I have loved living in South Africa so far.
Yes, it can be dangerous; racism is prevalent and the issue is in your face 24/7; dating has been a joke as most men I've encountered literally laugh in my face when I tell them my grad program.
But its the things like the post office that can get me soo peeved.
I think this enormous box of clothes, shoes, decorations, ect, from Korea has been jacked. Either that or lost. Sadly, I dont have a tracking number. And with South Africa, most things that developed countries have not put into a computer, they are still shuffling around with paper and pen. Literally, I called the Cape Town office to see if it had come through, and the guy had me on hold for 5 minutes while I could here he searched through old written record sheets.
And don't get me started on Home Affairs.
When I was leaving for Korea in the Joburg airport, I realized I had to go back out to the main terminal to get to an ABSA bank. Instead of just letting me cut out, I had to go all the way through customs and immigration to get out and then back in. According to my SA passport, I left the country July 15, entered July 15, then left July 15. Why?!
/rant.
Friday, August 7, 2009
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Back in Seoul
Times have changed, but some things stay the same.
Men still spit on the ground inside the subways. Women still punish themselves with four-inch high heels. Foreigners still act like drunk a**holes most of the time.
Example.
I went to Club FF Saturday night. Carrie's fiance (omg, can't believe they're getting married and I'm terribly excited for them!) came to visit from Daegu with his posse of mostly British foreigners. So, in Hongdae for the night, we went to the Club FF.
It's definitely a club I spent the most time in when I was here before. Indie rock music, good dancing late at night. We Need Surgery, this foreigner band that is pretty good despite the amazing ego of the front-man, was playing. It was about the upteenth time I've seen them, but enjoyed it nonetheless.
So there's a good crowd dancing, getting down to the music, when I look over and see this foreigner girl dancing with her boyfriend. She has suddenly completely just taken off her dress and is dancing in the club in her bra and underwear. This may happen in some places, but you are far more likely to find Converse sneakers in FF than cleavage.
I was without my friends, so I couldn't share in the shock. But then her boyfriend finally got her dress back on, so she proceeded to TUCK HER DRESS INTO HER UNDERWEAR. I admit to having some drinks and acting rather stupid, but that takes some class.
Otherwise, I've been spending my time with the best of friends - Leah, who is taking off for three months in Southeast Asia; Carrie, off to the TransSiberian Railway, China, and then to Nepal to marry the love of her life - Alex Moodie, a Manchester boy who met her my last night in Seoul in February; Mike Harris, aka Mikey, who convinces me to come out to 300 won wing night in Itaewon and has about another six months here. Good times and great oldies.
Men still spit on the ground inside the subways. Women still punish themselves with four-inch high heels. Foreigners still act like drunk a**holes most of the time.
Example.
I went to Club FF Saturday night. Carrie's fiance (omg, can't believe they're getting married and I'm terribly excited for them!) came to visit from Daegu with his posse of mostly British foreigners. So, in Hongdae for the night, we went to the Club FF.
It's definitely a club I spent the most time in when I was here before. Indie rock music, good dancing late at night. We Need Surgery, this foreigner band that is pretty good despite the amazing ego of the front-man, was playing. It was about the upteenth time I've seen them, but enjoyed it nonetheless.
So there's a good crowd dancing, getting down to the music, when I look over and see this foreigner girl dancing with her boyfriend. She has suddenly completely just taken off her dress and is dancing in the club in her bra and underwear. This may happen in some places, but you are far more likely to find Converse sneakers in FF than cleavage.
I was without my friends, so I couldn't share in the shock. But then her boyfriend finally got her dress back on, so she proceeded to TUCK HER DRESS INTO HER UNDERWEAR. I admit to having some drinks and acting rather stupid, but that takes some class.
Otherwise, I've been spending my time with the best of friends - Leah, who is taking off for three months in Southeast Asia; Carrie, off to the TransSiberian Railway, China, and then to Nepal to marry the love of her life - Alex Moodie, a Manchester boy who met her my last night in Seoul in February; Mike Harris, aka Mikey, who convinces me to come out to 300 won wing night in Itaewon and has about another six months here. Good times and great oldies.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Belhaven's Best
Two, three months? Irresponsible blogging.
Yeah, school became overwhelming and honestly, I've been really boring and overworked during that time. Papers and reading until the beginning of April, then it was vacation for a week when I went to go visit my uncle Peter in the bush near Johannesburg.
Sadly, around my birthday (honestly, I was passed out on the couch from the celebration the night before) I got a call that my grandpa Sam had died in Plettenberg Bay. We had the funeral shortly after, a Jewish orthodox service. My mom and sister came and we managed to see each other for a day or so thankfully.
Returning to UCT was mostly trying to catch on work and papers and get my dissertation sorted out. I went back to Gender studies. Thankfully, a master's now in gender studies. I'll be studying sexual and reproductive rights and the experiences of those who come to study at UCT from other countries in the Southern African region. Sounds super convoluted.
School finished right at the end of May and I raced off to Plett again. Spent two weeks in Cape Town climbing and relaxing. I'm now visiting my pop in Aberdeen, Scotland. I arrived and we toured Edinburgh, the Lake District of England, the Western coast of Scotland and now we're just chilling here, watching Wimbeldon and hanging tight. Tuesday I head to London to hand out with Molly Tait, a buddy from my Australian study abroad who just coincidentally is in London then. Afterwards, a few days with the fam, a day in Cape Town, then to Pretoria for a rock climbing competition.
Then, back to Seoul. Six weeks hanging out, teaching for four weeks. I'm amazingly excited to be back in Korea. I miss it and can't wait to return. I need to be working on my thesis the whole time but .... fun times ahead.
Yeah, school became overwhelming and honestly, I've been really boring and overworked during that time. Papers and reading until the beginning of April, then it was vacation for a week when I went to go visit my uncle Peter in the bush near Johannesburg.
Sadly, around my birthday (honestly, I was passed out on the couch from the celebration the night before) I got a call that my grandpa Sam had died in Plettenberg Bay. We had the funeral shortly after, a Jewish orthodox service. My mom and sister came and we managed to see each other for a day or so thankfully.
Returning to UCT was mostly trying to catch on work and papers and get my dissertation sorted out. I went back to Gender studies. Thankfully, a master's now in gender studies. I'll be studying sexual and reproductive rights and the experiences of those who come to study at UCT from other countries in the Southern African region. Sounds super convoluted.
School finished right at the end of May and I raced off to Plett again. Spent two weeks in Cape Town climbing and relaxing. I'm now visiting my pop in Aberdeen, Scotland. I arrived and we toured Edinburgh, the Lake District of England, the Western coast of Scotland and now we're just chilling here, watching Wimbeldon and hanging tight. Tuesday I head to London to hand out with Molly Tait, a buddy from my Australian study abroad who just coincidentally is in London then. Afterwards, a few days with the fam, a day in Cape Town, then to Pretoria for a rock climbing competition.
Then, back to Seoul. Six weeks hanging out, teaching for four weeks. I'm amazingly excited to be back in Korea. I miss it and can't wait to return. I need to be working on my thesis the whole time but .... fun times ahead.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
updatin'
It's 830 am and I'm preparing for the class I'm a tutor for. I actually wake up everyday around this hour. I go to bed before midnight. Such a switch from Korea.
So I'm getting a bit of a handle on all this work. Last week I was deleriously stressed, had a minor cry fit, then decided to go out of town for a climbing weekend.
Made me feel a million times better. Getting outside, camping, not showering for two days, climbing up mountains. Exactly what I needed to chill out. Then I got some grades back this week - the first grades I've gotten in over two years! So I was nervous about the results, but I did well.
But I think I'm going to keep up this mountain climbing. The club I joined goes out at least once ever two weeks to areas close to Cape Town and has all the gear and such to borrow. Also, when Leah, Carrie and I move to Thailand for a few months, it'd be good to have some experience.
The only thing missing so far in Cape Town is a good 80s dance club. They have some great Afro-funk, hip-hop places, which is fun, but I want some dancy tunes. Though, to be honest, I've been such a nerdy-hermit lately that it wouldn't matter. I'm almost always in on the weekends working.
Saturday, I'm joining my buds Laura and Kelsey to head to this township, help dig up a community garden, paint a mural, and help out with a soccer tournament. There's too much to do in this town.
A few weeks I'm visiting my uncle! Out to Jo-burg, we're going to visit some game reserves, bum around on his farm. I can't wait.
Back to work.....
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
busybusybusybusybusybee
I switched into the Media department.
I'm getting a master's in Media Theory and Practice.
My dissertation topic is due Thursday (!!!!)
I'm most likely going to write a 60 page paper on the use of media education to elicit the voices of marginalised people, specifically looking at women in this NGO program near Limpopo.
Maybe.
I'm a tutor (ie. teaching assistant) for a first-year course on Media & Society.
I have 20 students, consultation hours, and an office.
Life is speeding up.
I'm getting a master's in Media Theory and Practice.
My dissertation topic is due Thursday (!!!!)
I'm most likely going to write a 60 page paper on the use of media education to elicit the voices of marginalised people, specifically looking at women in this NGO program near Limpopo.
Maybe.
I'm a tutor (ie. teaching assistant) for a first-year course on Media & Society.
I have 20 students, consultation hours, and an office.
Life is speeding up.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Welcome to the Cape of Good Hope
I've been horrible at keeping up with this thing. And now I have the added excuse as I don't have internet at my flat (a situation which will likely not change for another month... but that's a whole story for later in this entry).
So I made it to Cape Town! And yes, its gorgeous, and no I don't have photos. Two reasons: 1. I'm superdooper busy right now. I'm having immigration issues. The South African embassy in Seoul told me that I was a South African, as my parents are and I have an SA birth certificate (thx mom!) and an SA identity number. They said, 'Just go as a visitor, go to Home Affairs, tell them you are South African, and all will be well.' Riiiight.
Instead, the school won't register me because I don't have a South African identity book because it will take Home Affairs between 2 and 12 months to figure out my status. So, UCT says 'Apply for a study permit.' As I had originally intended. I go to Home Affairs again today (which is a pinaccle of hysteria and chaos) and apply. I also have to fork out R11,500 (about $1,150) as a deposit for a airplane ticket, which won't be refunded until I leave the country or become a citizen.
So I take my receipt the school. They still won't register me. I have to apply for a late registration waiver, which means until I get my study permit, I won't get a student card. A student card gets me the internet, and also a bank account. I'm hoping I can talk the bank into giving me an account anyways. We'll see. But this has been so damn frustrating.
Reason 2 for no photos: All through orientation, they keep hammering home the safety concern. Cape Town is no Jo-berg, but it isn't safe. To avoid making myself a target, and having my expensive camera ganked from me, no photos yet. I'll probably be carrying around the Canon film one later, but I'll have to keep the digital at home for now until I get out of the city.
So other than all that nonsense, I can't get over how gorgeous this place is. I have a cute student res flat with two roommates. I met one briefly, Carol, and the other is Sivu, who I went and grabbed breakfast with a while back. He's pretty cool, but also only 22. I'm feeling a bit old for doing honours, but I also don't feel ready for a full master's program yet.
I have a cell phone - 27 (SA country code) 079-915-3283.
So I made it to Cape Town! And yes, its gorgeous, and no I don't have photos. Two reasons: 1. I'm superdooper busy right now. I'm having immigration issues. The South African embassy in Seoul told me that I was a South African, as my parents are and I have an SA birth certificate (thx mom!) and an SA identity number. They said, 'Just go as a visitor, go to Home Affairs, tell them you are South African, and all will be well.' Riiiight.
Instead, the school won't register me because I don't have a South African identity book because it will take Home Affairs between 2 and 12 months to figure out my status. So, UCT says 'Apply for a study permit.' As I had originally intended. I go to Home Affairs again today (which is a pinaccle of hysteria and chaos) and apply. I also have to fork out R11,500 (about $1,150) as a deposit for a airplane ticket, which won't be refunded until I leave the country or become a citizen.
So I take my receipt the school. They still won't register me. I have to apply for a late registration waiver, which means until I get my study permit, I won't get a student card. A student card gets me the internet, and also a bank account. I'm hoping I can talk the bank into giving me an account anyways. We'll see. But this has been so damn frustrating.
Reason 2 for no photos: All through orientation, they keep hammering home the safety concern. Cape Town is no Jo-berg, but it isn't safe. To avoid making myself a target, and having my expensive camera ganked from me, no photos yet. I'll probably be carrying around the Canon film one later, but I'll have to keep the digital at home for now until I get out of the city.
So other than all that nonsense, I can't get over how gorgeous this place is. I have a cute student res flat with two roommates. I met one briefly, Carol, and the other is Sivu, who I went and grabbed breakfast with a while back. He's pretty cool, but also only 22. I'm feeling a bit old for doing honours, but I also don't feel ready for a full master's program yet.
I have a cell phone - 27 (SA country code) 079-915-3283.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Intensives have begun. It's the unfortunate time of the year when the kids get off from regular school for vacation... and have to take more school. That means, I'm at work at 9 am and don't quite leave until 10 pm tonight. Blegh.
Fun weekend. Good bands, dancing, shabu shabu dinners and giggling picture taking with Carrie.
T-minus - 19 days. Duuuuuude.
Fun weekend. Good bands, dancing, shabu shabu dinners and giggling picture taking with Carrie.
T-minus - 19 days. Duuuuuude.
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Rubber Seoul
Four venues throughout Hongdae and we raised over 11.5 million won for Little Travellers, Grassroots Uganda and the Hillcrest AIDS Centre.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
that she says the dreamer just make-believe
I'm sick. It really isn't anything more than a bad cold, but I hate being sick. Not like anyone truly enjoys it, but I just become such a baby. Instead of running around this beautiful Sunday, I spent it curled up, hugging green tea, and trying to breathe out of my right nostril. Attractive, huh?
But rally as I do on Saturday nights, we went to Jens Lekman. Of course the crowd, even in Seoul, was full of Western hipster kids. I managed to sneak in during their sound check in this tiny venue (those from Austin, it was probably the size of TC's). Afterward, I gave him the giddy "Great show!" hello.
New term at school started. I really loved the last one. I had some great classes and students. This one I think will turn out well, but all new kids. And I'm teaching Mega again, which I've taught already four times before with the same books. It just gets boring is all. Also my Wednesday class only has two students in it, both from last term who I adore, so I think that'll be a nice highlight to the fact that I actually have to come in for three hours on Wednesday. Only for 5 more weeks now, then Carrie and Jon are taking over those classes. Hell, I really only have 2 more months in Seoul. I arrive in Cape Town Feb. 1, ready for UCT orientation on Feb. 2. And I have to head to the embassy tomorrow to make sure this happens as planned at least. Visa still needs approval.
Rubber Seoul in next Saturday.
These are some shots I did for a Korean English magazine called 10 for their write-up about the event
For World AIDS Day (tomorrow, Dec. 1) Little Travellers and another group Grassroots Uganda are putting on a five-venue concert throughout Hongdae. I am the official photographer, which makes me elated and a bit nervous. I want to do really well of course, but I need to get some things in order. 1. Clean my camera. 2. Get the lenses ready. 3. Get the correct bandage for the fill flash / maybe see if that other flash works.
I was reading my friend Joey's blog. You can find him on my list under Joey the Guru. He's one of the most endlessly inspired people I know. Constantly in the process of creating. I can't wait to get back to school to feel that again. Korea has been wonderful, as was working for a year in the past. But there is something addictive about being on a campus that provides so much inspiration for me. At school I constantly felt challenged, inspired, urged to create - feelings I've been lacking in recent months.
But rally as I do on Saturday nights, we went to Jens Lekman. Of course the crowd, even in Seoul, was full of Western hipster kids. I managed to sneak in during their sound check in this tiny venue (those from Austin, it was probably the size of TC's). Afterward, I gave him the giddy "Great show!" hello.
New term at school started. I really loved the last one. I had some great classes and students. This one I think will turn out well, but all new kids. And I'm teaching Mega again, which I've taught already four times before with the same books. It just gets boring is all. Also my Wednesday class only has two students in it, both from last term who I adore, so I think that'll be a nice highlight to the fact that I actually have to come in for three hours on Wednesday. Only for 5 more weeks now, then Carrie and Jon are taking over those classes. Hell, I really only have 2 more months in Seoul. I arrive in Cape Town Feb. 1, ready for UCT orientation on Feb. 2. And I have to head to the embassy tomorrow to make sure this happens as planned at least. Visa still needs approval.
Rubber Seoul in next Saturday.
These are some shots I did for a Korean English magazine called 10 for their write-up about the event
For World AIDS Day (tomorrow, Dec. 1) Little Travellers and another group Grassroots Uganda are putting on a five-venue concert throughout Hongdae. I am the official photographer, which makes me elated and a bit nervous. I want to do really well of course, but I need to get some things in order. 1. Clean my camera. 2. Get the lenses ready. 3. Get the correct bandage for the fill flash / maybe see if that other flash works.
I was reading my friend Joey's blog. You can find him on my list under Joey the Guru. He's one of the most endlessly inspired people I know. Constantly in the process of creating. I can't wait to get back to school to feel that again. Korea has been wonderful, as was working for a year in the past. But there is something addictive about being on a campus that provides so much inspiration for me. At school I constantly felt challenged, inspired, urged to create - feelings I've been lacking in recent months.
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