Week 1 in South Africa

My first week in South Africa was quite busy.  Lots of meetings and meeting people and trying to remember names.  And these are names that I have never in my life heard.  It's not like trying to remember Tom or Susan.  I hope no one give me a pop quiz on pronunciations or spellings!

I had my security briefing on Tuesday.  Against my better judgement, I did leave the hotel again on Wednesday morning.  Seriously, the security guy sent me 15 pdfs containing all the ways I can be swindled, robbed or sold into human slavery.  It was a reality check when he described a basic conversation to me and told me all the ways bad people could use that information against me.  I told him that conversation sounded like every conversation I have ever had with the person sitting next to me on an airplane.  (Where are you going?  Business or pleasure?  etc etc).  He said he does not speak to people on airplanes.  My take away was, act confident and be very suspicious of anyone you don't know asking you questions.

The week was pretty boring - lots of trips to the gym in the hotel/apartment and watching nature shows on BBC Earth and Nat Geo.  Robyn, Stacey and Carol - I saw a program about Skye and they took the turntable ferry that we took too!

I did make it to Mandela Square and one of the large shopping malls in Johannesburg.

I have been told that the many shopping malls in Jo'burg popped up post-Apartheid as a way to create cultural inclusion, aka  "Mall Culture".  A couple of google searches did not turn up much but I am going to keep digging to see if I can find more information on this.  The black, white and colored people (yes, it is OK to say those terms in South Africa) had been kept apart for so long, they wanted to be together,so shopping malls were one way to bring together all the cultures and races.

Just in case you were worried I would be missing too much food from home, in Sandton Mall / Mandela Square, they have a Hard Rock Cafe, McDonalds, KFC and Krispy Kreme.

This weekend was kind of a bust.  I came down with a stomach bug on Friday night and ended up laying on the couch and groaning for the majority of the day.  Fitbit seemed to think I was sleeping the whole time.  I actually watched some very interesting programming about the airport in Dubai and about people trying to smuggle drugs through the airport in Colombia.  I did not hit my fitness goal running to the toilet and back.

Sunday shaped up to be a better day.  I made a 2nd trip to Mandella Square via the hotel shuttle to stock up on some fresh fruits and veg at Woolworths, or Woolys as it is called.  Woolys is the Whole Foods of Jo'burg.  There is a Pick&Pay by my hotel that I will be doing most of my shopping at.
Dave had been shuttling me back and forth to the office every day.  He decided it was time to push his little birdie out of the nest.  We met up at 2pm for my second driving lesson (the first being Friday during rush hour).  We drove from my apartment to the Colgate office 4 times.  I still turn on my windshield wipers 1:2 ratio with my blinker.  I feel certain this will get better since Friday it was a 1:1 ratio.  He went over what lane I need to be in, what landmarks to look for, he told me when I did certain things that people would "hoot" (honk) at me.  After I completed the journey to his satisfaction we were done.  At 4pm.  Which is the same time all of the shops close up.  My plan to go back to the grocery store close to my apartment after the lesson was foiled.  Dave told me the stores stay open late on saturday.  "Late" being 6pm.  It is going to be hard to come from the city that never sleeps to the city that rolls up it's sidewalk at 6pm.  Not that it would matter, since I am not supposed to drive after dark and right now, sunset is at 6:10pm.

Here's Dave and I both looking relieved after my driving lesson.

I found a Yoga center down the street from my apartment I may give a try this week.  The elliptical and treadmill are getting old.

Next weekend I am going to a Cheetah Rescue (rescheduled from today) so I hope my post will be a little more exciting!

Until my next dispatch from Jo'burg, totsiens & mooi loop!