Updated African blog with new photos and video clips

First off, let me just preface this blog by letting you know that I look like a big fat cow in the pictures because I am donning like three layers of clothing--it's winter here. I know that doesn't explain the fat in my face, but just go with it, please. When I return home Holly has promised to help me get into shape.;-) Eating the food has not been a problem--eating too much of the food has been a problem.

Wow! I have seen and experienced so much over the past couple of days. I believe I left off letting ya'll know that we were going to Robben Island, which held the prison camp where Nelson Mandela spent 18 of his 27 years as a political prisoner. Well, we made it to the island. It was a short boat ride from Cape Town to Robben Island--about 30 minutes.

The island is still inhabited by the people who work on the island and a few others. The majority of the island is inhabited by African penguins (also called Jackass penguins because of they sound like donkeys) and lots of large rabbits. They are doing construction on the prison cells where Nelson Mandela was kept, so we weren't able to see his cell, but we did a good idea of the conditions. The tour guides are all ex-convicts of the prison--they were all former political prisoners.

It was really interesting to get a tour of the prison from a person who actually lived through the experience (although he was there after Mandela was moved to another location). Here are some photos of the island, our guide from the prison, the penguins and the rabbits.


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We visited Table Mountain on Monday. It was absolutely spectacular. The day started off cold and cloudy. We were afraid we weren't gonna be able to see anything but the weather cleared as the day went on and we had fantastic views. It was a nice cable-car ride up the mountain. Here are some photos from Table Mountain.


We did something odd and off the beaten path Monday night--we had dinner with a local family in their home. This dinner was organized by our travel agent. It's supposed to give visitors a "behind-the-scenes" look into the local culture and community. Our gracious hosts were Ann and Reggie Johnson. Reggie was involved in the political movements and they both clearly remember Apartheid.



I want to mention something about race. Race is still very much part of the culture here in South Africa. And, to talk about race here is not taboo like it is in the states. People are very aware and proud of their race, but they also still classify each other by race. For example, there are three races in South Africa: whites, colored and blacks. None of the classifications have derrogatory meanings. The differences between the races can be defined as follows (according to Ann and Reggie): Blacks are the native Africans--they have prominant facial features such as full lips, high cheekbones and small ears; Colored people are people of mixed races--they have brown skin and hair more consistent like white people; whites are people of mostly European decent--most of them are not of mixed race and they are clearly white. I find the classification of people a little awkward to listen to but I not only heard it from Ann and Reggie (who are colored) but also from tour guides (blacks and whites) and store clerks and so forth. It was all very bizarre.

7-11-2007
Today we took a day-long tour of the Penninsula. It was absolutely breathtakingly beautiful. We visited the Cape of Good Hope, took a short boat ride to see the seals, went to the top of the cape, and finished it off with a visit to Boulder Island where lots of African penguins call home. I'll have to upload some more shots and videos of the various places, but here is a small sample:





We finished our shopping today in Cape Town. The store clerk that followed us around (as they do in all of the stores) asked me where we were from and I told him. I then asked where he was from. He asked, "why?" I told him because he had asked where we were from. He then told me Uganda. I took a gulp--having just seen The Last King of Scottland not too long ago. He then asked me if I had heard of it and I told him I had. He asked if I had heard about the genocides and I said yes. I then asked him if he was there during the genocides and he said yes. He said that he lost several family members in the killings, even his mother. I didn't know what to say to that. My heart hurt for him, so I told him so.

Here is another musician playing along the waterfront in Cape Town. Check out his guitar.

7-12-2007
This morning we visited Victoria Falls. The falls are about three times as large as Niagra Falls. Victoria Falls is considered one of the seven wonders of the world. They were absolutely amazing. We had to wear rain ponchos to keep us dry because of all of the mist from the falls. Hippos and croc's apparently like to live a little upstream from the falls but we didn't see any. Because the animals are wild here, they are free to roam wherever they like. However, some elephants and zebras used to get too close to the falls so they put up a wooden, makeshift fence to keep them out. Our tour guide told us that as a kid he used to see many elephants at the falls--which is very dangerous for the elephants.

Our tour guide was named Ntando and he is from here--Victoria Falls. He went to primary and secondary school here and then traveled to Bulawayo for his education in tourism. He said his professional education lasted three years. He was a very good tour guide and spoke about a major concern he and others in his country have--the fact that Americans won't purchase ivory. He said that elephants are so abundant in Zimbabwe and Botswana and surrounding areas that they are actually harming the environment. The elephants pull down the trees and drink up all of the water in the watering holes other animals depend on for survival. Animals cannot live in the trees and hide themselves from predators. There are over 150,000 elephants and thousands are being born every year. The people in the countries use the ivory from the elephants to make sculptures and other ornate souvenirs for visitors. The problem is that the visitors aren't buying the ivory because they think the elephants are being killed just for the ivory. Apparently there is another side to the coin I didn't realize existed. I still didn't buy any ivory, though. Here is a photo of Ntando (pronounced Dando).




We went for a sundown cruise on the Mighty Zambezi River tonight. We were picked up at our hotel and driven to the boat dock--which mainly consisted of a large pontoon boat tied up to a tree. We were greeted by native dancers/musicians. One of the dancers/musicians boarded our vessel and provided us with on board entertainment after the sunset. Before sunset, I spoke with him at length about his life. His name is Admire Mutinhima and he is the leader of the dancing group called Idwala Elikhulu Theater Production Services. He is from Harrare, the capitol of Zimbabwe. He went to school but never sat for his final exams, so he does not have his diploma. He created the entertainment troupe and began traveling, hoping to find success.

Admire Mutinhima:


Since Zimbabwe is virtually collapsing, he and the troupe needed to leave the capitol for more greener pastures so they traveled to Bulawayo--another large city in Zimbabwe. They found a little work there but nothing to really sustain and support them. A person they met there invited them to Victoria Falls--the tourist capitol of Zimbabwe. The group, Idwala Elikhulu, has been dancing for The Boma a famous local restaurant that tourists flock to for a taste of the local life. The Boma proved to be one of the highlights of the trip to Zimbabwe--although I wonder how much of it really was local and how much was produced for the American tourist--or any tourist, for that matter. There was dancing, bongos, and everyone was draped with a local cloth upon entry, local cuisine and just a jolly good time.

Mike and I met another couple, Debbie and Randy from Cincinnati, who were also staying at our hotel. Since we rode over together to The Boma for dinner we decided to share a table. Debbie worked for Delta and Randy was a high-school guidance counselor. They were both very nice and had just finished three safaris in Botswana. As we were talking and waiting for our appetizers (I mostly stuck with vegetarian-type meals) we heard Admire's voice. He was introducing his group and telling the fellow patrons about the dance they were about to perform. I could not understand his explanation, but I did get some short video clips of the group. Here are the videos:



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I asked Admire if he has some sort of business card or a postcard advertising his group and he told me no, but he does have an email address. I found that kinda funny. Anyway, he gave me all of his information. He is looking to travel internationally and hopes that someone will want to sponsor him and his group. If you are interested, just let me know and I will give you his contact information.

There was also interaction. A different group of entertainers passed out bongo drums for each person and we were given instructions on how to play. It was a call and response form of music. So, here is a photo of us playing the bongos and also a short video of Mike, Debbie & Randy playing along. I know the video is a little dark--sorry. The Boma was dark--it's basically a hut with a thatched roof, and part of it is open to the outside.







I almost forgot, we saw some animals while on our sundown cruise. We came across some Hippos, a couple of elephants, some crocs, warthogs and several types of birds. Here are some photos from the cruise along with some of the animals:





Friday, July 13, 2007

Today we left Victoria Falls and arrived in Johannesburg. I'm glad we went to Victoria Falls, but I'm also glad we are gone. The hotel shuts off power for four hours each day. Today, the power was shut off a little after 8:00am. We were scheduled to leave the hotel at 11:30am; since I didn't wake up until 7:45am, that meant I didn't get to take a shower before we left. Mike took a very quick one--but guys can do that sort of shit. It also meant no internet before we left. So, we decided to walk over to the bridge and crossed into Zambia. As we walked, I took several photos of the locals and a few short video clips. Women and men both carried oranges and other things on their heads (can you imagine the strength in their necks?!). There were baboons roaming about freely. Once we reached the bridge, there were several Americans gathered around to bungi jump from the bridge. I caught a video of it. So, below are several photos and video clips from this morning.






This is the business center I used to get the internet:

(Not!)


Now we are in Johannesburg. We have internet in our room and it is such a luxury. I have tried to give you a taste of what my life has been life for the past week. We are going on safari tomorrow. There is supposed to be internet at the lodge but given the history so far, I don't want to depend on it. I'll try and blog again as soon as I can. Thanks so much for the messages several people have sent asking about my trip! Y'all are so sweet! It's late here so I'm going to close for now. I'll talk to y'all soon.
--Paula

My South Africa Trip - Blog 1

Mike and I are in South Africa. The flights were long and tiring. We flew eight hours from Atlanta to Dakar, where we landed to refuel and make a crew change. We weren't allowed to deplane. Several Dakar airport personnel boarded our plan and searched it for explosives and other contraband. Afterwards, they walked through the cabin spraying an insectiside, which they claim was approved by the World Health Organization (WHO). Afterwards, the plan left for Johannesburg, another eight-hour flight. From Johannesburg, we changed planes and flew a little more than two hours to Cape Town.

We arrived in Capetown on Friday around 8:15pm--which, given the six hour time difference, made it about 2:15pm EST. We will be in Capetown from Friday through Wednesday, July 11th. On Wednesday, we leave Capetown and head to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe. Friday, July 13th, we leave Victoria Falls and head to Johannesburg. We will only be in Johannesburg for one night. Saturday, Juy 14th, we take a flight into the Timbavati Nature Reserve, which runs parallel to the Western border of the famous Kruger National Park. We will be on safari at Kings Camp until July 17th. We head back to Georgia at 2:00pm on Tuesday, July 17th, and arrive in Atlanta early Wednesday morning. This is going to be the trip of a lifetime!

Here is a photo of Mike in the Johannesburg airport. We were waiting to catch our flight to Cape Town.


In an effort to stay in touch, I thought I would try and blog pretty regularly while on this trip. So, if you'll forgive me, I'd like to start right before we left the house--on Thursday. Given the fact that I am a model consumer of highly-processed American food, I'm afraid my daily meals are going to be the main area of concern. I packed a box of Ritz crackers and some fat-free Pringles in case I can't find anything to eat. I also brought some Charmin mini packs because one never knows how to properly gauge the softness of toilet paper in foreign countries. A girl's gotta take precautions, you know.

I've been asking Mike about our flights and since you have to fly from one city to another here (because they are just too far apart), I was wondering if we would be on a plane with any chickens and/or goats. He just laughed and told me that I've been watching too many movies. Although, you have to admit, since we have to fly everywhere, I could definitely see the possibility of being on the same plan with someone transporting some livestock he/she plans to use for trade. You think? I'll be sure to let you know if there are any chickens or goats on any of our flights. I hope there is at least one, that way I can have the last laugh, not Mike. See, when you think of Africa and riding in planes, don't you think it's entirely possible that this little kid and his chicken could be sitting in the seat right beside of me on the plane? I do.


Anywho.....back to it. We arrived at our hotel last night and it's a nice hotel. We have an excellent view of Table Mountain right outside of our window. Here are a couple of pics that I took from our hotel window.




Breakfast was great. Since I'm such a picky eater I always wonder what they are gonna have that I'm able to eat. Seriously, I am the poster child for American high-fat, highly processed foods. When you depend on sugar and cabohydrates as your main form of sustenance, meals can be a major cause for concern. There were all kinds of foods from which to choose this morning. I'm always skeptical of eggs and meat at hotels, so I chose the more safe route. I had a roll with ham and cheese--nice. Question: if all chickens are more or less the same, and lay similar eggs, why are scrambled eggs more brown in foreign countries?

We thought it would be a good idea to just make it a light day today since we were still kinda tired from all of the travelling, so we decided to hang out at the waterfront and take in the local atmosphere. There was mall, much like our malls with several stores selling inferior products at superior prices. We didn't buy anything today but scoped out some definite gift possibilities. As we were walking about, we came across some young dancers performing for the crowd. Here is a little video I shot of them. They were young and full of energy. They looked a little too young to be moving the way they moved, but I guess that's how it goes. I'm sure it's just because I'm old and only getting older.





Right behind the dancers was a section of ground skirted off with several inflated animals and jump castles for the youngsters. The inflatable animals were from Atlanta's own Cartoon Network--they were of Scooby Doo and his pals. America is everywhere. As we were walking through the local crafts market (which very closely resembled an international market in the states--with lots of cheap trinkets sold by people who also offer to read your fortune and give
you a quick foot massage--we ran across an item that must be a foreigner's interpretation of true American culture. It was a coin-operated machine that seemed to promise the true American experience. It came complete the Confederate battle flag.


We also took a nice little stroll through the aquarium here. We watched a fish feeding and learned some things about sharks--particularly snaggle-tooth sharks. The message basically consisted of telling us that most people are ignorant about sharks and they are far less dangerous than we think. There was a creative educational video playing on our way out of the aquarium that did an excellent job conveying the mesage. I didn't record it, but I found this recording on YouTube.



To take a break from all of the walking we decided to see if there was a local theater--there were two: an arts cinema and a regular, mainstream theater. We opted for the arts cinema and saw the movie Shortbus. The film itself is very risque and it does show actual sex acts, but I do think the movie was very well done and it was interesting. Everyone in the movie was searching for something in his/her life and the common bond that united all of them was sex, whether it be with each other or by themselves. I love movies that show the vulnerabilities of everyday people in everyday situations. I think we often try to be more than what we are and when we don't live up to our expectations we feel depressed or disappointed in ourselves. Always wanting something more than what we currently have or had is an interesting part of human nature and I like it when
movies explore people's actions in trying to attain that something. This was one of those movies.


It looks like a travelling documentary film festival is also coming to Cape Town in a few weeks. So, if you're in the area be sure to check it out.


Tomorrow, we are going to Robben Island. This is the island where Nelson Mandela was jailed. We will see the actual jail cell where he was held as a political prisoner for over twenty years, finally getting released in 1990. After his release, Mandela was voted president in 1994, after receiving the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993. Even though Apartheid was legally put into place in the 1940's, the oppression did not really end until the election of 1994, with the appointment of Nelson Mandela. So, the end of segregation is really young here. But, enough with the overly simplistic history lesson. We're gonna get on a boat tomorrow and go to an island. We're also gonna get to see the African (jackass) penguins that populate the island--SWEET! You know, penguins are my favorite animals.

One final picture for you (from the waterfront):

Admission Esaay

Hey, guys.  I just want to say thanks to everyone for reading my blogs and being so supportive of me.  Several people have responded to me with personal messages and I just want to say thanks.  Y'all are great thinkers!  I love your comments.

Wyn had suggested that I write some things about my life.  I've written several stories about various parts of my life over the years (not here on MySpace) with the intention of publishing a book one day but the stories are all incomplete.  I do have an admission essay that I think is compelling though, and I thought I would put that on here.  Let me preface this by letting you know that this was written in the early part of 1997.  I was attending Georgia State University at night and teaching phlebotomy during the day.  I had just met Mike and we had been dating for a few months.  There are several typos and grammatical errors, so please just overlook them.

I was applying to Agnes Scott College--a small private liberal arts school for women.  I had to write about a time that changed my life.

I remember driving home from my mother's house one day when I was about 19 years old.  It must have been late spring because the flowers were in full bloom and the trees were green with all of their leaves.  It was not sweltering hot yet, so I know it wasn't summer.  I was married to an abusive man who thought the struggle in life was to remain within the poverty threshold so they wouldn't stop the food stamps or kick us out of our subsidized housing.

            Growing up I did not experience being poor, or doing without, so this new environment took some getting used to.  I never remember sitting in my room as a child envisioning my future of being, or becoming, a welfare recipient.  I don't ever recall saying, "I want to be a tax-taker instead of a tax-payer when I grow up."  But, somehow, that was what I had become.

            As I drove home, I remember thinking about how unhappy I was, and I knew that, without a doubt, this was not the life I wanted for myself.  But, I did not know how to change it.

            The sun was beaming down on me through the windshield and, since I didn't have air conditioning, I had the windows rolled down.  I could smell the sweet scent of honeysuckles, they were everywhere in Tennessee.  I started looking at all of the nice little houses, with their manicured lawns, as I drove.  Then I started seeing everybody zooming past me in their newer model cars.  That's when it happened.  I made up my mind that I wanted one of those cute little houses and a nice car.  Even more, I wanted the hope of a future that came with those houses and cars.  But in order to obtain those things, that would mean having to become educated and work every day, and possibly lose those well-earned food stamps.  I knew it would never fly with my husband.

            When I got home and walked through the front door of my low-income apartment I felt something I had never felt before, or at least not paid attention to.  I knew that apartment was not my final destination.  That apartment was no longer my home.  I knew, for a fact, that this was only a temporary stop.  Knowing that felt good.  But now since I had a new found future for myself, what was I going to tell my welfare-professional husband?

            I didn't tell him anything.  The next day I got up and left the house before he awoke.  I went and got a job at a convenient store called Jet.  I was thrilled.  When I went home to tell him the good news, he glared at me and told me that I could not work there.  He told me that he would do everything in his power to stop me.  I didn't let that discourage me though—I started work the very next day.

            After working for about a week, and my husband realizing that he was not going to be able to keep me from it, he hit me.  I guess he thought if he made my face look all beat up, I would be too ashamed to go to work.  But I wasn't.  In fact, after the hitting stop, I called the police, he was arrested, and I moved out of that apartment.  I went to live at my grandmother's house and continued to work.

            Eight and a half years later, here I am.  I've been working consistently and going to college at night.  I have been raising my two kids and paying a mortgage for about a year.  I bought my car two years ago—new.

            The drive home from my mother's house had a significant impact on my life.  For the first time in years, I saw where I was going.

Agnes Scott granted me admission.

More thoughts on boredom

If happiness is achieving meaning in your life, and you repeat that feeling over and over again, wouldn't the meaning eventually become meaningless?  How can you grow as a person or a being if you never become bored?  I don't necessarily think boredom is bad: it can be indicative of growth and opportunity.  Don't you think?

I heard a story once about Mark Twain, I believe.  He had died and gone to heaven.  Once there, he asked St. Peter what there was to do in heaven.  St. Peter told him that he was able to do anything he wanted.  Twain replied that he had always wanted to play a musical instrument.  St. Peter showed him a cloud where he could go play the harp.  Twain went to the cloud and he began to play.  He was quite amazed at how easily everything came to him.  He spent hours listening to the various sounds he made playing different chords.  Twain played and played.  Then, he became bored and went back to St. Peter to find out what else there was to do in heaven.

I guess the point I take away from the story is that living (and apparently dying) is about learning how to constantly move and find new and interesting things in our lives.  Boredom helps us do that, I think, maybe more so than happiness.

I went to lunch with a friend of mine today and as we were riding along he glanced over at my arm and saw an indention.  He asked what that was on my arm.  I realized he was looking at the huge crater-like hole I have in the bend of (both) my arm(s), which I received from my early days of "donating" plasma.  I told him I used to donate and he asked me why.  "Because I was poor," I answered.  Seriously, I used to donate my plasma twice a week, for money.  I believe I used to get $10 for the first donation of the week and $15 for the second donation in the same week.  I didn't enjoy donating plasma, but I was in a horrible marriage at the time and my husband wouldn't work and he had gotten me fired from several jobs, so I couldn't work either.  Donating was a way to get a quick buck, which was always one more than I had in my pocket.

I'm not trying to turn this into a sad story, but instead, I think it was boredom that helped lead me to change my life.  I knew I wanted more out of life and more importantly, I knew that I could have more.  I grew up as an army brat, so it's not like I grew up really poor, watching my parents struggle which then just dumped me into an under-achieving lifestyle.  It's really quite the opposite.  I think growing up in the military actually afforded me opportunities a lot of kids didn't have.  I was continually exposed to various cultures and lifestyles.  I traveled quite a bit--visiting the Acropolis when I was 13, and venturing into East Berlin when the wall was still up, guarded and used.

I think it's because of all of this that I am easily bored.  I am lucky to have had such a rich, culturally diverse life and it's the "everydayness" in life that gets to me.  I know that probably sounds selfish and spoiled, but I really don't mean for it be that way.  So, I can blame my need for constant stimulation on my parents.;-) Just kidding.  Seriously, though, maybe it's the downtime, through the boredom, that helps me to find my next bout of happiness.  The one problem still exists though--dealing with others.  We share experiences with others and need others in our lives to help us get from one place to another, but dealing with them can be quite an experience.

In my boredom, I'm afraid that I hurt people.  For example, I know that my current work situation is putting a strain on my relationship with my husband.  Don't get me wrong, he's very supportive and a wonderful man, but nonetheless, it's a wrinkle.  I'm staying in Atlanta during the week and going home on the weekends.  He doesn't want to move and I don't want to push him to move, so I guess this is a compromise.

It was from my boredom of staying at home (after quitting my last job) that led me to a new job that is not boring.  I'm happy when I am working (most of the time).  When I'm not working, then I'm constantly trying to find something that is as fulfilling as working--which is very difficult to do.  When you have something in your life that is very fulfilling, but you can't do it all of the time, dealing with that "off" time can be difficult.

Anyway, I don't really know where this blog is going tonight but I just felt like writing.  But, following the logic I employed at the beginning, I will most likely become bored with my current job and search from something else.  My history seems to suggest that usually happens in three-year increments.  I don't know if that is because of my military upbringing (serving three-year service terms in one location) or not, but it does seem to be a pretty consistent pattern in my life.  Dealing with the people in my life have been in much shorter increments.....I think I get bored with them much quicker.

Just some thoughts

Help me out.  I'm in one of those moods that make me question everything.  I don't think I'm exactly depressed, just more bored and wondering (about happiness) is all.  So, please take a moment and share your thoughts with me.

What is happiness to you?  How do you know when you're happy?  How do you handle the open spaces inbetween the happy moments, like when you stop being happy until you start being happy again?  What do you think is "normal"/"abnormal" about it?  Is being happy important?  What (if anything) is more important than happiness?  Are there different types of happiness?  How do you measure it?

Okay, that should do it.  So, whaddya thinking?

****Update as of 6/10/2007

Well, no one has responded to my questions, so I thought I'd try to reword a couple of them, or explain a little bit about why I'm asking them.

I think I am naturally predisposed to be negative.  I fight it but I think the negative emotion/thought is the recessive/dominant gene, or trait in my personality.  I think I come by this naturally--my mother and grandmother are/were both negative people.  I think my father's side of the family is/was less so, but some negative qualities exist and when they combined with the plethora of maternal negativity, it resulted in me.

Both of my kids also have it.  We are on a little trip right now, enjoying a few days away from work and getting to spend time with each other (including new little Brianna).  We got here yesterday and Shane and I were able to have a conversation about some things and it got me thinking, resulting in this blog.

As soon as we arrived, everyone went to sleep, except me.  I was excited to be here so I went and walked around.  Then I got mad.  I got mad because everyone else wasn't as excited as I was and that they all preferred to sleep.  Now, I know that is immature and unreasonable, and somewhat spoiled, but nonetheless, that's how I felt at the time.  Then I started questioning myself, and I wondered why I was not focusing on being there with my loved ones and enjoying that, as opposed to being negative and unhappy with them for not feeling the same way I did.  Which then led me to thinking about the idea of Happiness.

I guess I want to know at what degree does happiness become a determining factor in decision making, and likewise, at what point does the lack of happiness drive a person to act.  And, furthermore, should happiness even be a factor when deciding whether or not to act--for example, when it is juxtaposed to Duty.  If something is someone's duty, does/should happiness play a role in the decision-making process?