If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.
I've been a year in South Africa now,
Which has flown by so fast, I don't know how
Since I've written twelve of these posts I decided to vow
This one'd be a poem, if you let me allow*
'My first wine tasting' (a children's book I'm working on) with Phil Adsley (who quickly escaped after my arrival)
The weather's been great,
The company fantastic,
There's not much I hate,
And I'm not being sarcastic
It's a hell of a journey
But the scenery's bombastic
Plus parts show placodermi
Are not all quite 'past it'
That was a reference to East London (not shown above)
In the first month or so here
I had a few problems
A flat tyre on the rear
And buying a car
Is pretty damn dear
But still it's awesome
Since the price of the beer
Puts it all on par
Which subsequently makes going to the cricket pretty cheap and enjoyable!
Magnificent wine and sumptuous meals
All back-dropped by splendid views of the hills
Plus the animals around, like the penguins and seals
Make even a 'normal' day here seem full of thrills
Some photos in this post are actually from this month!
Me waiting to be told I'm still broken, with 'severe ligament damage'
I'm settled in Cape Town finally and happy in my place
With the view of the mountains and their spectacular face
And I've found a system at work
Which isn't in itself too much work
Of course it's hard being so far from home
But it's not like that was something that was unknown
It's been annoying since I broke my damn bone
And I've not yet found anywhere that makes zabaglione
Some pretty amazing views though
I thought I'd create a list of my highlights
However it turns out when I tried to pick out the top sights
It's a difficult process to try to pick out the best days and nights
There's not even really been any downers or frights
The usual collection of trips and of markets,
and what not have endured along with sunkets,
And that goes along too with the braais and relaxing,
And the incredible sunsets
I'd had a lot of wine at this point, hence the slopeiness
Probably the best time of course is when people are visiting
Since we get to be explore, relax, and get to be inquisitive
Seeing some of the hidden secrets and share in superlatives
Pretending to be a tourist instead of trying to be native
On that note in August (this month) my mum came to visit
With my sister who just got to Warwick uni, ribbit ribbit
Which was one of the nicest times I've had here, exploring some new
Like Franshoek, new vineyards, and bunny chow (a kind of stew)
Mum in Franshoek
I finally did Bo'Kaap with the colourful streets!
Another wonderful addition to the attractions that Cape Town reaps,
The Rhodes Monument too,
And the Crypt Jazz restaurant woo!
As well as the usual suspects of course,
Sojourning with whales and flowers and a stripy horse
I'd be doing a disfavour
If I didn't finish on the flavours
Of the amazing Test Kitchen
Which is easily pitchin'
As the greatest culinary experience I've ever had
Since some of their ideas were totally rad
A tasting experience far exceeding,
Even if it left my wallet a little bit bleeding...
Oh, this is just shortbread with duck parfait, dark chocolate, and 24-carat gold, have you never had billionaire's shortbread?
...dry.
Here's to another great year! Thanks to all who've made the time here so good, as well as to those who've visited; to those who are coming to visit, I hope you're looking forward to it as much as I am. Lekker may bruh!
Because I definitely haven't taken enough sunset photos
Song of the month: Look What You Made Me Do, by Taylor Swift, because I was forced to (though I didn't resist much)
After the longest time I've spent in a single country since 2011, it was time to catch an aeroplane again out of the country, for two months in another one...research secondment at CERN, Switzerland. I feel a bit iffy about writing this blog, since it encompasses 7 days actually in SA and those days were spent running around not actually doing anything fun (I didn't even do First Thursdays, which seems to have become a standout feature of the last 6 months), but I need to keep some sort of routine, and besides, this rounds out the number of posts since I started 11 months ago to the correct number.
This is bereft of quite a lot of content since my phone decided it would die for a couple of weeks, and I was unable to reactivate it since Telkom are useless in SA, but nonetheless...the important stuff started after having touched down, with a few beers in London (wanted a visit to Borough market, but events the week prior had put pay to that), a meeting with a fantastic magician, nice English gardens, and basically chasing the sun again after having to experience a few late Autumn days in Cape Town.
Landing in Geneva meant more catching-up with old friends and beers from Finland, and a visit to the races in York for a stag do (obviously no photos), and a quick trip to Liverpool. After that, it was straight to work, and so it seems necessary to include some photos of the ISOLDE hall and the MINIBALL experimental setup! It was a big deal for an African institution, and a big part of why I wanted to be here, and it was a great experience for all involved*.
Oh, and of course, the early morning continental pastry breakfasts...
Not much sightseeing was done in Geneva, due to work, and looking back at my phone it seems even less than I thought, but the usual jet d'eau (because if you don't take a photo of that, have you even been to Geneva?). Tour de France was in town, but after seeing it in 2014 in God's own country I focused more this time on just checking out the peloton itself...and forgot to take pictures. Pretty stunning scenery though in the Jura mountains! I was also lucky enough to check out the second largest jazz festival in the world, Montreux, which had been on my list for a while. It was amazing, and definitely well worth the trip, even if I had stayed up most of the night working. I think it was my second day off in a month, because clearly physics, as already seen, waits for no man.
There WOULD have been many more photos of Geneva's old town and of some nice little hidden gems I'd been putting on a list, but events took a turn for the worse; or rather, I didn't turn, and ended up worse. Broken elbow, strained wrist, lots of grazes, stitched chin, and two fractured teeth, were not the ideal end to a hard two months. I also broke my laptop and phone, but they just seem like normal George things. Thanks to the amazing dentists at Young's though, I seem to have managed to fix my face up just enough for a wedding of two good friends at the end of the week, in the same place as my parents had their wedding reception too.
Now back to SA, with my mum and Clarissa, refreshed and ready for the rest of the year. Hopefully I take some rain back...
Song of the month: The Final Countdown, by Europe, because it's by Europe...
*A nice piece on what was happening can be found here
I remain convinced that Cape Town is truly one of the best places on the planet*. The unique landscape, the atmosphere and the relative cost of the place combine to create an environment I've never found elsewhere. However, this doesn't discount from the fact it is a very, very long way from anywhere else I've been, and therefore a very long way from anyone else I know.
Often when people talk about being lucky they tend to have just made the most of opportunities that have presented themselves. In that regard I definitely am lucky. I had a state school education, but was continually encouraged and did enough work that I got into good universities which benefited massively a research career. We never travelled as children outside of the UK (but the trips we did have around the UK were fantastic, and I cherish the memories perhaps more than if we had just done generic trips abroad), but towards the end of college and trips with my cousin (who is this month a father!), mother and grandfather, as well as rowing at university, I became acclimatised to airports such that when I finished my undergraduate going on a road trip to the US for a month wasn't intimidating at all. This was followed by research trips across Europe, which themselves fostered friendships across many countries as well as two relationships, which means five years after finishing at Manchester I've ticked off 19 countries, one of which I lived in for essentially twelve months. I've been very lucky to end up in the situation I'm in, and now have the world at my fingertips.
All in all, moving to SA wasn't a worry at all. I wasn't running away from anything, the job opportunity was absolutely perfect, and it was a new adventure. It was hard to leave behind people, and if I'd stayed they would've continued to make me very content, but it would have bred its own worries about what I would do next in any case. I've made good friends here, know my area, and although I'm currently spending more time working with others on different work rather than my own research I am settled in to the place. It's definitely worth pointing out that I am happy.
The problem comes though that when things don't go smoothly (and they never do), or when things simply just become a little too much and nothing is wrong per se, but you feel a little off, the people who understand that are further away than one wants...and it suuuuucks. If I need it I know people are a phone call away but it's a different dynamic than just chilling out at the pub or messing about on the Xbox or just hanging out with people I've known for over a decade. The support network that develops when you grow up, study, and live with people is something that is of course left behind, and that's the biggest sacrifice and the hardest thing to leave behind. When those feelings hit, it stops becoming an adventure, and instead becomes another challenge on top of the one that begat the first difficulty!
I strive to keep in contact with people as much as possible. During GMT hours in Europe it was hard since the time difference between SA and UK is 2 hours, enough to shift schedules out of sync. When work is busy too it's hard to engage in long meaningful conversations every day. I think some bitterness creeps in too; when you are often the one making or arranging the call, it becomes harder. One forgets that everyone has their own problems and schedule, and so expecting people to, on top of that, understand your situation of being away from everyone and everything you know is very self-centred. Apart from those who've been in the same situation, it's impossible to understand the peculiar feeling of loneliness whilst being surrounded by new friends and colleagues.
A lot of people have a generic aim of wanting to 'go travelling', and it's a great thing to do which has loads of advantages and obvious appeals. I don't think a lot of people think much about the disadvantages though. Principally is this feeling of being alone. Going to a new city and knowing nobody means a lot of activities around that are so fun to do are fun because of the social bonds and enjoyment shared with others. If you feel sad about this, then ordinarily you might chat to a close friend or relative...again, not a possibility. Third, there's also the point that being in a new country is intrinsically odd. Take SA for example; here, you don't fill up the car at the petrol station yourself. Dried chives are very difficult to buy. The concept of medical aid is completely foreign. When a lot of these differences come all at once it can be overwhelming. Life is easier by virtue of having family + friends of friends here, and they've been great as I've said in the past. It's quite obvious though why a lot of people who make a decision like this do it as a couple, as that comes straight away with a support network, networking is easier, and there's someone you know going through the same struggles at the same time; although I'm sure it must come with its own stresses that I'm oblivious of.
The day-to-day life isn't necessarily enough to make you feel like a stranger though. I'm a strong proponent of speaking the language of the place you are in; without doing so, it's impossible to understand the culture. However, even if you do so, it takes a long, immersive, time to be able to do it without slipping up, and being teased or made to feel useless about STILL not understanding that it's not an 'ee' but an 'ii', or losing track of the conversation because of a slang word casually thrown in. These scenarios more often than not end up leading to a few laughs and enjoyment, but it serves to remind that you are an outsider.
Do I have the answers to this problem? No, and it's mostly just an exercise for me to get the whirlwind of thoughts I've had on the subject down in some ordered fashion. I don't think an answer can be given for the feeling though, since it differs for everyone; the question is simply is it worth it. Would I do it again [the move]? Yes. Would I recommend it to others? Not to everyone, and would definitely suggest people think about the bad parts rather than just the adventurous exciting new life part. Many people I know are married, have kids, a mortgage, and settled down having never left their hometown, and that's fine! I look at my life and career and in the short-term that is not something that can happen. At the same time, I've seen so much of the world that many others never can or will, and in some sense have lived two or three lives on my own. Perhaps I'm particularly conscious of this since my dad had MS and was immobile for a long time. Being abroad and travelling changes you. Having kids and a mortgage changes you too. For me, the change has come I think with some profound sense of loss that although I am welcome in places across the world, and I am lucky to have one place in particular to always call home, I have (for now) lost the sense of belonging in any one particular place. That is a sad truth, but this is clearly not the end of the story, and so more change will come and perhaps things will naturally become more clear as they need to be.
Anyway, existential crisis over! May activities. I started out after the national championships in East London, over on the other side of the country, and my first time in a different province. I spent the first day up the wild coast, seeing a different environment...nice sunsets still, very quiet at this time of year though, and doesn't have quite the same spectacular difference in fauna of Cape Town's surroundings.
The second day was a quick tour of East London beach, where some of the oldest footprints ever were found. It was nice, and in the afternoon I headed to the museum before flying back. Very interesting, and I realised it's actually the first time I've been to a museum in SA without it being a special event. Not because of lack of interest but because when the weather is like the weather in Cape Town most of the time you don't want to be indoors, and when it's bad enough that you don't want to be outdoors you don't want to even leave the house! Amongst other exhibits was the type specimen for the Coelacanth, a fish that was thought to be extinct 66 million years ago but found off the coast of SA in 1938.
I finally went down to a bakery that everyone raves about named Charley's...it was ok but probably contributed to the homesick feeling of missing mum's baking. First Thursday happened, and I include my favourite picture from this session. I got on the train for the first time here, which had all sorts of horror stories associated with it but was, for me at that time on a Sunday, perfectly fine. The reason being was that I was sans car for about a week and a half, which was more than unfortunate and made me a significantly poorer man...have my suspicions as to whether I was ripped off because the water pump was in tact when I checked everything myself before taking it in 30 minutes before...but anyway. Obviously couldn't get down to rowing but that doesn't matter anyway because the vlei gets drained at the start of winter (which to me, is still summer, but everything is upside down).
Finally my birthday happened this month! I was quite snowed under with a lot of stuff, but managed to get out on the day itself to a restaurant where a rowing friend is head chef, plus some cocktails, and at the weekend went to a vineyard for what has to be the best value meal I've ever had.
I was going to wrap it up in the previous paragraph since this is a very long post, but I have to elaborate. So we sit down, spend too long looking at the wine menu and decide we just go for the cheapest bottle from the vineyard itself (which was great). The food itself was much more reasonably priced and after ordering we receive an amuse bouche of smoked kudu on bread. This was followed by a starter of duck pate with a beetroot and sweet potato puree. Typically you expect something around a credit card size, a cm or so deep...as you can see in the photo though, it actually came almost as a main! This was followed (obviously...) by a palette cleanser of a plum sorbet, then the actual main, which for me consisted of a delectable springbok cut, with the side dishes balancing it perfectly. Completely unexpectedly, it was followed by a birthday mousse! No idea how they knew as neither me or my friends had mentioned it, but very grateful all the same. 14/10, would recommend.
Next month, Europe awaits once more, and I can't wait!
Song of the month: Liar Liar, by Captain SKA, because whatever side you fall on the political divide, it should be conducted in a better way.
Enough is enough. When you have political power, you need to build houses for your people, provide them with health and schooling. This has not happened.
Eight months in and finally a title that is quite good. I didn't come up with it.
This month has been dominated by sport and work, and I feel settled in to the extent that there is a monotony and routine to life creeping in. That of course comes with the caveat that life can only become so monotonous when you're surrounded by mountains, beaches, vineyards, wildlife, fauna, sunsets...okay, sunsets don't surround me as much as focus in one particular direction, but they are still stunning.
It started and ended with rowing. USSA (equivalent to BUCS in the UK) kicked off the month featuring UWC where I am a post-doc, but due to the peculiarities of South Africa, registered as a student. Given the club only started last year, and is relying on hard work and favours from people across WC rowing, a good showing was made. Certainly a good platform was there to build on in future. 12 months to work on dominating...even if the guys up in Gauteng have a 2300m altitude training advantage.
The second weekend was dominated also by sporting competition, with a 10K (actually, about 11 km since I was running back and forth with water etc) obstacle course called the Impi run, with Impi being Zulu for warrior. It was fun, in a horrible-I-don't-want-to-do-that-again-where-is-the-beer way, but it's resolved me to only row through lakes as opposed to running through them.
It hasn't all been healthy living...there has been the usual wine tastings, this time with guests visiting...
a festival at the vineyard with the running ducks, finally seeing Matthew Mole with one of my guests...
a new pub for the football
a cheeky celebratory Indian (for the first time here)
a pub with an ostrich...
The normal first Thursday curiosity visits
and a beautiful sunset setting for African cocktails a.k.a. 'sundowners', again with a great couple who were staying with me
It hasn't all been fun and games though. Easter weekend was spent at the lab, because that is ultimately why I'm here.
And if there's any thought that everything here goes amazingly (except admin), then allow me to shatter that illusion with one simple picture summing up my baking adventures.
For the first time I went to the cinema here too, to see Lego Batman (it's amazing, and deep, as the accompanied picture will prove). I've been to cinemas all over the world, and not one has come close to the British cinema experience. For one, why does nowhere have sweet popcorn?! And a beer wouldn't go amiss. There's also not a single one which has seats comparable to those at Scunthorpe VUE, which to this day is the only cinema I've ever been to which has reclinable seats as standard. The only other bit of trivia that I can offer about Scunthorpe is that it caused problems for content filters in the early '90s due to the questionable word contained within itself. Perhaps the restitution regarding that from the rest of the world is why it, and it alone, gets reclinable seats, or perhaps it's just one of those peculiarities.
Another first was 'museum night', which was the third Thursday of the month. A couple of spots were explored; one, an optometrists which has been family-owned since the 19th century which was fascinating in it's own unique bizarre fashion, and the second the slave lodge. The slave lodge had an excellent exhibit, and I must pay it a visit one day again in detail, but great detail was applied to what appears on the surface to be very simple topics, such as the vexillology of South Africa. We saw the most bizarre and horrible performance piece though, which was meant to tell a story about apartheid and the SA struggle, but in reality was only meant to shock and offend by playing a gay orgy in the background as some chaps wandered around slowly wearing gags. In lieu of a photo of that, I've instead provided a mask from a Madagascan tribe.
I think it's evident that I've loved my time in South Africa so far. I wrote at the end of last month that there had been a sudden sacking of the finance minister, and since then there has been a further reshuffle. Avoiding the politics in the rest of the world for now (and the corrupt evil nature of Theresa May et al) there has been a significant push to oust Zuma, the SA president. He has dismissed it as a white conspiracy/outside influence/nothing to do with him, but it's clear to anyone with any sense that he's prepared to screw over the South African people as long as he has power and the money that comes with that. I can't effect change in Europe right now, but I felt it was my duty to join in the march on parliament here in Cape Town. I think the accompanying photo shows quite clearly that the feelings that Zuma must go cross over all people. A (hopefully) secret vote will take place in May to oust him; watch this space. One piece of good news is that due to the general political uncertainty in the world right now, the currency hasn't been too hard hit, but it's definitely cheaper to come visit now than it was last month!
This final weekend has been spent venturing out of the Western Cape for once, over to the Eastern Cape and East London, where I've been competing in the SA National Champs. Word of warning: if you have never rowed, or look at most rowing races and think 'that's easy, why are they making a huge deal of this', skip this paragraph. My 1x this morning went smoothly in choppy water, with tough competition from 35 crews and the fastest 6 reaching a final. My start was great, and I settled on about 28 after the first 150m, but with the tide coming in and increasing choppiness, a few dodgy strokes meant I dropped to about 26, and I came 8th, just missing out on the final by 8 seconds. My doubles partner fared better, finishing 3rd after making it through to the final. The 2x competition consisted of 4 heats and the winners going through, with the next 2 fastest. We comfortably won our heat, and turns out we got the fastest time, which unfortunately pegged us in the middle lane and the brunt of the wind. In the late afternoon final, we got another fantastic start, and settled in almost a boat length ahead of our competition. With 250m to go and the crowd coming in to earshot, we started our well-rehearsed build, and the lead eeked out further...right up until the shout came to hold it stroke side and our bow side blades struck one of the umpire's boats which had broken down from the previous race in the middle of our lane. Cue a frantic last 150m of the worst rowing in 8 years, and we somehow sneaked over the line with a 5s lead. I'll take it!
It's been a fun weekend, and I will follow up with some adventures starting from East London in next month's blog, since that hasn't happened yet as it will be in May*...
Song of the month: Qongqothwane, by Miriam Makeba, although it's a traditional !Xhosa song, and therefore I am never going to actually be able to learn it.
