Patience is a Virtue

patience: (n) the capacity, habit or fact of being patient

patient: (n) bearing pains or trial calmly or without complaint; not hasty or impetuous

This virtue is something that South Africans (Cape Townians in particular) have not only mastered, but taken to new heights.  While I'm busy trying to file this application for registration, patience is the name of the game.  Persistence and patience make the perfect pair when conducting business here and finding that delicate balance is something that I continue to strive for.

Through all this patience testing I must wait.  Wait. Wait. Wait.

Example A:

This morning I went to the Social Services office in Athlone to speak to someone regarding our site visit.  After waiting in the Q for quite some time, we made our way to the receptionist.  She then pointed to another line we must stand in and wait for someone to come out of the door in the corner.  After reading the Social Grant pamphlet in English and Xhosa (helped with my language learning!), someone soon came out.  We then talked with the officer for 20 minutes who explained to us they layout of the area and such only to realize that the question we asked him at the beginning ("Are you the right person to speak to about registration?") was a moot point because we needed to speak to someone else.  We were told that the correct lady to speak to had left for the day (we arrived at 10am) and that she had an appointment at 8am the next morning.  We could come by around 9.30 when she finished her meeting and maybe catch her in the hall.

I think I'll just call later and set up an appointment.

But there's always room for growth and learning and in addition to my Xhosa lessons, I'm learning about being patient and how to conduct business in a foreign culture.  Fresh out of American business school, it's quite a change of pace from the go! go! go! now! now! now! lifestyle, but if I think back on it, it can be refreshing.

Here, time is certainly not of the essence and time does not equal money.  Time does get wasted here and there, but everyone is a little more relaxed.  I guess I should just sit back, relax, enjoy the scenery.....and keep asking when I can meet with the correct lady from social services :)

Remember, patience is a virtue wherever you are in the world.  Don't be hasty or impetuous.

Evening Light Hiking

Saturday evening, some friends and I went up Lion's Head peak for a little sunset hike.  We started kind of late so basically ran up the mountain, but made it with about 20 minutes to spare before watching the giant orange-red glowing orb drop over the ocean's edge.  Although it was my 3rd time making this hike, the views continue to astonish me.  I wish I could capture the intense beauty of the sunset with a camera, but alas...these will have to suffice until you all come to visit.  We'll do the hike, I promise :)

Breathtaking Views

"You're the God of this city..."

Perfect spot to watch the sunset

Thanks to headlamps, we made it down and successfully avoided scorpions.

From IT to TI (and no, I didn't meet the rapper)

Surprise! Surprise!  I haven't wasted much time since being back in Cape Town.

I headed into work on Thursday to say hi to my co-workers and of course it turned into a full work day :)  The first half was, of course, socializing and catching-up, but the second half meant getting right back in the swing of things. The reunion was sweet and it really is great to travel half way around the world and have a room full of people jump out of their chairs to greet you.  I had my usual long hug with Phumza, my boy talk with Zandi, my crazed greeting from Kevin, slow dance with Easy, a sing-song hello from Ilchen and surprise visits from various others.  Several of them were already requesting another batch of cookies so guess I'll be busy with that soon :)

Over the break, the staff of Amy Biehl realized that there was a very urgent and very important task that needed to be done.  They went down the list of people working in the office and all of them had plenty of other duties to attend to and couldn't drop everything for this assignment.  Soo.....guess who gets this new job--me!

Now before you get too excited about this job, I'll let you know what it is.  I am to register all 5 after-school centers with the provinical government and state in order to receive funding.  Woah...HUGE task!!!  I headed down to the government printers office and bought the Children's Act and necessary amendments which came to a total of around 400+ pages of legal jargon to sift through.  That one semester of business law will be put to the test now!  In a weird way, I'm actually kind of excited about this new opportunity to learn about the legal side of what goes into a non-profit and ensuring that the Amy Biehl Foundation is up to date with all of the safety regulations for the kiddos.

I had a feeling this time around would be different, but I certainly wasn't expecting this!  Bring it on legal documents!  I've replaced my web development role with a much nobler role....Toilet Inspector!  (gotta make sure the kiddos have appropriate waste facilities!)

Swimming Through Air

MADE IT!

Yep, that's right I finally made it through the blizzards, day-long layovers exploring London, the fuel leaks in my jet engine and over the savannas and Serengeti back to beautiful Cape Town.  I have to admit, the excitement wasn't as strong this time as the last 3 times I've made the transatlantic, tri-continental journey, but as soon as I caught a glimpse of Table Mountain (see above banner) from the plane window I couldn't help but smile.

There's a buzz around Cape Town these days--the weather is warmer, kids are just finishing up school holidays and the air is HUMID!  At night, I listen to the mosquitoes and guinea foul dance around the yard.  In the morning, I listen to the birds wake up with the sun and dip my feet in the pool before breakfast.  People have a bit more pep in their step and are excited about the new year and all that it has to bring.  Quite a change from the  doldrums of winter!

There's something about beginning again.  A fresh start.  A new perspective.  Different climate.  After a long and wonderful period of refreshment, it's time to get back to work and bring everything that I have with added energy and excitement.  Rest and reflection can only be useful if what you learned and reflected on is put in to practice after that period of time is over.

So here's to another round of Cape Town!

It's hard to believe that it's my fourth time here and as much as I want to believe that this year will be the same, I know it won't be.  New challenges, new struggles, new joys, new victories, new adventures, new friends.  It doesn't matter if you  go somewhere new or have been in the same place your whole life.  There's always room for growth, there's always something new and different to learn about the people and places around you.  So be adventurous, meet someone new, ask some questions, explore the world as it is right where you are.

And then tell me about it because this blog is kind of a one way communication....  :)