oh. my. good. ness. how is this even possibleeeeeee. my last night in South Africa!! in 24 hours i'll be on a plane heading HOME. this is madness. seriously. i'm too far gone to even begin to imagine what home will feel like. my delayed reactions are kicking in already....
this sucks.
ok. shall busy myself with other things now.
Showing posts with label countdown. Show all posts
Showing posts with label countdown. Show all posts
counting.the.days....
Friday, December 17
i leave SA in 10 days. i reach home in 12 days. then 29th, 30th, 31st. and hello 2011.
that was like a uber brief summary of my last days of 2010. i'm looking forward to seeing all my friends again and 2011 promises to be another adventure with God. some plans are forming in my head already.
that was like a uber brief summary of my last days of 2010. i'm looking forward to seeing all my friends again and 2011 promises to be another adventure with God. some plans are forming in my head already.
last leg of sep.
Thursday, December 2
this is the start of the 3rd leg of my sep: a one-month holiday trip with my dad and brother.
its been a busy few days. and, as usual, i'm just avoiding whatever i can.
tomorrow, its just the 3 of us. and, by the end of it... ...
happenings-wise, my brother got caught for staying over. but we got off with a warning. zz. of course right, leaving in 1 day already, what can they do?
anyway, i'm just really glad for all the experience i've had with saying my goodbyes. at the risk of getting immune and being overly callous about it, practice helps. especially seeing that, this is africa. and, who knows if i'll ever be back here again?
i really dont know. but, anyway, i hope the trip goes well. even with less than optimal company, i managed to have a really good spring break trip. i hope its the same here as well. every single day will be a test. but, something tells me that the very same days will bring grace in my life like never before. its always a new challenge ahead. this was coming, i would never have guessed that it would come in the form of a family holiday but... well, one thing im sure of is God's love is sufficient to sustain me even when i feel like crap.
ugc was ultra amazing.
tuks was eye-opening.
we will see what this brings.
its been a busy few days. and, as usual, i'm just avoiding whatever i can.
tomorrow, its just the 3 of us. and, by the end of it... ...
happenings-wise, my brother got caught for staying over. but we got off with a warning. zz. of course right, leaving in 1 day already, what can they do?
anyway, i'm just really glad for all the experience i've had with saying my goodbyes. at the risk of getting immune and being overly callous about it, practice helps. especially seeing that, this is africa. and, who knows if i'll ever be back here again?
i really dont know. but, anyway, i hope the trip goes well. even with less than optimal company, i managed to have a really good spring break trip. i hope its the same here as well. every single day will be a test. but, something tells me that the very same days will bring grace in my life like never before. its always a new challenge ahead. this was coming, i would never have guessed that it would come in the form of a family holiday but... well, one thing im sure of is God's love is sufficient to sustain me even when i feel like crap.
ugc was ultra amazing.
tuks was eye-opening.
we will see what this brings.
time and taxis
Friday, November 19
today, (at 3am), is the 19th November. if things had gone as planned, i would have been on my way to Harare (Zimbabwe), the first of many destinations in a Southern Africa solo expedition, with the aim of seeing, exploring, and ultimately, learning. about people, about myself and eventually, about God. but then, today would also have marked the start of my 1 month countdown in south africa. as it is, i have 40days left here.
already, some people are going home. one of them has been excited to leave since the 2nd week she arrived (or so i've heard) and the other was so depressed that she cried while packing. i dont think i fall into either category, but i will miss this place. a. lot. either way, home awaits. with friends, responsibilities and, life in general.
wednesday was the start of the 3rd phase of SA2010 - the end of school, and the start of my adventures. & it started pretty well. i aced my oral examination on Church and Israel (after only 1 entire night of cramming - the Singapore system does come in handy), bumped into Ps M & Molly and O'brien on my way back and ended up spending a very nice afternoon talking. As we left, i headed to the bus station some distance away to do a little bit of recce-ing for my mini trip. i dont know how long it took for me to get there and find out what i needed to (time isnt really an issue here), but the interesting part started when i tried to find my way back home. heh. technically, i wasnt lost. i just didnt know how to get home. and i was quite far on the other side of Pretoria from where home is. so... scenario: lone asian girl in downtown African city with a disconcerting lack of afrikaaners (whites). problem: getting home. see, i couldnt just cross the street & take a taxi back the way i came because, it was a one-way street that kind of turned back into town, plus, taxis that go one way, dont necessarily follow the same route BACK.....
ok back to the events that followed. i decided i had time, so i started walking around the streets, soaking in the atmosphere. after buying a random apple, some nectarines and 2 peaches from 3 street vendors who didnt know where i could reboard a taxi towards hatfield (home), i decided to stop wandering and GET. HOME. boarded the next taxi i saw, and asked for hatfield. driver shakes head. sunnyside? yes, nods head. *or so i thought. i get in with another 2 ladies, we're getting the fare together, and then driver shakes his head and drops us all off at a sort of taxi-transfer point. he tells us to go into the front taxi. i get in, and after 15min of waiting for it to fill up (taxis mostly only leave once they're full), i decide to ask a fellow passenger. and he tells me this taxi is going to marabastad! (some distance OUT of TOWN). wrong taxi. i get off, and walk down a little. then i see a lady taxi driver & ask her, how to get to hatfield. she says, just wait a minute, another taxi will come along & i can get in. but she also says, sweetie, come sit inside while you wait. so, yes, of course, why not, the sun is burning outside. and the 1 minute becomes 10, 10min eventually lasts 1.5 hours as her taxi fills up. i ask her if the taxi is coming, she says, yes she'll take me to where i can catch a direct one home. eventually, she drops me off at another(!) taxi-transfer area, this time, in a section of town that i recognise as somewhere the brazilian guys & i were told to turn around and go back. (not the safest place really). but she tells one of the guys she apparently knows my problem, drops me off and says, he'll take care of u.. he gave me directions to get to church square nearby. i wasnt afraid, but my defenses were up and i think he could see it.. so he said, eish, i walk you. very near! i asked if i had to pay, and he didnt answer (next time, i know better) but well, he did walk me, and i did feel safe having a guide through this part of town. eventually when he got me into the right taxi, i was going to give him a R5 tip. but guess what? he said R30! like.. WHAT? R30 for YOU offering to walk <200m with me?? ... seriously. but, anyway, he was very persistent & i didnt want to start a scene there, so heck, R30. there u go. and then, nevermind, he asked R30 and a drink!! i told him, no i dont have a drink. he says, yes, R8 to buy a drink.. NO! i show him i only have coins left to pay my fare, and he sees me count R9 fare out and i have R1.50 coins left & he takes all of it.....
one thing about africans is that, THEY ARE NOT SHY. (this is just one incident).
well, anyway, we're waiting for this taxi to fill up again, and the girl next to me asks if my impromptu guide helped me to carry anything. i tell her what happened and she just shakes her head, says i'm a lakoha ("white" person) and laughs. then she explains its common that these self-employed street-guys dont rob u illegally, they do daylight robbery.haha! i was so amused by the way she put it. eventually, we talked about other things & by the time i got dropped off outside my house, i had a new friend from Tshwane University of Technology (TUT). haha. eggciting day eh!
took a nap when i got home, just because i could. and then got a lift from mary-lou to church. took some photos and came home to sleep off the adrenaline+latenights. its gonna be hard to match up to the standard set by wednesday happenings.
but today (thursday), i cooked an awesome singapore dinner for the housemates (+1 and -1) and then had a nice night out. i wonder what today (friday) brings. day 40. i need to remember to pay my housing bill though. and hopefully, by saturday, i get on my way to polokwane in limpopo! preferably no adventures, just a very uneventful getaway, i hope. heh. ok, its late. time to enjoy sleeping in cold weather (its like winter all over again!!! crazy weather. it was insanely hot just 2 days ago!)
already, some people are going home. one of them has been excited to leave since the 2nd week she arrived (or so i've heard) and the other was so depressed that she cried while packing. i dont think i fall into either category, but i will miss this place. a. lot. either way, home awaits. with friends, responsibilities and, life in general.
wednesday was the start of the 3rd phase of SA2010 - the end of school, and the start of my adventures. & it started pretty well. i aced my oral examination on Church and Israel (after only 1 entire night of cramming - the Singapore system does come in handy), bumped into Ps M & Molly and O'brien on my way back and ended up spending a very nice afternoon talking. As we left, i headed to the bus station some distance away to do a little bit of recce-ing for my mini trip. i dont know how long it took for me to get there and find out what i needed to (time isnt really an issue here), but the interesting part started when i tried to find my way back home. heh. technically, i wasnt lost. i just didnt know how to get home. and i was quite far on the other side of Pretoria from where home is. so... scenario: lone asian girl in downtown African city with a disconcerting lack of afrikaaners (whites). problem: getting home. see, i couldnt just cross the street & take a taxi back the way i came because, it was a one-way street that kind of turned back into town, plus, taxis that go one way, dont necessarily follow the same route BACK.....
ok back to the events that followed. i decided i had time, so i started walking around the streets, soaking in the atmosphere. after buying a random apple, some nectarines and 2 peaches from 3 street vendors who didnt know where i could reboard a taxi towards hatfield (home), i decided to stop wandering and GET. HOME. boarded the next taxi i saw, and asked for hatfield. driver shakes head. sunnyside? yes, nods head. *or so i thought. i get in with another 2 ladies, we're getting the fare together, and then driver shakes his head and drops us all off at a sort of taxi-transfer point. he tells us to go into the front taxi. i get in, and after 15min of waiting for it to fill up (taxis mostly only leave once they're full), i decide to ask a fellow passenger. and he tells me this taxi is going to marabastad! (some distance OUT of TOWN). wrong taxi. i get off, and walk down a little. then i see a lady taxi driver & ask her, how to get to hatfield. she says, just wait a minute, another taxi will come along & i can get in. but she also says, sweetie, come sit inside while you wait. so, yes, of course, why not, the sun is burning outside. and the 1 minute becomes 10, 10min eventually lasts 1.5 hours as her taxi fills up. i ask her if the taxi is coming, she says, yes she'll take me to where i can catch a direct one home. eventually, she drops me off at another(!) taxi-transfer area, this time, in a section of town that i recognise as somewhere the brazilian guys & i were told to turn around and go back. (not the safest place really). but she tells one of the guys she apparently knows my problem, drops me off and says, he'll take care of u.. he gave me directions to get to church square nearby. i wasnt afraid, but my defenses were up and i think he could see it.. so he said, eish, i walk you. very near! i asked if i had to pay, and he didnt answer (next time, i know better) but well, he did walk me, and i did feel safe having a guide through this part of town. eventually when he got me into the right taxi, i was going to give him a R5 tip. but guess what? he said R30! like.. WHAT? R30 for YOU offering to walk <200m with me?? ... seriously. but, anyway, he was very persistent & i didnt want to start a scene there, so heck, R30. there u go. and then, nevermind, he asked R30 and a drink!! i told him, no i dont have a drink. he says, yes, R8 to buy a drink.. NO! i show him i only have coins left to pay my fare, and he sees me count R9 fare out and i have R1.50 coins left & he takes all of it.....
one thing about africans is that, THEY ARE NOT SHY. (this is just one incident).
well, anyway, we're waiting for this taxi to fill up again, and the girl next to me asks if my impromptu guide helped me to carry anything. i tell her what happened and she just shakes her head, says i'm a lakoha ("white" person) and laughs. then she explains its common that these self-employed street-guys dont rob u illegally, they do daylight robbery.haha! i was so amused by the way she put it. eventually, we talked about other things & by the time i got dropped off outside my house, i had a new friend from Tshwane University of Technology (TUT). haha. eggciting day eh!
took a nap when i got home, just because i could. and then got a lift from mary-lou to church. took some photos and came home to sleep off the adrenaline+latenights. its gonna be hard to match up to the standard set by wednesday happenings.
but today (thursday), i cooked an awesome singapore dinner for the housemates (+1 and -1) and then had a nice night out. i wonder what today (friday) brings. day 40. i need to remember to pay my housing bill though. and hopefully, by saturday, i get on my way to polokwane in limpopo! preferably no adventures, just a very uneventful getaway, i hope. heh. ok, its late. time to enjoy sleeping in cold weather (its like winter all over again!!! crazy weather. it was insanely hot just 2 days ago!)
SA... so full of surprises.
Saturday, November 6
my south african experience gets more interesting every.single.day.
lets start with the toilet. so, the non-communal-habit-friendly housemate has always been using the toilet near my end of the house. there's another one thats in the middle and very much nearer to her room, but for some reason, she prefers the one that 3 of us already share. maybe it smells nicer? heh. anyway, so i get home from Botswana on wednesday afternoon, and i am greeted with a sign on the toilet door, requesting a common courtesy - flush the toilet after use!! (i'll post a photo soon)... seriously.. just gotta love the ingenuity of my housemates sometimes. its so, in. your. face. but, its apparently not enough because, as i commended the note's author, she told me to hold it because, it has not worked.
i always thought it was a china-thing(no offense, just that the china toilets left quite an impression). but looks like it extends beyond culture. and its getting on my nerrrrrvesss. and yes, food is still going faster than i eat them. just a few more weeks.
interesting development #2. zambia&malawi plans are out of the window for good. and whole new plan is in place. point to note is that it happened in a verry short window of time. more specifically, during a family conference call with 4 people in 3 countries on 2 continents and 1+ hour. so... results = i get to stay another 8 dayz in this awesome country... side effect, but then.. i guess, God is still in control no matter what comes up. sighz. enter in the eternal and well, whats for sure is that its going to be an awesome month. (after these darned exams are done with!)
oh, and #3, i got a freaking 94% for a test that i barely studied for. HAHAHA. joke of the semester seriously. semester mark of 80%. yay. (: lesser stress for one more subject i guess!
lets start with the toilet. so, the non-communal-habit-friendly housemate has always been using the toilet near my end of the house. there's another one thats in the middle and very much nearer to her room, but for some reason, she prefers the one that 3 of us already share. maybe it smells nicer? heh. anyway, so i get home from Botswana on wednesday afternoon, and i am greeted with a sign on the toilet door, requesting a common courtesy - flush the toilet after use!! (i'll post a photo soon)... seriously.. just gotta love the ingenuity of my housemates sometimes. its so, in. your. face. but, its apparently not enough because, as i commended the note's author, she told me to hold it because, it has not worked.
i always thought it was a china-thing(no offense, just that the china toilets left quite an impression). but looks like it extends beyond culture. and its getting on my nerrrrrvesss. and yes, food is still going faster than i eat them. just a few more weeks.
interesting development #2. zambia&malawi plans are out of the window for good. and whole new plan is in place. point to note is that it happened in a verry short window of time. more specifically, during a family conference call with 4 people in 3 countries on 2 continents and 1+ hour. so... results = i get to stay another 8 dayz in this awesome country... side effect, but then.. i guess, God is still in control no matter what comes up. sighz. enter in the eternal and well, whats for sure is that its going to be an awesome month. (after these darned exams are done with!)
oh, and #3, i got a freaking 94% for a test that i barely studied for. HAHAHA. joke of the semester seriously. semester mark of 80%. yay. (: lesser stress for one more subject i guess!
stop time, STOP!!
Sunday, October 17
wow. its been a heck of a week.
there's actually so much i've seen, heard, done & learnt that i dont think i could ever write it all down. even if i wanted to. need to keep these memories fresh & assign key words to them so that i can actually remember all that happens. i dont even know where to start when i blog!
it feels like its been a major week. well, i guess in terms of learning & thinking, it has been. because, honestly, i have not been doing much. i like it this way though.. well, then again, who doesnt? i've spent the last few days in spurts of seclusion and company. both of which, i've enjoyed immensely. which is not always the case especially when it comes to people. good times.
i've also been taking stock of my 4+ months here because, its sinking in that we are all leaving too soon. 2 of the group have left already. and i have only a month of school (and exams!) left in this city...would be awesome to be able to stay until february like what isa is doing. but, life as an nus student beckons once more.
there is so much more to say, but i dont know where i should start.
like, spring break recap and all the other things happening, but i will end this post with a question that, to me, sums up the people-aspect of springbreak quite accurately. L: "so, what type of chinese is she? japan chinese or asia chinese?" (i am not kidding! HAHA. this still cracks me up.)
there's actually so much i've seen, heard, done & learnt that i dont think i could ever write it all down. even if i wanted to. need to keep these memories fresh & assign key words to them so that i can actually remember all that happens. i dont even know where to start when i blog!
it feels like its been a major week. well, i guess in terms of learning & thinking, it has been. because, honestly, i have not been doing much. i like it this way though.. well, then again, who doesnt? i've spent the last few days in spurts of seclusion and company. both of which, i've enjoyed immensely. which is not always the case especially when it comes to people. good times.
i've also been taking stock of my 4+ months here because, its sinking in that we are all leaving too soon. 2 of the group have left already. and i have only a month of school (and exams!) left in this city...would be awesome to be able to stay until february like what isa is doing. but, life as an nus student beckons once more.
there is so much more to say, but i dont know where i should start.
like, spring break recap and all the other things happening, but i will end this post with a question that, to me, sums up the people-aspect of springbreak quite accurately. L: "so, what type of chinese is she? japan chinese or asia chinese?" (i am not kidding! HAHA. this still cracks me up.)
random, disjointed thoughts.
Tuesday, October 12
some very random thoughts from today.
- the housemate is back. and our house (the rest of us), is in mourning. ok, i exaggerate. she's not all that bad, really. just that she's got a few not-communal-friendly habits. like, not flushing the loo and helping herself to other people's food. and i should probably stop entertaining these thoughts..... these few months came with quite a few personalities. i.will.learn.
- i have exactly 65 days left before i leave SA.
- should probably study. i've got another test tomorrow afternoon. and bigggg deadlines coming up. not really that much different from NUS deadlines, but i feel a lot less stressed because, i'm not clawing desperately at marks for that elusive A-grade.
- it struck me today that i havent eaten out much at nice restaurants here. but i have time to catch up on that.
- the rand is appreciating against the sing dollar. or rather, the USD has depreciated against the rand, and because the sing dollar is pegged to a basket of currencies (of which includes the USD). i would be getting less rand for my dollar if not for the fact that my mom does things to the extreme. i.e. when i asked her to transfer 1k, she transferred a whole lot more, so now, i dont have to worry about exchange rates & when to pay my housing bills. funny how things work out sometimes eh?
- i want to see a shooting star!!! (random spurt of conversation overflow)
- the housemate is back. and our house (the rest of us), is in mourning. ok, i exaggerate. she's not all that bad, really. just that she's got a few not-communal-friendly habits. like, not flushing the loo and helping herself to other people's food. and i should probably stop entertaining these thoughts..... these few months came with quite a few personalities. i.will.learn.
- i have exactly 65 days left before i leave SA.
- should probably study. i've got another test tomorrow afternoon. and bigggg deadlines coming up. not really that much different from NUS deadlines, but i feel a lot less stressed because, i'm not clawing desperately at marks for that elusive A-grade.
- it struck me today that i havent eaten out much at nice restaurants here. but i have time to catch up on that.
- the rand is appreciating against the sing dollar. or rather, the USD has depreciated against the rand, and because the sing dollar is pegged to a basket of currencies (of which includes the USD). i would be getting less rand for my dollar if not for the fact that my mom does things to the extreme. i.e. when i asked her to transfer 1k, she transferred a whole lot more, so now, i dont have to worry about exchange rates & when to pay my housing bills. funny how things work out sometimes eh?
- i want to see a shooting star!!! (random spurt of conversation overflow)
a-picture-a-day. i've yet to catch up with all the pre-Tuks pictures. & this is just a funny one for today.
another random picture of the day, just because.
dont you just love the demanding face of this baby! and her parents are such awesome people-personalities too! (: ok, i think this post was random enough. photos of babies & failed (but funny) jumpshots, and of things ranging from economics to astrology.. its probably about time to resume my studying.
a photo a day!
Monday, October 11
i'm left with just over 2 months. and i think i've dallied long enough.
the purple trees lining the streets are just too awesome to let it go by uncaptured.
i want to make a photo a day. (:
& i hope this time, my resolution stays.
its a countdown.
post #1 here.
(:
the purple trees lining the streets are just too awesome to let it go by uncaptured.
i want to make a photo a day. (:
& i hope this time, my resolution stays.
its a countdown.
post #1 here.
(:
the weekend is here!
Saturday, September 18
i've never felt so excited about every tiny thing that happens routinely in my life! realise that here, i'm going, YAY i see green leaves! great sunny day! nice breeze! love the shade! its time for class! dinner! blue skies! trip to the mall! weekend! ohh, bird! everything! like! this! tiring. but so amazing. haha. & its the weekend! (! again).
had myself a really nice friday.. albeit very unproductive. but i splurged at a christian bookstore. crapz. got myself 3 new (and cheaP!) books... need.to.stop.doing.that. & today, going to watch a rugby game (how can i be in south africa and not watch rugby right)... so yes, even though i've only had like 4hours of sleep, i still need to finish my assignments (ARGGGGH) with a dying battery (ARRRGGH) and go watch rugby & etcetcetc..and then! on wednesday, i leave for zimbabwe! (will be contactable with my singapore number because south african sim cards dont have such thing as auto-roaming & coverage is only within south africa)
but. first, ass.sign.ment!!
ugh. its interesting but all the numbers are driving me nutsss...
as of today, i'm left with exactly 3 months here. it'll pass too quickly & i'll enjoy it while it lasts. but i feel ready to go home to my normal weekend schedule...