I think an update is in order. It has certainly been a long time since I wrote a real blog entry, and for that I apologize. However, the truth is there hasn't been much happening here that would translate into an exciting story (which is not to say that nothing exciting is happening). But I'll give you a peak at what I've been up to anyway.
First off, the musical is all consuming. We are currently practicing EVERY DAY FOR SIX HOURS A DAY (despite that fact that most of the choir either goes to school or works full-time). Last week we welcomed the Ghanaian-Scottish choreographer, Rozina into the fold. She's brought a new excitement to the musical, and things really seem to be coming together. It's amazing how fast Mascato has picked things up - an entire musical choreographed in a week! Thank goodness I'm playing guitar! The last element that we need to add this week is all the musicians (string quartet, french horn, percussion). Speaking of musicians, since Jen arrived last week, most of our time has been spent writing string and horn parts, copying music, arranging marimba parts, etc. It's great having Jen here though - there's no way all the work we did would have been finished in time without her (unless I stopped sleeping). So basically we have this week to rehearse and polish and then we'll be off to Windhoek, where we'll have another week to rehearse in the National theatre, and then the show will open at the Bank Windhoek Arts Festival. Working on this musical has been a huge challenge for me in so many different ways - it's going to be interesting to see the end results.
Next up, Jazz choir. Or shall we call it by our new name - "Ninjazz". Well, that's not officially our name, but it is the best name ever. Rehearsing with the jazz choir has been a ton of fun, but because so much time is taken up by Mascato rehearsals, it's hard to find the time. So basically we have to have very quick and stealthy rehearsals (sometimes for only 15 minutes at a time) much like a ninja jazz ensemble might. As for the gig, this could be really cool. It's not set in stone yet, but we may be performing with Afroshine on Sept. 7 in Windhoek. The plan is that we would sing one or two songs on our own and then back them up on "Ti Mama" and a new song called "Everyone". It's a perfect situation in theory, because the jazz people will be in Windhoek anyway because of the musical. Afroshine just needs to get approval from the promoter, so keep your fingers crossed.
So what else? Earlier this summer Scott and I compiled a list of things that we wanted to do while I'm here. We crossed off Dune 7 last week, and there's not much left to do. We might go for a round of golf or go to the gem gallery this week, but we've done all the major things. Something I need to do this week though is get together with Engelhardt and Linus to learn some music! Engelhardt is going to teach me this really cool Etheopian piece which he conducts, which I'd really love to teach to Kokopelli. And Linus is going to teach me some of his own creations - And he just arrived!
I'm also compiling in my head a list of things that I'm going to miss about Africa, things I'm not going to miss, and things that I look forward to in Edmonton. My time is seriously running out! Three weeks from today I'll be over the Atlantic Ocean.
-Joel.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Some Pictures from SA
In order these are pictures of: 1. The Tropic of Capricorn in Southern Namibia 2. An extinct volcano in Southern Namibia which we went hiking in 3. Wild Flowers in Northern SA 4. Our friendly (and enormous) drain spider 5. Green Market Square in Cape Town 6. View from the top of Table Mountain 7. Fish River Canyon in Southern Namibia 8. Scott looking epic at the Fish River Canyon 9. Sunset at the FIsh River Canyon
Finally! An Update! (and a cop-out)
So it has been a long time. There's is so much to update everyone on that I can hardly believe that I'm going to blog about it all . . . and that's why I'm not. The main event that I haven't blogged about what the two-week trip that Scott, Nigel, Michelle, and I took to South Africa. Luckily, along the way the lovely and eloquent Michelle Lu was writing blogs on a very regular basis. So, to sum up the events of our two weeks in SA, here are Michelle's Blog entries from the trip:
The Roadtrip
Friday, August 1, 2008 at 2:04pm
July 29th… Our roadtrip to South Africa officially begins! We still had to make it through a long stretch of Namibia, but we all thoroughly enjoyed the scenery that passed us. What splendid sights to soak up. Scott stopped several times to find geocaches of course. Which was cool because we all got to stretch and appreciate the area. We stopped at the Tropic of Capricorn, checked out a monument near an old church in Mariental, and even drove out to do a hike up to an extinct volcano. Geocaching really does lead one to embark on a lot of adventures and experience things that one would not normally do. Haha… one must be careful not to become too addicted to this though…*cough cough like Scott cough cough.* I had so much fun and took a tonne of pictures of the beautiful landscapes. These on-the-side geocaching endeavors were so worth the time and effort! Heehee… I guess I’m a geocacher too now, by association. ;-p
Because we spent most of the day going on geocache hunts, we had to stay another night in Namibia. It was getting dark and we didn’t want to drive then, so we settled into a hotel called Bird’s Mansion in Keetmanshoop. The place was decent and comfortable. But the décor was very tacky. Haha… Bird’s Mansion… go figure. We went to The Centre Hotel for dinner, which was down the road from us. Don’t ask why, we’re weird like that. Besides the dishes having interesting names and the service taking long, the food was good. After dinner, it was back to our abode for a round of Bonanza before we all hit the sack to rest up for the next day’s excursions.
July 30th… We made it into SA today!! It was remarkable how the topography drastically changed after driving across the river after the border. The views were amazing! There was so much GREEN! I love GREEN! There isn’t too much green in Namibia during this time of the year, that’s for sure. But you could tell that SA has been getting its healthy dose of rain. It was so awesome to see fluorescent colored wild flowers in the fields as we drove past. I’ve never seen such colors in flowers before. Highlighter colors, I thought. We stopped at one spot to do a quick geocache and admire the flowers from a closer viewpoint. Then we drove on and stopped in a cute little town called, Springbok, for lunch at Nando’s. Scott and I both bought ourselves a SA SIM card so we could make calls while we’re here. It was REALLY cheap! Only 10 rand each! Woot… like less than 2 bucks Canadian. We sure don’t get that pricing back in Canada! FYI, my current number is +27715201620 for those who’d like to send me an SMS here and there. =) Once I return to Namibia though, I’ll use my regular African cell number again.
Aight… so the lunch stop was over. Moving on. We really didn’t have much more to go before hitting Capetown. We called Marijke, the choir director of Siyacula, one of Kokopelli’s other sister choirs from Somerset West. We wanted to fill her in on our whereabouts and progress. She told us that we’d probably make it into Somerset West (neighbouring city to Capetown) by midnight. Haha… little did she know with Scott’s driving, we ended up at her place by 10:30pm! AHH… it felt SO NICE to breathe in a different kind of air. So fresh and moist. There seriously is a lot of green and lush vegetation in this area, thanks to the rain. That’s why South Africa is known for its wonderfully delicious fruits and vegetables, which I am looking forward to consuming more of while I’m here.
The reunion was jovial and warm (though it wasn’t too warm outside… brrr)! We all huddled together in the Roos’ living room and caught up for a little bit. It was quite the reunion… Marijke, Tessa, Marianne (Tessa’s older sister who’s visiting from Canada for 3 weeks), Nathalie Dugo, Francois (the housemate whom we all call Blomy), and the latest addition Kaitlyn Boomer!!! We were especially surprised to see Kaitlyn because we totally didn’t expect to see her in South Africa! Haha… plus she had just arrived today too. Wow… what a clan of Canadians we have here now! How exciting!
Anyway, everyone was pretty exhausted from the day so we decided retire early. Marijke had graciously arranged for the four of us to stay at Tessa’s dad’s house while we’re here. So nice to not have to worry about accommodation! BUT before calling it a night, Marijke reported to us about an inopportune incident that happened at the house in the wee hours of the previous morning. THE HOUSE GOT BROKEN INTO FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME! Nothing major was stolen and no huge damage was done… we just noticed some of the glass plates on the windows loosened. Marijke felt terrible about the whole thing, because it seriously had never happened before we arrived. Anyway, we spent a good hour or so booby trapping the area around the break-in spot. And we all volunteered Joel to sleep on the sofa bed in the living room, where the break-in happened. Poor Joel had to sleep with Tessa’s 3m range pepper spray and a sledge hammer nearby. That’s what it takes to be the MasKoko Exchange Member! Sorry Joel, it’s a tough job but you’re doing grrreat! I’m so proud of you. =)
A Rainy Day Indoors
Friday, August 1, 2008 at 2:08pm
July 31st… woke up to a dull, wet and dreary day. Good thing… we woke up alive! Haha… no sign of any break-ins throughout the night. Our area was being especially monitored by ADT Security after yesterday’s incident and now that we’re staying in the house, what with us being foreigners in South Africa and all. Oy vey… thank goodness for ADT! So anyway, what to do today? Visit the Somerset Mall!!! Haha… us Canadians have been mall deprived. But really, it was a good day to stay inside because it was raining pretty constantly thoughout the day. We started the day with brunch at Mugg ‘n Bean, an awesome restaurant for delicious grub and lovely bevies. Nathalie, Kaitlyn, and Blomy joined us too. Then Blomy and Naty departed together to buy groceries for our dinner at the Roos’ later that evening. Scott and I went to book an appointment for a haircut. Sheesh… the water and weather in Namibia hasn’t been too friendly to my hair ‘cause I had split-ends galore! So while we were getting a hair trim, Kaitlyn met up with Naty again to do some shopping for warmer clothes. Poor Kaitlyn mostly brought along tank tops and flip-flops with her, so she was understandably cold all the time. Good time to introduce her to the wonderful world of Mr. Price! Holla!
Also in the meantime, Nigel and Joel were watching the new Batman movie, The Dark Knight.
After Kaitlyn and Naty’s shopping spree, they left us to go to Marijke’s high school choir rehearsal in Stellenbosch. Scoot and I met up with Nigel and Joel again. And guess what? We watched another movie! Haha… dinner was only at 8pm, so we had time to catch WALL-E on screen. It was a pretty cute movie and funny at some parts. I dug it.
After the movie, the four of us made way to Pick-and-Pay (a common grocery store in Africa) to get some wine and drinks for our dinner. Then we headed over to the Roos’. Ooo… upon stepping into the house, we were teased with the tantalizing aromas of dinner on its way. Blomy was the chef of the evening and might I comment that he was an excellent one at that. Haha… I highly doubt our meal was low in fat however, but it was scrumptious nonetheless. It was so nice to be able to enjoy a wonderful meal together amongst good friends. Thanks to the Roos’ for hosting us and kudos to the chef!
We rounded off the night with a few rounds of Dutch Blitz (does that come as any surprise?!) and showed Naty and Tessa the ropes about the card game. Although they didn’t volunteer to take part in the intense game, they were sufficiently entertained just watching Nigel, Joel, Kaitlyn and I go at it. Haha… our obsession with Dutch Blitz is a choir thang I suppose? Whatevs… that’s my excuse anyway. ;-p
YAY! WE’RE IN SA! Night night, y’all!
We Are Singing... Mmm Thai!
Tuesday, August 5, 2008 at 3:55pm
August 1st… Another wet day in Somerset West. It was really pouring today. A crazy thing about the weather here though is that it is real wishy washy. Haha… rainy and foggy one minute, sunny and beautiful the next. That’s pretty much what went on all day, with more rain than sunshine however.
We had a workshop with Siyacula (We Are Singing), one of our sister choirs, later in the afternoon. I was looking forward to seeing everyone again! There had been a pretty big turnover since last year, but most of the main choristers are still holding down the fort. Siyacula was still just as warm and spirited as I remembered them being. =)
We first looked at one of the songs Siyacula had been working on called, You Are The New Day. It was a very beautiful piece. I was quite impressed with Siyacula’s musicality and sensitivity to Marijke’s conducting and Scott’s constructive commenting. Next, we shared with the group two songs that Kokopelli had previously performed, Sweet Spirit and Raindance. They were super excited to learn both songs and picked them up really quick. With the amount of productive fun we had, the 4hr workshop just flew by (no worries, we had a break in the middle of it and were served hotdogs). And then it was dinnertime…
The Roos’ had been raving about this awesome Thai restaurant called, Wang Thai. So we all thought it would be a great idea to have dinner there together after the workshop. I was certainly looking forward to it because I have been so Asian food deprived since arriving in Africa… haha. There were a total of 10 of us there, so we ordered A LOT of dishes, like 10 main dishes, several appetizers and soups, 3 big pots of rice, and even dessert! Yep, we went a little haywire with the grub, but we managed to finish almost everything. Some of the dishes had interesting names like “Angry Duck” and “Angry Beef” (haha… mad cow anyone?). Compared to all the other Asian food that I have tried in Africa thus far, Wang Thai was by far the best. The service was very good and the food was fabulous. I’d surely come here again. But for my next hunt… SUSHI!!!
A Day in Capetown
Tuesday, August 5, 2008 at 3:55pm
August 2nd… Scott, Nigel, Joel and I got up early today to get ready for a day in Capetown. We were pleased to see sunshine gleaming through our windows. Things looked promising. We drove over to the Roos’ house to pick up Tessa, Naty, and Kaitlyn. Unfortunately they had to sit in the boot of Squeaky Sam because we had no room. In Canada, I’m sure that would be illegal, but here in Africa, there’s always room in the vehicle for another African. Next, we drove into Lwandle (a nearby township where Thulani used to live) to pick up Potloot (aka Pencil), whose real name is unknown because he has so many nicknames. He’s one of the the veterans in Siyacula. We invited him to join us for the day.
The weather was still sunny and warm as we drove the short distance to Capetown. It felt great to be in a big city again. What was even better was that everywhere we looked, we were still surrounded by gorgeous scenery – a city amidst mountains and ocean… sigh. We first went for breakfast at Harrie’s Pancakes because we were all starving. (Side note: In Africa, pancakes are crepes and the pancakes that we know are called flapjacks.) After our nice breakfast, we roamed around the V & A (Victoria & Alfred) Waterfront, checked out some shops, and also explored the mall. No major shopping done on my part, I just bought some cool African shakers from the African Trading Port to add to my music classroom. Kids love show & tell, and I love showing and telling them about the nic nacs that I pick up from my travels. I think my students will enjoy the shakers.
We had all purchased tickets earlier to visit the Robben Island Museum in the afternoon. I was eager to get a dose of African history. We all boarded the ferry at 2:30pm and made the trip out to the island, which was about an hour long. When we got to Robben Island, everyone had to transfer onto a bus where we would next be driven into the encampment. Our tour guide, Mohammed something something, was very informative and dramatic. Haha… he was also very politically incorrect… calling people on the bus “You Dutch and your cheese… You English and your collar necks and ties… You Australians and your eucalyptus trees which soaked up all the fresh water reserve on the island… etc.” He was really funny and interesting to listen to.
After the bus tour around Robben Island, we were dropped off by the prisons to take a closer look inside. Our tour guide this time was named Sparks – an ex-political prisoner of Robben Island. Mohammed had explained earlier that because of the high unemployment rate in Africa, employees’ job choices were very limited. For example, Sparks was not necessarily a tour guide on Robben Island because he wanted to be, but because that position created a job opportunity for him. Still, it was really cool and admirable to be led by someone who had been through all the hardships of Robben Island and was able to recount stories from a first-person perspective. Sparks showed everyone his prison cell and talked briefly about his experience upon his admittance. He said he was stripped physically of his identity and was given a number for a name and a yellow card of identity. Prisoners had to sleep on thin mats with no sheets or blankets, even in the winter. The windows didn’t even have glass on them so cold air and rain would enter the cells causing many people to get sick with TB and pneumonia. Prisoners’ privileges, clothing, and food proportions were also determined by the color of their skin. Often times, the colored and whites would get more of everything compared to the blacks. For example, the colored and whites got to wear long sleeved jackets, long pants and shoes, while the blacks had to wear short sleeves, shorts and no shoes. This was a way to distinguish the races. It was sickening to hear the cruelty and harsh living conditions that the prisoners on Robben Island had to undergo. Later, we also got to see Nelson Mandela’s prison cell and the courtyard where he hid his infamous book entitled, “The Long Road to Freedom.” Overall, the Robben Island tour was amazing and definitely worthwhile to the unknowing tourist. I strongly recommend that one invests time in listening to this history lesson if ever one plans to visit Capetown.
In the evening, the group of us went to City Hall to catch the National High School Choir Gala Competition. Woot… the City Hall auditorium was quite the beauty sight with balconies and a beautiful organ at the front. The high school choirs were pretty good in relation to my high school choirs back in the day, so that was a bonus. Besides some interesting cultural takes on African traditionals by very white Afrikaans choirs and questionable conducting techniques (including what we called “the wank”), it was a pleasant evening.
It proved to be quite the full day today and everyone was starting to get tired so we made the drive back to Somerset West. Since it was close to 10pm when we arrived, we invited Potloot to stay with us in town instead going back into the township. Conditions in the townships have been very dangerous due to the recent uprising of zenophobia. It wouldn’t have been wise to drive into the township at night. Potloot said that there is a 9pm curfew every night and if you are spotted on the street after that time or even approaching that time, you would be severely beaten up by other locals. My question is what gives them the right?!! Gosh, everything is so messed up and corrupt, even the police hang out with gangs sometimes. Nkosi sikele i’Africa… God bless Africa, for they need healing and help so desperately in this time of chaos. I pray things will resolve themselves sooner than later.
Siyacula & Bloemhof Workshop
Thursday, August 7, 2008 at 11:20am
August 3rd… Marikje invited Scott to do a workshop with her choirs in Stellenbosch today. Siyacula and the Bloemhof Girls Choir (Marijke’s new high school choir) came together for the first time to share music with each other and to have an informal mini-concert for parents and friends after the workshop. Scott was super stoked for this event. And I was looking forward to being a part of it as well. Marijke seemed especially enthused about the collaboration of her choirs, because it had never happened before. She was so ecstatic and bubbly it was cute. Wow… I just love her energetic spirit and positivity.
Anyway, when we arrived at the school, we got to work straightaway. I led the group in stretches and then Scott took over with vocal warm-ups. Joel later demonstrated a Rajaton technique of playing with one’s voice – changing it from a brighter tone to a darker one. I think he called it the “NEOW” or some may know it as Soila’s “WHY” exercise. Everyone enjoyed that one ‘cause it was fun to make funny sounds and experiment with one’s voice.
At one point, the two choirs separated to work on different things. Siyacula went through their new piece with Scott, You Are the New Day, while Nathalie, Kaitlyn and I taught the Bloemhof girls Siyacula’s rendition of Singaba Yo. The girls caught on really quick and so we soon met up again with Siyacula again to work on Sweet Spirit together.
Later in the evening, parents and friends of the choristers and some of Marijke’s staff started to gather into the gymnasium in excitement for the show. Marijke set up the tone of the concert very nicely with a message of music sharing and appreciation. Then the show unfolded starting with a Singaba Yo procession. Each choir then took turns to perform two pieces of their own and then came together to close off the show with Sweet Spirit.
The workshop went really well. The choirs sounded great and exuded a lot of positive energy. Everyone seemed to enjoy each other’s company. According to Marijke, this was the first time such an event was arranged here – the idea of sharing music and collaborating with other people. Also it was the first time the choirs had an informal concert just to show family and friends what they’ve been up to. Marijke is making wonderful progress with both choirs and will continue going strong. I see a lot of potential for both groups. Kudos to everyone!
Climbing the Helderberg Mountain
Friday, August 8, 2008 at 1:56pm
August 4th… The Helderberg Mountain is in Somerset West. We can see it from right outside our front door. Scott thought it was a good idea to climb it today and to find a few geocaches of course. Considering our excessive and unhealthy eating habits as of late, I think we were long overdue for a health kick! SO YEEHAW… Ima gonna climb dat mountain yo!
We picked up Tessa, Naty and Kaitlyn and made way for the Helderberg. The thing that’s awing is that here, one can see the beautiful mountains from outside our very windows, unlike in Edmonton where you’d have to drive for hours in order to experience such splendor and beauty. Otay, so we made it into the gate, bought a couple maps and got psyched up for the hike. The lady in one of the shops told us that the hike up and down would take about 4-5 hours and she advised that we’d better hurry ‘cause the gates closed in 3 hours. Yea… we kinda started the hike a bit late in the afternoon… at 2:30pm to be exact. Haha… we had originally planned to start the hike at 9am, but good ol’ “African time” got the best of us I guess. Haha… this has been quite the habit of ours as of late as well. No time is really set in stone when in Africa. Anyway, so we only had 3 hours to do this thang. I looked up the mountain and thought, “Whooo… we are not gonna make it to the top in THAT time.” The top looked way high up yo! Scott being Scott said, “C’mon let’s get started. We can do it!” He had no doubt that we would make it and was determined to reach the very top. Whatevs… guess we’d better get a move on then.
Not too far into the hike, Scott found a geocache already. The container had a bunch of nic nacs including R2 and N$1. Scoot gave those coins to Kaitlyn as a “Welcome to Africa” token, since it was her first time here and all. Aight… no time to waste… the hike continued. The first part of the trek was a bit tough because the climb was really steep and the ground was made of a clay and mud, which was slippery to climb up at some parts. Poor Kaitlyn didn’t didn’t have hiking shoes with her so she had to wear her flowery Mr. Price slip-ons instead, so the climb must’ve been extra tricky for her. Tough as it was, we kept moving forward. Gradually the group started spreading out a bit as we all paced ourselves. Scott, Joel and I were at the front of the pack. We passed some amazing trails including one where it looked like you were entering the Amazon forest or something. We also passed by a stream of fresh mountain water, which was so cool that I couldn’t help by letting out a shout of appreciation. I LOVE FRESH MOUNTAIN WATER… THE BEST!
The views got more and more amazing the higher we climbed as you can imagine. And that was motivation enough to keep going. Guh… words can’t really express… just check out my pics for a better depiction. Nearing the top of the mountain now and only 1.5 hours into the hike, we were making good time. Unfortunately we lost Scooty a ways back due to another geocache hunt, so Joel and I kept going without him. The other peeps in the group had resorted to resting at a lookout point a ways down and weren’t going to continue the trek up. I must admit, the latter part of the climb got pretty tough with mostly rock and steep incline, but I was determined to burn some major calories today yo! Hahaha… even if it meant my legs would turn into jelly in the process.
Nigel and Tessa eventually caught up to Joel and I and the four of us pushed hard to make it to the top. Boy were we glad that we had kept going because the view from up top was spectacular… beyond description… almost heavenly! We had climbed so high up that we were above the clouds!! I was overcome with a huge sense of accomplishment… We climbed the Helderberg baby! I was so proud of everyone!
Uh oh… only 1 hour left before the gate closed. We had to cut our relaxation and admiration time short because time was ticking. Of course we made it down fine, though 10 minutes after closing time. Ooo… we’re such rebels! Haha… whatevs… at least we were able to squeeze in the full meal deal in our limited time frame. GO US!
The Honkin' Blog Entry!
Saturday, August 9, 2008 at 4:09pm
Man, it’s so easy to fall out of sync with blogging! Haha… I’ve been trying real hard to be consistent, friends. Erm… not too shabby I hope? Aight… so let me recap on the past few days’ happenings.
August 5th… So we climbed the Helderberg yesterday. Holy crap was I feeling sore! My legs muscles were especially feeling it today. Everyone felt the same, I guess, so we all decided to take it easy and spend a day visiting Capetown again. We planned to check out Green Market Square and Table Mountain mainly. When we arrived in the city, Table Mountain didn’t look too inviting because it was overcast. Then when we checked for ticket availability and the attendants told us that the mountain was closed for the day due to high wind turbulence. BOO-URNS… so no Table Mountain for us today. Oh well… next stop… Green Market Square. The square was similar to our very own Churchill Square back home. There were a tonne of booths set up close to each other, selling merchandise from African jewellery and clothes to masks and bongs… haha. It was a very fun experience just to walk through. The buying experience was also very amusing because you got to practice your bartering skills. That’s always a hoot. I enjoy bartering, but then again… I’m Asian.
After the square, we spent the rest of the day at the V & A Waterfront. We had some free time to do whatever we individually wanted to do and then met up for dinner at Primi Piatti – a tantalizing Italian restaurant. Our waiter’s name was Cash… the most energetic and poppin’ server I’ve ever met. I swear he was on Speed or something. Haha…
After din din, we strolled down a very high-end strip in the mall, where they sold only designer clothes. This part of the mall totally reminded me of Las Vegas… EXPENSIVE! Nigel found a Ben Sherman store and went haywire buying this and that. Everyone eventually ended up at Ben Sherman to see what the big deal was. Apparently they had 50% off everything in the store and the prices were ridiculously cheap compared to BS prices back home. Haha… everybody (except Kaitlyn) ended up buying something! I must admit, the store did have a pretty striking deal. Because of the sale and the currency exchange, Nigel saved himself thousands of Canadian dollars buying here than had he bought back home. Because we all were BS branded now, we thought we had to capture this moment in a photo. Haha… so the clan of us posed at the front of the shop with our shopping bags. The sales ladies were such good sports to let us bombard the store like we did. Then again… we did spend a lot of bucks overall. Haha… whatevs… high Canadian dollar = more shopping fun.
August 6th… Otay, today we finally got to visit Table Mountain. Like really, really this time. Only Nigel, Joel, Naty and I went. Scott stayed back to deal with Squeaky Sam’s situation. Oh yah, I didn’t tell y’all about Squeaky Sam’s probs yet, so allow me to tangent just a bit. Shortly after we arrived in Somerset West after our roadtrip adventure, Scoot’s car suddenly didn’t want to start one morning. For the past few days, it’s been under inspection at a garage, and they still don’t know what the real problem is. Scott is sort of bummed because he’s worried that these guys are doing a poor job and going to charge him up the ying yang for their services. Sigh… I feel for him yo. So due to recent circumstances, our SA trip has been prolonged until further progress with the vehicle. I hope Squeaky Sam will be OK. Marijke has been a sweetheart and was so kind to lend us the vehicles that she wasn’t using. Thanks to her, we’re still able to continue touring around and having fun. =)
Now back to the story. Nigel, Joel, Naty and I arrived at Table Mountain. The weather looked really nice so we wanted to take advantage of that while it lasted. As mentioned before, the weather here is so wishy washy… sunny one moment, rainy the next, you never know whacha gonna get. We lined up to get tix and were happy to see that the line wasn’t very long as we had expected. Naty and I scored some bonus points because we had our U of A One Card with us, which knocked R40 off our tickets. Woot… though I’m technically not a student anymore, there’s no harm in milking the benefits before the card expires. ;-p
The view from on top of the mountain was breathtaking. We were 1085m above sea level and could see so far out into the distance. The water below was so still. We could see clouds hovering in the horizon. Guh… so stunning! We spent a good couple hours or so walking a loopy-loop around the mountain. Unfortunately some clouds did come in and covered a good chunk of the 12 Apostles (a series of mountain ranges), but at least we were able to clearly soak up everything else.
Dinner that night was SUSHI at Blue Waters Restaurant back in Somerset West. It was highly recommended by Tessa, so of course we had to check it out. You can imagine how ecstatic I was! YAY SUSHI!!! K, long story short… we got there, ordered, ate, complimented and left. This was probably one of my BEST sushi experiences in my life – comparable to my fave restaurant “Wasabi” back in Edmonton. The fish was so deliciously fresh. They had mouthwatering salmon flown in from Norway. I wanted more, but my stomach was simply too full. Sigh… next time, next time.
August 7th… Geocaching and scenic drive day. Scott, Nigel, Joel & I decided to spend the day sightseeing and appreciating the natural beauty in this area. We drove along the Garden Route which followed the coastline and passed by some awesome mountain ranges as well. We visited several coastal towns along the way, including Betty’s Bay and Kleinmond. The route was also very geocache friendly because there were a tonne of caches to be found. Scott took it relatively easy with the caches however because we were somewhat pressed for time. He had to be at a Bloemhof rehearsal in Stellenbosch later in the day. So we drove, saw plenty of beauty sights, and took a lot of pictures. We also drove through Franschhoek, a beautiful little town that used to be colonised by the French. I definitely noticed the French influence just by reading the signs that passed by. Garth’s granny is actually from Franschhoek. Heehee… so we thought it would be cleverly sneaky of us to go spy on Mammie’s house for curiosity’s sake. Haha… the guys were teasing me and telling me to go inside and say hi and stuff, but I thought that would have been really awkward. Some of Garth’s aunties and cousins live in the house with Mammie as well (though Mammie is in Walvis Bay right now avoiding the South African winter cold). I’ve never met the lot of Mammie’s family yet, so it would’ve indeed been totally weird to have barged in. Haha… glad I didn’t do it. I took some pictures of the house and was satisfied with that. ;-p
Anyway, we arrived in Stellenbosch finally and Scott rushed to the Bloemhof rehearsal. Then Nigel, Joel and I went and got some take away from Blue Waters Restaurant. Yep… SUSHI for din din again!!! WHOOP! Seriously, I just can’t get enough. The fish was so incredibly fresh considering it was flown in from Norway. So of course I plan to take advantage of this delicacy while I’m here. It would be a shame not to. MmmMmmMmm… =D
The guys and I spent the rest of the night playing Bonanza and watching Catherine Tate comedies on DVD. The Catherine Tate Show is a very hilair British comedy series. It’s basically one woman playing all sorts of different characters. The cast is relatively small, but each person plays several roles. It’s sort of like MadTV or Saturday Night Live except… British. Haha… kinda crude at some parts, but funny nonetheless. Check it out!
August 8th… Yay! Squeaky Sam is back! We picked him up from the garage this morning and started driving out to Stellenbosch to do a hike. Not to far along the road, we noticed that the engine was revving really high and sounded funny. We even noticed a slight scent of something burning. Oy vey… NOT a good sign. Talk about an anticlimax! Scott was understandably upset because he had been receiving so much crap from the garage already, and now this happened. Sigh… so we called off the hiking excursion and drove back into Somerset West to get the car checked out. The bunch of us totally didn’t mind spending a chill day at home though. The most important thing was that Squeaky Sam got better.
Being that today was 08.08.08, the opening day of the Olympics, Joel and I thought it would be an awesome idea to change the mood of the situation and go celebrate by having lunch at a Chinese restaurant. I called Marianne for some suggestions and she told us that the Chinese restaurant right beside Blue Waters was actually very good. I took her word on it and we (aka Nigel, Joel, Kaitlyn and I) went there for lunch.
Haha… the restaurant was called Wok This Way and was actually owned by some Korean folk, but the food was amazing! The Chinese food was actually Chinese food!!! And guess what, they even had DIM SUM!! Will ya fathom that! I’ve been so often disappointed whenever I sought for and experienced Asian cuisine in Africa. Haha… they’ve just been very interesting encounters. BUT, so far SUSHI and CHINESE FOOD in Somerset West have gotten two thumbs of from moi! I am most impressed!
Scott soon joined us for lunch as well. Squeaky Sam was all better. Apparently it was running on 5 cylinders instead of 6 and that was the reason for all the revving and burning. Everything was fine now and Scott got a free bevvie from the garage manager out of the whole ordeal. Whoopdy-doo. (sarcasm) Sigh… I just pray that our recent bout of car probs is over now! Curse begone!
Later in the afternoon, we had a Siyacula rehearsal at Marijke’s house. Joel, Naty, Kaitlyn and I will be singing with the group at a concert this Sunday. The concert will be in Stellenbosch at the university’s fancy Conservatory, where the World Youth Choir performed last year when Kokopelli was here. We’ll be singing a bunch of African traditionals, plus You Are the New Day and Make Lemonade, which Kokopelli sang before. Dunno what to expect really, but it should be fun.
We went to see Tessa’s Pops Concert at Somerset College in the evening. I thought it was going to be like a high school talent show, but the production was actually very well put together and professional. The crowd was an interesting mix though – half the gym was set up like a fancy grad banquet for family and friends (with a four course dinner and everything) and the other half was set up with bleachers full of screaming school kids eating pizzas from boxes. Strange huh? The repertoire for the evening was very mixed, from “Mustang Sally” to heavy metal guitar playing! Very interesting indeed. Still it was all very impressive with live bands and backup vocals and stuff. I could tell a lot of time and effort was put into the organization of this event. Our very sweet Tessa performed her own arrangement of “Crazy” by Gnarls Barkley and “Mercy” by Duffy. She amongst a few others totally rocked da hizzouse!! I was so proud of her. Naty will post some videos soon!
All in all, it was another full and hectic day in South Africa. Car issues aside, we’re still alive and having a blast! Hope you’re all enjoying the blog so far. Haha… if you’re still keeping up with all of this, good for you! *HIGH FIVE*
August 9th… I’ve caught up with blogging y’all! Yeehaw! The whole clan of us is taking it easy today. Haha… we’re calling it “The Mall Day.” First stop, the Canal Walk Mall. It’s sort of like the West Ed of Capetown, except the mall is surrounded by canals where people can paddle boat along. There’s also an outdoor amusement park, but it was closed today so we couldn’t check it out.
Next stop, the V & A Waterfront… again! Haha… Scoot had to pick a battery for his laptop at the iStore here. So why not spend some time blogging in the meanwhile, right!
After we finish everything here, we’re going to head back to Somerset West. Naty & Kaitlyn have a girls’ night dinner date with a bunch of ex-Siyacula girls. Then the rest of us are going to meet up with them at the Somerset Mall to catch a movie afterwards. Hmm… we’re thinking “Get Smart.” I’ve heard only good reviews about the comedy, so I can’t wait to see it! Besides, I love Steve Carell & Anne Hathaway!
As for din din, I don’t know what we’re all doing yet, but I think Ima gonna get sushi again. Haha… it’s just THAT good! I’m getting my fill before we head back to Namibia! ;-p
Over & out ‘til next time!
Back in Namibia, Land of the Brave!
Friday, August 15, 2008 at 1:57pm
Hey HEY Hey! How’s everyone doing back home? I hope you’re all enjoying your summer!
So the whole clan of us arrived back in Walvis Bay and Swakopmund on Wednesday evening. Wow, it feels so great to be back in Namibia, a place where I can call my home away from home, a place that is friendly, warm and inviting. The South African roadtrip was a refreshing experience, but there’s something about Namibia that keeps drawing one back. And no, it’s not just because of Garth! Haha! I just love the indescribable landscapes and wonderful people – beautiful in their own merit. One simply feels safe and comfortable here. Haha… unlike in South Africa where one should always be on the look out. (Recall the break-in when we first arrived in Somerset West?)
Anyway, the trip back up to Namibia was quite the adventure in itself. Most of everything was swell. Squeaky Sam seemed to have made a full recovery from all its previous car probs and was running smoothly. We got to visit Fish River Canyon and see amazing sights! Plus, we only paid the price of two people instead of four for accommodation because the hotel didn’t have enough rooms available and made a boo-boo when booking us in. All was fine and dandy until Joel fell sick. We thought it could’ve been food poisoning at first, but we all had the same thing for dinner the previous night. Then we concluded that it was a virus that has been spreading across Namibia. (Scott caught the virus too a while back.) It was nasty! Joel couldn’t hold anything down because it would threaten to come out one way or another. I felt really bad for the poor guy. He skin turned a pale grey-white color as the day went by. Things weren’t looking good. The road was not going well for him at all. So considering the situation, we all agreed that it would be wise to stay an extra night in Mariental (about 6 hours away from Walvis Bay), so Joel could recuperate. That was probably the best thing we could’ve done for him actually because he did seem better the following day, after a night’s rest. He was still very weak due to having NOTHING in his stomach, but he was such a trooper and wanted get on the road straightaway. Long story short, Joel is alive, Squeaky Sam is all better minus a very busted driver’s seat (probably due to wear and tear riding on rough roads), and the four of us made it home safe and sound after all. Phew… what adventures we had, huh!
So things in Namib are same ol’, same ol’, except Nathalie and Kaitlyn have joined us now as well. They also arrived on Wednesday on the Intercape Bus. They said their ride was 27 hours long! Holy crapola… that’d be heck being cooped in a bus for 27 hours! Good on you, girls!
The Mascatos are all doing well and are busy with rehearsals for the musical. Mrs. Venter is still as strong as ever, running like the Energizer Bunny! Jen Kinghorn and the Scottish choreographer will be arriving this weekend to further add to the excitement! Woot… things are going to be on a roll as most of everyone’s focus will be towards the preparation for the production. Yay… I can’t wait!
My blessings to all back home! I do miss everyone and can’t wait to sing in choir again! Wow, I can’t believe how quickly time is flying by. I have only 10 days before I fly back home to E-town! Crazy nuts! Gah… gotta go soak up more of Namibia pronto! Ta ta for now! ;-)
The Roadtrip
Friday, August 1, 2008 at 2:04pm
July 29th… Our roadtrip to South Africa officially begins! We still had to make it through a long stretch of Namibia, but we all thoroughly enjoyed the scenery that passed us. What splendid sights to soak up. Scott stopped several times to find geocaches of course. Which was cool because we all got to stretch and appreciate the area. We stopped at the Tropic of Capricorn, checked out a monument near an old church in Mariental, and even drove out to do a hike up to an extinct volcano. Geocaching really does lead one to embark on a lot of adventures and experience things that one would not normally do. Haha… one must be careful not to become too addicted to this though…*cough cough like Scott cough cough.* I had so much fun and took a tonne of pictures of the beautiful landscapes. These on-the-side geocaching endeavors were so worth the time and effort! Heehee… I guess I’m a geocacher too now, by association. ;-p
Because we spent most of the day going on geocache hunts, we had to stay another night in Namibia. It was getting dark and we didn’t want to drive then, so we settled into a hotel called Bird’s Mansion in Keetmanshoop. The place was decent and comfortable. But the décor was very tacky. Haha… Bird’s Mansion… go figure. We went to The Centre Hotel for dinner, which was down the road from us. Don’t ask why, we’re weird like that. Besides the dishes having interesting names and the service taking long, the food was good. After dinner, it was back to our abode for a round of Bonanza before we all hit the sack to rest up for the next day’s excursions.
July 30th… We made it into SA today!! It was remarkable how the topography drastically changed after driving across the river after the border. The views were amazing! There was so much GREEN! I love GREEN! There isn’t too much green in Namibia during this time of the year, that’s for sure. But you could tell that SA has been getting its healthy dose of rain. It was so awesome to see fluorescent colored wild flowers in the fields as we drove past. I’ve never seen such colors in flowers before. Highlighter colors, I thought. We stopped at one spot to do a quick geocache and admire the flowers from a closer viewpoint. Then we drove on and stopped in a cute little town called, Springbok, for lunch at Nando’s. Scott and I both bought ourselves a SA SIM card so we could make calls while we’re here. It was REALLY cheap! Only 10 rand each! Woot… like less than 2 bucks Canadian. We sure don’t get that pricing back in Canada! FYI, my current number is +27715201620 for those who’d like to send me an SMS here and there. =) Once I return to Namibia though, I’ll use my regular African cell number again.
Aight… so the lunch stop was over. Moving on. We really didn’t have much more to go before hitting Capetown. We called Marijke, the choir director of Siyacula, one of Kokopelli’s other sister choirs from Somerset West. We wanted to fill her in on our whereabouts and progress. She told us that we’d probably make it into Somerset West (neighbouring city to Capetown) by midnight. Haha… little did she know with Scott’s driving, we ended up at her place by 10:30pm! AHH… it felt SO NICE to breathe in a different kind of air. So fresh and moist. There seriously is a lot of green and lush vegetation in this area, thanks to the rain. That’s why South Africa is known for its wonderfully delicious fruits and vegetables, which I am looking forward to consuming more of while I’m here.
The reunion was jovial and warm (though it wasn’t too warm outside… brrr)! We all huddled together in the Roos’ living room and caught up for a little bit. It was quite the reunion… Marijke, Tessa, Marianne (Tessa’s older sister who’s visiting from Canada for 3 weeks), Nathalie Dugo, Francois (the housemate whom we all call Blomy), and the latest addition Kaitlyn Boomer!!! We were especially surprised to see Kaitlyn because we totally didn’t expect to see her in South Africa! Haha… plus she had just arrived today too. Wow… what a clan of Canadians we have here now! How exciting!
Anyway, everyone was pretty exhausted from the day so we decided retire early. Marijke had graciously arranged for the four of us to stay at Tessa’s dad’s house while we’re here. So nice to not have to worry about accommodation! BUT before calling it a night, Marijke reported to us about an inopportune incident that happened at the house in the wee hours of the previous morning. THE HOUSE GOT BROKEN INTO FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME! Nothing major was stolen and no huge damage was done… we just noticed some of the glass plates on the windows loosened. Marijke felt terrible about the whole thing, because it seriously had never happened before we arrived. Anyway, we spent a good hour or so booby trapping the area around the break-in spot. And we all volunteered Joel to sleep on the sofa bed in the living room, where the break-in happened. Poor Joel had to sleep with Tessa’s 3m range pepper spray and a sledge hammer nearby. That’s what it takes to be the MasKoko Exchange Member! Sorry Joel, it’s a tough job but you’re doing grrreat! I’m so proud of you. =)
A Rainy Day Indoors
Friday, August 1, 2008 at 2:08pm
July 31st… woke up to a dull, wet and dreary day. Good thing… we woke up alive! Haha… no sign of any break-ins throughout the night. Our area was being especially monitored by ADT Security after yesterday’s incident and now that we’re staying in the house, what with us being foreigners in South Africa and all. Oy vey… thank goodness for ADT! So anyway, what to do today? Visit the Somerset Mall!!! Haha… us Canadians have been mall deprived. But really, it was a good day to stay inside because it was raining pretty constantly thoughout the day. We started the day with brunch at Mugg ‘n Bean, an awesome restaurant for delicious grub and lovely bevies. Nathalie, Kaitlyn, and Blomy joined us too. Then Blomy and Naty departed together to buy groceries for our dinner at the Roos’ later that evening. Scott and I went to book an appointment for a haircut. Sheesh… the water and weather in Namibia hasn’t been too friendly to my hair ‘cause I had split-ends galore! So while we were getting a hair trim, Kaitlyn met up with Naty again to do some shopping for warmer clothes. Poor Kaitlyn mostly brought along tank tops and flip-flops with her, so she was understandably cold all the time. Good time to introduce her to the wonderful world of Mr. Price! Holla!
Also in the meantime, Nigel and Joel were watching the new Batman movie, The Dark Knight.
After Kaitlyn and Naty’s shopping spree, they left us to go to Marijke’s high school choir rehearsal in Stellenbosch. Scoot and I met up with Nigel and Joel again. And guess what? We watched another movie! Haha… dinner was only at 8pm, so we had time to catch WALL-E on screen. It was a pretty cute movie and funny at some parts. I dug it.
After the movie, the four of us made way to Pick-and-Pay (a common grocery store in Africa) to get some wine and drinks for our dinner. Then we headed over to the Roos’. Ooo… upon stepping into the house, we were teased with the tantalizing aromas of dinner on its way. Blomy was the chef of the evening and might I comment that he was an excellent one at that. Haha… I highly doubt our meal was low in fat however, but it was scrumptious nonetheless. It was so nice to be able to enjoy a wonderful meal together amongst good friends. Thanks to the Roos’ for hosting us and kudos to the chef!
We rounded off the night with a few rounds of Dutch Blitz (does that come as any surprise?!) and showed Naty and Tessa the ropes about the card game. Although they didn’t volunteer to take part in the intense game, they were sufficiently entertained just watching Nigel, Joel, Kaitlyn and I go at it. Haha… our obsession with Dutch Blitz is a choir thang I suppose? Whatevs… that’s my excuse anyway. ;-p
YAY! WE’RE IN SA! Night night, y’all!
We Are Singing... Mmm Thai!
Tuesday, August 5, 2008 at 3:55pm
August 1st… Another wet day in Somerset West. It was really pouring today. A crazy thing about the weather here though is that it is real wishy washy. Haha… rainy and foggy one minute, sunny and beautiful the next. That’s pretty much what went on all day, with more rain than sunshine however.
We had a workshop with Siyacula (We Are Singing), one of our sister choirs, later in the afternoon. I was looking forward to seeing everyone again! There had been a pretty big turnover since last year, but most of the main choristers are still holding down the fort. Siyacula was still just as warm and spirited as I remembered them being. =)
We first looked at one of the songs Siyacula had been working on called, You Are The New Day. It was a very beautiful piece. I was quite impressed with Siyacula’s musicality and sensitivity to Marijke’s conducting and Scott’s constructive commenting. Next, we shared with the group two songs that Kokopelli had previously performed, Sweet Spirit and Raindance. They were super excited to learn both songs and picked them up really quick. With the amount of productive fun we had, the 4hr workshop just flew by (no worries, we had a break in the middle of it and were served hotdogs). And then it was dinnertime…
The Roos’ had been raving about this awesome Thai restaurant called, Wang Thai. So we all thought it would be a great idea to have dinner there together after the workshop. I was certainly looking forward to it because I have been so Asian food deprived since arriving in Africa… haha. There were a total of 10 of us there, so we ordered A LOT of dishes, like 10 main dishes, several appetizers and soups, 3 big pots of rice, and even dessert! Yep, we went a little haywire with the grub, but we managed to finish almost everything. Some of the dishes had interesting names like “Angry Duck” and “Angry Beef” (haha… mad cow anyone?). Compared to all the other Asian food that I have tried in Africa thus far, Wang Thai was by far the best. The service was very good and the food was fabulous. I’d surely come here again. But for my next hunt… SUSHI!!!
A Day in Capetown
Tuesday, August 5, 2008 at 3:55pm
August 2nd… Scott, Nigel, Joel and I got up early today to get ready for a day in Capetown. We were pleased to see sunshine gleaming through our windows. Things looked promising. We drove over to the Roos’ house to pick up Tessa, Naty, and Kaitlyn. Unfortunately they had to sit in the boot of Squeaky Sam because we had no room. In Canada, I’m sure that would be illegal, but here in Africa, there’s always room in the vehicle for another African. Next, we drove into Lwandle (a nearby township where Thulani used to live) to pick up Potloot (aka Pencil), whose real name is unknown because he has so many nicknames. He’s one of the the veterans in Siyacula. We invited him to join us for the day.
The weather was still sunny and warm as we drove the short distance to Capetown. It felt great to be in a big city again. What was even better was that everywhere we looked, we were still surrounded by gorgeous scenery – a city amidst mountains and ocean… sigh. We first went for breakfast at Harrie’s Pancakes because we were all starving. (Side note: In Africa, pancakes are crepes and the pancakes that we know are called flapjacks.) After our nice breakfast, we roamed around the V & A (Victoria & Alfred) Waterfront, checked out some shops, and also explored the mall. No major shopping done on my part, I just bought some cool African shakers from the African Trading Port to add to my music classroom. Kids love show & tell, and I love showing and telling them about the nic nacs that I pick up from my travels. I think my students will enjoy the shakers.
We had all purchased tickets earlier to visit the Robben Island Museum in the afternoon. I was eager to get a dose of African history. We all boarded the ferry at 2:30pm and made the trip out to the island, which was about an hour long. When we got to Robben Island, everyone had to transfer onto a bus where we would next be driven into the encampment. Our tour guide, Mohammed something something, was very informative and dramatic. Haha… he was also very politically incorrect… calling people on the bus “You Dutch and your cheese… You English and your collar necks and ties… You Australians and your eucalyptus trees which soaked up all the fresh water reserve on the island… etc.” He was really funny and interesting to listen to.
After the bus tour around Robben Island, we were dropped off by the prisons to take a closer look inside. Our tour guide this time was named Sparks – an ex-political prisoner of Robben Island. Mohammed had explained earlier that because of the high unemployment rate in Africa, employees’ job choices were very limited. For example, Sparks was not necessarily a tour guide on Robben Island because he wanted to be, but because that position created a job opportunity for him. Still, it was really cool and admirable to be led by someone who had been through all the hardships of Robben Island and was able to recount stories from a first-person perspective. Sparks showed everyone his prison cell and talked briefly about his experience upon his admittance. He said he was stripped physically of his identity and was given a number for a name and a yellow card of identity. Prisoners had to sleep on thin mats with no sheets or blankets, even in the winter. The windows didn’t even have glass on them so cold air and rain would enter the cells causing many people to get sick with TB and pneumonia. Prisoners’ privileges, clothing, and food proportions were also determined by the color of their skin. Often times, the colored and whites would get more of everything compared to the blacks. For example, the colored and whites got to wear long sleeved jackets, long pants and shoes, while the blacks had to wear short sleeves, shorts and no shoes. This was a way to distinguish the races. It was sickening to hear the cruelty and harsh living conditions that the prisoners on Robben Island had to undergo. Later, we also got to see Nelson Mandela’s prison cell and the courtyard where he hid his infamous book entitled, “The Long Road to Freedom.” Overall, the Robben Island tour was amazing and definitely worthwhile to the unknowing tourist. I strongly recommend that one invests time in listening to this history lesson if ever one plans to visit Capetown.
In the evening, the group of us went to City Hall to catch the National High School Choir Gala Competition. Woot… the City Hall auditorium was quite the beauty sight with balconies and a beautiful organ at the front. The high school choirs were pretty good in relation to my high school choirs back in the day, so that was a bonus. Besides some interesting cultural takes on African traditionals by very white Afrikaans choirs and questionable conducting techniques (including what we called “the wank”), it was a pleasant evening.
It proved to be quite the full day today and everyone was starting to get tired so we made the drive back to Somerset West. Since it was close to 10pm when we arrived, we invited Potloot to stay with us in town instead going back into the township. Conditions in the townships have been very dangerous due to the recent uprising of zenophobia. It wouldn’t have been wise to drive into the township at night. Potloot said that there is a 9pm curfew every night and if you are spotted on the street after that time or even approaching that time, you would be severely beaten up by other locals. My question is what gives them the right?!! Gosh, everything is so messed up and corrupt, even the police hang out with gangs sometimes. Nkosi sikele i’Africa… God bless Africa, for they need healing and help so desperately in this time of chaos. I pray things will resolve themselves sooner than later.
Siyacula & Bloemhof Workshop
Thursday, August 7, 2008 at 11:20am
August 3rd… Marikje invited Scott to do a workshop with her choirs in Stellenbosch today. Siyacula and the Bloemhof Girls Choir (Marijke’s new high school choir) came together for the first time to share music with each other and to have an informal mini-concert for parents and friends after the workshop. Scott was super stoked for this event. And I was looking forward to being a part of it as well. Marijke seemed especially enthused about the collaboration of her choirs, because it had never happened before. She was so ecstatic and bubbly it was cute. Wow… I just love her energetic spirit and positivity.
Anyway, when we arrived at the school, we got to work straightaway. I led the group in stretches and then Scott took over with vocal warm-ups. Joel later demonstrated a Rajaton technique of playing with one’s voice – changing it from a brighter tone to a darker one. I think he called it the “NEOW” or some may know it as Soila’s “WHY” exercise. Everyone enjoyed that one ‘cause it was fun to make funny sounds and experiment with one’s voice.
At one point, the two choirs separated to work on different things. Siyacula went through their new piece with Scott, You Are the New Day, while Nathalie, Kaitlyn and I taught the Bloemhof girls Siyacula’s rendition of Singaba Yo. The girls caught on really quick and so we soon met up again with Siyacula again to work on Sweet Spirit together.
Later in the evening, parents and friends of the choristers and some of Marijke’s staff started to gather into the gymnasium in excitement for the show. Marijke set up the tone of the concert very nicely with a message of music sharing and appreciation. Then the show unfolded starting with a Singaba Yo procession. Each choir then took turns to perform two pieces of their own and then came together to close off the show with Sweet Spirit.
The workshop went really well. The choirs sounded great and exuded a lot of positive energy. Everyone seemed to enjoy each other’s company. According to Marijke, this was the first time such an event was arranged here – the idea of sharing music and collaborating with other people. Also it was the first time the choirs had an informal concert just to show family and friends what they’ve been up to. Marijke is making wonderful progress with both choirs and will continue going strong. I see a lot of potential for both groups. Kudos to everyone!
Climbing the Helderberg Mountain
Friday, August 8, 2008 at 1:56pm
August 4th… The Helderberg Mountain is in Somerset West. We can see it from right outside our front door. Scott thought it was a good idea to climb it today and to find a few geocaches of course. Considering our excessive and unhealthy eating habits as of late, I think we were long overdue for a health kick! SO YEEHAW… Ima gonna climb dat mountain yo!
We picked up Tessa, Naty and Kaitlyn and made way for the Helderberg. The thing that’s awing is that here, one can see the beautiful mountains from outside our very windows, unlike in Edmonton where you’d have to drive for hours in order to experience such splendor and beauty. Otay, so we made it into the gate, bought a couple maps and got psyched up for the hike. The lady in one of the shops told us that the hike up and down would take about 4-5 hours and she advised that we’d better hurry ‘cause the gates closed in 3 hours. Yea… we kinda started the hike a bit late in the afternoon… at 2:30pm to be exact. Haha… we had originally planned to start the hike at 9am, but good ol’ “African time” got the best of us I guess. Haha… this has been quite the habit of ours as of late as well. No time is really set in stone when in Africa. Anyway, so we only had 3 hours to do this thang. I looked up the mountain and thought, “Whooo… we are not gonna make it to the top in THAT time.” The top looked way high up yo! Scott being Scott said, “C’mon let’s get started. We can do it!” He had no doubt that we would make it and was determined to reach the very top. Whatevs… guess we’d better get a move on then.
Not too far into the hike, Scott found a geocache already. The container had a bunch of nic nacs including R2 and N$1. Scoot gave those coins to Kaitlyn as a “Welcome to Africa” token, since it was her first time here and all. Aight… no time to waste… the hike continued. The first part of the trek was a bit tough because the climb was really steep and the ground was made of a clay and mud, which was slippery to climb up at some parts. Poor Kaitlyn didn’t didn’t have hiking shoes with her so she had to wear her flowery Mr. Price slip-ons instead, so the climb must’ve been extra tricky for her. Tough as it was, we kept moving forward. Gradually the group started spreading out a bit as we all paced ourselves. Scott, Joel and I were at the front of the pack. We passed some amazing trails including one where it looked like you were entering the Amazon forest or something. We also passed by a stream of fresh mountain water, which was so cool that I couldn’t help by letting out a shout of appreciation. I LOVE FRESH MOUNTAIN WATER… THE BEST!
The views got more and more amazing the higher we climbed as you can imagine. And that was motivation enough to keep going. Guh… words can’t really express… just check out my pics for a better depiction. Nearing the top of the mountain now and only 1.5 hours into the hike, we were making good time. Unfortunately we lost Scooty a ways back due to another geocache hunt, so Joel and I kept going without him. The other peeps in the group had resorted to resting at a lookout point a ways down and weren’t going to continue the trek up. I must admit, the latter part of the climb got pretty tough with mostly rock and steep incline, but I was determined to burn some major calories today yo! Hahaha… even if it meant my legs would turn into jelly in the process.
Nigel and Tessa eventually caught up to Joel and I and the four of us pushed hard to make it to the top. Boy were we glad that we had kept going because the view from up top was spectacular… beyond description… almost heavenly! We had climbed so high up that we were above the clouds!! I was overcome with a huge sense of accomplishment… We climbed the Helderberg baby! I was so proud of everyone!
Uh oh… only 1 hour left before the gate closed. We had to cut our relaxation and admiration time short because time was ticking. Of course we made it down fine, though 10 minutes after closing time. Ooo… we’re such rebels! Haha… whatevs… at least we were able to squeeze in the full meal deal in our limited time frame. GO US!
The Honkin' Blog Entry!
Saturday, August 9, 2008 at 4:09pm
Man, it’s so easy to fall out of sync with blogging! Haha… I’ve been trying real hard to be consistent, friends. Erm… not too shabby I hope? Aight… so let me recap on the past few days’ happenings.
August 5th… So we climbed the Helderberg yesterday. Holy crap was I feeling sore! My legs muscles were especially feeling it today. Everyone felt the same, I guess, so we all decided to take it easy and spend a day visiting Capetown again. We planned to check out Green Market Square and Table Mountain mainly. When we arrived in the city, Table Mountain didn’t look too inviting because it was overcast. Then when we checked for ticket availability and the attendants told us that the mountain was closed for the day due to high wind turbulence. BOO-URNS… so no Table Mountain for us today. Oh well… next stop… Green Market Square. The square was similar to our very own Churchill Square back home. There were a tonne of booths set up close to each other, selling merchandise from African jewellery and clothes to masks and bongs… haha. It was a very fun experience just to walk through. The buying experience was also very amusing because you got to practice your bartering skills. That’s always a hoot. I enjoy bartering, but then again… I’m Asian.
After the square, we spent the rest of the day at the V & A Waterfront. We had some free time to do whatever we individually wanted to do and then met up for dinner at Primi Piatti – a tantalizing Italian restaurant. Our waiter’s name was Cash… the most energetic and poppin’ server I’ve ever met. I swear he was on Speed or something. Haha…
After din din, we strolled down a very high-end strip in the mall, where they sold only designer clothes. This part of the mall totally reminded me of Las Vegas… EXPENSIVE! Nigel found a Ben Sherman store and went haywire buying this and that. Everyone eventually ended up at Ben Sherman to see what the big deal was. Apparently they had 50% off everything in the store and the prices were ridiculously cheap compared to BS prices back home. Haha… everybody (except Kaitlyn) ended up buying something! I must admit, the store did have a pretty striking deal. Because of the sale and the currency exchange, Nigel saved himself thousands of Canadian dollars buying here than had he bought back home. Because we all were BS branded now, we thought we had to capture this moment in a photo. Haha… so the clan of us posed at the front of the shop with our shopping bags. The sales ladies were such good sports to let us bombard the store like we did. Then again… we did spend a lot of bucks overall. Haha… whatevs… high Canadian dollar = more shopping fun.
August 6th… Otay, today we finally got to visit Table Mountain. Like really, really this time. Only Nigel, Joel, Naty and I went. Scott stayed back to deal with Squeaky Sam’s situation. Oh yah, I didn’t tell y’all about Squeaky Sam’s probs yet, so allow me to tangent just a bit. Shortly after we arrived in Somerset West after our roadtrip adventure, Scoot’s car suddenly didn’t want to start one morning. For the past few days, it’s been under inspection at a garage, and they still don’t know what the real problem is. Scott is sort of bummed because he’s worried that these guys are doing a poor job and going to charge him up the ying yang for their services. Sigh… I feel for him yo. So due to recent circumstances, our SA trip has been prolonged until further progress with the vehicle. I hope Squeaky Sam will be OK. Marijke has been a sweetheart and was so kind to lend us the vehicles that she wasn’t using. Thanks to her, we’re still able to continue touring around and having fun. =)
Now back to the story. Nigel, Joel, Naty and I arrived at Table Mountain. The weather looked really nice so we wanted to take advantage of that while it lasted. As mentioned before, the weather here is so wishy washy… sunny one moment, rainy the next, you never know whacha gonna get. We lined up to get tix and were happy to see that the line wasn’t very long as we had expected. Naty and I scored some bonus points because we had our U of A One Card with us, which knocked R40 off our tickets. Woot… though I’m technically not a student anymore, there’s no harm in milking the benefits before the card expires. ;-p
The view from on top of the mountain was breathtaking. We were 1085m above sea level and could see so far out into the distance. The water below was so still. We could see clouds hovering in the horizon. Guh… so stunning! We spent a good couple hours or so walking a loopy-loop around the mountain. Unfortunately some clouds did come in and covered a good chunk of the 12 Apostles (a series of mountain ranges), but at least we were able to clearly soak up everything else.
Dinner that night was SUSHI at Blue Waters Restaurant back in Somerset West. It was highly recommended by Tessa, so of course we had to check it out. You can imagine how ecstatic I was! YAY SUSHI!!! K, long story short… we got there, ordered, ate, complimented and left. This was probably one of my BEST sushi experiences in my life – comparable to my fave restaurant “Wasabi” back in Edmonton. The fish was so deliciously fresh. They had mouthwatering salmon flown in from Norway. I wanted more, but my stomach was simply too full. Sigh… next time, next time.
August 7th… Geocaching and scenic drive day. Scott, Nigel, Joel & I decided to spend the day sightseeing and appreciating the natural beauty in this area. We drove along the Garden Route which followed the coastline and passed by some awesome mountain ranges as well. We visited several coastal towns along the way, including Betty’s Bay and Kleinmond. The route was also very geocache friendly because there were a tonne of caches to be found. Scott took it relatively easy with the caches however because we were somewhat pressed for time. He had to be at a Bloemhof rehearsal in Stellenbosch later in the day. So we drove, saw plenty of beauty sights, and took a lot of pictures. We also drove through Franschhoek, a beautiful little town that used to be colonised by the French. I definitely noticed the French influence just by reading the signs that passed by. Garth’s granny is actually from Franschhoek. Heehee… so we thought it would be cleverly sneaky of us to go spy on Mammie’s house for curiosity’s sake. Haha… the guys were teasing me and telling me to go inside and say hi and stuff, but I thought that would have been really awkward. Some of Garth’s aunties and cousins live in the house with Mammie as well (though Mammie is in Walvis Bay right now avoiding the South African winter cold). I’ve never met the lot of Mammie’s family yet, so it would’ve indeed been totally weird to have barged in. Haha… glad I didn’t do it. I took some pictures of the house and was satisfied with that. ;-p
Anyway, we arrived in Stellenbosch finally and Scott rushed to the Bloemhof rehearsal. Then Nigel, Joel and I went and got some take away from Blue Waters Restaurant. Yep… SUSHI for din din again!!! WHOOP! Seriously, I just can’t get enough. The fish was so incredibly fresh considering it was flown in from Norway. So of course I plan to take advantage of this delicacy while I’m here. It would be a shame not to. MmmMmmMmm… =D
The guys and I spent the rest of the night playing Bonanza and watching Catherine Tate comedies on DVD. The Catherine Tate Show is a very hilair British comedy series. It’s basically one woman playing all sorts of different characters. The cast is relatively small, but each person plays several roles. It’s sort of like MadTV or Saturday Night Live except… British. Haha… kinda crude at some parts, but funny nonetheless. Check it out!
August 8th… Yay! Squeaky Sam is back! We picked him up from the garage this morning and started driving out to Stellenbosch to do a hike. Not to far along the road, we noticed that the engine was revving really high and sounded funny. We even noticed a slight scent of something burning. Oy vey… NOT a good sign. Talk about an anticlimax! Scott was understandably upset because he had been receiving so much crap from the garage already, and now this happened. Sigh… so we called off the hiking excursion and drove back into Somerset West to get the car checked out. The bunch of us totally didn’t mind spending a chill day at home though. The most important thing was that Squeaky Sam got better.
Being that today was 08.08.08, the opening day of the Olympics, Joel and I thought it would be an awesome idea to change the mood of the situation and go celebrate by having lunch at a Chinese restaurant. I called Marianne for some suggestions and she told us that the Chinese restaurant right beside Blue Waters was actually very good. I took her word on it and we (aka Nigel, Joel, Kaitlyn and I) went there for lunch.
Haha… the restaurant was called Wok This Way and was actually owned by some Korean folk, but the food was amazing! The Chinese food was actually Chinese food!!! And guess what, they even had DIM SUM!! Will ya fathom that! I’ve been so often disappointed whenever I sought for and experienced Asian cuisine in Africa. Haha… they’ve just been very interesting encounters. BUT, so far SUSHI and CHINESE FOOD in Somerset West have gotten two thumbs of from moi! I am most impressed!
Scott soon joined us for lunch as well. Squeaky Sam was all better. Apparently it was running on 5 cylinders instead of 6 and that was the reason for all the revving and burning. Everything was fine now and Scott got a free bevvie from the garage manager out of the whole ordeal. Whoopdy-doo. (sarcasm) Sigh… I just pray that our recent bout of car probs is over now! Curse begone!
Later in the afternoon, we had a Siyacula rehearsal at Marijke’s house. Joel, Naty, Kaitlyn and I will be singing with the group at a concert this Sunday. The concert will be in Stellenbosch at the university’s fancy Conservatory, where the World Youth Choir performed last year when Kokopelli was here. We’ll be singing a bunch of African traditionals, plus You Are the New Day and Make Lemonade, which Kokopelli sang before. Dunno what to expect really, but it should be fun.
We went to see Tessa’s Pops Concert at Somerset College in the evening. I thought it was going to be like a high school talent show, but the production was actually very well put together and professional. The crowd was an interesting mix though – half the gym was set up like a fancy grad banquet for family and friends (with a four course dinner and everything) and the other half was set up with bleachers full of screaming school kids eating pizzas from boxes. Strange huh? The repertoire for the evening was very mixed, from “Mustang Sally” to heavy metal guitar playing! Very interesting indeed. Still it was all very impressive with live bands and backup vocals and stuff. I could tell a lot of time and effort was put into the organization of this event. Our very sweet Tessa performed her own arrangement of “Crazy” by Gnarls Barkley and “Mercy” by Duffy. She amongst a few others totally rocked da hizzouse!! I was so proud of her. Naty will post some videos soon!
All in all, it was another full and hectic day in South Africa. Car issues aside, we’re still alive and having a blast! Hope you’re all enjoying the blog so far. Haha… if you’re still keeping up with all of this, good for you! *HIGH FIVE*
August 9th… I’ve caught up with blogging y’all! Yeehaw! The whole clan of us is taking it easy today. Haha… we’re calling it “The Mall Day.” First stop, the Canal Walk Mall. It’s sort of like the West Ed of Capetown, except the mall is surrounded by canals where people can paddle boat along. There’s also an outdoor amusement park, but it was closed today so we couldn’t check it out.
Next stop, the V & A Waterfront… again! Haha… Scoot had to pick a battery for his laptop at the iStore here. So why not spend some time blogging in the meanwhile, right!
After we finish everything here, we’re going to head back to Somerset West. Naty & Kaitlyn have a girls’ night dinner date with a bunch of ex-Siyacula girls. Then the rest of us are going to meet up with them at the Somerset Mall to catch a movie afterwards. Hmm… we’re thinking “Get Smart.” I’ve heard only good reviews about the comedy, so I can’t wait to see it! Besides, I love Steve Carell & Anne Hathaway!
As for din din, I don’t know what we’re all doing yet, but I think Ima gonna get sushi again. Haha… it’s just THAT good! I’m getting my fill before we head back to Namibia! ;-p
Over & out ‘til next time!
Back in Namibia, Land of the Brave!
Friday, August 15, 2008 at 1:57pm
Hey HEY Hey! How’s everyone doing back home? I hope you’re all enjoying your summer!
So the whole clan of us arrived back in Walvis Bay and Swakopmund on Wednesday evening. Wow, it feels so great to be back in Namibia, a place where I can call my home away from home, a place that is friendly, warm and inviting. The South African roadtrip was a refreshing experience, but there’s something about Namibia that keeps drawing one back. And no, it’s not just because of Garth! Haha! I just love the indescribable landscapes and wonderful people – beautiful in their own merit. One simply feels safe and comfortable here. Haha… unlike in South Africa where one should always be on the look out. (Recall the break-in when we first arrived in Somerset West?)
Anyway, the trip back up to Namibia was quite the adventure in itself. Most of everything was swell. Squeaky Sam seemed to have made a full recovery from all its previous car probs and was running smoothly. We got to visit Fish River Canyon and see amazing sights! Plus, we only paid the price of two people instead of four for accommodation because the hotel didn’t have enough rooms available and made a boo-boo when booking us in. All was fine and dandy until Joel fell sick. We thought it could’ve been food poisoning at first, but we all had the same thing for dinner the previous night. Then we concluded that it was a virus that has been spreading across Namibia. (Scott caught the virus too a while back.) It was nasty! Joel couldn’t hold anything down because it would threaten to come out one way or another. I felt really bad for the poor guy. He skin turned a pale grey-white color as the day went by. Things weren’t looking good. The road was not going well for him at all. So considering the situation, we all agreed that it would be wise to stay an extra night in Mariental (about 6 hours away from Walvis Bay), so Joel could recuperate. That was probably the best thing we could’ve done for him actually because he did seem better the following day, after a night’s rest. He was still very weak due to having NOTHING in his stomach, but he was such a trooper and wanted get on the road straightaway. Long story short, Joel is alive, Squeaky Sam is all better minus a very busted driver’s seat (probably due to wear and tear riding on rough roads), and the four of us made it home safe and sound after all. Phew… what adventures we had, huh!
So things in Namib are same ol’, same ol’, except Nathalie and Kaitlyn have joined us now as well. They also arrived on Wednesday on the Intercape Bus. They said their ride was 27 hours long! Holy crapola… that’d be heck being cooped in a bus for 27 hours! Good on you, girls!
The Mascatos are all doing well and are busy with rehearsals for the musical. Mrs. Venter is still as strong as ever, running like the Energizer Bunny! Jen Kinghorn and the Scottish choreographer will be arriving this weekend to further add to the excitement! Woot… things are going to be on a roll as most of everyone’s focus will be towards the preparation for the production. Yay… I can’t wait!
My blessings to all back home! I do miss everyone and can’t wait to sing in choir again! Wow, I can’t believe how quickly time is flying by. I have only 10 days before I fly back home to E-town! Crazy nuts! Gah… gotta go soak up more of Namibia pronto! Ta ta for now! ;-)
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