Oh hey there blogosphere

So, it’s been a while! But life has been good—and Cape Town continues to treat me excellently.

It’s somewhat difficult to think about what to say, not because I think my days are mundane (because lets be real—I generally avoid boring at all costs), but because everyday life is sometimes difficult to put into words. What have I been up to? Umm…I don’t know…STUFF! :)

Let’s start with work—the past month I’ve been doing interviews with key people who were involved in creating this specific health policy I’ve been researching. I was kind of nervous the night before my first interview, but I was able to relax after a long Skype chat with my professor back home. It’s weird talking to you guys back home—seeing familiar faces set in familiar settings is a little surreal through a webcam.

So for my first interview, I met up with [this person] at [this place] and travelled with them to first attend an NGO coalition meeting where [this person] was briefly explaining a different policy about community health workers (CHWs) to NGOs and individual CHWs at their annual meeting. I won’t get into CHWs because it’s long and I wouldn’t want to bore you with policy jargon (even though it makes me sound really important and well informed).

Longish story shorter—we chatted, I learned more about the policy, and I went on my merry way.

I’ve had a few more interviews after the first one, but like most everything else I’ve encountered working here, I’ve learned to be flexible and change my game plan at a moments notice. After the initial interview, my other “informants” didn’t really know anything specific about the policy! I’ve gotten to a few meetings, realized instantly that they’re not the person I should be talking to, and have to improvise my entire interview. Which has actually still turned out to be helpful—the best info is sometimes what people tell you that you wouldn’t expect anyways.

My favorite interview so far wasn’t because of the information gleaned, but the location of the interview. I took the train with a friend down to Kalk Bay—a fishing town about an hour away from Cape Town, absolutely gorgeous and just a really cool little town.

One side note: It’s been really frustrating to hear about people’s qualms about public transportation here—believing that if I ride a minibus or take the train I’m sure to be mugged, attacked, or experience other forms of violence. Chill out people. If you’re smart and take the normal precautions anyone would in any city in the world, then public transport here is no less safe than DC or Kigali. But just for Dad’s concern—I never take an empty minibus or train car, or travel at night. You’re welcome.

Anyways. That’s been work. Fun times.

Other than that—I’ve had to say goodbye to most of my friends at the guesthouse and watch them fly away back to Germany. It’s sad saying goodbye to people knowing that in all likelihood, we’ll never see each other again. Such is life.

Every Saturday we always go to the Biscuit Mill--this really fantastic market with fresh veggies, cheeses, baked goods, and unbelievably delicious sandwiches, crepes, burgers...the list goes on and on. It's a good tradition.

The other week, my roommate, her boyfriend and I (you know you’re good friends when you don’t feel like the third wheel out to dinner with a couple…) went to the Mt Nelson Hotel for Wine and Dine. And yes, it was exactly as pretentious as it sounds and still absolutely amazing. Each month, this really fancy hotel showcases a South African wine farm by pairing a six course meal with their different wines. The family comes to the event and talks about the wine and the farm throughout the meal.

This was our second “wine and dine,” and THIS time, I learned not to drink ALL the wine they give you (seeing as the continuously refill them). Being quite drunk in an incredibly fancy dinner is an unsettling feeling.

I feel like that’s a perfect way to end this entry.