I have been wanting to say something about being vegan in South Africa...
Where to start?
When I lived here in 2002, I was vegan then too. I had my own place and cooked for myself and it was no problem. Travelling around I don't remember much hassle, but I don't think I ate out much.
Last December it was fine too, but by the end of the trip I felt my nutrition starting to flag. We ate out a lot and it was hard to get a balanced diet.
I've realized that I must be VERY specific when ordering food or drinks here to make sure they are vegan because the menus don't often say all that is in a dish or drink.
Take for example some chai I had a few weeks ago. The menu had two chais: One with milk and one with "just hot water." Since they didn't carry soy milk (called soya here) I asked for the one with just hot water. I assumed I would get a chai tea bag in a pot of hot water (nearly always in a pot, never just a mug, I love it) but it came in a tall glass mug: a creamy chunky substance!!! Oh no! It was powdered chai! I love chai and have looked at every single powdered chai I have ever come across just hoping that I will find one that is vegan. They all have milk, or milk derivites in them. Every single one. And so did this one.
Later that day we were at a Tibetian Teahouse. They had a "Tibetian salty butter tea." I thought, hey, lets try something new. This place did have soy milk so I got Tibetian salty butter tea made with soy millk. It didn't occur to me that there might be other stuff in there too. Like butter perhaps? Yes, Tibetian salty butter tea has butter in it. And its salty. I drank a bit of it, but it was really buttery. So its not just a name: Tibetian salty butter tea. It has salt and butter in it. Tibet is a high and cold place and these high and cold places often use lots of animal products. The teahouse did have vegan ice cream which I devored with a passion only seen by friends of vegans who haven't had access to vegan ice cream in several months. Jared was lucky he got a few bites. I don't share sweets well.
So it is necessary to ask very specifically what is in the food and drinks and to not order something if in doubt.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Christmas in Cape Town
I'm still not used to a warm Christmas. Even though Portland, Oregon doesn't usually snow on Christmas it's chilly, so its hard to believe it's Christmas when its over 70F outside. Strange that this year Portland was covered in snow. Strange in an ironic sort of way, that one of the years I am gone is a white Christmas, though from what I heard it was more hassle than enjoyment.
The States put Christmas on steroids, so everywhere else Christmas seems much less fanfare. Here, the malls had some decorations, and there were some wreaths and tinsel around. At the airport, the gates had some tinsel. There were a few small desk-sized plastic Christmas trees here and there, but no one does the traditional Western tree thing. If they did, it would have to be a plastic tree. Last year, I saw the flower stalk of the agave plant decorated like a tree. That was the most exciting.
So even though I don't get into the Christmas spirit much normally, I got into it even less this year. But it's a good opportunity to at least have the treat of a nice meal. So that is what we decided to do, to go out to a fancy restaurant and celebrate.
We flew back to Cape Town from Durban on Christmas Day, and spent a long time calling around to see who was still open, what they were doing and how much it was going to cost. Jared was feeling unwell, so I wasn't even sure we were going to be able to go.
In the end, we went to Haiku, an Asian tapas place downtown. Tapas are a good idea in theory: that the portions are smaller, so you order a bunch of different items. Of the handful of tapas places I have been, they are always in the end more expensive than a restaurant with one item. The food was really good, and the waiter really accommodating with our veganism. They even took back the spinach that had cream cheese in it and replaced it with something else. The waiter had checked with the kitchen to see if there was dairy in it, but since the spinach filling was premade, they hadn't realized. Having not eaten dairy in nearly 10 years, I can pick out the taste and I don't like it. Dairy also makes both Jared and I sick. It was wonderful to have a waiter that was accommodating to our veganism. Good Christmas treat.
When I got back to our little room at the backpackers we have been staying at until we find an apartment, I called Oregon to say Merry Christmas to my family. Skype is a great thing. Using my computer, I called my folk's landline and chatted for 30 min for less than $1. No phone card is that cheap overseas! Calling their computer is free, but their internet was down. Since bandwidth is expensive here, I do pay per MB when using the internet. But, its so convient and still cheaper than a payphone and calling card.
Now its time for New Years. What to do? We haven't decided yet, but I'm excited that with the changing of the calendar will come a new year of great things.
The States put Christmas on steroids, so everywhere else Christmas seems much less fanfare. Here, the malls had some decorations, and there were some wreaths and tinsel around. At the airport, the gates had some tinsel. There were a few small desk-sized plastic Christmas trees here and there, but no one does the traditional Western tree thing. If they did, it would have to be a plastic tree. Last year, I saw the flower stalk of the agave plant decorated like a tree. That was the most exciting.
So even though I don't get into the Christmas spirit much normally, I got into it even less this year. But it's a good opportunity to at least have the treat of a nice meal. So that is what we decided to do, to go out to a fancy restaurant and celebrate.
We flew back to Cape Town from Durban on Christmas Day, and spent a long time calling around to see who was still open, what they were doing and how much it was going to cost. Jared was feeling unwell, so I wasn't even sure we were going to be able to go.
In the end, we went to Haiku, an Asian tapas place downtown. Tapas are a good idea in theory: that the portions are smaller, so you order a bunch of different items. Of the handful of tapas places I have been, they are always in the end more expensive than a restaurant with one item. The food was really good, and the waiter really accommodating with our veganism. They even took back the spinach that had cream cheese in it and replaced it with something else. The waiter had checked with the kitchen to see if there was dairy in it, but since the spinach filling was premade, they hadn't realized. Having not eaten dairy in nearly 10 years, I can pick out the taste and I don't like it. Dairy also makes both Jared and I sick. It was wonderful to have a waiter that was accommodating to our veganism. Good Christmas treat.
When I got back to our little room at the backpackers we have been staying at until we find an apartment, I called Oregon to say Merry Christmas to my family. Skype is a great thing. Using my computer, I called my folk's landline and chatted for 30 min for less than $1. No phone card is that cheap overseas! Calling their computer is free, but their internet was down. Since bandwidth is expensive here, I do pay per MB when using the internet. But, its so convient and still cheaper than a payphone and calling card.
Now its time for New Years. What to do? We haven't decided yet, but I'm excited that with the changing of the calendar will come a new year of great things.
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Hot and Humid in Durban
We have been in Durban for a few days now after two weeks in Cape Town.
After 5 weeks in South Africa the drama is finally over. I hope so at least. We had major problems with the woman we came to work with, Jared tells people it was personality conflicts, but we tried everything we could to make it work and it just couldn't work. I don't usually say that people should be medicated, but this woman needs to be on meds to make her moods a bit more stable. Such severe mood swings are not normal. They got so bad that some of the episodes could be classified as verbal abuse. So we parted ways.
We had to retrieve the rest of our luggage from her house, so we rented a car. I haven't really driven in South Africa before or anywhere where its left-side driving so I was very nervous. Since we've been here, I've been concentrating on things being on the left, so it would be easier once I drove. It went really well! It started off with some problems getting the car into reverse. It was a manual, and although I have a manual transmission in the States I couldn't figure out how to get the bloody thing into reverse. Someone else at the backpackers was helping us, but he couldn't figure it out either, and so asked a maintenance man on the side of the road how to do it. Turns out since its a chevy, there is this ring to life up on the gear shift and that allows the car to go into reverse!
It felt great to drive, I've been so worried about it. We had the car for the entire day so drove up north into the Valley of 1000 Hills which is very pretty and then to the big Hare Krishna temple in Durban. I spent some time with the Krishnas when I was here before, so it was nice to see their temple here. The Durban temple is the largest Hare Krishna temple in the Southern Hemisphere, there was also a restaurant in the basement. I love Hare Krishna food. It is so good. I think that is one of the main reasons I hung out with them before--because their food was so damn good. It has this particular taste to it, they put a lot of love into their food, and also offer it to Krishna before anyone eats any of it. We spoke to a monk who does a lot of community work with their Food for Life program. They take food to impoverished areas, and also to distribute their message. He said everything has been stolen from him several times doing this work, but that he loves it and is committed to doing it.
I am starting to feel more at home in South Africa. The first part of our time here was so hectic that we didn't enjoy ourselves so much. We feel much freer now, and are having a good time. Today we visited the Durban Botanic Garden which is absolutely gorgeous. I finally saw a baobab tree. I have been wanting to see one of those for a long time but haven't made it far enough north into Africa to see them. They also have a great orchid garden. It was beautiful. So cool to see tropical plants I grew at The Oregon Garden growing so big and tall. We had struggled for the lotus' to survive in Silverton, and here they were 4' tall! Both water lettuce and water hyacinth are considered major invasive here, and I've been the water hyacinth clogging some rivers. Both these are used ornamentally in Oregon still, but they die off every winter so haven't become a problem there.
We also went to the movie theatre and saw the new James Bond movie Quantum of Solace. I saw the last Bond movie, Casino Royal and loved it. Jared got to hear me talk about Daniel Craig a lot but he didn't see it. He knows what I was talking about now! Yum! Good movie.
Tomorrow we are going to try for the Indian Market I think. Jared's spent some time in India so we'll see how it compares.
After 5 weeks in South Africa the drama is finally over. I hope so at least. We had major problems with the woman we came to work with, Jared tells people it was personality conflicts, but we tried everything we could to make it work and it just couldn't work. I don't usually say that people should be medicated, but this woman needs to be on meds to make her moods a bit more stable. Such severe mood swings are not normal. They got so bad that some of the episodes could be classified as verbal abuse. So we parted ways.
We had to retrieve the rest of our luggage from her house, so we rented a car. I haven't really driven in South Africa before or anywhere where its left-side driving so I was very nervous. Since we've been here, I've been concentrating on things being on the left, so it would be easier once I drove. It went really well! It started off with some problems getting the car into reverse. It was a manual, and although I have a manual transmission in the States I couldn't figure out how to get the bloody thing into reverse. Someone else at the backpackers was helping us, but he couldn't figure it out either, and so asked a maintenance man on the side of the road how to do it. Turns out since its a chevy, there is this ring to life up on the gear shift and that allows the car to go into reverse!
It felt great to drive, I've been so worried about it. We had the car for the entire day so drove up north into the Valley of 1000 Hills which is very pretty and then to the big Hare Krishna temple in Durban. I spent some time with the Krishnas when I was here before, so it was nice to see their temple here. The Durban temple is the largest Hare Krishna temple in the Southern Hemisphere, there was also a restaurant in the basement. I love Hare Krishna food. It is so good. I think that is one of the main reasons I hung out with them before--because their food was so damn good. It has this particular taste to it, they put a lot of love into their food, and also offer it to Krishna before anyone eats any of it. We spoke to a monk who does a lot of community work with their Food for Life program. They take food to impoverished areas, and also to distribute their message. He said everything has been stolen from him several times doing this work, but that he loves it and is committed to doing it.
I am starting to feel more at home in South Africa. The first part of our time here was so hectic that we didn't enjoy ourselves so much. We feel much freer now, and are having a good time. Today we visited the Durban Botanic Garden which is absolutely gorgeous. I finally saw a baobab tree. I have been wanting to see one of those for a long time but haven't made it far enough north into Africa to see them. They also have a great orchid garden. It was beautiful. So cool to see tropical plants I grew at The Oregon Garden growing so big and tall. We had struggled for the lotus' to survive in Silverton, and here they were 4' tall! Both water lettuce and water hyacinth are considered major invasive here, and I've been the water hyacinth clogging some rivers. Both these are used ornamentally in Oregon still, but they die off every winter so haven't become a problem there.
We also went to the movie theatre and saw the new James Bond movie Quantum of Solace. I saw the last Bond movie, Casino Royal and loved it. Jared got to hear me talk about Daniel Craig a lot but he didn't see it. He knows what I was talking about now! Yum! Good movie.
Tomorrow we are going to try for the Indian Market I think. Jared's spent some time in India so we'll see how it compares.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Pennington
Pennington is a small town, mostly (but not all) retired or wealthy white people live here but there are also Africans around. It is south of Durban along the coast.
We found a bar/restaurant yesterday and had some "chips" ie frenchfries. An old Indian guy came up to me while Jared was in the loo and asked me where I was from, how long I am here for, etc. Then repeated these questions until Jared came back and then wished me a good time. Most South Africans (white and black) are so friendly, though some are quite shy when approached.
I've found asking some people for directions can be...well...not so helpful. Yeah, go straight and then around and the shop is just right there. Then we end up wandering around wondering which straight they meant. Fortunately, we can't get too lost since the ocean is on one side, and highway on the other. When I told Jared this (when we didn't know where we were) he said, "yeah and the sky is up there, and the...."
The roads. There is lots of road construction for the World Cup in 2010. Some of the roads have gone a bit, as the money doesn't seem to get to the road construction. Corruption is a problem here. But the country got lots of money for infrastructure for the games so the roads are getting a needed make-over. This makes travel take a lot longer, but at least they are getting improved. Unlike the bridge on the road to the next town that was washed out last year and hasn't been fixed yet, making everyone take a longer route around. Politics.
We found a bar/restaurant yesterday and had some "chips" ie frenchfries. An old Indian guy came up to me while Jared was in the loo and asked me where I was from, how long I am here for, etc. Then repeated these questions until Jared came back and then wished me a good time. Most South Africans (white and black) are so friendly, though some are quite shy when approached.
I've found asking some people for directions can be...well...not so helpful. Yeah, go straight and then around and the shop is just right there. Then we end up wandering around wondering which straight they meant. Fortunately, we can't get too lost since the ocean is on one side, and highway on the other. When I told Jared this (when we didn't know where we were) he said, "yeah and the sky is up there, and the...."
The roads. There is lots of road construction for the World Cup in 2010. Some of the roads have gone a bit, as the money doesn't seem to get to the road construction. Corruption is a problem here. But the country got lots of money for infrastructure for the games so the roads are getting a needed make-over. This makes travel take a lot longer, but at least they are getting improved. Unlike the bridge on the road to the next town that was washed out last year and hasn't been fixed yet, making everyone take a longer route around. Politics.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
In Pennington, South Africa
Hello everyone!!
Greetings from Pennington, South Africa!! We just arrived here, have spent the last 2 weeks up in the NE part of the country at an art therapy training in the bush. It was certainly a jump into things as we arrived in Johannesburg Saturday evening and left the following morning for the training which started that night. Jared and I both helped facilitate the training which was really fun. There were two groups of 30 participants, all from the surrounding rural areas doing mostly social work. A lot of them were volunteers and quite poor but doing amazing work with people who have HIV/AIDS, TB, disable people, rape and domestic violence victiums. I felt like I really got to know some of them, and it was a great introduction into the country where we will be for the next year.
Since we were out in the bush, there was no internet or landline telephones. we went into town twice but since it wasn't on our schedule, we didn't have time to do any calling.
It was mostly hot with spectacular thunderstorms nearly afternoon and incrediable sunsets. I'll post pictures as soon as I get an internet connection for my computer. Which I hope to do this week.
This week in Pennington (near Durban) on the coast, is for relaxing, and getting some things sorted out, like cell phones and internet for my computer, and some more training and then next week we go to Cape Town for 10 days to work.
So I don't quite have an addess yet, not sure if we will end up staying here or moving somewhere else. We have battled somewhat getting a good relationship with our host, who has given us quite a lot and been very generous. We just aren't sure how it will quite work out. so please see jared and i being clear with what we want and standing for that. I've also had some emotional things come up for me that I haven't really wanted to deal with and I think its time I do, so please send me support in facing my inner demons. Don't worry Mom, I'm fine. :)
I'm feeling a bit homesick at the moment and hope when I get to town this week I can call home for a bit. Also, I'm going to get my computer set up with internet so then can call and chat for free through skype. So go to skype.com and download the free program and then search using my email and add me as friend and then we can talk. We are 10 hours ahead here.
I'm sorry to my Corvallis friends that I didnt get down to visit you before we left. It was really crazy before we left. Look at my blog for a few posts about it.
Okay my friends, I hope you are all well, sending you lots of love,
Deb
Greetings from Pennington, South Africa!! We just arrived here, have spent the last 2 weeks up in the NE part of the country at an art therapy training in the bush. It was certainly a jump into things as we arrived in Johannesburg Saturday evening and left the following morning for the training which started that night. Jared and I both helped facilitate the training which was really fun. There were two groups of 30 participants, all from the surrounding rural areas doing mostly social work. A lot of them were volunteers and quite poor but doing amazing work with people who have HIV/AIDS, TB, disable people, rape and domestic violence victiums. I felt like I really got to know some of them, and it was a great introduction into the country where we will be for the next year.
Since we were out in the bush, there was no internet or landline telephones. we went into town twice but since it wasn't on our schedule, we didn't have time to do any calling.
It was mostly hot with spectacular thunderstorms nearly afternoon and incrediable sunsets. I'll post pictures as soon as I get an internet connection for my computer. Which I hope to do this week.
This week in Pennington (near Durban) on the coast, is for relaxing, and getting some things sorted out, like cell phones and internet for my computer, and some more training and then next week we go to Cape Town for 10 days to work.
So I don't quite have an addess yet, not sure if we will end up staying here or moving somewhere else. We have battled somewhat getting a good relationship with our host, who has given us quite a lot and been very generous. We just aren't sure how it will quite work out. so please see jared and i being clear with what we want and standing for that. I've also had some emotional things come up for me that I haven't really wanted to deal with and I think its time I do, so please send me support in facing my inner demons. Don't worry Mom, I'm fine. :)
I'm feeling a bit homesick at the moment and hope when I get to town this week I can call home for a bit. Also, I'm going to get my computer set up with internet so then can call and chat for free through skype. So go to skype.com and download the free program and then search using my email and add me as friend and then we can talk. We are 10 hours ahead here.
I'm sorry to my Corvallis friends that I didnt get down to visit you before we left. It was really crazy before we left. Look at my blog for a few posts about it.
Okay my friends, I hope you are all well, sending you lots of love,
Deb
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Out of our apartment, the last two days
Well, we're out of our apartment. I feel like I am going through some sort of test, having to go through all sorts of hurdles and difficulties, only that I've forgotten I signed up for this test. I keep telling myself, I'm almost there, just a little bit more, just a few more days.
We had to stay until 2am at our apartment cleaning it. For a small apartment (500 sq ft) we had a massive amount of stuff in there. And our storage unit is packed (10x10ft). Let's hope there is no earthquake in the next year. So it took awhile to get everything moved out. Thankfully we had some help moving, and a few people helped with some cleaning or we would have been there until 4am.
I'm exhausted. I want to go on vacation. We arrive in Johannesburg Saturday evening and the following evening our training starts for 2 weeks. But the schedule doesn't sound too hectic, so I'll relax then. And I can relax on the 18+ hour flight from Atlanta to JHB. Jared says I can get stuff done now and relax at the same time. I'm sure he is right, I know he is right, but I am still a bit frantic. A lot less than I would normally be though.
So now the two last days...time for finishing packing our bags for the trip, run a few errands, throw the last few things in the storage unit and spend time with my folks who just got back from a 3 month trip across the country and back. We can do it, we will do it and enjoy it too.
We had to stay until 2am at our apartment cleaning it. For a small apartment (500 sq ft) we had a massive amount of stuff in there. And our storage unit is packed (10x10ft). Let's hope there is no earthquake in the next year. So it took awhile to get everything moved out. Thankfully we had some help moving, and a few people helped with some cleaning or we would have been there until 4am.
I'm exhausted. I want to go on vacation. We arrive in Johannesburg Saturday evening and the following evening our training starts for 2 weeks. But the schedule doesn't sound too hectic, so I'll relax then. And I can relax on the 18+ hour flight from Atlanta to JHB. Jared says I can get stuff done now and relax at the same time. I'm sure he is right, I know he is right, but I am still a bit frantic. A lot less than I would normally be though.
So now the two last days...time for finishing packing our bags for the trip, run a few errands, throw the last few things in the storage unit and spend time with my folks who just got back from a 3 month trip across the country and back. We can do it, we will do it and enjoy it too.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Not listening to Fear
I've lived in Portland for over a year and a half. Before, when I lived in Corvallis I biked everywhere, and hardly drove at all. When I left Corvallis I lived in places not so friendly to bikes and got out of the habit. When I moved to Portland, even though its been rated as very bike friendly city I was terrified of riding my bike. My partner doesn't ride either, having been in a very bad bike accident so I couldn't use him as motivation either. So my bike has mostly sat under the blue tarp in my backyard.
I finally figured okay, enough is enough and this week got my bike out and rode it. I went down to the Eastbank Esplanade, across the Steel Bridge, along Waterfront Park, and back across the Hawthorne Bridge. It was so easy! And fun! I've so missed riding my bike. It felt great. I will ride a few more times before putting my bike into storage.
Not sure if we'll be able to get bikes in South Africa, found out today from Leandra, the woman we'll be working with, that we won't be based in Cape Town as we had thought, but rather in a suburb of Durban, and will be traveling around South Africa quite a bit. So we will see..... but for now, it felt great to go through the fear, or not listen to it, or whatever it was and just live my life.
I finally figured okay, enough is enough and this week got my bike out and rode it. I went down to the Eastbank Esplanade, across the Steel Bridge, along Waterfront Park, and back across the Hawthorne Bridge. It was so easy! And fun! I've so missed riding my bike. It felt great. I will ride a few more times before putting my bike into storage.
Not sure if we'll be able to get bikes in South Africa, found out today from Leandra, the woman we'll be working with, that we won't be based in Cape Town as we had thought, but rather in a suburb of Durban, and will be traveling around South Africa quite a bit. So we will see..... but for now, it felt great to go through the fear, or not listen to it, or whatever it was and just live my life.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
OUR VISAS CAME BACK!
So the Fed Ex man just brought our passports complete with visas to our door!
So now we are REALLY going, well we would have gone anyway, but not for a year.
Three weeks today we leave!
No packing yet...
So now we are REALLY going, well we would have gone anyway, but not for a year.
Three weeks today we leave!
No packing yet...
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Less than a month left!
So now we are down to 29 days.....
have we packed? no.
still got 29 days to do that....well not really, since we move out of our apartment in 27 days...
starting to panic a bit. lots to do...
But I've set up a flickr account now that has last December's trips pictures:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/deb_hill/
have we packed? no.
still got 29 days to do that....well not really, since we move out of our apartment in 27 days...
starting to panic a bit. lots to do...
But I've set up a flickr account now that has last December's trips pictures:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/deb_hill/
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Visa applications in the mail
The count is 37 days now. We posted our visa applications in the mail on Monday....its starting to sink in, and with every big thing comes moments of excitement, and moments of fear.
Today I was walking back from downtown Portland. Went across the Hawthorne Bridge and down to the esplanade by the water. It was a sunny fall day and the water glistened. People were out walking, running, and biking. I had a sense of how nice it is to be here in this town with these people who are so interested in the environment and living some shade of "green." I don't know what it'll be like in South Africa. I know recycling can be hard to come by, and it isn't always safe to bike. Its a very car-oriented country, and taking the bus is often an adventure requiring at least 0.5mg of Ativan. But if I just stayed where I was comfortable, living amongst people who shared the same ideas as me, I wouldn't be making as much of a difference as I could if I went someplace where I could make a difference. But its a sense of leaving the warmth of the womb into the cold rain.
But its the rain that brings forth plant growth and flowers. And the sun always comes out eventually following a storm.
Today I was walking back from downtown Portland. Went across the Hawthorne Bridge and down to the esplanade by the water. It was a sunny fall day and the water glistened. People were out walking, running, and biking. I had a sense of how nice it is to be here in this town with these people who are so interested in the environment and living some shade of "green." I don't know what it'll be like in South Africa. I know recycling can be hard to come by, and it isn't always safe to bike. Its a very car-oriented country, and taking the bus is often an adventure requiring at least 0.5mg of Ativan. But if I just stayed where I was comfortable, living amongst people who shared the same ideas as me, I wouldn't be making as much of a difference as I could if I went someplace where I could make a difference. But its a sense of leaving the warmth of the womb into the cold rain.
But its the rain that brings forth plant growth and flowers. And the sun always comes out eventually following a storm.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
We're off to Africa!
Hello everyone!
We are off to South Africa in 43 days!!! My partner Jared and I will be moving there November 13th (that is when we leave here) for a year. We were there in December last year and have decided to try it out for a year living there...
It hasn't really sunk in yet, what we are doing. We are in the process of applying for our visas...so much work those...FBI background checks and everything. We still have to do all the packing, including of our Portland apartment which we will be moving out of.
I am certainly going to miss Portland, I've lived here for 1.5 years now, and I like it here. But the world is calling, I have things to do, dreams to follow and passions to pursue.
It feels like the last 2 years, especially this last year has been some sort of training for me. I've been going to a spiritual group lead by Eric Robert and although its been a bumpy ride, a lot of which I've been kicking and screaming, I've come out ready to follow my dreams. Its a big dream really, one that frightens and excites me. A dream of helping people connect back to the environment, and have that incredible sense of place and connection.
We are off to South Africa in 43 days!!! My partner Jared and I will be moving there November 13th (that is when we leave here) for a year. We were there in December last year and have decided to try it out for a year living there...
It hasn't really sunk in yet, what we are doing. We are in the process of applying for our visas...so much work those...FBI background checks and everything. We still have to do all the packing, including of our Portland apartment which we will be moving out of.
I am certainly going to miss Portland, I've lived here for 1.5 years now, and I like it here. But the world is calling, I have things to do, dreams to follow and passions to pursue.
It feels like the last 2 years, especially this last year has been some sort of training for me. I've been going to a spiritual group lead by Eric Robert and although its been a bumpy ride, a lot of which I've been kicking and screaming, I've come out ready to follow my dreams. Its a big dream really, one that frightens and excites me. A dream of helping people connect back to the environment, and have that incredible sense of place and connection.
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