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Ciao!
Monday, May 25, 2009
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
winter in europe: it's magic!
We set off on a month-long trip in Europe this past weekend. We arrived safely, although super delayed, in Geneva on Sunday night. The trip was a pain to say the least. After missing the connecting flight in Doha, Qatar that we only had 20 minutes to catch upon arrival, we ended up having to wait 7 hours for a flight to Zurich and then finally Geneva. But we're here now! That's all that matters.
We're traipsing all over Europe for the next 4 weeks, starting in Geneva where Alex is attending a conference at CERN. Sadly the LHC accelerator is not available for tours since its under repairs. I haven't taken the bus into Geneva yet, it's only about 20 minutes, but hopefully tomorrow. The CERN complex is kind of dull if you are a non-physicist like me.
A scientist's play on words, as Alex explained it... LHC. It's not magic.
The conference ends on Friday and then we are off to Amsterdam for 4 days. Alex is giving a talk at UVA there, but there will still be plenty of time for cafe-sitting, beer-drinking and sight-seeing. From Amsterdam we are hopping on a train to Paris where we'll stay for 5 days. Alex has never been there and my 2 day stay in Paris 10 years ago is now a blur, so we're excited to see the city together! After 5 days eating baguette, we will be off to London for 3 days via the chunnel train. Next stop will be a quick 2 days in Swansea, Wales. Then we may hop back to London for 3 days before our flight. If we're not totally exhausted by then and still feeling adventurous, we may go up to Edinburgh, Scotland for our last 3 days in Europe.
Wheeew. I'm both excited and exhausted just thinking about it!
Lots to come, stay tuned! xo
We're traipsing all over Europe for the next 4 weeks, starting in Geneva where Alex is attending a conference at CERN. Sadly the LHC accelerator is not available for tours since its under repairs. I haven't taken the bus into Geneva yet, it's only about 20 minutes, but hopefully tomorrow. The CERN complex is kind of dull if you are a non-physicist like me.
A scientist's play on words, as Alex explained it... LHC. It's not magic.The conference ends on Friday and then we are off to Amsterdam for 4 days. Alex is giving a talk at UVA there, but there will still be plenty of time for cafe-sitting, beer-drinking and sight-seeing. From Amsterdam we are hopping on a train to Paris where we'll stay for 5 days. Alex has never been there and my 2 day stay in Paris 10 years ago is now a blur, so we're excited to see the city together! After 5 days eating baguette, we will be off to London for 3 days via the chunnel train. Next stop will be a quick 2 days in Swansea, Wales. Then we may hop back to London for 3 days before our flight. If we're not totally exhausted by then and still feeling adventurous, we may go up to Edinburgh, Scotland for our last 3 days in Europe.
Wheeew. I'm both excited and exhausted just thinking about it!
Lots to come, stay tuned! xo
Saturday, January 31, 2009
two months of festivities
Apparently the hectic time of the holidays and the end of the school year here got to me and I neglected to post updates along the way.
Well it all started in November with Nano (see prior post). The month ended with 27,500 words written, falling well short of the 50,000 goal. But it's a feat I am still proud of since I haven't written that many words in years. About mid-way through the month, when it was time to really start exploring a problem of one of the major characters, I realized I had not prepared a clear enough vision of what that problem would be and how it would affect the main character. Yes, that's a major problem. I guess I hoped it would come to me once I got going - Mistake #1. That led to Mistake #2 - 'writing around the problem', which I did for the remainder of the month.
In the midst of 'Nano November', we celebrated American Thanksgiving with our South African friends. With a 7 lb turkey (clearly my conversion from kilos to lbs was incorrect), cornbread stuffing (after hunting for something with the consistency of cornmeal) and a pumpkin pie (my first made from fresh pumpkin!), we gave thanks - for each other, for the beauty of Africa and the opportunity to live here, and for a new president (Yay Obama!).
Thanksgiving dinner shared with our South African friends.
Next, and kicking off what my mom calls 'the month of Kristen' (oh what a 5 yr old I can be!), was my birthday! Even into my thirties, I have managed to remain an excited kid about my birthday. I love it and this year was no exception. Alex surprised me with a birthday breakfast, yummy crepes and jam, which we enjoyed on our patio. It's never been warm enough on my birthday to celebrate outdoors - weird, but fun. We ended the day at one of our favorite restaurants in Cape Town - Riboville.
The morning after my birthday we packed our bags and headed out to Stellenbosch, one of the wineland towns about an hour from Cape Town, for a week. Alex's group at UCT hosted a string theory conference there. It was a nice change of pace from my routine in CT and I spent most days walking around town and chilling by the B&B pool (tough life, hey?).
The following week... the Hamiltons arrived! Alex's family visited for 2 weeks around Christmas. We had been looking forward to their trip for months and once they got here it was even more fun that expected (if that's possible). Their B&B was spectacular and we spent lots of time there by the lounging by the pool and sipping cocktails. Two days after they arrived, we were on the go again - to a safari lodge in Kruger Park.
The Hamiltons and me with our guide JV.
The safari was awesome! I have never experienced anything like it before - seeing animals so close and in their natural habitat, where we were basically caged (caged in a luxury lodge, that is), not them. The animals were breathtaking. It was amazing to watch their instincts as they determined whether our jeep was a threat to them and their young. Surprisingly the giraffes and elephants mostly backed away from us and wandered further into the bush when we stumbled upon them eating even though they were bigger than us. Our guide JV explained that they could not make sense of the jeep, its sounds and smells. Some of the animals, like impalas (deer-like animals) would often stand their ground and continue to feed even with their babies near our jeep. Even with the uncertainty of our presence, the animals realized they could run away from us into an even more threatening situation. So as long as we didn't get too close, they tolerated our presence. Well except one evening when we were mock charged by a stubborn bull elephant, whose herd of female and baby elephants was blocking the road. He did not go gently into the night nor did he quietly tolerate us. Instead he stood by the side of the road taking a few heavy steps toward us and then backed away as JV revved the jeep's engine. Then he came again and backed up again. And then again! Finally the sound of the jeep and the brightness of the flashing headlights made the elephant back up enough so we could pass. He stood by the side of the road pretending to trumpet his trunk (a sound that's pretty scary 4 feet from your ear in the pitch dark night) Even though he was mocking, it felt pretty freakin' real at the time!
This elephant simply wandered away from us into the bush, not like the one we met after dark who mock charged.
Definitely my favorite sighting - this leopard up the tree lay with his legs and tail hanging over the branch like my cat Squee used to do on on the back of my couch. Oh I miss my Squeepea!
After three days at Kruger which we spent in a perceptual loop going from our rooms to the jeep to a meal, to the pool, REPEAT... we were ready to come home! It was the perfect amount of time. Cape Town was no let down after the fun at Kruger. We celebrated Christmas with a dip in the pool. We ate at some awesome restaurants - Five Flies and Caveau being my faves. Encouraged by Alex's brother Scott, we also made our first climb up Table Mountain, via Platteklip Gorge. It was a steep trail, but Alex and Scott encouraged me the entire way. I still can't believe I made it up!
Yes, we climbed THAT, right through the middle of the gorge.
Alex's family left on NYE at 10PM. We barely stayed awake until midnight we were so exhausted from all the excitement and fun. It was great having Alex's family here and seeing some of South Africa with them. It helped combat some of the homesickness and missing my family. And it definitely made me eager to explore even more of Africa.
But first... we're off to Europe!
Well it all started in November with Nano (see prior post). The month ended with 27,500 words written, falling well short of the 50,000 goal. But it's a feat I am still proud of since I haven't written that many words in years. About mid-way through the month, when it was time to really start exploring a problem of one of the major characters, I realized I had not prepared a clear enough vision of what that problem would be and how it would affect the main character. Yes, that's a major problem. I guess I hoped it would come to me once I got going - Mistake #1. That led to Mistake #2 - 'writing around the problem', which I did for the remainder of the month.
In the midst of 'Nano November', we celebrated American Thanksgiving with our South African friends. With a 7 lb turkey (clearly my conversion from kilos to lbs was incorrect), cornbread stuffing (after hunting for something with the consistency of cornmeal) and a pumpkin pie (my first made from fresh pumpkin!), we gave thanks - for each other, for the beauty of Africa and the opportunity to live here, and for a new president (Yay Obama!).
Thanksgiving dinner shared with our South African friends.Next, and kicking off what my mom calls 'the month of Kristen' (oh what a 5 yr old I can be!), was my birthday! Even into my thirties, I have managed to remain an excited kid about my birthday. I love it and this year was no exception. Alex surprised me with a birthday breakfast, yummy crepes and jam, which we enjoyed on our patio. It's never been warm enough on my birthday to celebrate outdoors - weird, but fun. We ended the day at one of our favorite restaurants in Cape Town - Riboville.
The morning after my birthday we packed our bags and headed out to Stellenbosch, one of the wineland towns about an hour from Cape Town, for a week. Alex's group at UCT hosted a string theory conference there. It was a nice change of pace from my routine in CT and I spent most days walking around town and chilling by the B&B pool (tough life, hey?).
The following week... the Hamiltons arrived! Alex's family visited for 2 weeks around Christmas. We had been looking forward to their trip for months and once they got here it was even more fun that expected (if that's possible). Their B&B was spectacular and we spent lots of time there by the lounging by the pool and sipping cocktails. Two days after they arrived, we were on the go again - to a safari lodge in Kruger Park.
The Hamiltons and me with our guide JV.The safari was awesome! I have never experienced anything like it before - seeing animals so close and in their natural habitat, where we were basically caged (caged in a luxury lodge, that is), not them. The animals were breathtaking. It was amazing to watch their instincts as they determined whether our jeep was a threat to them and their young. Surprisingly the giraffes and elephants mostly backed away from us and wandered further into the bush when we stumbled upon them eating even though they were bigger than us. Our guide JV explained that they could not make sense of the jeep, its sounds and smells. Some of the animals, like impalas (deer-like animals) would often stand their ground and continue to feed even with their babies near our jeep. Even with the uncertainty of our presence, the animals realized they could run away from us into an even more threatening situation. So as long as we didn't get too close, they tolerated our presence. Well except one evening when we were mock charged by a stubborn bull elephant, whose herd of female and baby elephants was blocking the road. He did not go gently into the night nor did he quietly tolerate us. Instead he stood by the side of the road taking a few heavy steps toward us and then backed away as JV revved the jeep's engine. Then he came again and backed up again. And then again! Finally the sound of the jeep and the brightness of the flashing headlights made the elephant back up enough so we could pass. He stood by the side of the road pretending to trumpet his trunk (a sound that's pretty scary 4 feet from your ear in the pitch dark night) Even though he was mocking, it felt pretty freakin' real at the time!
This elephant simply wandered away from us into the bush, not like the one we met after dark who mock charged.
Definitely my favorite sighting - this leopard up the tree lay with his legs and tail hanging over the branch like my cat Squee used to do on on the back of my couch. Oh I miss my Squeepea!After three days at Kruger which we spent in a perceptual loop going from our rooms to the jeep to a meal, to the pool, REPEAT... we were ready to come home! It was the perfect amount of time. Cape Town was no let down after the fun at Kruger. We celebrated Christmas with a dip in the pool. We ate at some awesome restaurants - Five Flies and Caveau being my faves. Encouraged by Alex's brother Scott, we also made our first climb up Table Mountain, via Platteklip Gorge. It was a steep trail, but Alex and Scott encouraged me the entire way. I still can't believe I made it up!
Yes, we climbed THAT, right through the middle of the gorge.Alex's family left on NYE at 10PM. We barely stayed awake until midnight we were so exhausted from all the excitement and fun. It was great having Alex's family here and seeing some of South Africa with them. It helped combat some of the homesickness and missing my family. And it definitely made me eager to explore even more of Africa.
But first... we're off to Europe!
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
where i have been hiding
It's November. It's National Novel Writing Month! And it's been taking up all my time.Along with all the other crazy folks participating in NaNoWriMo this year, I'm trying to write 50,000 words in only 30 days! That is more words that I've put on a page (that didn't include media planning in some way) since college. It has been a challenge. I've had good days and suffered through some bad days and late nights.
Last night I broke through to over 20,000 words written! That means I'm on my way, but still a bit behind on the goal for November 30th. I am sticking to it though. Even getting to 40,000 words will be a huge accomplishment for me.
Yay for story arches and character sketches. Yay for characters who talk to me when I'm cooking dinner. Yay for one of the most beautiful cities in the world and the even more beautiful luxury of having the time to write in it.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
good morning america
Wake up! It's election day.
I can't stop reading the news sites today and the polls haven't even opened in the states yet. It will be midnight in New York when I wake up Wednesday morning. Hopefully waking to good news...
Get out and vote, however you vote.
I can't stop reading the news sites today and the polls haven't even opened in the states yet. It will be midnight in New York when I wake up Wednesday morning. Hopefully waking to good news...
Get out and vote, however you vote.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
abc's and 123's
I started my volunteer work a few weeks ago. I'm volunteering with an organization that helps children struggling to learn and read English. The org has partnered with over 75 schools in the Western Cape. It works like this: volunteers are assigned to specific students in the schools that have signed on with the program. The volunteers then work with the students one-on-one twice a week to help them practice reading English. Since the sessions take place outside of their classroom (in the school library or reading rooms) we are hopefully providing a safe environment for the kids to work at their own pace and read without fear of making mistakes in front of their peers. Many of the children suffer from learning disabilities or speech impediments or difficult social situations so the safe environment is crucial.
The school I am volunteering at is an English school, which means even though Xhosa is the native language that most of the kids speak at home with their families, all classes and activities are in English at school. The kids are also learning Afrikaans (another national language of South Africa) so by age ten most of them are familiar with three languages - impressive!
On a side note, I will not post names or photos of the school or the kids (they are adorable, you'll have to take my word for it). The org has concerns about child safety and privacy on the internet and I think it makes sense that they are careful.
In a few short sessions, my learners have already won my heart. So far they've taught me it's way more rewarding for a child to find her own mistake than be told she made an error (even if it takes 10 minutes) and that marshmallow should be a considered a fruit (we're still debating that one). They are eager to read and to make me proud which is great, but I hope they are proud of themselves too.
The school I am volunteering at is an English school, which means even though Xhosa is the native language that most of the kids speak at home with their families, all classes and activities are in English at school. The kids are also learning Afrikaans (another national language of South Africa) so by age ten most of them are familiar with three languages - impressive!
On a side note, I will not post names or photos of the school or the kids (they are adorable, you'll have to take my word for it). The org has concerns about child safety and privacy on the internet and I think it makes sense that they are careful.
In a few short sessions, my learners have already won my heart. So far they've taught me it's way more rewarding for a child to find her own mistake than be told she made an error (even if it takes 10 minutes) and that marshmallow should be a considered a fruit (we're still debating that one). They are eager to read and to make me proud which is great, but I hope they are proud of themselves too.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
meet braain'
One of the many South African traditions I'm learning to enjoy is the love of braaing. In fact braaing is such an important tradition here that Heritage Day has been additionally labeled "National Braai Day". Yum!
Here are some photos of one of our favorite South African national pastimes:
Meet our new braai, Brian. He enjoys long sunny days on the patio and only the finest briquettes available
Braaied feta stuffed dates wrapped with bacon
Boerewors - South African sausage
Grilled pears with a sweet balsamic sauce and cream
Alex trying not to eat the apps before our guests arrive
Toasting pitas on the braai, marshmallow-style
Here are some photos of one of our favorite South African national pastimes:
Meet our new braai, Brian. He enjoys long sunny days on the patio and only the finest briquettes available
Braaied feta stuffed dates wrapped with bacon
Boerewors - South African sausage
Grilled pears with a sweet balsamic sauce and creamI promise we also ate salad and veg, just no photos to show for 'em since they didn't go on the braai.
Alex trying not to eat the apps before our guests arrive
Toasting pitas on the braai, marshmallow-styleSunday, October 19, 2008
whale watching in hermanus
This weekend we went to Hermanus to see the whales that have been famously setting up camp there from September through November for years.
View of Hermanus
It was about an hour's drive to Hermanus from Cape Town. We immediately saw the whales once we got there. You can't miss them! There were around 10 whales just hanging out 20 feet from the shore. Amazing! Mostly they were chillin' and floating around. But every few minutes one whale would dive and stick its tail out above the water. Like this guy:
Whale in Hermanus
The town was kinda touristy with cafes along the waterfront and a crafts market across the street. But there was also a great used bookshop called Hemingway's. They have a huge selection of books on Africa and novels by South African writers. We hung out there for a while.
Perfecting our self-portrait
Then I saw my first Dassie in the bushes by the ocean! I knew they lived on Table Mountain and I was hoping to see some when we go up there, but didn't expect to see them in Hermanus.
A dassie watching the ocean waves - ah, the good life.
This furry cutie made me miss Squee even more than I already do and I couldn't stop taking pictures of him. I can't believe this little badger is said to be the closest living relative to the elephant. Amazing, right? I can't wait to meet his cousins.
View of HermanusIt was about an hour's drive to Hermanus from Cape Town. We immediately saw the whales once we got there. You can't miss them! There were around 10 whales just hanging out 20 feet from the shore. Amazing! Mostly they were chillin' and floating around. But every few minutes one whale would dive and stick its tail out above the water. Like this guy:
Whale in Hermanus
Perfecting our self-portrait 
A dassie watching the ocean waves - ah, the good life.This furry cutie made me miss Squee even more than I already do and I couldn't stop taking pictures of him. I can't believe this little badger is said to be the closest living relative to the elephant. Amazing, right? I can't wait to meet his cousins.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
kaapstad or bust
Here it is! My long overdue update. You've been waiting, hey? Sorry peeps, but we've been busy!
Well first I made it here to Cape Town after a ridiculously delayed flight and arrived in the middle of a horrible rainstorm. (It seems to always be raining here though, so take "storm" lightly.) I can't believe that was only a month ago! It's awesome to be here but even more awesome to finally be in the same city as Alex again.
The first week I was here we took a 2 day trip to Franschhoek, one of the huge vineyard areas just outside of Cape Town. It was gorgeous and relaxing and the perfect way to ease into Cape Town livin'
Here's a view of Franschhoek from the mountain above. You can see clearly from here that the town is in a gorgeous valley.
We sampled so many wines! Some unwooded, some with strawberry and lemon frangrance and even ones described as having a hint of 'pencil shavings' and 'cigar box' tastes.
The following week, Alex and I pup-sat for our friends Amanda & Jeff. They have a German Shepherd, Mishka (aka the Mish or Mishkabean) and a newly adopted pup they named Joey. The pups are a handful but also super freakin sweet.
Here's the Mish on her couch.
This is Joey, he fell asleep on Alex as soon as we sat down. So sweet.
Well first I made it here to Cape Town after a ridiculously delayed flight and arrived in the middle of a horrible rainstorm. (It seems to always be raining here though, so take "storm" lightly.) I can't believe that was only a month ago! It's awesome to be here but even more awesome to finally be in the same city as Alex again.
The first week I was here we took a 2 day trip to Franschhoek, one of the huge vineyard areas just outside of Cape Town. It was gorgeous and relaxing and the perfect way to ease into Cape Town livin'
Here's a view of Franschhoek from the mountain above. You can see clearly from here that the town is in a gorgeous valley.
We sampled so many wines! Some unwooded, some with strawberry and lemon frangrance and even ones described as having a hint of 'pencil shavings' and 'cigar box' tastes.The following week, Alex and I pup-sat for our friends Amanda & Jeff. They have a German Shepherd, Mishka (aka the Mish or Mishkabean) and a newly adopted pup they named Joey. The pups are a handful but also super freakin sweet.
Here's the Mish on her couch.
This is Joey, he fell asleep on Alex as soon as we sat down. So sweet.We've been fixing up our apartment too! It takes time to turn a bachelor pad into a cozy home. Our new couch finally arrived and we didn't want to move from it for days (the rain helped with that though). We live in one of the Southern Suburbs of Cape Town which is on the east side of the mountain. This side of the mountain is notorious for getting tons of rain. It could be sunny 10 blocks away and pouring here. Seriously, no joke. More photos of the apartment soon!
Thanks for stopping by, check back for more photos and lots of updates soon. I promise to update the South African version more often than the Park Slope workin-too-much-can't-stop-blogging-about-Squee-and-missing-Alex version was ever updated!
xo
Thanks for stopping by, check back for more photos and lots of updates soon. I promise to update the South African version more often than the Park Slope workin-too-much-can't-stop-blogging-about-Squee-and-missing-Alex version was ever updated!
xo
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