Disconnecting and Embracing the Experience

The first day I arrived, my cell phone was not working.  I felt like a crack addict craving her next hit.  Not only was I concerned that my paranoid mother would go crazy if she was unable to get a hold of me, I was not used to not having immediate access to things.  Since I have been here for almost two weeks, I am slowly disconnecting from the crackberry and internet (except for work purposes) so that I can enjoy all that I can with the great opportunity I have been afforded.  I've gone for runs almost every day since I've been here in the Botanical Garden.  It is such a wonderful place and reminds me of Prospect Park in Brooklyn.  People oftentimes have weddings in the park, and it's also used as a venue for outdoor concerts.  The ducks pay you very little attention as you run by and the lake gives you  just the right amount of breeze to cool you down as you run through the trees.

The first time I embarked on a run through the park I thought I was going to have an asthma attack and I don't even have asthma.  Brie forgot to inform me that the drastic change in altitude would affect my breathing.  At one point, I felt like a football player having the practice sled rammed into their chest.  I could not get my breathing under control due to the dryness of the air.  On the first day, I walked more of the trail than I ran.  Every day, as my body adjusts, my running has improved and I now run the entire 5K trail without having to walk and catch my breath.

After a run one day, we headed to the farmer's market in Parktown, called Jozi's (short hand for Johannesburg) Farmer's Market.  There were not as many vendors as I usually find at Eastern Market in DC, but most vendors had samples for you to try.  I purchased a jar of orange and whisky marmalade, homemade chicken vegetable soup, and a bottle of homemade concentrated lemonade which tastes great with seltzer water. 

My food choices here are basically just the same as they would be in the States.  Since South Africa has such an array of people from different nationalities, you can find almost any type of food here (sans Mexican).  The food here is so much fresher than the processed foods I buy in the states.  I am not certain whether I have embraced different types of food here, or whether I've just adapted my pallet to what is available, causing me not to miss things that I can't get in the states.  Brie and I cooked the second night I arrived.  We had dinner with a great bottle of white wine.  One of the other pleasures of South Africa is that there are great vineyards.  Thus, one can get a fine bottle of wine for a very low cost (less than double the cost in the states). 


There are also some great boutiques throughout Joburg.  Unfortunately, the cost is just as high (and sometimes higher) as in the States.  The tailors her are really great, so I'm thinking of purchasing fabric and having something tailor-made.  I just have to come up with a design.


I have met some really fabulous people since I've been here.  And I have really learned he meaning of "it's a small world."  The six (or make it 3) degrees of separation is in full effect. There is a small group of black American attorneys who have formed a close-knit network here in Johannesburg.  They range in age and are very open to assisting me and getting me acquainted with SA. Some of them have been instrumental in exposing me to diverse legal work.  They cause me to believe that I could remain here permanently.