11 Things

Before I ever showered (lucky you)
Also, yes my room is that messy. Sorry Mom. 

1. I went for my first run in South Africa yesterday! For those of you who don’t know me, running is one of my biggest hobbies. I have run two 10 k’s and I was hoping to train for a half-marathon this past spring but an illness put a stop to my training. Finally feeling a bit better from my chest infection (more on that later) I decided to get out for a run. Was it short? Yes. Was is slow? Yes. But getting out for that run gave me time to reflect on my time here and I was incredibly proud of myself! 

2.  I have decided I am going to start posting recipes on this blog! I think it will be fun for everyone to see what kind of crazy kitchen adventures Ryan, Amelia and I have on a daily basis here. I am sure you will al learn about the different kind of food there is here... as well as our poor kitchen skills.

First recipe that will be coming soon!!

3. Going to the movies here is less than $2 Canadian. We are definitely going to see Batman this week. 

4.  This past week I had my first experience at a foreign clinic. After being sick for over a week and a half I decided that it was finally time to head to the doctor and make sure it wasn't anything too serious. The clinic was beautiful, the doctor was wonderful and I have a chest infection. I will be better after some 5-10 days and some antibiotics. So don’t worry... and here are some pictures of what doctor’s offices look like in South Africa.

5. The buff definitely has come in handy with night time entertainment with the South African interns. Last week we spent a good half an hour trying all the different ways to wear them and taking pictures. Here are two of my favourites.

Old school celebrity...

... and ninja!

6. This weekend Amelia and I got library cards! I can’t even describe to you how exciting this was for me yes, I know I am a huge dork. After signing up I got a cookbook, a book on yoga and two fiction books to tide me over. I am hoping to explore the library more when I have some time.

7. Amelia and I went to a book store this week and this sign in the cookbook section made me laugh pretty hard.

Vegetarian/ Omnivore... uhh isn't that just people who eat food?!?

8.  I read all the posts about something called The Naked Face project on this blog. I found them fascinating and thought I would share. The reader’s digest version? This woman didn't wear make-up, style her hair and shave her legs for 60 days and reflected on how it changed her. The posts are short and interesting, two great reasons to check it out!

Cool shots... and obviously a picture of the sandwich.

9. This past weekend Ryan, Amelia and I attended the Motocross finals in East London. We had a crazy adventure getting there (read all about it in Amelia’s latest blog post) and a great time there! This was my first time seeing Motocross races and I had so much fun. We watched bikes go off crazy jumps, saw people do some insane tricks and met a group of really cool guys from Durban. I also had an amazing patty-less burger.

10. This dog. I wish he was mine!!!!

11. Finally, I wanted to give a special shout out... to myself. I want to say that I am doing really well here and especially proud of how I am stepping out of my comfort zone. I am trying all kind of new things like going to Motocross, rugby games and drinking wine. I am also doing other things I might have been uncomfortable doing in Canada like dancing at the wedding. This experience is making me proud of myself and every day here I do things I would have never thought I was capable of. This CIDA internship has been an amazing experience so far and it is just the beginning.