Efficiency

With a newly repaired car and an eager mind, I drove to work yesterday. It ended up being what has become a normal day- Wake up at 7, leave by 8:30, get to work around 9, work until 12, have lunch, and leave around 4, getting home at around 4:40 and spending the remaining time either doing work for CTICE or reading until Toukam returns at 6, then dinner and more reading. I've come to realize that what we are living is the typical commuter workaday lifestyle, and I don't think it's too bad!

Though this may sound trivial, not having homework and just having to do your job from 9-4 every day really opens up your schedule, and since Toukam and I aren't really rooted in family and friends here in Cape Town, we don't have any obligations. We can take time to cook a semi-elaborate dinner, read a lot of books for pleasure, and just enjoy life. I'm not saying I don't enjoy life in the fast-paced demanding life at Columbia, it's more that I'm savoring the slower tempo of this current situation.

That being said, the last couple days haven't seen too much progress in Atlas Shrugged. On Tuesday night we took advantage of the inherent strength in numbers and ventured out into the abandoned streets to use our calling cards to connect back home. It was really nice to talk to a couple of my friends back home. I feel like I'm in some parallel universe- I'm essentially doing what all my friends are doing- hanging out, going to work, and wasting some time, but I'm doing it in this strange new place where everything is just slightly off normal. There are accents, no street signs, people on the wrong side of the road, and hanging out is called "jollying".

At work, I'm continuing to work with the insurance as well as compiling a directory of local restaurants, sights, and other things for visitors to Africa House. I've had enough experience interacting with businesses here to make the following hypothesis- if all of Cape Town's businesses were to be suddenly transported stateside, the majority would fail miserably. I say this because customers seem to have to nag potential suppliers to do their job. An example- All Nations is trying to order 30 Xhosa bibles from the Bible Society, and I have had to call them at least twice to ask them to please send me the invoice for the order so that we can pay for it. What kind of business operates so poorly that customers ask companies to be able to give the companies their money? And it's not an isolated occurrence- the insurance company is just as bad. I'm told things are a lot better in JoBurg, but in Cape Town, it is really stunning.

On Wednesday morning, we had an early start because I had to drive Toukam to the American embassy so that he could get his visa to go back to the US for a friend's wedding. The embassy ended up being right on my commute, so I took him there in time for his 8 AM appointment. The complex that housed the embassy was gigantic! It was just finished in 2005, and it takes up a large chunk of land in a suburb of Cape Town. They must be able to house at least 250 employees there, and I don't think it's the only embassy in this three-capitoled country. I ended up sitting outside the embassy, getting chastised for trying to use my computer and take a picture, while I waited an hour for the officials to sufficiently question Toukam and give him his unnecessarily-long 6 month visa for a weekend trip. I was reminded of how spoiled we Americans are because we can go into almost any country without getting a visa beforehand, while Toukam (a Camaroonian citizen) has to go to an embassy beforehand almost any time he wants to visit another country.

After that brief visit on American soil, I dropped Toukam off at a nearby train station (the train would get him there faster than trying to negotiate through the rush hour traffic) and I went to work. It was a nice way to start the day.

In Old School Adventure news, things are shifting around quickly! As of now, we're pretty sure that I will be getting off work on July 17, and that I will be flying out August 14 and Toukam on August 15. We are unsure of when Toukam will get off work. His contract says July 31, but we may be able to push it back to the Wednesday, the 29th. With that in mind, I'm rolling with the idea of my doing a solo trip before joining up with Toukam. After looking it up, I found that Toukam could take an overnight bus and meet up with me somewhere along the way.

Therefore, this is what I'm thinking. I'll drive up through Namibia, into Botswana, and back down into north-central South Africa, where I'll meet up with Toukam, after which we will continue east through JoBerg, and the rest of South Africa, ending with the Garden Route from Port Elizabeth to Cape Town. It's ambitious, but I think it would be just crazy enough to deserve the title of Old School Adventure. I'll be making a map soon.

Right now, the only problems in the way are: 1) The driving age in Namibia may be 21 (I've heard that from my guidebook, but the people in Drive Africa said that's rubbish and I could totally drive there) 2) We might be pressing it too hard and not allowing for slow-downs 3) The rendezvous in the middle of South Africa may be more difficult than it appears. I'm confident we'll find solutions to these issues, and I'll keep you posted.

For this weekend, I found out that it is probably going to be sunny on Saturday, so I booked Toukam and I for going cage diving with Great White Sharks! It's kind of close to my work, and it's 140 dollars for an afternoon trip, which includes all diving equipment and refreshments, as well as a small group going and lots of time in the cage if you want. It should be awesome! I'll get you more details as it comes closer.

Hope you're all doing well! Thanks for reading!