New Beginnings in the City of Saints

I jokingly told my friends that if I got this job in Grahamstown I would start blogging again.

So here I am.

I also told them that I would start oil painting... but yeah, I haven't gotten to that yet.

I moved to Grahamstown (GHT or Gtown) on Wednesday 5 July 2017 . I took an over night bus on Tuesday and arrived bright and early on Wednesday morning. I had no plan really, just had my two suitcases and my backpack. I knew I needed to find a place to stay urgently. I spent the day apartment hunting until I decided that I should probably book a B&B  to stay the night and then start looking again the next day. I spent the night at Saints B&B which also doubles as an amazing restaurant . One night turned into two as I frantically started panicking about not having a place to stay. Eventually on Thursday I sealed the deal and on Friday moved into my new place. My new place was a student digs, or a commune which is essentially a bunch of students living together in a house or an apartment with a shared common area. I really enjoyed this place. I was able to just move in and not have to worry about any appliances or linen or anything but after 5 months I knew I had to get my own place.

On December 1, 2017 I moved into my own place. A bachelor apartment. I am not too excited about bachelor or studio apartments but I am comfortable with them as I've been living in them for most of my adult life. This apartment came with an amazing balcony which was really the selling point for me. I have been there ever since (1 year, 2 months and counting). As my needs change, however, I do plan to move into a bigger apartment next year.

Anyway, on to more exciting things - my experience here in Gtown has been really good to me. What was initially a career move has now allowed me to also growing as a person mentally and emotionally. I enjoy the quietness of small town living, notwithstanding the fact that this is a student town. The people are super friendly and there is always something to do. Like in May last year my friend and I started attending poetry sessions on the last Friday of every month. The sessions are hosted at this quaint coffee shop on the same street as my workplace. The poetry nights are a great way to meet people but also to engage with poets and artists.

On the last Wednesday of every month I also attend Science Cafe which is similar to poetry but consists of scientists talking about the latest developments in science. This is obviously not my area of interest, but it's interesting to hear about what is happening.

I don't want to prolong this post but I will checking in with updates about my life here in Grahamstown and things I get up to.

The Last Din Dins Until We Meet Again

So after a great and totally random weekend in Durban, I just had to see my friend Reneldon one last time before he heads back to Korea. We had a very brief meet and greet on Sunday at uShaka Marine World so we made a plan to meet again last night along with lovely ladies Sam and Shefali. Sam is heading to Johannesburg on Saturday before heading back to America next week. Shefali was also in Korea but she's back to her hometown now which coincidentally is the same city that I live and work in now.

We decided to meet at 6pm at the mall and went to a nice restaurant called RJs. It's a steakhouse but it pretty much sells everything.  It was Hump Day so we had to behave ourselves (...not!!) (",)

It was bottomless rib night at RJs so Ren and I decided to eat with our eyes and ordered the bottomless ribs while the ladies got chicken schnitzel and chicken cordon bleu. The chicken schnitzel (I love that word) was fried in bread crumbs and bacon bits and topped with cheddar and mozzarella cheese. It was sooooo delish but I didn't end up finishing it! The chicken cordon bleu was also really delicious. It was a chicken breast stuffed with cheese and other yummy goodies.

After our yummy food we headed for more socializing.

We had an amazing time and Im so glad I got to see him! 

Mini Town

Part 2 of my awesome weekend, a follow up to part 1 'Give Me All Your Cheese' which was a summary of Lungee's birthday. Today I spent the day with another favourite friend - Rev (short for Reva, short for Revanidhi). Reva felt alive today but it was a different kind of liveliness. For a while now she has been wanting to explore Durban and everything this amazing city has to offer but she didn't want to do it alone. So of course she asked me to join her because she is well aware that I am always up for an adventure. It's what I decided after I got back from Korea - be a tourist in my own city. And now I have a partner in crime.  

As young people, our lives are on repeat, constantly. I think about Katy Perry's song Last Friday Night where she recalls the previous Friday night's activities which included singing on tabletops, taking too many shots, kissing guys, mixing up credit cards, getting kicked out of bars, streaking in the park, skinny dipping and then doing it all again this Friday night. That's pretty much the reality for most young people these days, so I was delighted when Reva contacted me and said she wants to be a tourist in her own city. It's refreshing to find someone who actually wants to see and do more than just drinking and staying out until 5am. We made an agreement to do something fun and touristy at least once a month. 

With that being said, our first stop on this new adventure was Mini Town. R20 for adults gets you in, children and pensioners R15.

Mini Town is listed as a tourist attraction in Durban. The thing to note though, is that Mini Town is not a miniature representation of Durban. While it does include many buildings which can be seen in Durban, it also includes a few buildings from other cities.

First sight of Mini Town. 

It was a glorious morning in Durban... the afternoon got a little overcast but I still managed to get some good photos.

Spar - Mini Town

Nedbank - Mini Town

Mini Town

A pic to demonstrate the actual size of the building(s). I'm seen here with the City Hall. 

One of my favourites is the harbour. The ships actually move. As you can see in the pic, there's a track underground which guides them. 

It was really nice walking around seeing remnants of Durban. Mini Town is at least 30 years old and includes buildings and landmarks of Durban from the 1970s. Obviously waaaay before our time.

Mini Town. 

Vodacom Network Tower 

Rev at the sugar factory. 

After a couple of hours wandering around, we headed over to Circus Circus at the beachfront for a yummy lunch. That's all folks, until next time!!! :) 

Give Me All Your Cheese

Two weeks ago, I had one of the most amazing weekends ever. It started on a very cold and wet Saturday when I met my friends Ruth, Thembi and Lungee for lunch. It was Lungee's belated birthday celebration (a month later!)... Truth is, we all forgot to do something for her, so Ruth had the idea of us having lunch together. Prior to lunch, we went for a show at the 5D Theatre at uShaka Marine World. It's a fairly new concept in Durban but A LOT of fun! The first and only time I had ever been to a 5D show was in Singapore with friends Ren, Fay and Anthea. The idea of 5D is basically 3D on steroids. Added to the idea of feeling like you're in the movie are real-life effects, such as wind, rain, snow and moving seats. I managed to find a Groupon special for that very weekend. The normal price of a ticket is R40 but with the Groupon special I got it for R18. AWESOME!! 

We settled for lunch at Piatto at uShaka Marine World (Number 5: 26 Things To Do While 26). It's a nice restaurant with a great atmosphere. My favourite part of the restaurant is the deck overlooking the beach. On this particular day it was really overcast so I couldn't get any good pictures. The restaurant is Italian but they have a nice selection of grilled food (steak, ribs, chicken etc) and they also serve sushi... score! 

As the birthday girl, Lungee scored some free dessert. I guess we also expected the staff to stand around and sing for her until fireworks went off, but alas, no singing and no fireworks. Which was fine because we sang for her. Singing in public has always been embarrassing for me, no matter what the circumstances, but this was for a good cause. And we owed it to her for forgetting her birthday. 

Our waiter was really nice and his name is also Lungi ^^  He was really nervous around us and said the most random things. Not sure if he was being cute or just weird. 

We very politely asked Lungi, our waiter, to take a pic of us before we leave. He agreed and just before taking the pic he says: "Give me all your cheese!" ...WHAT??  That was so random but it made for a very fun picture. Definite highlight of the day. Another  highlight for sure, was chatting, laughing and enjoying goooood food! 

That was my Saturday adventure, my Sunday adventure with Reva is coming soon... 

Durban: Reloaded

Loaded, reloaded and pumping y'all! I'm back in Durban and I haven't blogged in forever! There's been so much going on in my life but I decided today that I need to sit down and reflect on all that's been happening. I left Pietermaritzburg on Sunday officially. My uncle and two cousins drove me down to Durban with all my things. I lived in PMB for about 10 months so I accumulated a whole lot of stuff!!!

I've actually been really blessed since returning from Korea. When I returned in March last year, I was at home for 4 months while looking for a job. I used the time to unwind and reconnect with family and a few friends I still kept in touch with. As much as I enjoyed it, it's a very scary process trying to readjust while also looking for a job and pretending that you're on top of things. With the help of my uncle and cousin I was fortunate to land a job at a college in PMB as a lecturer/trainer (in July). I got the job because of my English teaching 'experience' in Korea. It was a one year stint that was going to end in June this year.

While in PMB, I continued looking for other available jobs but found none and then in March this year a friend posted on FB about internships available at the local municipality and obviously having a degree in law, I jumped at the opportunity.  After just 3 days I got the job but unfortunately I had to mission between PMB and DBN for 6 weeks until I eventually found a place. I was glad I found a job just 2 months before my contract at the college was going to end. I don't know if I want to be in local government but it's certainly a good place to start.

God really blessed me with an awesome apartment that is literally 3 mins to work! I'm also glad to be near the beach again and the fact that I'm also near the Playhouse Theater won't hurt either.

Can't wait to get in with some Durban vibes again and reconnect with old friends! It's not exactly Korea but I have to make the most of where I am.

Will keep posting and updating on all the awesome, fantabulous stuff I get up to ^^

The Wild Coast Just Got A Whole Lot 'Funner'

The Wild Coast of KZN just got a whole lot funner. That's right, funner! Last Christmas my family and I decided to head out to 'Wild Waves' a fairly new development at the Wild Coast Sun. The waterpark opened about 2 years ago and costed a whopping R80 million rand to build! The park is located at the Wild Coast Sun Casino & Resort in Port Edward which is about 25 - 40 mins on the freeway from Port Shepstone.

We visited Wild Waves on December 26th - 'Boxing Day' and spent the whole day there. During peak season it is advisable to get there really early because when we got there around 08:30 there were already about 200 people waiting in line to buy tickets! Thankfully, because of their efficient service, we were out of the line and had our tickets in about 20 minutes.

Entering the actual park where the securities check your bags and body search you. 

First impressions...Transported to another world!!

Prices:

In- season
R130 for adults and children over 1.2m in height.
R65 for pensioners (over 60 with ID) and children under 1.2m in height.

Off-season
R100 for adults and children over 1.2m in height.
R50 for pensioners (over 60 with ID) and children under 1.2m in height.

# Children under 3 are completely free ^^
# Guests of the hotel pay just R10 to enter - score!!

There are also various discounts for MVG members.

Great swimming pool for the kids.
 It goes up to 1.5 meters deep so it's okay for adults too lol 

Over all I was more than satisfied with my experience but here is a quick summary of the pros and cons of the park:

Pros:
- Once - off payment at the gate. Thereafter free access to all the rides. Perfect for a full day of fun in the sun.
-  The park has 2 Wimpy outlets located inside so getting great food is quick and easy (this is a pro and a con).
- Great chilling spots. Amazing recliners, table and chairs and so forth. You can bring your beach/camping chairs if you want but there are some recliners, tables and chairs that are available.
- Major pro - The park is private. This means you have to pay to get in. This means that you can enjoy the facilities with other decent, like-minded people that want to have a good day out with their families. You don't mind paying the entrance fee knowing that it's extremely safe and extremely clean. There are cleaners constantly walking around ensuring that everything is clean and in order.

Cons:
- During peak season the parking gets full quickly so another car park is used which is about 300 or 400 meters away. There is a shuttle service between the park and car park but you are allowed to drop your stuff off at the main park gate before going 400m away to park your car.

- Major con- you aren't allowed to take any food into the park. We managed to smuggle some snacks in but other than that we weren't allowed to take any of our drinks or food. As mentioned above, there are 2 Wimpy outlets but it's unreasonable to assume that everyone will want to eat fast food. It's also expensive if you're a family of 16.

- There are some vendors selling snacks but avoid them unless you're okay with paying exorbitant prices.

Lazy River...  My favourite part of the park ^^ 

Lookin' fab on the tube.  I LOVE lazy rivers! 

The park is open 7 days a week from 09:00 to 17:00.

For more info on the rides that are available you can check out their website.  

My Year In Pictures 2010 (Part 1)

This has been a long time coming. When I first got to Korea in 2010 I decided to start a scrapbook but that didn't go too well because I didn't have the discipline. I decided to stick to what I love more and that's photography. For that reason I decided to turn my scrapbook into digital format by creating a video slideshow of my life in Korea.

It was an exciting project that I was working on and it kept me up at night for many long hours.

This segment goes through my first 6 months in Korea- experiencing snow for the first time, experiencing Korean food and culture for the first time and so forth. This was pre-dslr so my photos are lookin' a lil dreary.

Hope Y'all Enjoy! Part 2 coming soon!