Adjusting to my new life

I have now been in Hanoi for more than a month - in fact, close on 2 months. Much of that time has been spent on settling in, whether it would be home, or at the office. It has been quite the adventure the last year. There are times I cannot believe that I am living in my 3rd country on a 3rd country in under 1 year.

When leaving South Africa on 29 October last year, I had such high hopes for my time in Boston. I was so excited for the new job... and how quickly those hopes were dashed. The position I thought I would have ended up being something completely different. I was under utilised, and basically spent a lot of time doing very little. Moving to Boston was also socially more difficult than I had assumed it would be. I was alone on my birthday, Thanksgiving, Christmas... and I did not even get to see my friends in the US (New York and DC) as much as I had wanted to. And add to this coming to grips for 4-5 months of winter!

However, there was a lot about living in Boston that I did love. The super fast internet. Excellent service. How safe I felt - no alarm systems, no burglar bars. You cannot truly appreciate it until you have lived, like so many South Africans, as virtual prisoners in our own homes.

So the decision to move to Hanoi, though professionally was the easy choice, was daunting on the personal front. Yet, I decided to take the leap, and here I am. And who knew that moving to Hanoi would be so much easier than moving to Boston? I have made some good friends among the expat community; I found an apartment easily; and I have already travelled within the country. Of course I miss home and friends and family, and the internet in the US, but I have come to really love the hustle and bustle of Hanoi - if not the weather and air quality!

The food is amazing, and the cost of living is pretty low - compared to the US. Compared to South Africa, it is pretty much on par.

I miss the freedom of having your own car and just going where you want gives you, but then there is the joy of taking a taxi and never having to deal with looking for a parking space. As for riding a motorbike in Hanoi - I am not as brave as yet. Give me some time.

The language barrier is real - just this morning in an upscale shop I had quite the time trying to explain that I was looking for milk.

This country is beautiful (the little I have seen of it), and there is so much development happening here.

What will the future bring? Who knows. For now, I am happy with the choices I made, and I am excited about the next adventure.

I am actually writing this as I am sitting on the plane. We have been in the air for 7 hours now, with another 5.5 to go! I am en route to Hong Kong, and then after a very long layover, to Hanoi - where the current night time temperature is 78 degrees! I am trying hard not to imagine the day-time temperature.

Anyway, it was my sister's birthday yesterday, and with a family gathering last night, it was a little bit of a crazy day, and there is still so much I felt I needed to do, including changing Rands into US Dollars :)

Try explaining to the Foreign Exchange Bureau at the airport that you do not have proof of residence with you, because you have not lived in he country for the last 10 months. So, now I have Rands with me that I sincerely hope can be changed in Hong Kong.

And then the drama at the airport with my excess luggage. As you can imagine, moving to another country means the one little standard suitcase allowance will not do. So I have 24kg in excess luggage. Well, I had more than that when I moved to Boston (seems like yesterday), both going and returning two weeks ago, and on both occasions the fee was around $155 - thank you British Airways for being reasonable. Well. Let me tell you, Cathay Pacific; whole different ball game. Their fees are in excess of R600 PER KG. The final bill, for those not in the mood to do quick math: over R15,000! Considering that my flight ticket was only R10,700, it would have been cheaper to buy a 2nd seat, and have 2 people's luggage allowance. Lesson learned: never fly Cathay Pacific when relocating to another country. They are not likely to see me on their flights ever again!

Advertising in the US

I recently decided to conduct a "social study". On 29 April 2014, starting at 20:00, I made a list of all adverts I was exposed to over a 3 hour period. To ensure an "even spread" I alternated in the 3 hours between the three major networks - ABC, NBC and CBS.

So, here goes, over the 3 hours, I saw over a 100 adverts. This is CRAZY. Here is the list. And because it is me, I of course needed to analyse this data. So, according to the advertising industry, this is what the average viewer on a major network is really interested in:

* Shows for the network (22% of ads)
* Food (16% of ads)
* Cars (14% of ads)

These three categories constitute 52% of all advertising. Following closely behind are retail clothing stores (9% of ads), and network providers (9% of ads). To me this was maybe not a typical evening, because I feel that many nights are dominated by adverts for medicines and medical services. So, revel with me in the beauty that is the US advertising industry...

1. Olive Garden - restaurant chain
2. Allegra – allergy medication for kids
3. Humana – health services
4. TJ Maxx – clothing store
5. Survivor show promo
6. Criminal minds show promo
7. Elementary show promo
8. CSI show promo
9. Big Bang Theory show promo
10. The Millers show promo
11. Quilted Northern – toilet paper
12. Nationwide insurance – household goods
13. iPhone 5 – cell phone
14. Fage – yoghurt
15. Staples - office supplies
16. CSI show promo
17. Dodge – car
18. LaQuinta – hotel brand
19. Dunkin Donuts
20. Zyrtec – allergy tablets
21. Home Depot
22. Allegra – allergy tablets
23. Domino’s pizza
24. BMW i3
25. Nicorette & Nicoderm – stop smoking
26. NCIS: LA show promo
27. Person of Interest show promo
28. Harvey Building Products
29. Xfinity – internet provider
30. Ford Escape – car
31. Hidden Valley ranch – salad dressing
32. Allstate insurance
33. Kohl – department store
34. Outshine – frozen snacks
35. Enbrel – joint pain medication
36. NCSI show promo
37. Kay jewelers
38. Kraft macaroni and cheese
39. Degree deodorant
40. 24 show promo
41. Mazda – car brand
42. State Farm – insurance
43. Ford – car brand
44. Verizon – network provider
45. Chanel No. 5 – perfume
46. 24 show promo
47. iPhone
48. Ford Fusion – car brand
49. The Simpsons show promo
50. The Mindy Project show promo
51. Progressive – auto and home insurance
52. iPhone 5
53. American Express – credit card
54. Target – department store
55. Neighbors – movie promo
56. Surviving Jack – show promo
57. Lincoln – car brand
58. xFinity – network provider
59. Dodge – car brand
60. Goya – spice brand
61. Boston Market – restaurant chain
62. Ford Fusion – car brand
63. TJ Maxx
64. 24 – show promo
65. Chase Freedom credit card – bank
66. Snickers
67. Charmin – toilet paper
68. Macy’s – department store
69. Subway – fast food chain
70. Cadillac – car brand
71. Rosemary’s Baby – show promo
72. Honda – car brand
73. TJ Maxx
74. Disney Resort Hotels
75. Progressive
76. Chobani – yoghurt
77. Lowe’s – home store
78. Sprint – network provider
79. Night Shift – show promo
80. The Blacklist – show promo
81. Verizon – network provider
82. Quicken Loans – mortgage company
83. PayLess – shoe store
84. Crossbones – show promo
85. Toyota Corolla Sport – car brand
86. Dunkin Donuts
87. Prince – pasta brand
88. Jeep Patriot – car brand
89. Ford – car brand
90. Microsoft Windows Asus – computer
91. Pier1 Imports – shopping
92. Olive Garden – food chain
93. US Postal Service
94. Tempur-Pedic – matrass brand
95. ReMax – realtors
96. Wendy’s – fast food chain
97. Universal Orlando Resort
98. Revolution – show promo
99. Law & Order: SVU – show promo
100. Clinique acne treatment – beauty product
101. Dentastix – for canine oral health
102. Secret Clinical Strength – deodorant
103. Audi A3 – car brand
104. Subway – fast food chain
105. T-Mobile – network provider
106. Walt Disney World
107. iHeart Radio Music Awards
108. Late Night with Jimmy Fallon – show promo

1. 
   

In memory of a great man, Nelson Mandela

Just over a month ago, I moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts.  I am a 44-year old South African woman, who has never lived outside of South Africa.  Moving to a new city is hard enough, but a new country even more so.  For several days now I have been feeling the distance, but tonight the 7800 miles separating me from my home in Pretoria is not just a number, it is a punch to the gut.  This is because of the news hearing Madiba is dead, sitting in a room that is not yet fully home.

Every South African over a certain age (erm, like mine) has a Madiba memory.  I grew up in a small town of mine workers.  Racism was alive and well in my environment, and because of the media restrictions, we never heard of Mandela, or even saw photos of him.

I was at in my 3^rd year of university, studying political science (I have always been a political junkie), when we heard that Nelson Mandela (Madiba) was being released from Victor Verster prison outside Cape Town.  I had a small black and white television, and I remember myself and a few friends crowding around that tiny television on 11 February 1990, when we saw those first iconic pictures of Madiba walking out of prison, holding the hand of his then wife, Winnie, and just completely surrounded by an entourage of friends, family, media, and well wishers.  Words to this day cannot describe the impact those pictures had on me.  I knew instantly that we were in for a very different future than my past.

When he later stood above a crowd of thousands at Cape Town city hall, and we first heard him speak, everyone knew we were watching the start of something new and amazing.  The next few years were spent in a flurry of negotiations about the future of South Africa, all culminating in the elections on 27 April 1994.  My father had passed away just 9 days before that day from a long battle with cancer.  Of course I often thought on that day of the fact that my Dad would never see this happen.  Standing for hours in line with one of my best friends and her husband to cast that vote felt surreal.  Here we were, people of all colours, ages, political orientations, all edging forward slowly to that ballot box.  I am usually not a very patient person, but that day the slow line was not a burden, but an honour.  I was voting for the new South Africa – it was all worth it.  This was a sentiment shared by so many millions of South Africans that day, as evidenced by so many memorable photos from that day.

The emotions of that day were however topped by those from his inauguration just two weeks later.  By this time I was living in the capital city Pretoria, and was fortunate enough to be able to go to the Union Buildings that day for the inauguration.  The energy of that day was indescribable.  The vibrancy of the colours from people from all over the African continent marching to the lawns of the Union Buildings, the sounds of people singing in so many different languages – and everywhere people smiling, being happy.  At one point I just sat down on the pavement to watch the ocean of humanity file past me, and I just wanted to drink in every moment.

And when Madiba finally appeared in the distance, and we saw him on the big screens, giving his inaugural speech, and for 9 minutes he held us all in rapture.  (See the YouTube video here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnVffzyaf-Y).

He spoke of new beginnings, of letting go of the past, and forging ahead together.  That day will remain one of my most precious life memories forever.

Because of his words, I have committed myself for the last twenty years to public health, and public service.  There was no greater honour than working in Madiba’s government, and contributing to some of his landmark programmes, including free primary health care, and the Reconstruction and Development Programme.

What Madiba’s life taught me is that you need to live your life with conviction and integrity, a life devoted to helping others, and I have tried for the last 20-odd years to remain true to those principles.

Tears were streaming down my face when I heard of Madiba’s death.  Before leaving South Africa, I had been one of those people who went to the hospital, only a mile away from my home, to pay homage to his life and sacrifice.  Even sitting now writing this, I am constantly overwhelmed by sadness, and especially at not being able to be in South Africa to once again go to the many memorial events that are surely being planned to go pay my last respects to a personal hero.  These few memories shared is just one way in which I can honour the legacy of a man that was more than a human – he was a giant.

Tata, I share in your family’s sadness today.  Letting go of you is hard for all of us, but your lasting legacy will last long after I am gone, and that is enough.

Hamba kahle Tata Madiba.

The times they are a changin'

So, big changes in my life recently. I packed up my entire life and left it in a storage space, and then more importantly, moved 12,600km from Pretoria to Cambridge, Massachusetts. Moving to a new city, in a new country, is a daunting experience. You have no sense of the familiar, and what I have found more importantly, is that creating a new social scene can be tough. Moving here in winter, when it it pitch dark at 16:30, also does not help. Look, I am not complaining. I have a wonderful life, and this new job provides amazing opportunities, but it has not been easy, and writing this the day before Thanksgiving, when everyone seems to be with loved ones, and all I have to look forward to is laundry, does not stave off the sense of loneliness I feel right now.

Sometimes just saying it out loud helps. Now, off to help myself. I am going to immediately look up other South Africans in the area, and then reach out to a few friends tomorrow and break this funk.

Onwards and upwards. To infinity and beyond. Yada yada yada.

U2 - Best Band EVER!

OH MY GOODNESS! What a show!


Okay, calm down, write clearly, be... but I saw The Edge - a LOT. So, my one complaint about all U2 videos is: too much Bono, not enough The Edge - in my book the hottest man in rock music. He was great, the music was fantastic. What a fun night.


Okay, now that I managed to get that out of my system, on to other things.


The weather in Cape Town was so beautiful - though the wind has been pretty harsh. But hey, even with the wind, you are in Cape Town, so, no reason to complain. I managed to have some seafood, I saw my friends Stacie and Mark, and I spent some time with Asara (oh yeah, and her parents and grandparents, but really, it is all about Asara). Sadly she was sleeping the whole time I was babysitting, save for 5 minutes when she woke up and cried for Mommy. When that did not work, she wailed for Daddy, and when it was still just me, she turned to sobbing herself back to sleep. So, what should have been fun time with Asara turned into reading on my Kindle. Oh well, next time.


I would move to Cape Town tomorrow if I could - it is my favourite city. I love everything about it.


Tomorrow I am back at work with a vengeance, and I am not exactly super psyched about that. I have tried to work since getting back from the US, but I find my motivation is lacking. If anyone has a magic cure, please send it along.


Anyway, I really have nothing profound to say today, so, maybe I will just end it here. End the torture for all and sundry.


However, I cannot end without a shout out to Heidi and Bryan, who are celebrating their wedding anniversary today. In their honour I am posting a picture from that auspicious day 5 years ago. Congratulations Heidi and Bryan!

Remembering a beautiful friend, Carmen Urdaneta

Today is the birthday of my beautiful friend Carmen Urdaneta, who died in Afghanistan in February 2005. She was a gorgeous, kind, funny, wonderful person. I still miss her. She was a wonderful photographer. A better friend.


Here is a little about her:


Carmen Christina Urdaneta, 32, was born 13 February 1972 in Venezuela, raised partly there in Maracaibo and grew up in Topeka, KS but was residing in Brookline, MA at the time of her death. She graduated from Hayden High School where she was on the honor roll, a member of Amnesty International, the International Club, Hispanic Club, campus ministry and the volleyball team. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in human biology from the University of Kansas in 1994 and participated in a study abroad program in France. In 1997 she earned a master’s degree in public health from Boston University’s School of Public Health. She began her professional career at the AIDS Bureau in Boston, where she worked on an epidemiologic project on AIDS. She then moved to Washington, D.C., where she worked for the Worldspace Foundation, an organization whose mission is to improve access to information in the developing world. In 1999, Carmen became a senior communications associate in the Family Planning Management Program at Management Sciences for Health. In 2001, she served as the director of communications for the firm’s Equity Project, residing in Pretoria, South Africa. She had worked to combat AIDS in Africa and to improve health services in Angola. She was well known in the global health community for her writing and photography. She returned to Boston in late 2003 where she became a senior communications associate at MSH. Carmen was a key member of the team responsible for developing and implementing communication strategies for MSH's various global health programs. She traveled extensively, visiting program sites throughout Asia, Africa and Latin America to capture firsthand the beneficial impact of MS H initiatives. Carmen is well-known in the global health community for both her writing and photography. Her stories have been featured in a variety of publications, and she was a finalist in several photography competitions. She told stories of the people she met around the world. She captured their faces in photographs. She spoke of how MSH programs affected their lives and what they needed to make their lives better. Her stories, published by MSH and in public health news magazines, along with her photos, had won awards. Carmen had been with working for the MSH for five years. She was in Afghanistan to help develop a comprehensive communications strategy for expansion of Afghanistan’s community-based health care plan. Carmen’s last comments in an email before she boarded the plane were that she loved the country and couldn’t wait to go back and do more. In her spare time, Carmen enjoyed the simple things in life such as reading, music, dancing salsa and merengue, the arts and a good cup of coffee. She was fluent in Spanish and French. The family is setting up the Carmen Christina Urdaneta Memorial Fund, which will probably be a scholarship for studying international health or funding for a project that would benefit the people she tried to help. She is survived by her parents Dr. Leonel Urdaneta and Judy Urdaneta; her mother Lia Urdaneta and Larry Lundquist; brothers Dr. JosŽ Urdaneta of Phoenix, AZ and Dr. Leonel Urdaneta of Manhattan, NY; her stepbrothers, Bo and Justin Bowen of Topeka; her stepsisters, Lea Araujo of CO and Christine Owens of Topeka; her nephew and niece Jace Haizley Bowen of Topeka; other very close relatives in Venezuela; and a host of global family and friends.