Who would have thought...
MY GRANDPARENTS would watch me on a YouTube video!! I definitely did not! From now on, my videos will be LESS foolish because I was not expecting so many people to watch them. Really it hasn’t been a lot, but I was thinking 5 hits not 22! LOL...
So here is an update....
1 --- I feel so disconnected from the world without having a computer! I can't use Skype to call anyone from home. I'm sure my grandparents think I have abandoned them. I am realizing how much I am addicted to being on the computer and being instantly connected to everyone through the telephone and internet. It’s like I have this itch if I don’t check my email or Facebook everyday because I know someone is trying to get in touch with me. It’s kind of crazy.
2 --- Along with being disconnected, I am a bit worried about this summer and my plans. Time is passing by very quickly here in Cape Town and I feel like I have just arrived. I am so carefree here...my mind relaxes and time just evaporates into thin air. Really though...how is the world is it already April?? I am failing to comprehend this idea at the moment.
3 ---- To more interesting news...I just came back from a week vacation in Mozambique. I must say this trip was AMAZING!! Definitely worth the 2days of travelling both ways and the money spent. Some of the highlights include....FRESH caught seafood (huge crab and prawns) for $10 USD for the crabs....secluded beaches next to lovely rivers...Mud baths in the river (something you would pay for at a spa, but FREE)...a Safari in Kruger National Park (THE place to go for a Safari in SA)....a live concert in an alley...and many other adventures that shall remain in Mozambique (smile). Overall, this trip was simply amazing!
A few things did surprise me though...There is a vast difference between South Africa (Cape Town at least) and Maputo (the capital of Moz). Mozambique is definitely a poorer country than SA and does not have the same regulations as SA does. For example, the streets are filled with a lot of debris and people openly use the street as their trash can. There is also ALOT of stagnant water both in and out of town. Similarly, there is a lot of smoke and dust around because there aren't any regulations for vehicle maintenance. This makes for a 'dirtier' city, in comparison to Cape Town. This took me a while to get used to, but a conversation with some friends from other areas in African (Swaziland and Ethiopia) I realized that development in African cities is different. For some areas debris might be a major issue, but their city streets are paved and accessible (which was the case in Maputo) while in other cities, the area might not be as 'dirty' but the driving system is incoherent and the city maybe overpopulated. So while Maputo may have been drastically different than Cape Town in terms of how clean the streets were...I also believe it was safer at night. While in Cape Town, once it is dark most women and children are off the streets. However, in Maputo women and children of all ages are running about at all hours of the night.
Another thing that blew my mind was seeing people living in grass huts. I came to Africa, thinking that this notion of people living in huts near a river without electricity was a thing of the past. I would be foolish to think this still existed. However, this was not the case. I saw with my own eyes (no picture though, as to not take advantage of people's situation) people that lived in these conditions, making fires every night for dinner and salt drying their fish to preserve them for the long-term. So I must say, the media's view of Africa is somewhat true, but is NOT the absolute truth. Within this continent, there are diverse living conditions that really span every type of living style on earth. It should be appreciated and questioned at the same time.
Along the lines of how people live...I passed through Johannesburg (the biggest city in SA) on my way to Maputo. This place looks like any major city in the US. The skyline was very unique and the metro train was more extensive the in STL. I actually felt like I was in Houston, or others said Philadelphia. It was kind of mind blowing to get that feeling on the other side of the world, but made me think about the vast inequalities of living conditions and the different personalities of cities just within South Africa.
........
That's all for now.
Peace and LOVE.
So here is an update....
1 --- I feel so disconnected from the world without having a computer! I can't use Skype to call anyone from home. I'm sure my grandparents think I have abandoned them. I am realizing how much I am addicted to being on the computer and being instantly connected to everyone through the telephone and internet. It’s like I have this itch if I don’t check my email or Facebook everyday because I know someone is trying to get in touch with me. It’s kind of crazy.
2 --- Along with being disconnected, I am a bit worried about this summer and my plans. Time is passing by very quickly here in Cape Town and I feel like I have just arrived. I am so carefree here...my mind relaxes and time just evaporates into thin air. Really though...how is the world is it already April?? I am failing to comprehend this idea at the moment.
3 ---- To more interesting news...I just came back from a week vacation in Mozambique. I must say this trip was AMAZING!! Definitely worth the 2days of travelling both ways and the money spent. Some of the highlights include....FRESH caught seafood (huge crab and prawns) for $10 USD for the crabs....secluded beaches next to lovely rivers...Mud baths in the river (something you would pay for at a spa, but FREE)...a Safari in Kruger National Park (THE place to go for a Safari in SA)....a live concert in an alley...and many other adventures that shall remain in Mozambique (smile). Overall, this trip was simply amazing!
A few things did surprise me though...There is a vast difference between South Africa (Cape Town at least) and Maputo (the capital of Moz). Mozambique is definitely a poorer country than SA and does not have the same regulations as SA does. For example, the streets are filled with a lot of debris and people openly use the street as their trash can. There is also ALOT of stagnant water both in and out of town. Similarly, there is a lot of smoke and dust around because there aren't any regulations for vehicle maintenance. This makes for a 'dirtier' city, in comparison to Cape Town. This took me a while to get used to, but a conversation with some friends from other areas in African (Swaziland and Ethiopia) I realized that development in African cities is different. For some areas debris might be a major issue, but their city streets are paved and accessible (which was the case in Maputo) while in other cities, the area might not be as 'dirty' but the driving system is incoherent and the city maybe overpopulated. So while Maputo may have been drastically different than Cape Town in terms of how clean the streets were...I also believe it was safer at night. While in Cape Town, once it is dark most women and children are off the streets. However, in Maputo women and children of all ages are running about at all hours of the night.
Another thing that blew my mind was seeing people living in grass huts. I came to Africa, thinking that this notion of people living in huts near a river without electricity was a thing of the past. I would be foolish to think this still existed. However, this was not the case. I saw with my own eyes (no picture though, as to not take advantage of people's situation) people that lived in these conditions, making fires every night for dinner and salt drying their fish to preserve them for the long-term. So I must say, the media's view of Africa is somewhat true, but is NOT the absolute truth. Within this continent, there are diverse living conditions that really span every type of living style on earth. It should be appreciated and questioned at the same time.
Along the lines of how people live...I passed through Johannesburg (the biggest city in SA) on my way to Maputo. This place looks like any major city in the US. The skyline was very unique and the metro train was more extensive the in STL. I actually felt like I was in Houston, or others said Philadelphia. It was kind of mind blowing to get that feeling on the other side of the world, but made me think about the vast inequalities of living conditions and the different personalities of cities just within South Africa.
........
That's all for now.
Peace and LOVE.