Hi folks!
Oh no, two weeks without writing--sorry about that! This will be a quick update. Thomas and I are heading out shortly to the climbing gym. Federico and Nany are very into outdoor climbing. We went with them and their friends Julie and Sam on Monday to a "wall" (outdoor rock) in Muizenberg. It was really fun to watch everyone climb up. It was Thomas and Julie's first time climbing outdoors and they did really well! I was tempted to join them, but I decided I would rather climb in the gym for my first time. So we're all going today! Don't think it'll become a hobby for me, but I'd like to at least try it.
School is rolling along. I've had a couple of meetings with the Learning Network, but I'm not 100% sure they are who I'll do my thesis with. It is a relief to know they are an option though! I have two big papers due in May, so I'll be relieved when they are over.
A few of my friends and I are planning a trip to Namibia in June. Has anyone out there visited there? Thoughts are welcome!
Yesterday I had my first driving lesson (to learn stick shift while driving on the left side of the road--two things I've never done before!) and it went really well. At first I wasn't sure if I liked my instructor. He seemed sort of disinterested. But he turned out to be perfect for me because he didn't really tell me what I was going to do next so I didn't have time to be nervous. He was very calm so I also stayed calm. By the end of the lesson I had driven us from Seapoint to Rondebosch and back through town up to Vredehoek, including being on the highway! I couldn't believe how much I got to do in one lesson. Thomas and I are going to practice in his car tomorrow and then I'll have another lesson next week.
Also, we had a nice Easter. We went to Annibale's house for a pot luck lunch. I made potato salad and we also had pasta and Zambian food. Yum!
For now, I'm keeping my same serving job. It's still mostly boring and I don't make too much, but I like the flexibility of it. I'm keeping my eyes out for other jobs and applying for stuff here and there as well.
Okay, time to go get ready! Love.
Showing posts with label the great outdoors. Show all posts
Showing posts with label the great outdoors. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Monday, April 11, 2011
Hello, America!
Writing to you all from sunny Cape Town! It's been a fun weekend. The weather has picked up a bit again and it seems winter will be delayed for a bit longer. Thomas and I seized what might one of our last opportunities to go to the beach this season and visited Camps Bay again on Saturday. Weather was perfect: hot and no Cape Doctor! That night we went to a new venue in town to see a couple of live bands. It was a very good time, especially since the 24 hour McDonalds was open afterwards...we weren't so lucky last time!
Yesterday was a very fun time. Thomas had the idea that we should have a braai which is basically a cook out or barbeque. He invited his friend Juliette whom I hadn't met before and Whitney, Federico, and Nany came as well. It was nice weather, good company, and Thomas the master chef made us some yummy steak rolls. :) It was the first time we had people over, so it was a lot of fun to play host.
The gym is going very well, although when Thomas is home it's hard to motivate myself to get up and go! I was very excited today because I realized I can now easily bend over and touch my toes--sadly that hasn't been so easy for many years! The gym also has the awesome spinning machines which basically lets you do the class by yourself. Tried it for the first time today and loved it!
As for school, I did meet with the health systems head, Lucy, and she thinks the hs track could be a good fit for me. I'm going to fill out the paper work this week and then it will be official. That means this is my last semester of biostats and possibly of epidemiology. I'm okay with that, since I really don't think those skills are going to be what I need for the type of employment I want. I'm glad I had the chance to consider the epi track though--I did enjoy the courses and they were interesting, but it just isn't the career path I see for myself.
Tomorrow I am meeting with a woman from the Learning Network for Health and Human Rights about my potential thesis project. If all goes well, I'll write another update soon with more details!
In other exciting news, my parents are talking about coming to visit some time over the next few months...so looking forward to it!
Have a great day everyone. Happy Monday!
Writing to you all from sunny Cape Town! It's been a fun weekend. The weather has picked up a bit again and it seems winter will be delayed for a bit longer. Thomas and I seized what might one of our last opportunities to go to the beach this season and visited Camps Bay again on Saturday. Weather was perfect: hot and no Cape Doctor! That night we went to a new venue in town to see a couple of live bands. It was a very good time, especially since the 24 hour McDonalds was open afterwards...we weren't so lucky last time!
Yesterday was a very fun time. Thomas had the idea that we should have a braai which is basically a cook out or barbeque. He invited his friend Juliette whom I hadn't met before and Whitney, Federico, and Nany came as well. It was nice weather, good company, and Thomas the master chef made us some yummy steak rolls. :) It was the first time we had people over, so it was a lot of fun to play host.
The gym is going very well, although when Thomas is home it's hard to motivate myself to get up and go! I was very excited today because I realized I can now easily bend over and touch my toes--sadly that hasn't been so easy for many years! The gym also has the awesome spinning machines which basically lets you do the class by yourself. Tried it for the first time today and loved it!
As for school, I did meet with the health systems head, Lucy, and she thinks the hs track could be a good fit for me. I'm going to fill out the paper work this week and then it will be official. That means this is my last semester of biostats and possibly of epidemiology. I'm okay with that, since I really don't think those skills are going to be what I need for the type of employment I want. I'm glad I had the chance to consider the epi track though--I did enjoy the courses and they were interesting, but it just isn't the career path I see for myself.
Tomorrow I am meeting with a woman from the Learning Network for Health and Human Rights about my potential thesis project. If all goes well, I'll write another update soon with more details!
In other exciting news, my parents are talking about coming to visit some time over the next few months...so looking forward to it!
Have a great day everyone. Happy Monday!
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Saturday Fun
Hello friends!
Apologies for not updating for over a week--it seems that time got away from me! My internet availability is a little patchy as well. This week I won't have much access, but Thomas is working on getting us a home connection so I should be a little more available to y'all soon.
Block classes are officially over! Last week was Introduction to Epidemiology, during which we focused on research study designs. I personally found this extremely helpful since I haven't actually done research before. I think I'll learn a lot from Epi and am excited to work more on the course. For my other classes, I have a couple of assignments come up, some of which I'm more excited about than others. Overall, I am still really enjoying the program and feel it is a good fit for me. School wise, this will probably be my busiest semester as I am taking four courses. Next semester I am planning on taking three and then I'll have to complete three more plus my dissertation over the following two semesters.
I've had more opportunities to spend time with some of my classmates. We're really blessed to have such an enthusiastic, fun group of people. Yesterday, a group of us went on a hike. If you're like Thomas, right now you are saying, "You went on a WHAT?" Okay guys, I know I'm not the most athletic person out there, but I figured the naturally beauty paired with being with the MPHers would make for a good time. And it did!
We went to Crystal Pools, which is near Gordon's Bay, about 45 minutes or so from the city. I got a ride from Eben (South Africa), along with his wife, Aldi and my friend Eliana (US). We left early, which turned out to be a good idea. The morning hike was nice and cool and we seemed to beat a lot of the crowds.
The concept of Crystal Pools is wonderful. You hike about 45 minutes on fairly flat terrain (save some spots where you make climbs up or down) until you reach the first pool. The pools are natural bodies of water and there are about six of them throughout the trail. So, once you finish a portion of your hike and are feeling hot, tired, and sweaty, you get to go for a refreshing swim in a beautiful place. That's my kind of hike!
We stopped at the third pool first. Once you reach the first pool, the next two are not very far, about fifteen minutes more for each. However, the hiking changes to be more steep. This made me nervous, but it turned out it wasn't actually too difficult. Katrine (who is from Denmark, but spent many years growing up in Princeton, as it turns out!), is a seasoned hiker and was really cool about explaining to me that it would actually be a lot easier to come back down the steeper areas than it looked (and she was right!). I was pretty exhausted when we reached the third pool but by the time we decided to hike to one of the higher ones, I was very refreshed and, perhaps the adreneline was kicking in, because I felt fantastic during that portion of the hike. I must've been channeling my dear friend Tamra, because suddenly the climbing and hiking felt wonderful instead of tiring. We had trouble finding the next pool, but I didn't mind. We climbed fairly high up into the mountain, which was probably my favorite part of the hike. Eventually we found our way over to what was either the fourth or fifth pond and we ate lunch and had another swim. Some people were climbing up the rock formations to jump or dive into the pools. Honestly, the pools were pretty deep, so it didn't seem too dangerous...but I'd rather just watch that part. :)
The hike back out was a little less fun, because we knew there was no refreshing pool at the end, haha. However, we made it! We were on the trails either hiking or swimming for about 8 hours and it felt pretty good to have done that. I won't lie, I'm feeling the burn today though!
That night was my friend Bob's (Zambia) birthday, so we went out to a little bar on Long Street. It was a good speed after a long day. We hung out on the large balcony which was very conducive to talking, although there was a live band inside. I got to chat more with Whitney (US) about the time she spent living in Liberia! I can't wait to hear even more about it. I love hearing about places other people have been. Vicarious traveling! I also met some of Bob's friends from outside of the MPH program, and they were just as warm and friendly as he is. Bob is one of those people you can't help but smile around and he brings a great energy to our group. After midnight I decided to make an early night of it and caught a cab home.
This week should be fairly relaxed. Right now I am enjoying a glorious breakfast at the Sidewalk Cafe, which is basically around the corner from our place. Not only is the food delicious, but the presentation is always gorgeous--today, my platter had a huge flower on it which was just lovely. I'm planning on trying to catch a taxi down to a nearby mall, just to browse and pick up a few needed things. Not sure how regularly the taxis run on Sundays, so if that doesn't work out, I'll probably skip the mall (the burn is making me not want to walk too much right now!) and relax at home. I only have Epi this week for two hours, so on the other days I'll be working on assignments and sending out my resume for part time jobs. On Tuesday we also have a meet and greet for graduate students and faculty.
Friday Thomas will fly home so that we can U2 in the World Cup stadium--very exciting!
Lastly, I would really like to know if there is anything in particular you would like to hear about in this blog. Although this is my first time living in Cape Town, it's a place I'm somewhat familiar with. So if there is something you'd like to know more about, please let me know and I will be more than happy to write about it!
Sending y'all love back home.
Apologies for not updating for over a week--it seems that time got away from me! My internet availability is a little patchy as well. This week I won't have much access, but Thomas is working on getting us a home connection so I should be a little more available to y'all soon.
Block classes are officially over! Last week was Introduction to Epidemiology, during which we focused on research study designs. I personally found this extremely helpful since I haven't actually done research before. I think I'll learn a lot from Epi and am excited to work more on the course. For my other classes, I have a couple of assignments come up, some of which I'm more excited about than others. Overall, I am still really enjoying the program and feel it is a good fit for me. School wise, this will probably be my busiest semester as I am taking four courses. Next semester I am planning on taking three and then I'll have to complete three more plus my dissertation over the following two semesters.
I've had more opportunities to spend time with some of my classmates. We're really blessed to have such an enthusiastic, fun group of people. Yesterday, a group of us went on a hike. If you're like Thomas, right now you are saying, "You went on a WHAT?" Okay guys, I know I'm not the most athletic person out there, but I figured the naturally beauty paired with being with the MPHers would make for a good time. And it did!
We went to Crystal Pools, which is near Gordon's Bay, about 45 minutes or so from the city. I got a ride from Eben (South Africa), along with his wife, Aldi and my friend Eliana (US). We left early, which turned out to be a good idea. The morning hike was nice and cool and we seemed to beat a lot of the crowds.
The concept of Crystal Pools is wonderful. You hike about 45 minutes on fairly flat terrain (save some spots where you make climbs up or down) until you reach the first pool. The pools are natural bodies of water and there are about six of them throughout the trail. So, once you finish a portion of your hike and are feeling hot, tired, and sweaty, you get to go for a refreshing swim in a beautiful place. That's my kind of hike!
We stopped at the third pool first. Once you reach the first pool, the next two are not very far, about fifteen minutes more for each. However, the hiking changes to be more steep. This made me nervous, but it turned out it wasn't actually too difficult. Katrine (who is from Denmark, but spent many years growing up in Princeton, as it turns out!), is a seasoned hiker and was really cool about explaining to me that it would actually be a lot easier to come back down the steeper areas than it looked (and she was right!). I was pretty exhausted when we reached the third pool but by the time we decided to hike to one of the higher ones, I was very refreshed and, perhaps the adreneline was kicking in, because I felt fantastic during that portion of the hike. I must've been channeling my dear friend Tamra, because suddenly the climbing and hiking felt wonderful instead of tiring. We had trouble finding the next pool, but I didn't mind. We climbed fairly high up into the mountain, which was probably my favorite part of the hike. Eventually we found our way over to what was either the fourth or fifth pond and we ate lunch and had another swim. Some people were climbing up the rock formations to jump or dive into the pools. Honestly, the pools were pretty deep, so it didn't seem too dangerous...but I'd rather just watch that part. :)
The hike back out was a little less fun, because we knew there was no refreshing pool at the end, haha. However, we made it! We were on the trails either hiking or swimming for about 8 hours and it felt pretty good to have done that. I won't lie, I'm feeling the burn today though!
That night was my friend Bob's (Zambia) birthday, so we went out to a little bar on Long Street. It was a good speed after a long day. We hung out on the large balcony which was very conducive to talking, although there was a live band inside. I got to chat more with Whitney (US) about the time she spent living in Liberia! I can't wait to hear even more about it. I love hearing about places other people have been. Vicarious traveling! I also met some of Bob's friends from outside of the MPH program, and they were just as warm and friendly as he is. Bob is one of those people you can't help but smile around and he brings a great energy to our group. After midnight I decided to make an early night of it and caught a cab home.
This week should be fairly relaxed. Right now I am enjoying a glorious breakfast at the Sidewalk Cafe, which is basically around the corner from our place. Not only is the food delicious, but the presentation is always gorgeous--today, my platter had a huge flower on it which was just lovely. I'm planning on trying to catch a taxi down to a nearby mall, just to browse and pick up a few needed things. Not sure how regularly the taxis run on Sundays, so if that doesn't work out, I'll probably skip the mall (the burn is making me not want to walk too much right now!) and relax at home. I only have Epi this week for two hours, so on the other days I'll be working on assignments and sending out my resume for part time jobs. On Tuesday we also have a meet and greet for graduate students and faculty.
Friday Thomas will fly home so that we can U2 in the World Cup stadium--very exciting!
Lastly, I would really like to know if there is anything in particular you would like to hear about in this blog. Although this is my first time living in Cape Town, it's a place I'm somewhat familiar with. So if there is something you'd like to know more about, please let me know and I will be more than happy to write about it!
Sending y'all love back home.
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