Day 26: The Seven Dwarfs

Today I'm feeling like quite a few of Snow White's seven dwarfs all rolled up in one. If you don't remember them all, let me recap:

Dopey:  this was the sweet and silly one. While my typical demeanor might be characterized that way, I'm feeling dopey because it's taking FOREVER to get my models to run properly. 

Grumpy:  with power outages, petty theft and daily stomach aches to deal with, I've been a little testy lately. 

Happy:  despite the setbacks and the homesickness, I'm still quite happy overall and thankful for my many blessings. 

Doc:  well I am "Dr. Yates" right?

Sneezy:  although I'm not walking around with my finger under my nose, my stomach and my lightheadedness are telling me something is not quite right. 

Bashful:  I am amazed that I can go entire days without having actual conversation with another human. Maybe I should be just a little more outgoing. 

Sleepy:  and this is where we end this story -- once I can find some room in my bed!!

Good night!!

Day 25: Technology

I had a grumpy belly today so I decided to work from 'home'. Unfortunately, between power and internet outages, it was a day of frustrations. In fact, I'd better type quickly before I lose my internet signal yet again. I did get a chance to enjoy the beautiful day though. When the power was out, I took a walk to grab some lunch. Something was missing though:

Oh well, I did get a lot of work done though. It was slow and tedious work today, but at least I'm making progress. Tomorrow will be even better, right?

Day 24: A Day of Ups and Downs

Up:  I woke up this morning. 

Down:  I woke up at 3:30 and never went back to sleep. 

Up:  My baby boy sent me a series of text messages blowing me kisses and telling me how much he loves me and how special I am. He'll never know how much I needed that at that moment!

Down:  I went to a lunchtime presentation mainly because they were serving lunch and the lunch was tomato, cucumber and cheese sandwiches on white bread. 

Up:  I was finally able to borrow a laptop to use for my statistical modeling. 

Down:  I still have a bundle of issues to work out with my models. 

Up:  After the presentation, Mark suggested we sneak off and take the funicular to the top of Table Mountain. 

Down:  When we got there it was closed for annual maintenance. 

Up:  Mark suggested we go to the beach. 

Down:  After finally finding the perfect piece of art for my girlfriend Carol (and a matching piece for me) it was (they were) stolen from me while I was taking a picture of the ocean. 

Up:  Mark suggested that we watch the sun set over the ocean while having dinner and splitting a bottle of wine. 

Down:  I'm now in no shape to do any modeling. Ok, that one is my fault!

I'm done. Goodnight!!

Day 23: Long Day

Today was a long day. I woke up early so that I could have some quiet time before starting my day. I trekked to upper campus and back twice. I accomplished all of my goals for the day and came back and made a wonderful potato leek soup. Now I'm exhausted. It was a good day though. I focused on my awareness. I was 'in the moment' far more than usual. On my treks, I enjoyed the scenery. I gave thanks for the gift of another day and the many blessings that have enabled me to be in this place and in this moment. Mindfulness is powerful. 

Day 22: Lazy Day

It has been a rainy weekend so I haven't been out much. I went out for yoga this morning but I literally couldn't find a parking space. I ended up parking in the garage but got turned around so I couldn't find my way to the studio before the class started. 

I figured it was pointless to be upset, so I decided to browse at a bookstore and then do my grocery shopping. I was amazed by the number of people hanging out in the mall and lounging at cafés. I was even more amazed by the Woolworth's grocery store. When I think Woolworth's, I think five and dime and lunch counters. This place was quite different. They sold everything from bedding and clothing to groceries. The grocery store was the best (to me, at least). It was neat and clean and they played funky music. It was quite modern in the design, colors and efficient cashier queues. So yes, a trip to Woolworth's was the highlight of my day. I've spent the rest of the day doing laundry, reading and working. Now it's time to wind down with a relaxing cup of tea. Life is good!

Day 21: I've Reached the Halfway Point

I'm halfway through my trip and am amazed by all that I have seen and felt. There is something different about the culture here. I don't know if it's all the yoga or the lack of distractions, but something definitely feels different. As one of my girlfriends would say, this definitely feels like a "no judgment zone." Even though I'm the biggest thing in the room, no one gives me the side eye at yoga. Even though I'm a foreigner, no one seems to care or treat me differently. Even though I'm not as well-published as some of my colleagues here, they treat me like one of them. There are no expectations about dress or office hours. All that's expected is that you do the work. Wow. To be judged solely on your merits. Imagine that!

This whole experience has been quite enriching and rewarding so far. Today, I treated myself to a pair of beautiful shoes, hot yoga and a quiet evening at home with homemade soup and econometrics. Yep. I could get used to this!!

Day 20: Full Research Mode

Today I was completely engrossed in research and I have to admit that it felt pretty darn good. I read through articles explaining the logic for various study methodologies. I toyed with statistical code. I even had the luxury of just sitting and thinking about what it was I was trying to model, why and how to do so most efficiently. I'm a person who needs long, uninterrupted blocks of time in order to create thoughtful research. It is so nice to have that time. 

Day 19: The Rocky Horror Picture Show

What better way to wind down after a long day of quantifying the potential impact of South African bond market reform than a little live theater?

Mark cooked a fabulous dinner and then we headed off to the Fugard Theatre to see the Rocky Horror Picture Show. It was my first time, but Mark explained that we just had to get the boxes of random items (newspapers, glow sticks, confetti, noisemakers, etc. ) to use for the audience participation portion of the show. So of course I promptly snapped up two boxes while Mark grabbed us a couple of drinks. 

As soon as we entered the theater and settled into our fifth row seats, actors were already mingling about in full costume and deeply in character. Spooky Transylvania music was playing and I just couldn't hold back my excitement. 

The show was BRILLIANT!!  I had a blast throwing my confetti and streamers at all of the appropriate parts. The acting was superb and the singing and dancing was first rate. I felt like a schoolgirl because I was wearing an ear to ear grin throughout the entire first act. It was just so much fun!  As the show came to an end, I gushed to Mark about what a good time I had. Even he admitted that it was one of the best productions he had seen. 

I didn't think the night could get any better until we were exiting the theater and I saw the main character walking out ahead of us. "No way!" I thought. "I've just got to get a picture!!"  Lo and behold, when we made it to the lobby, there he was taking pictures with anyone who stepped up. I quickly shoved my phone in Mark's hands and squeezed my way in. As I swooped on for the picture, I repeatedly told this giant man how wonderful he was and he graciously thanked me for my compliments. 

What a wonderful night. What a wonderful show. I was on such a high, I didn't even care that my rental car battery had died by the time we made it back to Mark's place. Apparently someone is a little too accustomed to automatic headlights. Eh!  No big deal. That just gave Mark and me time to finish off that bottle of wine from dinner while we waited for roadside assistance. 

What a wonderful evening!  I hope that wherever you are, your evening is filled with great company and wonderful experiences just as mine was!

Cheers!!

Day 18: Writing and Revising

Not much to say about today. It was a full day of writing and revising. Amazingly, it took Mark and I five hours to revise our solicitation letter for study participants. Five hours!  One letter!  Ugh. Now I need to work on my paper with Zac and get ready to live Tweet with my UAB students at 1AM. It wasn't a bad day...just a day...

Day 17: Today Was a Good Day

Today was a good day for many reasons:

1) I finally kicked my self doubt and realized that I do deserve this and am capable of doing the work. 

2) I made a solid contribution to the bond market manuscript that I'm working on and am excited about the final product. 

3) I'm thrilled to interact with other researchers and attend seminars twice each week to hear some very accomplished academics present their work. 

4) Just as I thought the day couldn't get any better, Mark emailed and asked if I wanted to go out for Italian for dinner. 

5) I went to my second Bikram (hot) yoga class and actually made it through all of the poses without feeling woozy. 

It was a very good day and there are more good things on the horizon. I'm happy. I'm proud of me -- even if no one else is or understands why this is such a wonderful and meaningful experience. Yay me!!

Day 16: Playtime is Over

Today was the start of a new semester at UCT. I was a little nervous about meeting the students for the first time. What would they think of me?  What would I think of them?  How do you make an impact when you're only around for three weeks?

To combat my fears, I decided to wear my Aunt Lucy's classic St. John, pull my new hair back and don my school marm glasses. At least I'll LOOK like a professional!

After spending a quiet morning reading, I spent the afternoon with the Institute Director and a couple of graduate students. I now have a much better idea of what I'll be doing for the next few weeks. 

First up, I'm working on a research project with a student who is modeling the potential impact of a mandated change to the manner in which government bonds are traded in South Africa. It's incredibly interesting and important work. The hardest part is getting up to speed on current practices. Needless to say, I have a lot of reading to do tonight. Not only that, my student, Zac, wants to meet from 8-1 tomorrow to brainstorm scenarios on how the proposed change could affect market participants and quantify them so that the banks know if they'll be better off or not. Piece of cake, right?  Yikes!  I'd better get started with my reading and taking lots of notes. But first, let me unwind just for a moment. 

Day 15: Pancakes and Yoga

I woke up feeling a little down and lonely so I decided to find a way to shake it once and for all. I decided to do all of the things I never get the time to do and maybe (just maybe) I'll develop some good habits that will stick with me. 

First, I decided to walk more. Everywhere I've been outside the US, people walk routinely. At home, I park as close as I can to my destination and barely even walk my dog. I checked my pedometer, and I've been averaging less than 6,000 steps (3 miles) per day. Fitness experts recommend 10,000 steps (5 miles). That's a big change overnight, but maybe I can increase my daily average by 1,000 steps each week. How?  Well, today I walked to breakfast and then the grocery store. That was about 1,000 steps (0.5 miles) each way. Tomorrow I'll walk to work. My GPS says that's about 1 mile (2,000 steps) each way. 

Breakfast was awesome, by the way. Check out the view from my table and my perfect breakfast:

Second, I'll exercise. I've been wanting to try (hot) yoga for quite some time but have never gotten around to it. I think now is the time. If I fall on my face, at least no one knows me. I tried it this evening and I'm still recovering!  It was 90 minutes in a 105 degree room attempting to perform 26 yoga moves. I didn't make it through all 26. After about 70-75 minutes I stretched out on my mat and quietly waited for the torture to be over (since you're not allowed to leave the room during a class). Wow!  Next time I'll opt for just 60 minutes!

Finally, I'll eat better. I haven't had much of an appetite since the hubs left, so I thought this would be a good time to eat a little cleaner and hydrate a little more. So, the plan is 2-3 liters of water per day and cutting back on the big six:  alcohol, caffeine, dairy, meat, sweets and wheat. 

Do I still miss the hubs? Like crazy!  However, this is a fantastic opportunity that I'd be a fool not to maximize in every way.  Plus, I take the hubs everywhere I go...

Day 14: World Music

Tonight, Mark and I grabbed a bite to eat and then went to the Cape Town World Music Festival. It was actually held in the old (1905) Cape Town City Hall. This is actually the historic building where Nelson Mandela gave his first speech after being released from prison. City offices have been moved out of the building and now it's mostly used for concerts. What an amazing piece of architecture and history!!  Oh!  And the music was pretty good too!! 😄

Day 13: Happy Mandela Day!

Today I celebrated Nelson Mandela Day by volunteering at a community center in one of the largest townships in Cape Town. The event was organized by students and was quite impressive. The idea is that on Mandela Day you should volunteer 67 minutes of your time to serve others in honor of the 67 years that Mr. Mandela spent doing that very thing. So, at 10:20 this morning I boarded a bus to one of the poorest neighborhoods I have ever seen. 

I had heard the stories, but seeing it in person was a different thing altogether. I was texting Mark from the bus and once he learned where I was going (unaccompanied) he flipped out a little bit. 

I promised Mark that I would not leave the group, I would not wander off and I would not try to teach financial literacy to the residents. 

Then it was time to get to work. The students had arranged six different activities from which the volunteers could choose. Even though it was fairly chilly, I chose gardening. The plan was to section off part of the play area for a small flower garden using donated materials. First though, we had to pull all of the grass and weeds BY HAND!  Fortunately, the kids were eager to help. 

With about 10-15 kids and volunteers working on a fairly small plot, we had the weeds cleared in no time. Then, it was time to add topsoil to the sand so that the flowers would have a fighting chance. After that, we worked in compost and fertilizer -- all with our bare hands!!

It's amazing how quickly 67 minutes goes by. By the time I had finished with the fertilizer, the bus was pulling up to take us back to campus and collect the next group. My student leader, James (in the back on the left in the blue t-shirt), said that I could spend the day there, but I needed to get back and do some work (and beat the rain). So, I said my goodbyes and climbed back on the bus with the rest of the students. 

What an amazing experience. James tells me that he is there three days each week. I'm thinking I might join him once or twice while I'm here. Those kids were no different than my kids or any others that I see every day at home. Unfortunately, they have a much tougher life. I thought about all of these things on the ride back to campus. I watched a man herd goats near the freeway and counted my blessings once again. Thank you Mr. Mandela for all that you did for South Africa and reminding me of how very blessed I am. 

Day 12: Rain, rain GO AWAY!!

Today I was reminded that it truly is winter here. I was awakened by howling winds and pouring rain. I actually had to delay my trip to campus in order to let the rain ease up a bit. 

I literally have nothing new or exciting to report. I think that I spoke no more than 10 words today. I ate my breakfast, drove to work, stopped at a Thai restaurant on the way home for takeaway dinner and I've just been lounging since devouring my dinner. The pouring rain keeps taking out the satellite television, so it has been a very quiet evening. 

Actually, I do have one item to report. I parallel parked today!  Isn't it funny how something so minor can seem like such a big deal?  I think I'm getting the hang of driving on the left-hand side of the road and that makes me feel pretty darn good about myself. 

Well, tomorrow is the weekend and normally that is reason for celebration or at least rest and relaxation. I'm not quite sure what it means. Dad says stay in and read. Mom says be careful. Hubs says "your dad is a very wise man". I say I want to get my hair rebraided. I found a place that's not far from my cottage. I've got a boatload of journal articles, curriculum outlines and other work stuff to read to keep me busy while I'm there. I'm thinking I'll give it a try. Maybe they can make me beautiful and better able to fit in.  Heck, just something a little more monsoon resistant would be nice! Something like this?  What do you think?

Day 11: Lack of Sleep

My neighbors for the week are a squash team with a passion for late night drinking and socializing. Their noise making really took a toll on me last night. I finally took the medication my doctor prescribed to help me sleep. The good news is that it worked like a charm. The bad news was that I had the hardest time waking up this morning and staying awake throughout the day. In fact, this was me today:

I kept telling myself that I'd come in and go right to bed. Of course I haven't. I'm wide awake and watching Cadillac Records. How could I possibly go to sleep on Queen Bey?

Once I get my sleep patterns worked out, I'll be in full productivity mode. My dad has asked me not to leave my cottage alone, so my plan is to print off a few journal articles this weekend and do some scholarly writing. As my geeky finance side would say, the opportunity costs are quite low!  There are no kids to shuttle, meals to cook or toilets to scour. I frankly have nothing else to do but work. 

Sometimes, though, you have to get out and move around. In order to respect dad's wishes, I guess my moving around will be restricted to the UCT campus. In fact, since the new Economics building is 'green,' my office lights actually shut off on their own if I don't get up and move around periodically. I'm thinking that I might take a walk every hour or two just to keep from going all John Nash hyper focused. 

Today, on my walk, I decided to check out the sculpture across from my building. I wish I could tell you what in the world these guys are doing and why they are naked, but I'm baffled. In fact, I was even a little embarrassed when taking pictures of them, but I just had to else who would have believed it?

Day 10: Miss Independent

My mom said that I was only allowed a short time for my pity party, so after a tearful evening after the hubs' departure I got up this morning and headed to the office. 

The morning was spent mostly getting organized. I collected my office key, learned how to connect to the Internet and printer and found the ladies room.  I also spent a fair amount of time enjoying the view from my office window. 

In the afternoon, Mark and I walked up to upper campus for a meeting with the Director of the Institute that is sponsoring my visit -- the African Institute of Financial Markets and Risk Management (AIFMRM).  It was a great opportunity to learn more about what I'll be doing and everyone's expectations of me. Based on our conversation, I think this is the big picture:

Week one:  get acclimated to Cape Town (check!)

Week two:  get acclimated to UCT and lower campus (in progress!)

Week three:  meet with graduate students and provide input on dissertations

Week four:  sit in on faculty candidate interviews

Week five: statistical modeling for research project

Week six:  meetings with CFOs in Cape Town and Johannesburg for research project

I'm sure that other things will creep in, but I'm happy with this loose schedule.  It gives me plenty of time to be productive and try to make a contribution without feeling pressured to work long hours.  The atmosphere here is far more laid back than what I'm used to in the US. All of the folks with whom I'm working are very well published and highly respected, but this is certainly not the pressure cooker that I expected. 

Best of all, I drove today!  I was terrified to drive while the hubs was here, but this morning I put my 'big girl pants' on and did it. I drove on the left hand side of the road and didn't hit one thing!  I hit the wipers instead of the blinker only once and kept looking for those big blue arrows to remind me to stay left of center.  I'm proud of myself!

Whew!  I still miss the hubs terribly, but I'm starting to think that I might be able to handle this on my own. It's kinda like my baby boy said when I picked him up from his first overnight camp a few weeks ago, "it's fun during the day, but the (lonely) nights are ROUGH!" 

Day 9: The Hubs is Gone and I am Sad

The hubs left today. I can't fathom being without him for more than 30 days. I'm without words...

Day 8: Guided Tour

Today was an amazingly beautiful day. Even though it started out rather dreary and rainy, it turned out to be quite beautiful. Based on suggestions from Google, we hired a tour company to take us to the Cape of Good Hope, Boulder Beach, Simon Town, Chapman's Peak and two wineries. Yes, the day was as jam-packed as it sounds. We were picked up at 8AM and dropped off at 6PM. Our guide, Marlene Bell, was amazing. On top of being very sweet and knowledgable, what I liked best was that whenever you asked her to repeat something, she gave even more information. That is, she didn't have just a standard spiel. She knew her stuff and enjoyed sharing it. I meant to get a picture with her, but after two wine tastings, I can't be expected to remember everything. We saw flora and fauna and truly amazing views. How about if I just let the pictures speak for themselves?

Simply amazing!!