Recap

So these are the posts I find a little boring, but I guess they have to be done.

I realized that I never fully recapped my arrival to South Africa, so I’m gonna have to backtrack these past two weeks or so to give you the full scoop on everything since I’ve arrived in Port Elizabeth.

The last logistical thing I wrote about (a few posts back) was about sitting in Johannesburg during my layover.  I eventually got on my flight to Port Elizabeth which, upon arriving early, was delayed in deplaning because, for whatever reason, there was a some kind of threat made on the plane.  This was the most information we received.  It was checked out by the police, and about an hour later, we were able to get off the plane.  A good to start to a year in South Africa, right?

I was picked up by Siya and Vuyisa, better known as VIP, the Programs Coordinator and a Community Projects Coordinator (CPC) respectively, and was greeted by Claire, my intern partner.   We were quickly whisked away to the office where we quickly met the rest of the staff and got a tour of the quaint office.  There’s Pumeza, our sweet and understanding Site Coordinator; Mandisa, VIP, Nowie, and Ntombi, all CPCs each with different personalities; Ngwenya, the office administrator; and of course, the ever rambunctious Siya, who is the point-person for all the programs.  There is also a research team that is part of the Utshintsho RCT trial also located in this office, and that makes it a little difficult to remember because there’s a lot of them coming in and out.  My personal favorites are Buli and Shuffle because with names like those, you can’t not like them.

The intern house, which is now called the Mandela Bay Mansion, is located in the South End neighborhood not too far from the office.  It’s in a small gated community for added protection, though there are still several locks on all the doors.  Since the first day, actually, we haven’t been able to properly get out of the front door because the gate key decided to stop working.

Regardless, the house is quite literally a mansion because there are only two of us living in a house made for four.  It always seems 10 degrees colder in the house than it is outside because there’s no insulation, which I hope is a good thing come time for the summer in a few months.  For right now, it’s moderately cold outside, hovering around the 60s which, in Rochester terms, is actually decently warm.  However, PE is known as the Windy City, and it has lived up to that nickname so far.  Sometimes the gusts are so strong that they knock out windows, which you can see a lot of walking around the office.  It was interesting to see some folks walking around in winter coats and scarves because in Rochester, this would be t-shirt weather.  Still, I guess since I was so abruptly taken away from the summer, I feel quite chilly, and I can’t wait for the warmer months to come.

The area around the intern house is very residential, so there isn’t much around, or if there is, we haven’t found anything yet.  Luckily, right around the corner is a small plaza that has a supermarket, SuperSpar, and a gym, the Virgin Active, for which Claire and I immediately got memberships.

Other than being thoroughly confused about work, Claire and I were also very confused about the city.  Think about it.  Not only are we in a new city, but that city just happens to be in a different country, on another continent, in the opposite hemisphere.  No big whoop.

Still, with Claire’s fantastic driving skills, we’ve made a few rounds about the city.  Because we didn’t have a lot of guidance, and the internet wasn’t helping too much, we made it to a lot of touristy areas including the historic Donkin Reserve, built by the first settlers who came to PE, that is located atop a hill in the city centre.  In the swanky looking park, there are two monuments: a pyramid dedicated to Sir Rufane Donkin’s wife Elizabeth, for whom the city is named, and a lighthouse which you can climb for 5 rand, or 50 cents.  We went up and had a beautiful view of the Nelson Mandela Bay, and took some pretty touristy shots with the large South African flag fluttering in the background.

We went to a fantastic brunch place, Vovo Telo, as suggested by former interns.  We also made it to the Boardwalk, a mall/casino area right near the beach, and St. George's Park.  We were also put in contact with a few folks who were friends with last year’s interns.  The other American duo, Kelly and Ashley, are on Fulbrights teaching English in a local township.  They’re a hilarious, spunky duo, and since they’ve been here since January, they’ve been showing us the ropes.  They’ve included us in their Tuesday Night Trivia team at the Music Kitchen, and we’ve also been introduced to this quaint little Thai restaurant along with another friend, a South African named Kyle.  Hopefully more adventures with them soon!

So as of now, we are still (quickly) learning the ropes, and I think we’ve managed that pretty well since we’ve been figuring things out on our own.  There’s so much more to see and do, and I hope to update you on as much as possible.