Getting Cozy

I have been here in Grahamstown South Africa for five months to the day. The time has flown faster than I could have imagined. I'm glad I have been able to get around a bit to the nearby beaches, game reserves, and the Amatola forest around the town of Hogsback. The following three pictures were taken when I went to Hogsback for a trail run in April.

I have also made it to a couple other cities such as Graaff Reinet and Cape Town. It has been quite an adventure so far and I have gotten a lot of questions over these last months that I am going to try to answer today. I'll also try to leave you with an idea of my impressions now that I am quite cozy.

Once known as jackass penguins these guys are
now called African penguins. They literally
sound like donkeys when they bray.

The Valley of Desolation just outside of Graaff Reinet

One thing that people ask whenever you travel a lot is if you miss your family. Um, hell yea! I miss my Indiana and Louisiana family and friends. It's a bit more of a challenge to communicate when you have a 5-6 hour time difference. WhatsApp certainly makes it easier but I am still in contact with them much less than when I was in Baton Rouge. My great niece Grace is growing seemingly by the minute, and I look forward to seeing her again. She was born shortly before I left so will not remember me by the time I get home. 

I used to visit Indiana once a year while I was in graduate school and I usually saw my sister and her family a couple times a year by visiting them in Florida. I really miss those days at the beach and going into Universal Studios. I will go home to Indiana in September to visit for my nieces wedding, and then I'll head down to Florida and go to Halloween Horror Nights with my sister. At least I will get my annual Indiana and HHN visits in so that's something to look forward to, and its in only about 100 days!

Another thing people ask a lot is what I'm doing with my time besides working. Running of course takes up some of my daylight hours several days a week. I have signed up for a marathon at the end of this month, and will visit another new area of the country for several days before and after (Knysna). I am trying to be social, not like that's hard for me, and go to lunch or braais a couple times a week. Weekends you might catch me grabbing drinks and dancing with the graduate students.

As I mentioned earlier I have also been making an effort to visit the nearby areas. I know two years sounds like a long time but its already a fourth over! I keep trying to check things off my list as I travel further and further out. I am considering buying a car at the end of this month so that I can go on some adventures through the northern part of the country and into Namibia and Botswana.

Sardinia Bay just outside of Port Elizabeth within a couple hours of home.

This little monster is hanging outside on my patio.

This weekend was very relaxed I was chillin like a villain in my hammock reading the last Lord of the Rings and bird watching in my yard. I have seen more than 10 species within an hour visiting the hibiscus bushes. My last roommate would know I was lying if I didn't say there was occasional binge watching of scifi and horror on Netflix while also binge eating pizza, in my bed. I do LOVE my bed here. It is by far the most expensive thing I own aside from my laptop. I once got great advice from a very wise man (Neil Rullman) to invest more in your bed than any other part of your house. I have no shame for splurging on the extra long queen and down duvet. My place has come a long was over the last six months and has started to show a bit of character. I still have some decorating to do but plan to use some of the next couple weekends time turning my recyclables into art. I don't want to buy new things as I won't take much with me when I leave, but I also don't want to be in a bare and boring space.

There were many new things to adjust to when I arrived. Some are going to be an ongoing adjustment and some I have embraced. The infrastructure is never going to be easy to live with.  The problems with infrastructure stem from corruption in government and of course from South Africas place in the the world economy. When you're starting from behind it is hard to catch up. I've noticed from an academic point of view that people from developed countries sometimes assume its not possible to get quality research done here. It may be more challenging for us to attain materials and keep equipment running when the electric is going off, but this is actually why scientists here should be more respected not doubted. It is a challenge to produce sound results with what we have, but WE DO IT! It is frustrating that because of location alone science could be discredited. I assume this attitude extends into other sectors as well. These are some of those things that everyone has to deal with, and we can all bit*h about over a beer.

One of my first experiments as a postdoc. It took me quite a while to get set up.
It is winter now so things will likely be a bit slow for the next few months, but
once warm weather returns I can hit the ground running.

I have also embraced some of the idiosyncrasies here. I was a little bemused by the donkeys in the street and maybe a little nervous they might give me a kick, but now I enjoy passing them on the way to work. I was also a little frustrated with the limitations of what's available in town. I realize now that it was just me not fully investigating the shops, but rather being distracted with trips into nature. I hate shopping. Everyone who knows me knows I will avoid it at all costs. It wasn't until I took a Saturday morning, put aside the anxiety that shopping causes me, and found that Grahamstown has a ton of stuff! There are multiple clothing stores, specialty food shops, a place called the Funky Shop that is basically a Dollar General (Rachel you would love it!), cosmetic shops, a hardware store, and thrift shops. Now that I have ventured out I don't feel as isolated. I still don't like shopping but I feel better about it now for when I must do it. I have also gotten more or less used to a lot of the lingo. There are many words that come from the Deutsch influence and many phrases that are frequently used by speakers of all languages that come from Afrikaans. As for time and references to time, its the craziest place I've traveled. I have come to understand that no-one really knows when right now, now, now now, and just now are. We're all just guessing from the context and really that's how most communication works. So far I think SA is an amazing place. Now that I am quite settled in I can see how 2+ years here will be a very rewarding experience, and I'm looking forward to all it has to offer.

The Great Outdoors

There are so many amazing natural sights here in South Africa. I am in heaven as far as nature is concerned. Every time I venture out I see new and fascinating plants, animals, and scenery; from the elephants and lions in Addo to the absolutely gorgeous coastline. I am daily catching my breath at the beauty of this place. I still have so much more exploring to do and feel that I've only just scratched the surface. I'll start with some of my favorites here in Grahamstown.

Crowned Plover in the office parking lot

Hadeda Ibis are literally everywhere

The Chad with a Rock monitor lizard

Carpenter Bee

Toktokki are cool little insects that apparently make the sound they are named after.
I have so far only found them dead though.

Dietes grandiflora

Sour fig/Ice plant and Scale Insects (Pulvinaria)

Citrus Swallowtail are common here,
 and I hope I can find and rear some babies next spring.

Butterfly bush (Guara) in my garden

Beach days. These photos really speak for themselves and don't need captions. Most were taken in Port Alfred, a few in Kenton-on-Sea, and the last at Port Elizabeth.

Kenton-on-Sea

Port Elizabeth

Elegant Grasshopper

Featherstone Brewery Hike

Another dead toktokkie

I think the scenery is reminiscent of LOTR as they chase the orcs through Rohan

Lovely work folks and friends

Addo Elephant Park was of course a highlight of my trip so far and I look forward to returning.

Brush Jewel Beetle

Hartebeest

Zebra close ups!
There are loads of these guys in Addo and they all have their own stripe patters,
which protect them from biting flies

Chonki bois and girls

Kudu: These guys are often on the menu, and of course hunters like them for their nice racks.
The spots are actually dirt because this photo was taken through a window. 

Male Elephant

Grumpy Bois.
These were so close to our car and really seemed like they did not like each other.

Unfortunately I didn't see any of these.
They are endemic, endangered, and flightless,
and I'll be on the lookout next time I go.

Warthog

Pumba

Ostrich. These guys are pretty goofy, and clearly not super intelligent.

Cape Buffalo. Scary Boi.

These photos were all taken either in Grahamstown or in the nearby areas less than two hours drive from home. I have a lot more exploring to do and I'm sure I will see many more amazing sights! This month another trip to Featherstone and PE, as well as first trips to Hogsback and  Cape Town are on the schedule.