Commuter

NOTE: I'm going to alternate posts of text and pictures because of the state of internet at work.

I woke up this morning with a concrete goal, but with no ways of attaining it. I was due to be at work at noon, and the only idea of the office's location I had was the name of a southern suburb called Noordhoek- nothing more specific. Desperate for details and not having even a phone number to clarify, I browsed over my past email correspondence. There I found a lone phone number in the automated digital signature of my boss. Thrilled with this nugget of wisdom, I thought I was in the safe zone.

After getting dressed and eating breakfast, I headed downstairs to a pay-phone to call the number. I tried several times with my phone card, but with no success. The number was either nonexistent or was not allowed for some reason, at least according to the phone card people. "No problem!" I told myself, and decided to try the call at a call center that shared space with the basement internet cafe that I mentioned yesterday. When I got there, I attempted the number again, which I realized I had not been inputting correctly because of area code issues. Thrilled at the sound of a ringing line, I anticipated the moment of my enlightenment. To my dismay, all that answered me was... a fax line. Again I found myself at square one. As a last resort, I jumped on the internet and searched on google using the phone number I had- with no results. I began to search the name of the suburb with the organization's name- nothing. I even looked at the online South African yellow pages without answer.

Finally, I began to look all around the internet for anything even relating to "All Nations." What I came across was the blog of one of their employees that had a link to a website I had not seen or heard about- the All Nations website for South Africa. In it, there was an address in South Africa right near the suburb I had heard about. Oh, the joy! I felt like a regular Hardy Boy after such a detective-worthy quest. I wrote down the appropriate directions after looking it up on google maps and went on my way after posting yesterday's blog post. I now had a way of achieving my goal! I spent the rest of the morning getting a couple more groceries and going to an ATM before strapping myself into Aslan and making my way down the 8 levels of the parking garage and into the hectic streets below. Though my wipers did go on a couple times accidently, I successfully managed to get onto a main road and onto the highway without trouble.

The drive was pretty successful, though slow at times. At one point I found myself in the midst of construction, which delayed me, but for the most part I was pleased with the scenic nature of the commute. When I finally got to the online address (an hour later), I knocked on the door and was met by a curiousity-filled face and not an office in sight.

Not wanting to assume the worst when it may not be, in fact, the worst, I asked "Is this the Africa House (the name of the complex with the offices)?" The answer was no. But not all hope was lost! The place where I had a arrived was the guest house, and the real thing was only a short drive away. The resident, a kindly South African woman, gave me detailed instructions on how to get there and even called my boss to let him know that I was on my way. It really wasn't a long drive, and it was back towards the city, which made me feel better about my coming commutes. I followed the directions as best I could and finally ended up at the Africa House! It was a glorious moment.

I got out of my car and faced the large house, painted a bright yellow, with a large matching yellow wall. I pressed the button labeled "Office" and someone buzzed me through the gate. Seeing them through the window, I walked into the office and seeing that they didn't really have any idea of who I was, introduced myself as Derek Turner, their new intern. Though they responded politely, it wasn't as if they had really been expecting or awaiting my arrival. The man operating the office (not the same as the person I've been contacting) mentioned that he had just talked to my boss, who told him to show me around. Once he finished what he was working on, he introduced himself and began giving me a small tour around the grounds. As we chatted, it became clear that he had no idea whatsoever what I was there to do or what he wanted me to do. It was actually quite comical to have made this immense journey, full of unknowns and struggles, and arrive to people who seemed slightly surprised at my arrival and not having figured out my purpose.

Though it was surprising to be met with such a reception, I was just happy to have arrived there safely, and we began to sort some things out. For the short term, the director (I'm afraid I can't remember his name just yet) thought I could draw up some weekly checklists that people volunteering at the complex could use when doing chores. Among them was the gardener's duties, so I spent the next two hours surveying the land and figuring out how to organize the weekly tending of the plants as well as specific areas to pay special attention to. I made a map of the complex separating it into sectors and numbered them corresponding to a checklist. The director seemed happy with the final result, so I guess I successfully completed my first internly duty? To be honest, I quickly became just as confused about my purpose there as they were. For tomorrow, I'll continue with whatever tasks they can think of, but I think I'm going to take them up on the offer to "look for something I can run with" and work on that. I may or may not have my eyes set on their website...

For the time I was at the office, the boss did not arrive, since he apparently works from home. From what I could gather, he's the "big picture" guy who does most of the traveling and more conceptual stuff. Hopefully I'll be able to work with him a lot. I ended up calling him this afternoon after I got back and he says he'll be in tomorrow morning. Perhaps he will bring more clarity to the situation. Overall, though, it seems like a nice place to work- definitely not boring. I guess I just need to determine my main goals and run with them, since they won't be given to me on a silver platter. I want to make a difference in this organization, and I guess it's up to me how I do that. However, I still can't get over how hilarious this whole situation is.

After consulting with my new coworkers, I found out a quicker way to get to work which goes over a mountain instead of around it. Though it involves more elevation change, my way back was significantly easier and faster. I managed to get from door to door in 45 minutes flat. I guess I was right about the traffic- the whole time I barely had any while the other side of the road was crawling at some points. At the end, though, I exited too early and had to rely on my internal sense of direction and memories from walking around to get back to the apartment through overwhelming traffic. The amount of double parking that goes on here is astounding.

The important thing about this story is that I got back alive and well. It was probably one of the craziest and weirdest first days of work I've had, but it was fun and challenging. I'm sure the best is yet to come, and you'll be sure to hear about it. Thank you, Reader, for your attention, and I wish I could have you in my passenger seat as I cruise along a South African mountainside at 100 km/h listening to Cape Town radio- it's quite an experience.