Living in //Hui !Gaeb

For those confused about the post title, read this article about the new Khoisan name for Cape Town. 

 
I have been in Cape Town for almost a month, and what a month it has been. Most of my time and energy has gone into settling into my new job, and the rest has been spent on searching for permanent accommodation. With regards to the first, I love my job, though it has been an intense few weeks and the people I work with are highly intelligent and driven.

Apartment hunting, on the other hand, has been nothing short of a nightmare. Never mind the fact that places never do their advertised photographs justice, for the most part, agents do not seem to care one nanometer about potential tenants since there is such a high demand for places to rent. In my recent experience, given the following, choose none.

 

 

However, tenacity and perseverance have paid off, and if all things go as planned (which they never seem to do, so touch wood), I will be moving into the new apartment this weekend. And not a moment too soon, either. Anyone living out of suitcases and showering with cold, damp towels should not expect to be in a pleasant mood, no matter how beautiful the city they live in. There also has not been much time left over for exploring, so I cannot wait to get settled so that I can better acquaint myself with the Mother City.

To distract myself from the inevitable disgruntledness resulting from wet towels, wrinkled clothes and cabin fever, I made a checklist of sorts of peculiar things I have spotted in Cape Town thus far. These include:

• A real-life Zooey Deschanel hipster lookalike shopping in Woolworths food
• A man pushing his transportable market stall on a trolley down a main road, being followed by a police car blaring "GET OUT OF THE ROAD!" through a loudspeaker
• One chilly Thursday morning, we had a great view from our kitchen windows at work of some guys relaxing in their rooftop jacuzzi
• A whole family arrived for dinner at an Indian restaurant, all packed into a bus
• An Asian mother teaching her toddler daughter how to walk backwards
• In a restaurant, a little girl came and deposited fresh seaweed on the table  

 

And a few for which I have photographic evidence, in case I hear "pics or it didn't happen".

• An almost indecipherable message left on my car window from an inconvenienced passive-aggressive neighbour:

• A rainbow which lasted for nearly an hour:

 

• A Bos vending machine giving out free Bos drinks for tweets:

 

• A house in the street my aunt lives in caught fire, billowing clouds of smoke, spotted from work:

As the weather continues to behave like a heartbroken teenager, my to-do list is being filled with items that involve indoor activities. Mostly this includes visiting museums, doing lots of baking, becoming a patron of local restaurants and eating banana bread baked by a Nobel Peace Prize laureate. Once the new apartment has been furnished, I will get right on that.

Becoming Capetonian

I arrived in Cape Town a week ago, and it's been a pretty crazy awesome time so far. I was in Cape Town on holiday in February and my expectation was framed mostly by my memories of holidaying, which is unfortunate, as there seem to be certain quirks and idiosyncrasies of the Mother City that became apparent to me only once I moved here.

It is not difficult to see why Cape Town made it onto CNN's top 10 most loved cities in the world [link]. My eyes feast daily on stunning views of the mountains and the Cape archipelago. My taste buds delight in the variety of restaurants serving various cuisines. I have been warned that Capetonians are notoriously clique-y, but I've found everyone to be very friendly. There are a few things about this city that I'm still getting used to, though.


Driving in Cape Town is horrific. This might seem like an exaggeration after driving in Gauteng, but it is atrocious in a wholly different way. Not only does it appear as if a drunkard was employed as town planner, but completely different road rules apply. It also doesn't help that the streets tend to be narrow and congested with parallel parked cars which block visibility when attempting to turn or cross a road. Generally, this means Capetonians on the road drive by blind faith and you'll find cars coming at you from all directions. Pedestrians will run across intersections despite the flow of traffic not being in their favour. There are also numerous accidents, usually resulting from attempting to park in tight situations. There would probably be many more if people did not insist on driving at a snail's pace.


Finding parking in Cape Town is a divine gift. There are parking arcades hidden in secret locations known only to a few, with expensive rates and obnoxious ticket booth attendants. Often only street parking is available (even at certain residential addresses) so a refresher course in parallel parking is recommended. It's also best to have a map book when driving because the GPS can often fail you here.


Capetonians are oddly clued up on weather forecasts. Ask anyone and they will be able to tell you when the rain will be taking over and for how long. They also refer to tv forecasters on the news channels as if they are old friends. Knowing the moods of the weather is also fortunate, as everyone assures me the metro police will not be found setting up roadblocks and writing parking tickets when it's wet.


Punctuality seems to be a foreign concept to Capetonians. They are too busy relaxing and enjoying life to notice the time. I arrived an hour and a half too early on my first day of work, despite being on time in terms of my contract. Do not expect anyone to be in the office before 9 am. 


Shopping centres in Cape Town have generally been replaced by "lifestyle centres", characterised by the presence of a Woolworths Food, and are perilously difficult to locate, even with the help of Google. Little unobtrusive cafés selling delicious gourmet sandwiches nestle between car repair shops on quiet streets and would remain largely undiscovered if it were not for the locals leading the way.


Cape Town is a place where cultures converge. All colours and creeds are represented, and there doesn't seem to be any group in the minority here. "Expect the unexpected" doesn't apply, because that which determines what is to be expected appears fluid in a place where societal rules seem to be as elemental as the weather. Instead, "expect nothing" is rather fitting; leave your assumptions behind, and you'll love this vibrant city.

A waygook's guide to visiting South Korea for the first time

Two months ago I went to South Korea to visit my chingu (friend) Claire who was finishing off her teaching contract. She stayed in the southern provincial capital, Jeonju, about 3.5 hours from Seoul by bus. I was fortunate enough to visit at the start of the cherry blossom season, though sadly I missed seeing the cherry trees in full bloom.

A waygook is a foreigner in Korean, and that meant that anywhere that is not the capital Seoul, I was met with open stares. Though I was only in Korea for eleven days, I saw and experienced so much, and I loved every second of it. Korea is such an interesting and unusual country and is filled with amazing places and people.


Outside Seoul, you may struggle to find people who can understand and speak English, so it helps to have a few phrases handy. I like visiting people in foreign countries so that they can show me around and I have somewhere safe to stay. It really helps when you want to head off in the opposite direction to an overpriced tourist experience.


A few musts that you should add to your "to do" list should you be visiting Korea at any time, include:

• Try some local cuisine - Koreans have very basic culinary flavours, namely spicy, pickled, plain and sweet. They also enjoy putting seaweed into several of their dishes (even in soup!). Kimchi, which is spicy fermented cabbage, is almost always served as a side dish and eating too much of it can have some interesting digestive repercussions. Serving suggestions: Mandu (very tasty dumplings), bibimbap (quite spicy, signature Korean dish) and bulgolgi (marinaded, barbecue beef).
• Do a temple stay - there are lots of temples, usually in more remote parts of the country where you will be surrounded by beautiful scenery. This also means it can be a bit chilly, especially while wearing your temple stay clothes. I went for a temple stay at Mihwangsa, in the southern province of Haenam, at a place called Land's End. Temples are very peaceful and you can experience simple, traditional Korean food. Note: be careful what you put onto your plate because you must finish it all!
• Visit a jimjilbong - these public baths, often called spas, can be found in almost every city or larger town. A flat rate will get you a change of pyjamas and access to saunas, a sleeping area, the public baths, and various other areas. You can stay as long as you like, and can be a good place to spend the night. Note: the women and men have separate bathing areas and everyone is naked in these areas.
• Jump on a bus and visit local attractions - the city and inter-city buses are very reliable and an affordable way to travel around.  Koreans are extremely punctual and buses depart precisely when they are scheduled to depart. Note: The inter-city buses also have TVs so you will be treated to the confusion that is Korean television.
• Visit a tea house - there are so many different kinds of tea to be had in Korea; jasmine, green tea, citrus tea, nutty tea, to name but a few. These teas are also available for purchase in convenience stores.
• Go to a club or noori bong - Noori bong is Korean karaoke. Unfortunately, on the night we wanted to go, I'd contracted bronchitis and had lost my voice, but my friend assured me it's great fun. Clubbing is a super night time activity, where you will be exposed to KPop (Korean Pop music). Note: it's scandalous to show shoulders and cleavage, and there are scheduled breaks where everyone stops dancing and sits down.
• Buy changwon socks - these "thousand won" socks make great gifts and can be found in many places. They feature adorable cartoons and crazy characters. Since Koreans take their shoes off in most indoor areas (including some restaurants and schools), it helps to have some cool socks to show off!
• Find a local mountain and go for a walk - Koreans are concerned about health and well-being so you'll find many friendly Koreans along your hike.

Some interesting things to note about Korea:

• There's CCTV almost everywhere - including on buses and in taxis!
• Koreans work extremely hard and children spend most of their time in school or after school hagwons (academies). They are also very serious about keeping up appearances.
• It's polite to give and receive with both hands, or one hand touching your arm.
• Be on the lookout for the amazing bridges that can be found on the outskirts of cities, best viewed in the early evening or at night when they are lit.
• It's unusual for Koreans to do anything alone, and some restaurants will not serve a table of one.
• Koreans can't live without their cellphones, and these often have antennae specifically so that they can watch TV wherever they go.
• The western spelling of places and things in Korea may vary.
• Koreans are conservative but are crazy about outward displays of love. Be sure to watch out for couples dressed in matching outfits!
• Dog is actually a culinary delicacy.
• Koreans don't much like foreign cuisine, and outside Seoul you won't find many places selling anything but Korean food. Usually there will be a Lotteria (Korean version of McDonald's) or KFC in the cities if you need something that reminds you of home.
• The written Korean language, Hangul, is reputed to be the most logical language writing system, and is apparently easy to learn. Read more about it here. 

There were still so many things I wanted to do and see while I was in Korea. Often I think it is best to leave a place with items on the bucket list left unchecked, rather than departing with a wish never to return. And there are still so many things I would have liked to see, including Jeju island, the DMZ and Busan's beaches.

Mihwangsa Temple

So, until next time, Korea! Kamsahamnida (Thank you)

So life makes hypocrites of us all

It's been a crazy few weeks. Heck, it's been a crazy few months. In the first five months of this year I've gone to two life-altering workshops, two holidays (one to South Korea!), been through several interviews and quit my job. So it should really be no surprise that any thoughts of blogging were cursory and far-between. I have just over a week left before I pack up my life and head off to the other side of the country to start a new job.


I was on holiday in Cape Town only three months ago with my boyfriend. Before then, I'd been to Cape Town for "Maths camp", as I fondly call it, in the middle of winter and I hated the weather. In fact, I was determined never to live there. While on holiday in February, with perfect summer weather, stunning scenery, delicious food, a wide variety of activities and excitement, I admitted to myself that it might not be so bad to live there after all... one day. It turns out "one day" is a lot closer than I originally thought, going from "never" to "next week". So life makes hypocrites of us all.


But I should rewind my story a little, how did I end up making such a move? I found myself wandering listlessly down the path of life, when suddenly, quite unexpectedly, I was thrust into a situation where I had to make a drastic decision. I was presented with a job opportunity, and had another in the pipeline. In the past I'd seen job opportunities and let them go by, content in carrying on subsisting on my routine in the comfort zone. Abruptly, the path I'd been walking ended in a T-junction. One of the paths branching off required only a minimal amount of change, and was the safer option - taking a job in the city where I already lived. The other path was very risky but also had potential for great reward - moving to the other side of the country to a city I'd only rarely visited to work for a fantastic company. I'd always seen myself as a "safe" player, ever cautious, rational and definitely a person who over-analyses instead of under-analysing any situation. So it was rather a shock to my system when I made the choice to move to Cape Town, leaving my whole life behind. I had only a few hours to make the choice, without knowing whether my boyfriend would be able to move with me, though he promised he'd support any decision I made.


With a little bit of prayer, late night interview coaching and mass dispersion of my boyfriend's curriculum vitae, he managed to find a job at a great company for more pay in less than a week. And this in a city that everyone assured us is great for holiday, but difficult to find work in and pays less than the South African GDP hub of Gauteng. It just goes to show how people remain stuck in their respective ruts while listening to the general opinion.


All that separates retrospect and regret is a decision. It's easy now to look back on life and realise I'd let so many opportunities go by without even giving them a second thought. It takes a great change in the way my mind processed things to allow myself to consider these opportunities. I'd not been looking for them, and I might easily have missed them.


It's funny how quickly things can change, and even funnier how the word "never" applied to something only seems to fast track that very thing into occurring.

The Sandwich Drive

One of my favourite short stories can be found in a little New Testament life application Bible that I used to carry around everywhere with me. The story described a man walking along a beach where thousands upon thousands of starfish were stranded and he was chucking them back into the sea one at a time. As I recall, some people watched as the man tirelessly threw the starfish into the sea one by one and called out to him, saying, "You know, you're never going to be able to throw all of them back in. You may as well just give up now because your actions are insignificant." The man's response was something along the lines of, "I know that I can't save every starfish, but I am able to save some of them." The moral of the story was that any change or difference, no matter how small or insignificant they may appear in the grand scheme of things, may in fact still be very significant on an individual scale, and that we should not become demoralised or moved to inaction because we are overwhelmed by circumstances.


South Africans like to complain about the government taxing the middle and upper classes more and more and justifying it by saying they need more money for education, infrastructure, and so on. I really believe that the majority of South Africans would not mind giving up more of their income to aid the poor if we knew that it was definitely going to end up helping the less fortunate. Instead, we only find evidence of misappropriation and mismanagement of funds with many disadvantaged South Africans living in squalor. Often this evidence is manifested by reports of giant mansions being built and extravagant parties being thrown for government officials.


In Pretoria there are lots of beggars to be found on almost every street corner, all hours of the day and night. Most of the time I do what 99% (this is not an accurate statistic but rather a cynical guestimate) of the other motorists do and shrug, apologise and tell them I have no money, roll up my window and, if I'm in a terrible mood, avoid all eye contact and stare dead straight ahead. The few times I do have spare change lying around to give, I'll pass along the change and in the same mental process accuse them of using all the money they get from begging to buy glue. 


Recently I have become more frustrated with myself and the situation at large. For the past 3 years of driving through Pretoria I'd justified my inaction by saying that any small contributions I make are completely insignificant, so more often than not, I end up doing nothing. This has now come to an end... enter the Sandwich Drive! I went and bought a loaf of bread, a jar of peanut butter and a few plastic sandwich bags. For the past few days I've made a couple of sandwiches and placed them in sandwich bags, and while I drive, whenever I see someone who looks hungry, whether a beggar, security guard, gardener or similar, I hand them a sandwich. I don't do this to assuage my Christian guilt. When one is more concerned about whether an act of kindness is significant or not, it's not really a selfless act of kindness at all, but rather a selfish act aimed at making one feel better about oneself. 


The Sandwich Drive is not about random acts of kindness, it's about intentional acts of kindness. 

Birthday resolutions

Today I turned 24. April 22 is also Earth day, so happy bEARTHday to me! *cough* For those inclined towards self-evaluation, there are two annual events that cause individuals to spend some time in introspection: New Years and birthdays. New Year's resolutions are notorious for being doomed to fail and consist mostly of general health and well-being goals (lose weight, stop smoking/drinking, etc.) or aims of fulfilling dreams and becoming less boring (travel, read more, learn a new language, etc.) Apart from feeling guilty about overeating at Christmas, there's a desperate hope that the new year will be better than the last.


Birthdays fill one with a sense of urgency. When we're young, all we want to do is get older so that we can do those things we're not allowed to do as kids. Once we're older, all we want is to be younger again, probably because we feel that we're running out of time. Life's also more colourful and exciting when we're young. So when a birthday comes along, underneath all the warm fuzzies that we get from the abundance of messages and phone calls is a feeling of panic that we're getting old and running out of time.


These slightly cynical and fatalistic musings sound as if they come from an old geyser, not someone who's just turned 24. Perhaps this is so because my birthday gift to myself this year was a retirement annuity fund. Nothing makes one aware of one's mortality quite like applying for a pension fund. It's said that one can never start too early to invest in a pension fund, but to me it just seemed like something someone would do only when they've got it all figured out. Once you've set off in the great rat race and you've made it clear you can go some distance and it's not a 100m sprint, you get a pension fund.


All I can say is, I'm not so sure I've "got it all figured out" and I'm actually OK with that. It's ridiculous to imagine that at age 24 I know exactly what my life will be like. It's ridiculous that we're expected to know what we want to do with the rest of our lives after we finish high school. People are such dynamic, multi-dimensional beings but it seems like we love to make ourselves one-dimensional.


So this year's birthday resolution is to be more multi-dimensional! +1 to me for expanding in the direction of the blogosphere.