go up there, step out of my comfort zone and get to know these kids (when I say kids, I mean young adults between the ages of 17 and 25, the term “youth” in this context refers to young adults who are finished secondary school are currently unemployed or can’t afford to go away to university).

Youth Practice Session

When I got up there, I met up with Maurice (nickname: Kosho), he was standing on the veranda just hanging out. I started up a conversation with him. There were a few awkward moments, as the case in any cross-cultural exchange, but eventually the conversation got flowing. I can’t remember the context of what we were talking about, but I remember Maurice telling me a story about how living to the age of 60 was considered to be a long life here in South Africa. This really took me aback, because I had always taken it for granted that living to 80 was the norm. It was just another reality check for me. As this trip was ripe with them.

Shortly, we were all gathered in the Resource Centre to practice the Crèche procession that was to take place on Friday. The word Crèche is used to refer to a pre-school in South Africa. EcoLink will, in February, be opening a pre-school for disadvantaged children in the area. It is a way to get them ready for primary school. The idea behind the procession is that on Friday, the youth were going to lead all the guests down to the Crèche where they will consecrate it, celebrate it and show that it will be open for business early 2007. There was song and dance and even a special guest there to help out with the dancing and increase the awkwardness factor for the group.

Youth Practice Session 4

Afterwards, I just hung out with a few of the kids in the afternoon. We kicked a ball around, sat in the shade when things got too hot and just talked about the differences between Canadian society and South Africa. As an interesting side story, there was a German film crew out at EcoLink this week. They were doing a documentary on Sue Hart’s life and EcoLink, called “life of the Daktari”. They had been out 2 years ago to film the organization and were out this time to film the 21st birthday party. They had just arrived as I was playing soccer with Maurice, Puleng (in English, Rain), and Tso. They decided to do some stock footage of us kicking the ball around. So I might be in this film, which is pretty cool except for the fact that now the whole world will know how bad I am at soccer and just how un-coordinated I truly am! I just hope I come across as decent in editing!
Then again at 4pm everyone when home and I headed to Sue’s house to watch the Bold and the Beautiful with Jaqui and Sue. When there is nothing else to do and no one to talk to in the evening, you take advantage of any entertainment you can get, even if it is a soap opera.
As I returned to my cottage, I ate some supper and tried to get some sleep, as I was off on a new adventure the next morning, Kruger Park, with the youth group!

Thursday November 16th 2006
5am came pretty early, but I was ready for it. Excited for what the day would bring, I hastily got ready and headed out the door. Justice, one of the EcoLink staff who lives on the grounds, was just pulling up as I left my cottage. Into the EcoLink Kombi I climbed and we were off into the rural villages. We first made a detour to pick up Tsehpo (pronounced sepo) another staff member who would be chaperoning the group. A few minutes later I was dropped off in the town of Dwaleni, one of the two major towns in the area, the other being Jerusalem. There I was met with great enthusiasm by Maurice, Puleng and other Dwaleni members of the youth group. Hanging out with the youth there as we waited for the Kombi’s to show up was the first of many highs of the day. The kids were all goofing off, hoping into random trucks passing by for a bit of a joyride, chatting up the girls as they walked by and running off in any direction. It was unorganized, chaotic and wonderful. It’s really funny how personal safety issue here in Africa are completely different from that of North America. If there is a truck driving down the road, chances there is about 2-3 passengers in the back amongst all the gear, seatbelts are practically non-existent, and there are no signs around construction zones (I mean its common sense not to walking around in there, right?).

Kids in a Kombie

Tshepo and Puleng

When the Kombis arrived, we all packed in. on the window, “this vehicle is certified to carry 17 seated passengers, ” a quick head count and we’re 20 jam-packed into this mini-van sized vehicle, rocking out as Mariah Carrey blasts out the speaker not 10 inches from my head.

Kombi Ride 1

Next stop: Jerusalem, to meet up with the other half of the youth group. We were waiting for about a half hour for the second kombi to show up. But there are always ways to entertain ones self. Random dance offs in the street for one.

Cynthia and Khensani

Maurice Street dance

Maurice, Tse and Puleng

Finally, both Kombis had arrived, all the kids were loaded up and we were on our way to the Kruger Park. First, another quick stop at Hazyview to pick up some food for the journey. Pap and Chicken, sweets, chocolate bars, chips and pop were on the menu for today. As well as some “hot” stuff, and by that I mean alcohol. These guys were determined to enjoy themselves!
It was about 10:30 before we arrived at Numbi Gate. The big game trucks were there waiting for us. There was just a matter of going over the rules. Now I still have no idea what the rules were, as they were given in the rural language (Zulu or Xhosa, or a combination of both). But I did catch the part that no “hot” stuff was allowed in the park and that this trip was for “Educational” purposes. Thus all the cheap wine and liqueurs were confiscated.

Everyone in a game truck

One thing that is worth mentioning at this point is that not only was the tour held in Zulu/Xhosa, but that is what everyone was speaking all day. I’d reckon that the entire day was about 90% Xhosa/Zulu and 10% English. But truth be told, I wouldn’t have had it any other way.
Let the game drive begin! We saw giraffes, elephants, monkeys, buffalo and warthogs! We drove from Numbi Gate all the way to Paul Kruger Gate, the main gate of this huge game park, which spans two provinces, Mpumalanga and Limpopo. The game drive lasted about an hour and by this time everyone was getting a bit worn out.

Elephant

Giraffes

Gift Shop!!!

We later returned to Numbi gate, passed through it and went beyond it, off the paved roads and onto a secret trail that led to Kids in Kruger, a tiny enclosed building that had a few bathrooms, and a kitchen. The Kruger Park staff fed us all a meal of pap, chicken, rice, vegetables and juice. We sat in a semi-circular enclosure eating out lunch. Afterwards we played a few games, one where a bunch of cards were handed out to everyone and the staff member would describe, in English, the contents of a card and then who ever had that particular card, from each team, had to run up and put it in the chair first. It was a lot of fun, and the competition was fierce! But my team won the final show down. The next activity was we were given a sheet of paper and told to design a t-shirt for sale in South Africa. We were given glue, scissors and a pencil and told to decorate it using only natural resources, items form the surrounding environment. Again, I was on the winning team. But what was interesting was the design that my team chose. As it was the end of November and Dec 1st is world AIDS day, we decorated ours with a red AIDS ribbon and the slogan “We Care” at the bottom. It was yet another reality check, and a bit touching that these kids, in an activity meant for fun, brought out the reality of their world.

Posing for Photos

Winning the Card Game

Cheering on the team

The winning T-Shirt design

Kids in Kruger

Once all the fun and games were over, we all climbed back into our respective game trucks and headed back to the gate to wait for the Kombis to show up and return us all home. The “hot” stuff that had been confiscated was returned and the guys didn’t waste anytime in dishing it all out. A 2L bottle of some cheap wine was on the drink menu for the afternoon. Using used pop bottles for cups, drinks were passed around. Not wanting to be the wet blanket of the group, I took my share. Though I knew that it probably wasn’t the best idea to get drunk in the middle of rural Africa, so I paced myself and only took a few sips or gulps (however you want to look at it) and passed on my glass to someone else.

Group Shot

The Kombis arrived and we all piled in, according to town, Jerusalem in one and Dwaleni in another. Luckily for my group, the Dwaleni kids, both Khensani and Thembi (our other two chaperones) were both going to Jerusalem. Let the wine flow! Crank up the music!! Dance, dance dance!!! (Insert the video clip of the Kombi ride home). I turned my head and camera to take a few passing shots of the country-side as it zoomed by. Turning back inside, all the guys had their shirts off, they were swinging them out the windows as flags. The dancing got more livelier as everyone got drunker. Dance, Sister Batina, dance! Next thing I knew my shirt was being pulled off, I’m dancing, and they’re teaching me all the cool dance moves. (Just as a side note, I’ll never be able to look at someone in Canada go “I’ve got your nose” to a young child the same way again. Apparently, in South Africa, that same motion, of having your thumb in-between your index and middle finger, is a symbol for intercourse. Seeing the Canadian do it was quite hilarious, especially when it seems so harmless to me!).

Partying in the Kombie

Kombi Ride 2

Things get a little more lively

Really cool photos

I just had to join in!

Friday November 17th 2006
Friday was the big day! EcoLink was 21 years old!
The day started out a bit stressful for myself as It had been planned that I would attend the celebration at EcoLink and then catch a bus to Johannesburg that afternoon so that I could meet up with my Uncle Richard, who was arriving in South Africa on business that same day. As I had already made plans with my roommates and co-worker Nikki to go down to the Indian Ocean coast, near Durban, I was cutting everything real close. This weekend was already shaping up to be a very busy one! The plan was: to get the bus from Nelspruit to Johannesburg spend the night with Uncle Richard at his hotel and then catch another bus to Durban where I would meet up with Kieran, Rebecca and Nikki and we’d spend the rest of the weekend lounging on the beach.
As I tried desperately to book a spot on a bus, any bus, it was looking more and more likely that I’d have to either not go on to Johannesburg and Durban or skip EcoLink’s birthday and catch the 11am bus to Joburg. By Godsend, my other boss at the CSIR, Tony Turton (who was the keynote speaker at the celebrations) was planning on driving back to Pretoria that afternoon after the party. If I could get as close to Johannesburg as possible, I could just get a taxi from Pretoria to Johannesburg and still meet up with Richard. So once that little dilemma was sorted out, it was on with the preparations!

Anthony and Sue

Getting Ready

MC DJ Penny Lubisi and Maurice

Buses were rolling in all morning carrying the women who were going to cook the meal for 200+ guests and performers for the party. The staff and I were scrambling about trying to get everything together in time. A great big pat on the back and hearty handshake goes out to Solly and Khensani, who both worked to solve some last minute crises that emerged unexpectedly. First, the wrong sized tent was delivered and set up so Khensani had to make some urgent phone calls to get that sorted out, while Solly was up half the night trying to rain-proof everything, as the night before, there was a huge thunderstorm!
But after all was said and done, things went off without a hitch. The performers were excellent; the speeches were inspiring and heartfelt. As Tony put it, everything was so organic and just flowed, despite some things going wrong, like one of the main performers (the Swazi men traditional dancers), being left behind by one of the buses!

Youth Group with Majorettes

I Africa

Youth group preforms songs from their play

Creche Procession

After the party was over, it was into the car and on our way to Pretoria. Tony made the entire journey a lot more educational as he gave me a history of how oxen wagons used to follow the same trail over the escarpment carrying supplies to the mines in Joburg, how the strip mining (for coal) works, and a detailed description on the power situation in South Africa, among other stories.
Daniel also came up from EcoLink. He had some business in Pretoria to take care of for his wife. We were dropped off at Entabeni by Tony at about 6pm. At 7pm my taxi came, the one that was going to take me all the way to Johannesburg. He dropped off Daniel at a taxi (kombi) rank in Pretoria and then shipped me off to the five star hotel, the Park Hyatt in Rosebank, a very upper-class neighborhood of Joburg. I went for rural Africa to total upper class in a matter of a few hours. When the taxi pulled up to the front doors and I got out and hauled my backpack out of the trunk, the valets really had no idea what to do with me. I had to explain that I was here to visit with my uncle. Taking my bag for me, they showed me to the front desk.
A key was made up, I hopped into the elevator with a huge grin on my face, “Man! Can you believe this place?! People actually live like this?!” well, they don’t actually live in the hotel, but you know what I mean. I just got to Room number 808 and had just slipped my card into the door when Uncle Richard opened the door. It was a great reunion. It’s kind of funny, that I had only seen him last June at my sister’s wedding, but it was still a very memorable encounter. When you are this far away from home, any visitor is an amazing rendez-vouz (I’m running out of adjectives for “meeting”). I was just grateful, that everything worked out as well as it did.
I quickly took the time to freshen up and met my Uncle in the lobby. We got into a chauffeured car where they took us to a square full of upscale restaurants. We choose Moyo’s an authentic African restaurant, or as authentic as it could get for being that high class, as I had developed a taste for African cuisine. You know pap and chicken, what I’d been eating all week!

Myself and Uncle Richard

I was kind of worried that the conversation would be a bit forced and struggle a bit, as this would probably be the longest one-on-one time I’ve ever had with my uncle, ever! But it wasn’t. We chatted about my internship, his work with the world bank in the IFC division, family news, etc. it was a great evening, and way too short! It seemed like no time at all I was in a taxi on my way to Joburg central station to catch my 8:30am bus to Durban.

Saturday November 18th 2006
My bus ride to Durban was uneventful, crowded and long! But finally at about half past 4 I arrived and was met by Kieran. Rebecca and Nikki were waiting in the car. They had been in Durban all afternoon, shopping and doing touristy things. As we were staying in Port Shepston, about an hour west of Durban, they were a bit tired from their day. We quickly did a tourist blitz of some roadside markets selling African wares, and then returned to Port Shepston. It was raining all day so there wasn’t really much point in staying in Durban for any longer that we had to.
After I got settled in, we got ready to go out to Margate, a small community about a 20 min drive from our beach house. The beach house belongs to Tony, our boss, he was kind enough to lend it to us for the weekend. We had dinner at a seafood restaurant, called Larry’s, and then went for a walk around town trying to find a good club to go dancing. The only thing we could find that had a reasonable cover charge was this hole in the wall called “Backstage.” It looked totally dodgy. It was literally a hole in the wall, with neon lights above it that said “Backstage.” We tried it anyways and it turned out to be a decent place, although very Afrikaner. The music was cheesy, but still we danced, drank and had a good time.

From Left to right: Rob Nikki, Kieran, Ree and Rebecca

Sunday November 19th 2006
The next day we spent on the beach. A 5 min drive from Tony’s house, we lounged in the sun, played in the water, built sandcastles and just had a ball. It was so much better spending a birthday on the beach rather than in the cold, cold snow. But I sure as hell paid for it, I got royally sun burnt all over my upper torso. I’m just not meant to tan. It’s a sad fact of my biology that I’m struggling to deal with. I just burn. No matter the precautions.
That evening, we had a very beautiful dinner that was prepared by Rebecca, Nikki and Ree (Nikki’s roommate). Then birthday cake and lots of wine. Over all it was one of the most memorable birthdays I’ve had in a very long time.
(insert Pictures from the Beach)

Monday November 20th 2006
The following day we got up early, did a deep clean of Tony’s beach house and then headed out on our merry way up north to Pretoria. The week was just an amazing experience right from the beginning. Tons of memories that will stay with me for a very long time. I know many people might not have made it this far into the post, as it is a 6 page post! And that’s not including the photos and video clips!

Well that about sums it up. I hope you took your time in reading this, because it is going to be my last comprehensive post for well over 3 weeks as, come this Thursday, I’ll be on a plane to Zambia and Victoria falls, then in Botswana, and finishing up my vacation in Mozambique and Swaziland! I’m so excited!
Rob.

Update to come pt. 2

2006-12-04T05:16:00.000-07:00

So everyone keeps telling me to update my blog, or that i haven't done so in a while. I do intend to update it, i'll be including all my adventures from (so far) the most amazing week of my internship (Nov 14th - 20th). Also, i'll be putting up all the info for my travels over christmas, specific details, etc. it will be well worth the wait, with tons of videoclips and pictures, and stories all about me!
Stay tuned!
Rob

Just because i have 7 minutes before i'm forcing myself back to work

2006-11-25T04:00:00.000-07:00

This was me on my birthday:

So much better than spending it indoors or in the snow and -30 degree weather in Edmonton.
Here is a photo of me (thinking that i can get a nice suntan) and my friends on the beach:

Boy was i wrong. When you're that pasty white, sunscreen is your best friend. needless to say i was aching and burning pretty badly and adopted the name "lobster-man" for a few days.

anyways, i am still working on my post for the past 2 weeks. it's taking me a little more time than i expected, due to this huge amount of work i've been given, and the fact that i might have to wait until Dec 4th to get the rest of my pictures from EcoLink! anyways stay tuned

Update to Come

2006-11-22T07:06:00.000-07:00

So, i had the most amazing week last week. I'd have to say that it was probably my high of this internship thus far, just putting the pony trek out of number one spot by a smidge.
i am currently writing a long and involved account of this trip on my iBook, which recently returned to my posession. i'm sooo happy!
anyways, expect pictures and a very long update, and maybe even some more movies by months end. i'll try to have something up by the weekend, but until then i'd better get to work because i have a few things that i need to complete by mid-week, next.
Rob.

House Tour of Entabeni

2006-11-10T03:47:00.000-07:00

As promised, here is a short video tour of my house and local surroundings at Entabeni.

Entabeni is situated up on a hill, just around the corner from the main campus of the CSIR. Go here for a map of the CSIR. Entabeni is number 51, and the building i work in is number 21.
There are 4 tennis courts, squash courts, beach vollyball courts, a full soccer field, a swimming pool (recreational) and plenty of places to have a braai (a South African BBQ). Oh and did i mention the bar - the tarantal - that has R7 beers!? thats a dollar per bottle!

Located nearby is the very posh CSIR conference centre. i haven't been in there yet myself, but i've had a peek in and its very nice.

At our house, we have cleaners who come every weekday to make our beds, clean our bathrooms, and do our dishes. I try to keep the place clean, sometimes, to make it easier on our cleaners. It comes as part of the rent so i'll just have to get used to it.

well thats all i have to say about where i live, next...i'm going to try and give you a birds eye view of the CSIR grounds. anyways, enjoy the video!

This is how I spent my Halloween

2006-11-02T20:38:00.000-07:00

Working on my case study. But not to fear, i did get dressed up (as Robin Hood) and went to a "Goth" bar called Zeplin's to get down with our bad selves! This was last Saturday. It was actually a lot of fun, Rebecca invited another Watson fellow (Rebecca is here on a fellowhip called the Watson doing a research project on mines, Kim, the other Watson, is in SA (previously in rural Tanzania) looking at women's empowerment and micro-finance. So us three North Americans, along with Nikki, her roommate Ree and all of Ree's (alternative) friends, got dressed up and went to this Goth Bar.

(*NOTE* when i say altrnative, i don't mean it in a derogitory way, tehy are really cool people, i just mean it in the fact that they don't exactly conform to mainstream South African society. you'll understand when i post the pictures.)

Nikki, Rebecca and I all stood out like a sore thumb at this party, due to the fact that we were dressed up as a princess, Little Miss Muffit and Robin Hood respectively. but we had fun.

It took us 45 minutes of standing in line at the bar to get drinks, then we decided that one drink wasn't enough so we bought our drinks for the evening all in one go. Only Kim and I were drinking so it wasn't a heck of a whole lot, we all know i'm a lightweight. 2 double gin and tonics, 2 coolers (plus one for Nikki), and 2 shots of vodka.

Then, because the music there was all heavy music, we went to the outside area to hang out. funnily enough i got complimented on my costume two times!

But as for the real Halloween, i spent it at the office, all day, writing up my case study that i handed in Nov 1st. i was at the office until midnight. but what i think is kind of interesting is this: taking a break from working at about 6pm i read the article of the day on Wikipedia (reading wikipedia has become my de facto way to waste time at work, considering we can't access youTube or any video related websites!) which happened to be the "Night of the Livng Dead." Now, of all horror movie monsters, Zombies freak me out the most. they just come at you in hords, if you get bitten you become one, and they're ROTTING CORPSES! how is that not scary! anyways, so i had zombie's on my mind for the rest of the eveing. When i left the office it was at 12:05am. It had been raining all day and everything was wet and unusually quite. the dark walk home via CSIR campus was erie to say the least, and as i got to the top of the hill near Entabeni, i could see the clouds in the distance lighting up with lightning. It was something straight out of a horror movie. if there was ever a perfect time for some supernatural being (IE ZOMBIES!) to swing out of the woodwork and hunt me down until i was dead, that would have been the night.
But at this point i had forgotten it was Halloween and a good thing to, because i probably would have totally freaked out if i had.

So thats my story.

In other news, i got my case study all handed in on time, I'm going to be going to the Limpopo/Mpumalanga provinces for the week next week to see how an NGO (Non-governmental Organization) works-called Ecolink and is Jaqui's aunt's own NGO.
My computer is on it's way to me (YAH!) via my Uncle, with whom i'm still trying to make arrangements to visit with while he is in SA. he's here on business for the World bank.

Lots of travelling, lots of visiting, my birthday (on the Indian Coast!), and plenty of work experience are a few things i have to look forward to this month! i'm pumped. Now i just wish that inbetween all these things, i could make my evenings more lively. thats one area where i'm starting to get homesick/bored/annoyed, is having no place to go after work, no mobility, i like to go out in the evenings, so sitting at home reading a book is starting to wear a little thin! Time to do something about it!
Peace out!

The Group

2006-11-02T11:12:00.000-07:00

The Group
Originally uploaded by Rob Rutherford.

This is a group shot. i don't know everyone's names, so i'm not going to bother. but this is the "alternative crowd"

Mother Goose Story Time

2006-11-02T11:11:00.000-07:00

Mother Goose Story Time
Originally uploaded by Rob Rutherford.

So we went to a goth bar dressed like this. we didn't stick out at all! (sarcasim)
the one on the right is Kim, you should know the other two by now.

Our Village

2006-11-02T11:08:00.000-07:00

Our Village
Originally uploaded by Rob Rutherford.

This was the village we stayed at. it is on the side of a mountain, something you can't really get from the picture. but very small and very remote. Peope wake up with the sun and go to bed when it sets. I would truly like to ahve the opportunity to spend a few weeks living in a place like this, i imagine it is a much harder and simplier life than anything we could ever imagine comeing from the modern world!

but anyways, here are the long awaited photos of our trip to Lesotho i promised. enjoy!

Mud Hut and our home for one night

2006-11-02T11:05:00.001-07:00

Mud Hut and our home for one night
Originally uploaded by Rob Rutherford.

So, me standing in front of our mud hut for a photo was intenional, making it even cheezier by wearing my "Global Citizen" t-shirt was not.

Picknic

2006-11-02T11:03:00.000-07:00

Picknic
Originally uploaded by Rob Rutherford.

a break for lunch on our first day of pony trekking

Rob on a Horse (K)

2006-11-02T11:02:00.000-07:00

Rob on a Horse (K)
Originally uploaded by Rob Rutherford.

See i can ride a horse

Vincent our Guide (K)

2006-11-02T11:00:00.000-07:00

Vincent our Guide (K)
Originally uploaded by Rob Rutherford.

This was our guide, Vincent

Sunset in the Lesotho Highlands (K)

2006-11-02T10:59:00.000-07:00

Sunset in the Lesotho Highlands
Originally uploaded by Rob Rutherford.

For more photos or to check out Kieran's blog (he did a way more detailed description of Lesotho than i did) go here http://www.kieranf.com/

Cross-Cultural Exchange

2006-11-02T10:56:00.000-07:00

Cross-Cultural Exchange
Originally uploaded by Rob Rutherford.

This is me playing with some local vilalge kids, they were amazed that someone could have so much hair on their arm, chest and face!

Lesotho Child (K)

2006-11-02T10:53:00.000-07:00

Lesotho Child
Originally uploaded by Rob Rutherford.

This is a tiny version of a Lesotho man, they always wear the blankets and cary walking sticks.

Creative Outlet

2006-11-01T01:13:00.000-07:00

I really need a creative outlet. I've got so many ideas and flashes of creativity coursing through my head but no medium through which to convey them to the world. I have this blog and i could use it for such a thing, but that would involve writing, and when i do try to write something creative, such as a poem, or a story or anything else i hate what i've produced because it lacks any real depth.

I feel like i need to do something with music, i love music and song, how, if it's just right you can completly lose yourself in the rythm, lyrics and beat. but Alas, i have no musical training whatsoever, i don't even play an instrument. Something i hope will change one day.

Photos are another medium through which i wish i had talent enough to convey my experiences, but i can only take pictures, not photographs.

Flim is where i think i might have any real talent. I was discussing with Jarret before i left that i think the modern age has screwed me, because when i day/dream, fantasize, or just imagine things, it's all as though i was watching it through a camera. I dream in the 3rd person (sometimes), watching myself do things, but still having complete control.

Alas, all i can really do is let this creative angst go to waste, i have no outlet, i just hope my computer gets here soon, as then i might be able to do something about it!

I really want to document my life here, but i have to keep telling myself that i have to live life here first.

View of Lesotho from the Top!

2006-10-28T06:39:00.000-06:00

So I hope this works,
Jarret has kindly up-loaded some of my video clips that i took while on holiday in Lesotho to YouTube and i can now post them on my blog!
So we'll see how this goes. If it doesn't work, please leave a comment in the comment section so i know, and will then try to fix it. but if it does, expect this blog to get a lot more multimedia savy!

Lesotho 435-
This is where we stopped for lunch on our way to the village. I took a paneramic shot of Lesotho.

Lesotho 434-
this is just me on horseback, showing the mountains, introducing Kieran, Rebecca, my horse and our guide (whose name is Vincent. Sorry about the sideways filming, i forgot that the camera only works one way when taking videos. I pronounce Lesotho funny in this video.

Cool Boring Stuff on the Way!

2006-10-25T05:04:00.000-06:00

I've come to the realization that i tend to focus too much on the cool fun things that i've been doing and not really reporting on the more mundne, but still interesting things that i do on a daily basis. All these trips and pictures and adventures only comprise about 20% of my time here in SA. for the most part, i'm sitting in the office, working away or surfing the internet because i'm bored. Or, i'm at the gym, at home cooking or reading a book or sleeping.

So, with this new found way of file sharing, thanks to my super-smart Software Engineer friend Jarret, i'm devising a way to post interesting updates on the more boring aspects of my life here in Pretoria. (a bit of an oxymoron don't you think?)

Stay Tuned.

Lee-Su-Too (Lesotho)

2006-10-25T01:34:00.000-06:00

This post was originally an e-mail that was writing to my family to make them super-super jealous of my fantastic time here in Africa. But there was so much to tell, so many things happened in such a short weekend that, when i was done, i realized i had my most recent blog entry. Now i can make every jealous of me, not just my family!

So here is my story-

We left for Lesotho, Rebecca, Kieran and I, last Thursday at about 3pm. We had to drive down to Jo-burg and around it in order to head down into the Free State (the province below Gauteng the province I am currently living in). We ended getting lost even before we got to Joburg! The highway tends to veer off and if you aren't paying attention you end up on a smaller highway. So we had to find our way back to the main highway, along the way we passed by a bunch of townships, and it is pretty eye-opening to see how the majority of the black population lives. All due to Apartheid.

Once we found our way back to the main highway we headed south to the Free State. The drive there was pretty amazing in that it is all flat farm land. If you just stared out the side of the window you could almost forget that you were in Africa and back in Alberta, with rolling prairies, with a few trees scattered across the landscape.

It got dark soon after 6pm, and this amazing lightening storm hit, since there isn't much rain; it is all thunder and lightening. Really cool. We'd be driving along in the dark and then for a brief instant we'd be able to see the flat prarie landscape of the Free State bathed in an eire white glow.

We made it to Lesotho in one piece. We drove along the winding roads in the dark, unfortunately unable to take in the scenery. But it’s kind of a good thing because we realized on Sunday as we drove home that a few of the turns had sheer drops to them!

The next day at Malealea lodge, we saddled up for our overnight pony trek. We had a guide and our pack horse and our ponies. We trekked for 5hrs over multiple mountains to get to our remote village location. On the way there, with about 1/2hr ride left we had to take refuge in a small village because we got caught in a hail storm. It had been threatening to rain all day and finally it did. As we were waiting for it to hit, you could see this wall of water coming across the valley directly towards us. It only lasted a few minutes, but enough hail was dropped to make the ground white!

We continued on and arrived at our village; we got to stay in a mud hut, not more than 15 feet across. the lodge had an assortment of cooking utensils and a stove, etc. we had about 2hrs before the sun went down so we decided to have a walk around the village and see what life is like there. All the children in the village came up to play with these strangers asking for sweets and money. They were interested in our cameras, my hairy face! And our clothes. There was a woman there to knew some English and attempted to translate what the children were saying. They told Rebecca that her nose was crooked and on wrong. They were fascinated with her curly hair and at one point actually cupped her breast! And then laughed loudly at the reaction. The kids were amazed with my hairy arms and face, asking to touch it. Once they saw our cameras they kept yelling "Fote" and then posing, wanting their photo taken.

Once all the excitement had died down and as the sun set we made our way back to our hut and cooked dinner. Everyone goes to bed when the sun goes down because they have no electricity. So we were asleep by 8pm. and I’ll tell you, electricity or not I’d have still fallen asleep then, that pony trek was exhausting!

The next morning at 6am we got up, packed some of our things and then hiked to the nearby waterfall. It was about an hour long trek, up winding paths and around large hills. Really cool. When we arrived at the river, you could look up and see the sun rising over the top of the falls, with all the mist dancing in the sunlight! At this point we took off our shoes and went wading into the river, making our way over rocks and through rushing water to the actual falls. The river wasn't that fast but it was cold! After a few pictures and taking some time to actually admire the falls with my own eyes, we headed back to our village where we met our guide who had the horses all ready to get back to Malealea.

The trek was uneventful, but still very awesome. We took a different path, this time following the river. As we were getting close to Malealea lodge, I was getting a bit anxious, I wanted to go faster on my horse, not simply at a walk. So I was kicking it and telling it to go faster, but all I could get out of it was a slight trot for a few feet after each kick and then back into a walk. But as we got closer to the lodge, all the horses started to get anxious and were walking a bit faster. Faster, and faster, trying to keep up with each other and still trying to beat the other horses. Eventually, much to Rebecca's horror, all of our horses, Mine, Kieran's and hers, all took off at a very fast trot that eventually turned into a gallop! It was so cool! I’ve never ridden a horse that fast before, and I loved it! Rebecca on the other had didn't. She was never comfortable on her horse and didn't really know how to control it or steer or anything (now, I’m not a perfect rider, but I do know how to hold on properly) so as soon as her horse took off she freaked. She was yelling "STOP! STOP!!!" and holding on for dear life! I tried to yell to her how to get the horse to stop: "Rebecca! Hold on to the saddle with one hand and pull on the reigns as hard as you can with the other!"

At this point she wasn't able to do so, I tried to catch up with her on my horse (still going at full gallop mind you) but I too am not the best rider and could only control my steed to a certain extent. It certainly wasn't like in the movies where the dashing cowboy comes to the rescue of the damsel on a runaway horse, I only managed to keep my hosre going in the same direction as hers. As her horse kept running, she was slipping to the side of her saddle, when I looked up I saw her clutching at the side of her horse! But luckily by this time her horse had slowed and came to a stop, where she promptly fell off. No harm was done, though she was quite shaken. Meanwhile, Kieran's horse was way off in the other direction, doing its own thing as well.

I eventually caught up with Rebecca and held on to her horse, which was now happily munching on the grass.

Once our guide caught up to us, he hooked Rebecca's horse onto his and we all resumed our line and walking pace. But, the little kid in me just wanted to go faster, so I asked Vincent if I could get the horse to run the rest of the way, making sure that no other horses took off when I did. So I tried to get the horse to go but again to no avail, Robin Elland is a follower horse, not a trail-blazer, much to my chagrin. Kieran's horse, on the other hand was more than happy to take the lead, and once his got going, mine was more than happy to follow. Starting off at a brisk trot, we eventually got up to a full gallop! So much fun!! It’s bumpy up until the gallop then from there it's just a smooth rocking motion, thrusting if you will. Hmmm, I wonder if there is a more subconscious reason why I liked it so much? JK!

We all arrived back at Malealea safe and sound! We got back at around 3pm and got all cleaned up (trail riding makes you very dirty), had naps (getting up at 5am makes you very tired), and had dinner and a few beers at the local bar in the evening. The staff had a little bonfire pit (similar to the one that Grandma had) that they light and a group of older Afrikaans men and women were roasting marshmallows on it. We decided to not be antisocial and join them and met a few cool people. there was a guy, probably around 25-27, who was there with his mom and her friends, who we hung out with, it turns out he's from Pretoria and has offered to take us out sometime and give us a little bit more freedom from the CSIR! Lekker! (cool in Afrikaans). We also hung out with a group of Belgian tourists on a tour of SA, and Bernita, one woman who runs the place. We were just hanging out around the camp fire for hours; eventually I had to go to bed (at 1am) because we were going to be getting up at 6am to get back on the road.

So the next morning we got up, packed, got in the car and took off to Maseru, the capital city of Lesotho. We wanted to go to the Katse Dam and wanted to check out the tourist info place there to see how long it would take to get to Katse because we were pressed for time, and needed to be back on the road to Pretoria by 3pm. it was about an hour to Maseru, and once there we got a bit lost in the city centre. We couldn't find the tourist info, but decided to get something to eat and then go to the dam anyways. We pulled down this small side street which led to a bakery. We parked the car and then proceeded in to get a bite. This leads me to my first experience of African corruption.

The street we came down was a one way street. We went down it the wrong way. One of the street vendor's must have seen this and warned Kieran (the driver) that the police will fine you if you don't be careful. Kieran thanked him for the warning. We suspect that this warning wasn't done out of the kindness of his heart. He probably wanted some money, and when he didn't get it....
When we got our of the bakery two police officers were standing outside of our car. They informed us that we had broken their law and that they would need to take us down to the police station to get booked, and then have to face a magistrate court the following day, because it is closed on Sundays. Kieran stalled by getting them to show us the one-way sign we had missed (it was on the other side of the street, and coming from the direction we did, there was no way we could have seen it). When we got back to the car, they gave us this speech about how much trouble we were in, and that they would have to confiscate our passports until we showed up at the magistrate court on Monday. Then they added that they could do us a favour and help us out by taking care of the matter then and there. I.e.-they wanted a bribe.

We eventually gave them R100 and they let us go. They were a bit concerned about Rebecca as she was visibly upset by the whole extrotion thing, and didn't want to let us go until they were sure we were happy with the bribe. Kieran was pretty calm about the whole thing, and I was kind of indifferent, I knew what they wanted, I didn't like the fact that were targeted because we were white tourists, but I knew that coming to Africa I would eventually run into situations like this (or worse) so I just accepted it.

But anyways, no harm no foul eh? As we got back into the car, visibly shaken, the 3 of us, but no worse for ware, we decided that we'd head up north to check out a few craft shops and then leave via the Caldonnespoort border and head back home. The weavings in these little towns were pretty amazing, and I considered getting one for Alex's wedding present, but I have no idea what the decor is in her appt, and getting her African rug would be cool but if it clashed, then that would be a travesty!

So we left Lesotho around 2pm and got back to Pretoria at 5-ish. Not without drama along the way. Rebecca and Kieran got into a heated argument regarding the colonization of small Latin American nations by the United States, (through Globalization, which can be considered a form of neo-colonialism, but we all know that right?) I think we spend too much time together.

Anyways, i'll be posting pictures up soon, but until then, here is my absolute favorite picture i've taken in Africa yet. When i get home i'm going to frame it and put it up on my wall.

Rob Conquer's Africa

2006-10-16T09:56:00.000-06:00

Rob Conquer's Africa
Originally uploaded by Rob Rutherford.

I'm sure that headline is going to stir up some controversy.
anyways, so here is all that i've been up too for the past 2 weeks. i realize that while i was posting these photos, i didn't really explain when i did them. so here we go, in chronological order:

Sandton for the INSTIE 2006 exhibition- Wed 4th October
Chance encounter with a Hedgehog- sometime after the 4th, but before the 6th
Hatfield Square- Fri 6th October
Gold Reef City- Sat 7th October
Thanksgiving Dinner- Sun 8th October
Farmer's Market- 14th October (way too early!)
Dress-Up party- 14th October
Jacaranda photo- Today, Mon 16 October

yah, so i've also been busy with work. i spent all day sunday working on a paper, from 11am until 1:30am! so i am actually getting stuff done. i'm working on the Case study again, Jaqui, my boss, has given me a few pointers on it and i'm gearing up to get it all done!

this weekend, Kieran, Rebecca and I are headed off to Lesotho (pronounced Lesoto), we're going an a 2 day pony trek to a remote village in teh mountains. i'm totally psyched! we leave Thursday evening, so that means that i have to get my ass in gear and get my work done by then!

so, my best to all, and I hope you enjoy the Pics!

Waiting for the Bus

2006-10-16T09:38:00.000-06:00

Waiting for the Bus
Originally uploaded by Rob Rutherford.

you meet some weird characters, waiting for the bus

Rebecca at Sandton

2006-10-16T09:36:00.000-06:00

Rebecca at Sandton
Originally uploaded by Rob Rutherford.

Hatfield Square

2006-10-16T09:35:00.000-06:00

Hatfield Square
Originally uploaded by Rob Rutherford.

Here is Rebecca, Kieran and I at Hatfield square. the "happening" place to be in Pretoria. apparently if you want to get piss-assed drunk get into bar fights and get picked up.
We had an alright time, but weren't really into the above mentioned things and are bent on finding a more classy part of the city to go drinking in. at Nikki's party (see below), we met some cool Afrikaners, belonging to the more alternative crowd, and they know of some decent places to go out for a good time. should be Lekker! (cool!)

Wild Hedgehogs

2006-10-16T09:25:00.000-06:00

Wild Hedgehogs
Originally uploaded by Rob Rutherford.

I was comming home from work late one night and nearly stepped on this little guy! luckily i didn't and even luckier, i had my camera with me. There are wild hedgehogs here and it makes me happy.

CSIR 4D

2006-10-16T09:23:00.000-06:00

CSIR 4D
Originally uploaded by Rob Rutherford.

So this is us at Gold Reef City. An amusement park built on an abandoned mine. it has a mine theme to it, which reminded me of K-days, for you edmontonian folk.
we went on the Anaconda, a rollercoaster, a innertube-water-rafting-type ride, which soaked us all, amoung others.
we had fun, but you know it was just another amusement park. we didn't get to the Apartheid museum which is just across the street, which was a shame, but we are making plans to go back! you can't go to South Africa without visiting the Apartheid museum or visiting a township! i plan to do both.
This photo was taken at the 4D theatre, where they move the theatre to involve the audience in the movie. it was okay, but i didn't like getting polar bear boogers sprayed in my face.

Joburg Skyline

2006-10-16T09:14:00.000-06:00

Joburg Skyline
Originally uploaded by Rob Rutherford.

from atop a ferris wheel

Turkey Massage

2006-10-16T09:13:00.000-06:00

Turkey Massage
Originally uploaded by Rob Rutherford.

So, Thanksgiving Dinner.
Is a massive undertaking. I give my kudos to all the Grandma's and mothers (especially my own, and yes when we cook turkey at my house, my Dad does do the cooking as well) and (in the more progressive households) the father's who go to great lengths to serve up this huge feast for all of to enjoy.

Preparation begain the wednesday prior with use three North Americans going grocery shopping for the right ingredients. I bought the Turkey (and as my sister noted, this 8lbs turkey looked more like chicken than a turkey), and got instructions on how to cook it properly. hence the photo, i was told to give the turkey a "butter massage" but i took it a step further and gave it a "sensual" butter massage. Look out ladies, he cooks and gives massages...at the same time!

We spent all day cooking, with Kieran going on an emergency shopping trip in the morning to get the last minute ingredients. we were actually too efficient and had everything cooked by the time everyone arrived, and had to reheat everything!

overall, everything turned out great and all the food was yummy! and i ended up eating left overs for a whole week. it was good!

Mmmm food

2006-10-16T08:58:00.000-06:00

Mmmm food
Originally uploaded by Rob Rutherford.

Delicious Thanksgiving dishes!

Thanksgiving Man to the Rescue!

2006-10-16T08:57:00.000-06:00

Thanksgiving Man to the Rescue!
Originally uploaded by Rob Rutherford.

I just look hot in this photo.

explaining the meal

2006-10-16T08:55:00.000-06:00

explaining the meal
Originally uploaded by Rob Rutherford.

We had to explain the dynamics of the Thanksgiving meal to the South Africans. which dish is what, what is the best (Stuffing!!!) and the beautiful art of piling servings upon servings to maximize the amount of food on your plate until it is a veritible mountain of a dish!

Farmers Market

2006-10-16T08:52:00.000-06:00

Farmers Market
Originally uploaded by Rob Rutherford.

Ah the Pretoria Farmer's Market. Begins at 5am and is all closed up by 9. People will sometimes drive for the entire night simply to sell their produce here. You can pretty much buy everything under the sun, from Afrikaans books to fresh indian curry spice!

The place is always bustling, there is music blasing over the loud speakers, interrupted intermittently with a man who yells out (in Afrikaans) all the good deals and the best places to buy this or that item.

We were picked up by Nikki at 6:50am and had arrived by quarter past 7. I got that entire box of fresh produce for less than R100. about $20. Now thats better than H & W! Sorry Dad, you've just been scooped. i'll be complaining about the high prices next time i go there!

Rob "in da" Hood

2006-10-16T08:45:00.000-06:00

Rob "in da" Hood
Originally uploaded by Rob Rutherford.

These next photos were taken at Nikki's (our co-worker) house-warming party/costume photo shoot. There was tons of deserts 9in fact only deserts) lots of colourful costumes and back drops. I had been up since 7am that morning (going tot he farmer's market, explained above), and was dead tired all day but still managed to put on a few "racy" costumes. some of which will (hopefully) never see the light of day. My career as a politician is effectively ruined, and that's all i'll say about that.

kinky

2006-10-16T08:39:00.000-06:00

kinky
Originally uploaded by Rob Rutherford.

Yah, i have no excuses.

Abra-Kadabra

2006-10-16T08:37:00.000-06:00

Abra-Kadabra
Originally uploaded by Rob Rutherford.

The farie and her Sorcerer!
Rebecca and Rob.
Although with that robe on, it was said that i kind of looked like Dumbledore's transvestite brother! I'll let you be the judge.

Jacarandas

2006-10-16T08:33:00.001-06:00

Jacarandas
Originally uploaded by Rob Rutherford.

Here is a photo of my most recent adventure. I had to go and pick up my sunglasses that my Mom sent me from Canada. The post office was located just off of Church Square. To get there i hopped into a Kombie (or Mini-bus Taxi) and took it to the centre of town. Once i picked up my parcel, i put some postcards in the mail, then had a bit of a wander around downtown pretoria and do some shopping. I got a bag, some hangers, two trips in a minibus, and tiped some people, all for under $20. I love that exchange rate.

This is a picture of the Jacaranda tree, an invasive species of tree from South America. They bloom with purple flowers in the spring and then go green in the summer. right now Pretoria is a mixture of green and purple. it's really beautiful.

Just a note about PostCards. I am getting them and i do plan on sending some to all the people on my list, but you have to wait for me to go someplace to pick them up. otherwise everyone would be getting Pretoria post cards!

Flickr

2006-10-16T08:33:00.000-06:00

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

The "Teaser" Update

2006-10-15T02:22:00.000-06:00

I really don't have the time to spend to fully up-date this thing on all the cool stuff i've been up to. i'm here in the office on a Sunday aiming to get a paper finnished today. it'll be my first deliverable for my internship and, i think, will be posted on the AWIRU website. i'll post a link if/when that happens.

I have tons of photos to share, of my thanksgiving dinner last sunday, and Nikki's housewarming/dress-up party that went on yesterday.

Tomorrow, i'm taking the day off work. My sunglasses finally came in and i'm goig to ahve to make the trek to Church Square in Downtown Pretoria to pick them up. Tried to do it yesterday, but i forgot my ID so i couldn't get them!

So big long post, tomorrow or possibly tuesday. i promise!

Thanksgiving

2006-10-10T00:55:00.000-06:00

Well i've frittered all my time away and i cannot give a very long up-date, but my thanksgiving dinner here was amazing and i'll report on it all in full detail soon. but until then, enjoy the pics!

Me Carving the Turkey

Everyone enjoying their Thanksgiving meal,
From left to right- Rebecca, Kieran, Jame's Girlfriend's daughter (i forget her name), Jame's Girlfriend (ditto), Nikki, Ree and James

Frustration!

2006-10-05T13:47:00.000-06:00

So i just tried to purchase soem Skype Credit so that i could phone home at a reasonable rate and chat with my family and friends from time to time. I would have like to have done that. but this stupid fucking mastercard sercure system and having to go through a third party has made this nigh on impossible!
I am currently waiting for a "Conformation e-mail" from this MonneyBookers account so that i can put in the right code to actually pruchase this stupid bit of credit so i can call my friends.
anyways, to make myself feel better i spent the past while learning that you can upload photos from your computer via blogger now. how long has that option been there?
anyways, thats all.