A typical shuttle experience through May’s eyes

Right now I do not have a car so there are shuttles that the company offers to the employees and they come pick me up. It is quite interesting and entertaining…It is one of my top highlights about going to work every day. They drive aggressively and swerve every which way, like a carnival ride  Earlier this week, my shuttle was suppose to pick me up at 7:30am and it never came. So I left the curb at 7:50am to get coffee and was back at a little after 8am to wait for the next shuttle at 8:30am. When it picked me up, I told him that he forgot about me. His response was “I didn’t forget, I was there at 7:35am and there was a car in front of me so I couldn’t stop and I didn’t see you so I left.” There was no way he could have not seen me, I was sitting in plain sight…but the comment about the car in front and him not being able to stop, was hilarious! Another trip was driving home one night and the shuttle driver was giving me phrases to say in Afrikaans and I was repeating them. He asked I knew what they meant and I said probably pick up lines or asking for sex….and everyone in the shuttle started busting up laughing. He asked how I knew…and I just gave him that look that said “I know how you men think.” Yes, the shuttle rides are fantastic!

Weekend

Friday night I went out to dinner with a bunch of co workers. The restaurant was right across from work and had really good sushi. I don’t think I have ever ordered that many bottles of wine, but by the end of the night we had ordered 6 bottles and drank it all! Food is cheaper here and that is WONDERFUL! One thing that was different than normal was that in our group we discovered that we had an Olympic gold medalist. This person was in the 1988 Olympics and won 2 gold and 1 bronze. Work people keep getting more interesting by the day! I am loving that. We then headed to the Roxy Bar and where many kept partying and I enjoyed the entertainment and random men coming up and singing karaoke. The ceiling at this bar had these art pieces that glowed in the dark and were just a neat accent to the place.
Saturday I walked to the Greenmarket Square where there are a lot of arts and crafts items made from the locals. It challenging to look at all this stuff and trying to decide to buy it knowing I would have to somehow bring it back 2 years later…haha. Around that area was also this homeless lady who was blind but was sitting on the corner singing songs about Jesus. It was really sweet to listen and watch and people weren’t mocking her or offended as some people might have been in the US. I then walked to the Central Train Station and Golden Acre area where they sells lots of cheap junk made from China but they had these cute kids dancing on the street. They were from some local community group but were dancing for money and I could have watched them dancing all day long. I ended my evening with pizza that people from my shuttle recommended. I think Zeeks is better in Seattle, but I am sure I will find a place somewhere here

Altoids

As most of you know, I have a deep love for Altoids. Before leaving the states, I loaded up and ended up packing over 60 boxes in my suitcases  Some things may have been left behind because I couldn’t fit them in the suitcases, but eliminating the Altoid boxes wasn’t an option. Thanks to some amazing girls from my Ladies Bible Study, I was able to bring a variety of types and today I decided to share my love with my co-workers. There are several that really love the mints, and there was one lady who fell in love with my peppermint type. She told me later today that she went into my office and saw the box but was disappointed to see that there were no mints left…so what did she do….she told me she dumped the crumbs that were left into her hands and licked it…I created an addict with one box of altoids. Oh my I was laughing so hard! I feel like I could already have finished my time in Cape Town because I introduced them and got them addicted to these wonderful mints!

Words I am learning

S.A lingo/ US Lingo
Braai = BBQ
Robot= light
To Let = To Rent
Flat = apt./house
Self cleaning = hotel w/ a kitchen
Cheers = goodbye
Ya = Yes
“Zed”= Z
Energy = calorie
Air con = air conditioner

Me: I learned some new South African words this weekend
co-workers: what?
Me: Shag
Co-workers: sex
Me: in the US that means to go catch a ball, and hooter
... Co-workers: means horn
Me: In the US mean Boobs
Co-workers: What do you call hooters in the US
Me: Horn or Honk
Co-workers: That is no good either sounds like Bonkers...and Bonkers mean "to get your bonkers on.."

Oh my so much to learn :)

Work

I survived my first week at work and the group is pretty great so far. I think that I will be able to contribute a lot and also learn a tremendous amount from them. Saturday night a bunch of the HR team took me to an African restaurant called Ocean Basket in which it has cheap but good seafood. I told one of the girls that everyone in the states would probably get to know her as awesome. She is engaged and her fiancé is a pirate hunter…no joke!! He is in the military and right now is hunting pirates, can you say AWESOME!!! Not only that, this girl really is amazing. She is trained in Opera, has the cutest dimples, and just hilarious! Sunday I got the amazing opportunity to work and interview candidates all day, can you say LOVED IT! (Can you hear the sarcasm?) Sunday night I got to meet up with a wonderful woman who I was introduced through from an amazing lady from Seattle. She took me to her church and just has been a blessing in helping me during this transition. It has been a good first week...stay tuned for whats next...might include some wine and cheetah petting!

Drive around the coast

My boss called me up a couple of Sundays ago and asked if I wanted to see the coast…of course I said yes! We started the Coast drive in Muizenberg where I got to see some whales! We got out of the car and just stared at them for like 15 minutes. It was pretty neat to see them so close to the shore and just basking in the sun. This town is also where there are the colorful huts that you may have seen on postcards. We then drove through Fish Hoek (has the warmest water to swim in) and Simons Town (cute town that also has some kind of dog statue in memory of a dog that apparently was loyal to the military so when the dog died it was given a military funeral!) We then stopped at Boulders Bay and got to see penguins and a dundi (brown animal that is somehow related to the elephant...) I am looking forward to going back to that beach because you can also go swimming and the penguins will swim around you all in the wild. We then drove through the front entrance of the Table Mountain National Park in hopes of seeing some wild baboons…but no luck. We continued to Noordhoek (best surfing,) Houts Bay, and the last area which included Camps Bay, Clifton Bay, and Sea Point. I can definitely see myself living there at some point as it was absolutely spectacular! The beaches are so blue and beautiful. We were so lucky to get to see as many animals as we did and the weather was perfect. This drive for sure made me fall in love with Cape Town!!

Adventures of the last few days

Wednesday
• Stayed at The Strand for one night before transferring to another hotel. The view on the 14th floor was spectacular! I could see Table Mountain and Lions Head from my window, absolutely amazing!
• All the stores and banks close around 5pm…sad times. Dinner was nuts I bought at NYC
Thursday
• To get Internet you have to buy MB or GB…which is different and at first a little frustrating. Most coffee shops don’t have free access as in the US. This makes it difficult to post pics, but I will be able to do that once I start at Amazon
• Most people use cell phones as prepaid. They do not go by minutes but by “A time” which is
airtime, but no one can tell you how much time that allows you.
• Woolworths and KFC is popular here….I haven’t seen a Woolworth store since elementary days and these ones has clothing and food!
• My new place for the next 31 days is pretty sweet. It is a hotel that has all cooking amenities or as they say “self catering” suites.
Friday
• Went grocery shopping! They don’t have turkey but the fruit is unbelievably cheap!
• Everyone knows that I am from the “States” before I even talk…look forward to blending in at some point.
• Getting lots of whistling and “pretty lady” comments…pretty entertaining!
• Everyone says “Cheers” when saying goodbye…but every time they say it all I can think about is having a mug with good beer in it and clanking glasses 
• Went to the Waterfront and although there are a lot of tourists, the water is beautiful.
Saturday
• Had trouble finding the items I needed to get at just one store, had to go to several places to get what I needed. Guess this is common and I will learn the ropes of what to buy where.
• Went to the movies today…and you have to select your seats when you buy the ticket rather than first come first serve in seating. Also, you have to buy butter packets when you get popcorn, but they also have caramel packets!

Trip to South Africa

Packing and selling was extremely stressful and if it weren’t for friends, I would have had more meltdowns than I did. Kari might be a million miles away, but she was available for a call and to calm me down and help me think of what I could do when things seemed to not be working out. Tracey was my voice of reason when I thought my suitcases could expand and fit more than it really could. Deniz and Stevey were there to help me ship the items and dear Andrea was willing to accept my 127lb box for storage  Tasha and Kasea (with a K), thank you for handling my crying moments. Nikki, I cannot thank you enough for your help in packing the night before I left…people if you had seen my house you probably would have freaked out with the amount I still had..sigh. Thank you everyone that played a part in making this happen! Lastly, although you may not consider it a person, she was to me…Jasmine, my sweet, amazing car, I will love you forever. You were so good to be in SB and Seattle, and I am sorry I had to sell you.
It was such a blessing to have a quick layover in NYC on my way to Africa. It allowed me to process the transition between the stress leading up to leaving and the worry and concern about the unknown ahead. Getting to see Jen Velasquez, Lisa Kim, and Diana Mao was amazing! Lobster rolls, prayer, and carts with wheels was exactly what I needed. Thank you! As I left NYC the realization of what I was doing hit me. I started doubting this whole thing and although I couldn’t turn back, I kind of wanted to. In my freak out session, God continued to remind me that He is and will always provide. I got the whole 3 seats to myself on the 12 hour flight to Dubai. What a wonderful blessing to get to stretch out and sleep on such a long flight. Then…the the 9 hour flight to Cape Town, I was upgraded to Business Class and got unlimited glasses of Champagne, can I say FAVOR?! The last couple hours of the flight I played video games with the guy next to me…and lets just say we were not the quietest  It was such a relaxing trip, unreal to be honest.
I cannot believe I am in Cape Town, and cannot believe I get this opportunity. I am in awe of this whole adventure and what lies ahead. WOW!

Goodbyes are never fun

Leaving Seattle was more difficult than leaving SB…I think because there were some major people that were a huge part of my life the last two years in which I invested and they invested in my life and the season that I was in. Never would I have thought that I would end up in counseling but I would not have changed that time for anything. It was painful, but so worth it in the end. I will write more about that some other time, but T is a person that I will miss dearly. There are so many people that I consider dear to my heart, but there are several people that have changed me more than they will ever know or words can express. I had to say goodbye to a two wonderful women early Mary and PJ as they were heading to Uganda for a mission trip. Mary was the first person that I met at the City Church and has walked with me throughout the last two years, encouraging me, challenging me, and spurring me on. She is a treasure from Heaven and has the biggest heart for the Church and kids. I know that kids love me…but I can’t compete with Mary’s cookies that she gives the kids  I am going to miss Mary and her love for Nordstrom. PJ knows her calling that God has placed on her life and walks in that anointing and purpose. I have seen other women in ministry but she just has something special that makes me so excited and my Spirit say “YES” and “AMEN” for the calling that God has for His daughters. Worship will be different without hearing PJ in the background and getting “to hug her neck” as she always would say. My bible study ladies were such a blessing last year. It was such an honor to lead with Erin and was such a blessing to have them be a part of my life and that they would let us be a part of theirs. The time with them in and outside of church are sweet memories of Seattle and I cannot thank them enough for their open arms and hearts. There were also three other ladies that have brought me so much laughter in my life,Tracy, Stevey and Deniz. The time spent with you…oh my goodness I think you guys may have held the world’s record for making May cry…the good kind of crying from laughing so hard! Thank you for the memories chicas, heart you! Another person…who I will remain nameless but you know who you are... has changed my life forever! The walks at Greenlake, the laughs, and sweet, sweet conversations are something that I will treasure forever. You are someone that makes God smile from ear to ear, and melts my heart with you and your family. You have taught me so much about Jesus, contending for all that God has for you, and walking in the destiny that God has. I love you from the bottom of my heart and know that the best are yet ahead. You better keep me updated on your life or I will have to come beat you up ! All of these people, thank you for teaching me transparency and a greater love of Christ that I would not have gotten to know without you. Thank you for opening your arms and embracing me…all of me…including my crazy side! I love you guys so much and know that there will always be a place to stay if you make it to Cape Town.

In His Grips
May

Africa..my homeland

There is so much to update for everyone. I guess I will start with the question that most people are still wondering…What, huh, what, how are you going to Africa! It actually started in May when an HR person I was working with in Cape Town told me that there was an open position available. I told her to not tempt me, and the next 10 minutes went from there is an opening to “we would be willing to consider getting you a work permit if you are serious.” I was stunned and told them that I would need some time to think about…and pray. I had thought that it might be a possibility, but was thinking it would be years down the road if I stayed with Amazon. Thinking about the opportunity seemed like a no brainer. I would get the chance to see Africa, a chance to be promoted in Amazon, and have international experience under my belt. After taking some time to pray, think, and seek advice from some dear people, I decided to open the door and see where it would take me. For those of you that have been with me since college days, there was a time that I was attempting to go to China and everything fell through. So I knew that if God didn’t want me to go, He would close the door somehow. Two months later, I was finally offered the job and the work permit was requested. I was going to AFRICA! Throughout the process, I kept asking God for more confirmation even though I knew I was suppose to go…but by His grace and goodness He always came through. Some examples include going to a bible study and we were discussing “risks” and this friend said “that everyone’s thought of risk is different and for you going to Africa probably wouldn’t be a risk.” I asked why Africa and not Asia or Australia and the response was I just see you in Africa. I hadn’t discussed the job offer at this bible study yet. Overwhelming support from friends that I thought would object to this idea, the support of co-workers and bosses were another. When I told my Dad, his response was “well, you have always wanted to go to Africa. Ever since you were a kid.” Really? I don’t remember that. Working out the details of selling all my stuff and little money details like Verizon not charging me the fee for dropping service early and my landlord telling me that I didn’t have to clean my place! What? Really? Sweet! Even on the plane over to Africa this week was another confirmation. I started freaking out on the plane and doubting if this was really happening and if I was supposed to be doing this…what happens?...I had all three seats from New York to Dubai for myself and was upgraded to Business class from Dubai to Cape Town…Really?? It was just the Lord reminding me…calm down, I have prepared your comings and goings…chill. I will take care of you. Back in Santa Barbara, there is this Uganda Children’s choir that came to the church every year. There is a song that has stuck in my head all these years and I would see it now and then not realizing what it really meant.. “Africa…my homeland….Uganda…” and I don’t know the rest, haha.