Scottie E's Great Adventure

One World

2008-08-19T03:56:00.002-04:00

I just took some photos of the staff at my volunteer job. (Unfortunately, the program asked us not to use any people from our placements in our blogs, so I won't be able to post them here.) They don't get photographed very often. One guy wanted me to take a hundred pictures of him. The rest of the staff made jokes. He replied by saying "don't hate me because I am a super model." It was so funny. I love the little things like this. It makes me remember that we are all God's children.

Whether you live in a poor township or in the rich city, we are all the same. Whether you are a black American or a white American, we are all the same. Whether you are a white South African, colored South African, or black South African, you are all the same. We wake up to the same sunrise. We breath the same fresh air. We all want to provide for our families. We all want our kids to have a better life than we did. We all go to sleep at night under the same moon. God has opened my eyes on this trip. It has been a wonderful experience.

This is my last week in Cape Town, and I am planning on talking to some of the other volunteers to make sure they take home with them the right things. This program is more than about volunteering in a township for 4 hours a day. It is more than partying at a Cape Town club each night. For me, it is about how similar we all are. Even though I am on the other side of the world, it is still the same world. I only hope that the other volunteers have learned the same thing while they were here.

Shark Diving!!!

2008-08-18T06:16:00.004-04:00

Okay. I think I am an official adventure junkie!!! Here are some of the pics from yesterday's shark dive. At first, I thought the water might be too cold - it was 57 degrees. Then I thought they might not have a big enough wet suit for me. But the trip guide said "stop your worrying, we gonna get you next to the sharks no matter what!" After that, it was like "let's do this!"

I was in the water for about 45 minutes and I think a shark hit the cage a couple times a minute. After the first 5 minutes, you relax and the rest of the dive is pretty great. Would definitely do it again!

My weekend in Cape Town...

2008-08-11T05:10:00.004-04:00

What a weekend... Friday night, we went to a Rugby game. It was my first indepth look at the game. It's actually pretty cool. We saw the Cape Town team play Durbin. The stadium holds about 70,000 people and was 2/3 full. I've never heard ~50,000 people cheer that loud. The game is a mix between football and soccer - a try (think touchdown) is 5 points, with a conversion being 2 points. A drop kick (think field goal) is worth 3 points. The fans are just as crazy as those at a Raiders game. After the game, we go to a local brewery for some drinks, then to a club called Oblivion. It kinda reminded me of a few of the spots I've been to on Sunset Blvd. Afterwards, we go to the local Steer (think Burger King - no, there's no Waffle House!) to grab a value meal and then head back to the house. I can't believe how similar the "after club" traditions are!

On Saturday, we get up early to drive to the Cape of Good Hope (the southwestern most point of Africa, about a 90 minute drive from Cape Town) and to Cape Pointe. On the way, we stop at Hout Bay and do a little shopping. In the parking lot, there is a guy that has made a seal his pet, so we get to play with the seal, feed him and take some pictures with him. Next, we stop at the World of Birds. This place is soooo amazing. It has hundreds of birds in their own cages, some of which you can enter and walk right up to the birds. We stay there a couple hours and see every type of bird imaginable, as well as monkeys and tortoises. After that, we continue our journey by stopping at another little village to view camels. Yes, I actually rode a camel!!! The people in the group with me said I looked like a kid in a candy store when I was on top of the camel. I must admit, it was one of the coolest things I've done.

Afterwards, we continue our journey to Cape Point, to hae dinner at a beach restaurant - I had the Kingclip fish with a garlic butter and a peri peri sauce - wooo, that stuff is spicey! Then, we climb the hill to the lighthouse. I had to stop 3 or 4 times on the way to the top, but I finally made it! Wow, I am so out of breath that I just lean against the light house for a few minutes catching my breath and looking at the view. This is amazing. You can see where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Indian Ocean. The Atlantic is cold water, and the Indian is much warmer, so you can actually see a line in the sea where the two oceans meet.

Then, we head over to the Cape of Good Hope and walk across the rocks to the southwestern most tip of Africa. I can't believe I'm actually here.

Now, we get back into the van and drive along the Indian Ocean back to Cape Town. On the way, we see a group of baboons crossing the road, so we stop to take photos. It's the most amazing sight - the mom carrying the baby baboon on her back. As cars get closer to the pair, we see the father baboon walk out of the brush and poke out his chest to protect his family. It's so amazing to see up close and personal. Now, we continue back home, but stop at another beach that is covered with penguins. I can't believe how many there are. There must be a few hundred of them running all over the beach and in the lot where we parked.

After getting back home, I throw some clothes in a bag and take a taxi to Khayelitsha township. This is where Vicki's Bed & Breakfast is, the local place four of us are spending the night. The trip to Cape Point lasted longer than expected, so the other 3 are already at the B&B and I'm on my own with the taxi driver to find it. We get lost, so we park in a service station a few blocks away and call Vicki. She sends 3 guys to meet us at the station. We thought they were gonna be in a car, but they actually ran from Vicki's to the station. We see the three guys running towards the taxi and begin to panic. It's funny - a white cab driver and an American parked in the middle of a black township without knowing where you are going! They yell Vicki, Vicki, Vicki, and we finally understand it's them, so we begin to relax and start laughing. They direct us to Vicki's - the roads are so narrow and people form the township are all over the streets. It seemed like we would never make it to Vicki's. We finally do, so I go inside and meet my other 3 American friends. Vicki has prepared a lovely South African dinner for us. After dinner, we walk down the street to a "mini-market." It seems like half the neighborhood is walking with us. I see the three guys that navigated me to Vicki's so I offer to buy them a beer - let's just say bad move. By the time we walk back to Vicki's they've told the entire township that I bought them beer. As we stand on vicki's front porch, random folk are coming up to us asking us to buy them beer, or give them money. My roommate Paul actually gives a couple guys money. I can hear what the locals are saying now, "we have Americans in the village, let's get their money!" We go inside, but there is stall a small crowd in front of Vicki's, waiting to see if we are brave/ stupid enough to come outside again.

Vicki and her husband have 5 kids (4 girls and a boy). The kids are all over us. I haven't had so much fun playing with kids in forever. It is amazing how smart these kids are. When you think of them living in one of the poorest areas of the city, it is amazing how bright they are and how much hope and positivity they have.

The next morning, Vicki cooks us breakfast and gives us a walking tour of the township. The way the local 'officials' run the township is amazing. It's a Sunday morning, and we see people walking to church. We see others tearing down old tin houses, making way for the City to come in and build more modern cinder block houses. We see folks sorting building materials - stuff they use to repair each others' houses, or make art out of to sell at the markets, or seel for scrap wood/ metals. It's amazing how resourceful these people are. Every one is busy doing somethig, trying to make their community better. http://www.nomvuyos-tours.co.za/vickys.shtml

After getting back to the home base, I eat lunch, shower, and go with a group to Green Point market. Wow, I can't believe all the stuff I am buying. I'm definitely gonna have to ship a huge box of stuff back to the states before I leave Cape Town on the safari. After the market, we walk to the V&A waterfront to exchange money, use the ATM's and get more phone cards before heading back to the homebase. After getting back to the homebase, I get a call from another group of friends, so I meet them near Univ of Cape Town to shoot some pool. They have been here for 12 weeks so have met quite a few locals. We leave the pool hall and go to the apartment of some of their friends, before heading back to the homebase for the night.

This was a full weekend and I'm about to fall out at this point. But I don't want to miss a thing - I can relax once I get back to the states.

Today, I'm at my volunteer placement recalling my wonderful weekend. I am so tired, but after work today, three of us are going on a tour of the president's mansion. One of my fellow volunteers has a friend from college that lives here in Cape Town. He's a pretty wealthy guy and knows the curator of the president's museum. So she agreed to give us a tour of the museum and grounds. This is gonna be so amazing - imaging having a backstage pass to the WhiteHouse!!!

Okay, I know that was long, but as you can see, a pretty eventful weekend!

Volunteer Placement Begins

2008-08-04T12:00:00.005-04:00

I left the city center on Saturday morning to head to the volunteer homebase. Most of the volunteers were flying in on Saturday afternoon, so was able to get to the homebase and settle in before the crowd arrived. We have two homebases, which are a couple miles apart. The main homebase has 30 volunteers there, mostly under the age of 25. The second homebase has 20 volunteers, and most of us are over 30. The 2nd homebase has the better arrangements - we sleep 2 per room and have a private bath in each room, while the first homebase is 6 per room and shared bathrooms.

Saturday night, some of us go downtown to Long Street to a bar caled the Dubliner. It has a pretty cool band, but it plays mostly American music. Curfew is 12:30am on the weekends, and we are running late. So I call the security guard at the house to let him know that we will not be back until one. We are 15 miles from downtown, so the taxi ride is about 80 Rand (10 bucks).

Sunday, we have orientation at homebase 1 beginning at 9:30am. So the drivers pick us up from homebase 2 to take us to the other house. We spend most of the day reviewing the policies/ rules and the do's/ don'ts of the program. Curfew during the week is at 11pm and 12:30am on the weekends, unless you are with a group and you call in advance. The homebases seem safe, but we are asked to not walk outside the bases after dark, and in pairs during the day. After orientation, we get into the vans and do a quick tour of the city. I'm pretty much familiar with most of the city now.

Sun night, a small group of us go to Mitchell's Brew Pub in V&A Waterfront to hang out. Upstairs, in the pub, was a group of like 40 guys singing songs to one girl. It was like a glee club from the movies! Anyway, we call it the night early, as we have day two of orientation in the morning.

Today, we have more onboarding. We learn more info about our placements - mine is attached below. Then, we learn about the history of Cape Town. This turns out to be a very emotional event, as we talk about the history of apartheid and the state of blacks and coloreds in the country. (I'll save that for a separate post).

Afterwards, we tour a couple townships (more on that later, as well).

Zenzele Training and Development Center

Zenezele strives to unlock and develop the God given potential of all South Africans, especially residents of disadvantaged communities, through economic empowerment program of skills training for better employment and self employment opportunities.

The name Zenzele means DO IT FOR YOURSELF in Xhosa was established in 1988 and offers innovative training program. The training has brought hope and self-esteem to many previously unskilled and unemployed people.

Zenzele provides vocational and business skills training and entrepreneurial development for historically disadvantaged people.

Every year they train several hundred people in sewing, woodwork, welding and other skills such as waste recycling.

Zenzele’s aim is economic empowerment. Our primary measure of achievement is how many of our ex trainees become economically active.

WHAT ZENZELE OFFERS:

Basic technical and business management, sewing, welding and waste recycling skills
Provides trainees with opportunities and support for entrepreneurial projects.
Recruitment advice and opportunities
Assistance in starting small businesses
Offers a business resource centre
Offers production skills training, initiate or coordinate production of goods
Mentorship program for small business

Needs:

Conduct all publicity needs, advertising and presentations
Conduct skill surveys to determine the industry needs
Track student activity in the market after graduation
Assist with bookkeeping and record keeping systems
Painting of building
Assist with training in sewing, carpentry and welding
Assist with fundraising both locally or internationally

Description of volunteer work:

Varied:

Assist with fundraising activities
Setting up systems, collate information
Editing at business plans
Source funding
Possible business mentoring around small business skills

More Pics

2008-07-30T12:51:00.005-04:00

Made it back to the hotel. It only sprinkled this afternoon after I left the web cafe. So luckily, my 99cent umbrella was not put to the test again.

Here are some more pics for the past day.

Yes, I had the kudu, ostrich, crocodile, springbok, and game sausage platter. Don't ask me what it all was, but it was good.

The band was awesome!!!

Is this jet lag...

2008-07-30T07:27:00.002-04:00

I think today is Wednesday...right? Well, it finally set in. That, and the combination of me staying up til 3am the past two mornings.

I stayed up late Sat night packing, then was on a plane fo 17 hours on Sun/ Monday. Plus the 6 hour time change. Then went out Mon night when I got here, then got up early Tue moning and did sightseeing all day. Last night I went to Moma Africa restaurant for dinner. It's the most amazing place! I'll have to put some pics in my next post, as I did not bring my camera cable with me today. After that, I went to Baghdad Cafe to grab a beer. I did not stay long b/c I was the only person in there not smoking, if you know what I mean.

So I went to Marvel again, and was greeted like a star. Apparently, the door man has a great memory, but I don't! Didn't remember him from the night before, but he bought me a beer anyway. The dj is crazy - spins a better set than 90% of the dj's in the ATL.

So, today it is raining, so I slept extremely well. Went to bed last night at about 3am, and did not wake up this afternoon until about 12:30, when the maid came knocking on my door. So I got up, showered, and got dressed so I could get out of here way. Then I walked down to the internet cafe. The rain wasn't bad, but the wind blew my umbrella backwards twice. I guess that's what I get for buying an umbrella at the 99cent store the day before I left!

Cape Town Via Big Red Bus

2008-07-29T11:23:00.004-04:00

Today, I toured Cape on a double decker open top bus. This is something I normally do whenever I go to a city for the first time. The entire loop takes about 2 hours, if you don't get off the bus. However, I made a day of it by getting off at the V&A Waterfront, Table Mountain, Camps Bay Beach. The Waterfront is amazing. There are restaurants, hotels, shops, and attractions. I'm meeting one of the ladies from the volunteer program there on Thursday, so I didn't spend much time there - just enough th get the lay of the land. Orientation for our volunteer work starts on Saturday, so I will have a few more days to sight see before then.

Then, I went to the base of Table Mountain. The cable car is out of service until August 4th. It's early spring here, so now is a good time for them to do maintenance before the huge summer crowd shows up. Thank God I will be in Cape until Aug 24th. Otherwise I would be pretty mad about not getting to take the ride to the top. Even without the ride, the views are amazing. Check out the pictures below.

Next, I stopped at the beach. The high temp todat was 68 degrees, but it felt warm, considering it was about 45 degrees when I left the hotel this morning. So I took my shoes and socks off and walked across the sand. Wow, the sand was cold! Next, I stuck my big toe in the water - too cold to do anything else!

After that, Erin, a Canadian girl that I met at the kiosk where I bought the pass for the bus, convinced me to walk out on the break wall to take some pictures. The rock was slippery, and the waves were crashing onto the wall, so we darted out there on our tippy toes, took a couple shots, and darted right back before we got to wet from the waves.

Well, it's about 6pm, so I'm going to head back to the hotel and chill for a minute before going to dinner.

Made it to Cape Town!!!

2008-07-29T04:28:00.003-04:00

Wow, I'm finally here! My flight left the ATL on Sunday at 3:45pm. Flew to Dakar, Senegal (9 hrs), then had a 3 hr layover, then another 8 hr flight from Dakar to Cape Town. Got here Monday evening at 6pm (12noon EST). Checked into the hotel, then went down to the bar. The bar tender gave me the scoop on a couple hot spots, so checked one out last night. It's a hip hop spot on Long Street called Marvel. It's basically a bar with a dance floor. Let me get this out the way right now... for the record, I'm in love with S.A. women!!! Saw some dance moves I've never seen before!

The walk back to the hotel from the bar was kinda shady. It's only a half mile, but since I got in late (it's late winter/ early spring here, so it gets dark at 6:30 or so and was dark by the time I checked into the hotel) I did not get a chance to survey the area before I went out last night. Made it back safely, none the less.

This morning, had a huge breakfast at the hotel - will probably be my biggest meal most days. Then headed out to do some sightseeing. I'm at an internet cafe right now about a mile from the hotel. Will walk to V&A waterfront in a minute.

Check out the view from my floor at the hotel. This is across from the elevators.

DNA results back!

2008-07-23T17:32:00.002-04:00

Today I received an e-mail saying my DNA tests had been completed and that the results were in. So I logged onto the website to retrieve them. To my disappointment, they were not very easy to understand. It showed the actual strands and a lot of charts and graphs and such. The only thing I have been able to tell so far is that my father's family somehow originated from the region currently known as Equatorial Guinea. This would be my father's father's father's... father's family. I have yet to be able to tell the specific tribe - there are four primary groups living there today - but will have to study the info a bit more, or set up a call with the company to help me read the info.

Here's a bit of info on Equatorial Guinea: It has the smallest population of any country in Africa. It was first "discovered" by the Portuguese in 1472. I use the word "discovered" loosely because how can you discover a country that's been in existence for thousands of years? In 1778, it was ceded to Spain in the Treaty of El Pardo in exchange for properties in South America. In 1827, Britain established a base on an island off the coast of Equatorial Guinea to combat the slave trade. Britain remained there until 1843, when Spain agreed to move its slave trade to Sierra Leone. So my dad's ancestors would have come to America prior to 1843.

The test results for my mom's ancestry came, as well. But I was unable to figure them out at all. Maybe I'm looking at it wrong or something. I don't know how much time I will have to spend on it before I leave on Sunday. I will probably print it out and take it on the plane with me. The original packet came with a big handbook and some maps. I just have to take some time to figure it out.

Oh well, at least part of the mystery is uncovered!

Down to the wire

2008-07-22T23:38:00.003-04:00

Okay, things are getting crazy. I leave on Sunday to go to Africa for 84 days. During the last week, I've gotten a half dozen shots (vaccines) , had my teeth cleaned, and shopped for luggage - I leave Cape Town on Aug 24th to go on a 42 day safari, so have to get a camper's back pack, sleeping bag, sleeping mat, etc. I paid all my bills in advance, or set them up for auto pay, and forwarded my mail to my mom's house in Alabama. Tomorrow, I go back to the dentist's office, then get an eye exam to get more contacts.

I had ten different forms to fill out for the volunteer program, and another ten for the safari - I quit my job because I was tired of paperwork; now I do more of it than I did when I was working!

Tomorrow, I have a conference call with the program director and a group of the volunteers I will be working with when I get to Africa. It's cool to meet folks before I get to Africa - it will definitely ease the anxiety some. My mom is coming in town Saturday morning, so I really need to finish packing Friday night so I can relax once she gets here.

Anyway, I can't wait til Sunday!

Doing Research

2008-07-11T02:28:00.001-04:00

Earlier this week, we started a Facebook group for the the 39 of us that will be meeting up in Cape Town to participate in the volunteer program. Most folk will be arriving in Cape in Aug 2nd, the first day of the program. However, I want to fully maximize my time off work, so I'm flying over on July 27th. This will give me five days to explore before starting the program.

So I spent some time today looking at everyone's profile on Facebook. Seems like most folk are keeping a blog, as well. So I went to their arious blogs, and found quite a bit of interesting info about S.A., in general. As I read the info, I discovered I need to do a whole lot more research before I go. Looks like my school days are beginning all over again...

Here is some brief info I pulled up today...

South Africa has a population of 47,900,000 people (for reference California, the most populous state in the US has 36,500,000 people). We've all heard about the HIV/Aids impact on Africa, but more specifically, I'll share some numbers on South Africa. Of S.A.'s 47.9mill people, 10.8% of them have HIV/Aids. When I first thought about percentages, it didn't seem so devastating. But on second thought, it realy is. My high school home room had 32 people. I could only imagine how we would have reacted if 3 of them were HIV positive. Then, I looked at the actual numbers - that's 5 million people with HIV/Aids. My home state of Alabama only has 4.5mill people!

I don't know how it's gonna impact me. I'm not even sure what to do to prepare myself mentally. All I know is that I will go there as open as possible and embrace every experience I encounter.

Okay, it's past my curfew, so I'm going to bed. More research tomorrow!

South Africa Info

Home for the 4th of July

2008-07-08T22:24:00.003-04:00

I drove to Florence, Alabama last Thur night to hang out with the grown folks (that's what I call my parents) for the 4th. Friday, my uncle had a cookout at his house - let me pause to give him kudos for the ribs! After eating burgers, dogs, ribs, beans, slaw (ok, let's just say he did his thing), I went down to the basement to play Wii, I mean, work off the calories, with my cousins. It's been a few weeks since I've played, so I was a little rusty, but after a few minutes, I was bowling like a pro - just not good enough to beat my cousin yet. It's his game, so he should win, right? Then, he went back up stairs so I could practice, but instead, I switched to tennis and kicked the computer's a$$. Now that's my game! Afterwards, my brother, his wife, and I went to hang out with my dad and eat more 'que. Then we went to watch the fire works - Florence is located on the Tennessee River and the city has a concert/ fireworks show each year at the river park. This year they had two stages and the event was put on by 5 local radio stations. Each station had a featured artist from their genre. V101.5 brought Dem Franchize Boys to the stage. That's right, Florence is moving into the big league. There were over 35,000 people at the park for the concert/ fireworks. The only problem - the fireworks only lasted 15 minutes. I guess after paying for all the big acts, there was no budget left over for the fireworks.

Saturday, I helped my mom around her new house. We hung some shelves in the garage, which ment moving all the boxes of crap she had put next to the wall (the stuff that would eventually go on the shelves. Then we hung some blinds throughout the house. I use the word "we" very loosely, for it was me doing the work and my mom standing over my shoulder asking questions every 30 seconds. Did you measure that right? Is that the right screw? Why don't you use the other screwdriver? OMG!!!!!!!

Sunday was church and dinner with my dad. He's a buffet person, which means a trip to "Mama Blues" whenever I go home. Mama Blues is the generic version of Barnhills or Ryans. I know my west coast friends probably won't know either of them, so let's just say it's all you can eat country cooking. After that, I went back to my mom's house and helped her set up for the baby shower - my brother and his wife are expecting their first child in three weeks. I'm leaving on July 27th to go to Africa for three months, so I hope my niece arrives before then. But I'll save that for another blog...

Monday, I got up at 3am to take my dad to the airport. He's doing some work in Utah right now, so he's there for 5 or 6 wks, then comes back to 'Bama for a week. Let me back track a second... I shouldn't say I got up at 3am, b/c I never went to sleep. I took a long nap Sunday afternoon, then stayed up and played on the internet until it was time for me to pick him up. The Huntsville airport is an hour away, so by the time I go there and back the sun is rising when I get back to my mom's house. So now, I crash for a few hours, then meet my aunt and uncle for lunch at the new Mexican restaurant in town - like I said, Florence is big time now!

Mon night was interesting. I sat down with my mom and walked her through the itenary for my Africa trip. I fly out on July 27th and get back on Oct 15th. I'm in Cape Town from the 27th to Aug 24th. On the 24th, I leave on a 42 day safari through South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwa, Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania, Zanzibar, and Kenya. After that I fly from Kenya to Bahrain to hang out for a week in Bahrain and Dubai before flying home on the 14th of October. It's funny how I'm excited and nervous all at once.
Me and moms a couple weeks ago at the family reunion in Lansing, MI. No laughing at the t-shirt, okay!

Family Reunion... Lansing, MI

2008-06-30T17:37:00.024-04:00

Last wknd, I went to Lansing for a family reunion. It was for my mom's dad's family. He had 10 siblings, each of whom had at least 5 kids (my mom has 8 sibilings). So when you add in all the spouses, children, and grandchildren, we probably doubled the city's size.

Above is a photo of my mom with 2 of her sisters, three of her brothers and some of their children in front of the hotel.

The weekend included a social on Friday night, a picnic on Saturday afternoon, and church service and a banquet on Sunday. This is the first reunion I've been to in about 10 yrs (they have one every other yr). So it was definitely cool to catch up with the old faces, and meet some new ones, too. In all, there were people from Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, California, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan

The arrival...

2008-06-26T00:04:00.002-04:00

Wow, that was quick. My DNA kit arrived this afternoon. Considering I just ordered it online yesterday afternoon, I didn't expect it to show up until next week. So after I got it from the UPS guy, I checked the package to see where it had shipped from - Vancouver. That's right, Canada. I can get a package from Canada in less than 24 hrs, but I can't get one from the opposite side of the perimeter in a week (oh, that's a different story).

So I rip it open and pull the swabs out and begin to read the instructions that accompanied them. A few minutes later, I'm swabbing away. Then, I put the swabs in the envelope and head to the post office to send them back to Vancouver. I get to the counter and ask the lady how much it will cost, and she begins to look it up on her computer. She could not find the rate (she had a puzzled look on her face, so my guess is that she didn't know what she was looking for). Then, she walked away from the counter and throughout the front area looking for a catalogue or directory or something. After coming up empty handed, she asks the lady working the next window. They collaborate on a price and then tell me it's 72 cents. Sounds good to me, after all, it's only one envelope. Next, tells me the stamp machine isn't working and she needs to go to the back to find actual stamps that add up to 72 cents. About 5 minutes later, she returns with a 42 cent stamp, a 27 cent stamp, and a 3 cent stamp. Works for me. So I give her the envelope and my wait begins...

I'm leaving for South Africa in a few weeks. So hopefully, my results will arrive before then. In all honesty, I don't know what I'll do if they get here before I leave. Knowing me, I'll take a trip from S.A. to where ever they say I'm from.

It's not where you're from, it's where you're at...

2008-06-24T18:14:00.004-04:00

Ok, we've all heard that before. But ever wonder about your past? And not just what hospital your grandparents were born in, or where your great grandparents were married. I'm talking about going waaaay back... all the way to Africa. I watched a show on PBS a year ago that traced the roots of folks like Oprah, Tom Joyner, and Chris Tucker. Ever since then, I've wanted to do the same - have my roots traced. A while ago, I did a search for the origin of my surname. I wasn't surprised when I found out that it is of Welsh descent. After all, everyone I've ever met from my dad's family (his parents, his brothers and sisters, etc) could all pass the brown paper bag test. He grew up on his parents' farm in northwest Alabama. We've never talked about it, but my guess is that the land he grew up on was once owned by his ancestors' slave masters.

So, fast forward to today. This afternoon, I ordered a DNA ancestry test. It sounded pretty cool. It will show up in three days. Then, I'll swab the inside of my mouth, send it back, and wait a few weeks for the results. I ordered the deluxe test, so I will be able to find the link for my paternal and maternal sides. I think it will be pretty cool if it confirms a Welsh link, but even cooler to know what country in Africa each of my parents are linked to. Let the waiting begin...

Haircut... NYC style

2008-06-15T11:50:00.006-04:00

On Friday afternoon, my friend returned from work to inform me he had an appointment at the barber shop a couple blocks down the road. I told him I would go with him, since I hadn't had a hair cut in a couple weeks. When I got there, to my shock, a hair cut was $25! What?!?!?! Before I could witness someone else's $25 haircut, the barber said he would take me first, so I went over to his chair and my friend went to the waiting area.

I described to the barber what I wanted, and he asked a few questions... how long are you in town? where are you from? when was your last hair cut? how do you want your side burns? do you want a rounded or square edge in the back? do you want a razor line or just with the clippers? At this point, I didn't see anything new or different that warranted $25.

But then, as he finished, he said he would be right back. He went to the back and returned with a steaming hot towel and draped it over my face. He began to massage my forehead, then my ears. He moved the towel over the top of my head and massaged my scalp. As I took my normal breathes, I could smell a cool aroma coming from the towel - a mix of pine and some sort of berries. As he finished, I thought, that was a neat twist, but can't say it justified the 25$ price tag. I'll just have to chalk it up to supporting him pay for his high a$$ lease on the place!

Rain down on me.

2008-06-15T09:44:00.002-04:00

Last night was an adventure (that word is an understatement, but very audience appropriate)! My friend has a buddy that is a free lance writer. He just signed a contract with Time to write a column on Harlem restaurants, so he invited us to meet him for dinner at a new Italian restaurant in Harlem.

As we left the apartment, it began to thunder. We looked at each other and decided to keep walking since the subway was only three blocks away. We thought we could make it before it began to rain, so no need to go back to get an umbrella. But before we made it to the end of the first block, the bottom fell out, and it started to rain harder than I've seen in years. By the time we finished the three blocks, my shirt would have been drier if I had soaked it in a tub of water.

Now, we take the Subway from 23rd up to 110th (another theatrical event). When we get off, it is still raining. It's about a mile to the restaurant, so at this point, there's no need to run or even walk briskly. We're already soaked, so why even bother. We get to the restaurant and give them David's name. That's when the royal treatment begins. David arrives about 15 minutes later, and by then, we had already gone through 4 or 5 napkins, trying to dry ourselves off. We order cocktails, and start looking at the menu. A few minutes later, another set of cocktails arrives, hand delivered by the manager, who explains how this is the newest drink at the restaurant and how it has been undiscovered by the rest of NYC. I will admit, it was pretty good - especially the blackberry that came with it.

Next we, order appetizers a couple different newfangled flavored pizzas. Shortly after that, then manager brings two more appetizers, specialties of the restaurant. Now, we order some wine. In addition to what we ordered, (yep, you guessed it!) the manager brought a couple other bottles for us to flavor. Now, it's dinner time - four different entrees for the three of us. This is some of he best Italian food I've ever tasted, plus, we had the hottest waitress in the building. Now that I think about it, I don't recall seeing her wait on any other table.

Next, we order coffee and dessert, and you guessed it - the manager came over and brought us each a cup of South African tea with honey, another "new item" at the restaurant. I must admit, it was the best tea I've ever tasted. Too bad it wasn't on the menu, so I have no idea what it was called.

After three hours, we finally finish and begin looking for the bill. We catch the eye of our waitress, and she must know what we are looking for. She walks over and says "I hope you enjoyed the evening. By the way, this is going to be completely on the house. Now is there anything else we can get you?"

Bravo! Bravo! My only complaint is that after three hours, my shirt is still wet! Thanks, David for the invite. I expect another one the next time I'm in NYC!

Do you remember?

2008-06-13T17:46:00.003-04:00

Yesterday, I walked from the apartment on 20th down to Canal. After walking for about a mile, I reached Greenwich Village. There on the right side of the street was a fire station. Not thinking anything of it, I walked right past a large plaque on the brick building. A few feet beyond the building, I wondered "what was the list of names on the plaque?" Without a thought, I stopped, turned around, and went to read the plaque. As I read it, my heart seemed to skip a beat. I hadn't prepared myself for what it my be. I looked around, then into the station. I saw a couple firemen sitting in front of their engine, just taking in the day. I got kinda nervous, but decided to take the picture, anyway. After taking the picture, I looked at the guys again, then nodded at them, and continued my walk. I've been to New York since 9/11. I've even been to Ground Zero. But somehow this seemed different, because it wasn't on my list of things to do this trip. Nonetheless, it will be a memorable part of this trip.

Walk it out!

2008-06-12T08:28:00.005-04:00

So after yesterday's 6am wake up, I decided to put on my walking shoes. My friend lives on 20th Street, so I walked the three miles to the Rockerfeller Center at 50th Street. It would have been fine, except for the past year, it would take me an entire week to accumulate three miles. Plus, since I zig zagged between 5th and 8th Avenues as I made my way up to 50th Street, it was probably more like four or five miles. As I approached 40th, I thought about getting a taxi for the last mile, but visualizing the cabbie laughing at me when I told him I was only going up to 50th gave me my second wind.

Once I got to "the Rock," I took the elevator up 70 stories to the observation deck. This was one of the most amazing sights I've seen. I stayed on top of the Rock for about an hour, taking dozens of photos, then deleting several and retaking them, ensuring I got the perfect shot. I talked to folks from half a dozen countries, trading cameras with many of them so we all could capture our image as a part of this magical moment. It's funny how at that point, race or gender does not seem to matter. You just see people enjoying the same wonders of nature that you are. Then, I realized I had to make the walk back (my shirt had just finished drying, with the cool breeze that was passing over the top of the building). So I got in line to take the elevator down. At the bottom, I stopped by the gift shop and stocked up on a couple bottles of water and some gum for my journey. This time, I would take a more direct route, as the temp had climbed to near 90.

So after making it back to the apartment, I get ready for Showtime. We head to the subway to take the ride up to 125th street. Wow, what a thrill ride. I know most of you have been on a subway before, but there's nothing like the New York Subway. After we got off, I looked for the box office, because I thought I should have to pay someone for the experience. As we exit the subway station, it's like we've entered another world. The thing that we notice first is the smell of used cooking oil. We laugh and crack jokes about the used can of oil (a combination of bacon grease, and oil from frying chicken and fish) on our moms' stoves when we were growing up. It's funny how something as small as a smell can bring back fond memories of childhood.

We finally make it inside the theatre and are touched by the history, for stars from James Brown to Etta James have performed at the Apollo. Then, the show begins, precisely at 7:30 - wow, we were prepared to wait at least 30 or 45 minutes for the host to hit the stage, but to our surprise, the place was run like clockwork. The only surprising moment was during the "Star of Tomorrow" segment, the audience seemed to boo even louder. I felt bad for one kid, and so did the host. He came out and stopped the kid from performing and scolded the audience "I know you guys paid good money so you could get your hate on, but please limit your booing to the grown folk." Then, he encouraged the kid and instructed him to take it from the top. Next, we heard an "ok guys, take two!" I must say, seeing Amateur Night in person is definitely unforgettable.

Welcome to the Blog!

2008-06-11T10:45:00.004-04:00

As most of you know, Friday, June 6th was my last day on the job. After almost 12 years in corporate America, most of which included 12 -14 hr days and 6 day work weeks, I am taking some quality time for myself! That's right, your boy hung up his cleets and threw his jersey in the wash. But don't worry. Just like all the greats, I'll be out of retirement soon (probably 9-12 months from now).

Walking out of the office on Friday was the happiest I've been in years. Several things ran through my mind as I pushed open the exit door - thank God I have the financial security to make such a "bold move," as many of my peers called it; wow, I can't believe I just did that; OMG, I'm free; and let the journey begin, to name a few.

So over the next few months, I will be documenting my journeys, and the millions of thoughts that will surely be rushing through my head. I'm actually in New York for a few days. I got here yesterday and am hanging out with one of my fraternity brothers from college. It was intriguing to see him get home from work at 6:45pm last evening. Then, we went to dinner at a cool Mexican restaurant on 8th Ave. After a nice meal and three margaritas, we return to his apt where he works on his laptop until just past midnight. Wow,that was me just a few days ago! Not sure what I'm doing in the next few hours, but I'm glad it's not that!

Then, after a brief rest, his alarm clock went off at 6am this morning. WTF! Well, I guess I'll take a nap after he leaves...