Airports

After 12 hours straight accross the lenght of the African continent, en route from Amsterdam to Miami, I had a lay-over in Detroit.
I amused myself taking pics of the beautiful Detroit airport.

Newlands in the Rain!

My Dad and I went to Newlands Rugbystadium to watch the home team, the Stormers, draw 13-13 with the NSW Waratahs in the last league match of the 2008 Super 14 tournament.

It rained cats and dogs and the rugby was atrocious, but I got to spend some great time with my Dad.
I loved every moment of it!

Back in Cape Town...

Ou bekende gesigte:
Tipiese Kaapse Wintersweer op Bloubergstrand.







Simon (-sberg) in al sy glorie - ek was 3 weke in die Kaap en daar was 2 sonskyndae soos hierdie. Ek het my kans gegryp met die kamera wyl die lug skoon was.







My ouers se huis van die afgelope 15 jaar. Cape-Dutch building style.

Hierdie beeld van my Pa is afge-ets in my geheue. He still wakes up before dawn every morn' to read the newspaper and get his day going.






Boerewors en tamatie-braai-sous -Ek is by die huis!

Kaap Toe!

In a while I'll be flying to South Africa, via Detroit and Amsterdam down the lenght of the mighty African continent. But for a brief stint in January 2005, I've not been "home" for nearly 6 years. I'm anxious to see if good old Cape Town is still home, or a place I can call home now and in the future.
It has nothing to do with political unrest, self-consumed leaders, the weather at the time, or even my beloved friends whom I miss very much. It is about a feeling of the heart. Home is after all where the heart is, and my heart is in Miami, where a certain Mrs. Sarah Bouwer resides and where we've carved out a temporary niche for ourselves.
Miami is definitely not a place we want to stay in for much longer. But we're here now. On the other side, my family is in Cape Town - and everybody else I miss spending time with.
This is the age of globalization, and the world has become small and easily accessible/transferable.

Miami, or Cape Town, or elsewhere?
It's going to be an interesting visit...

Employee Day on a Tiki Boat

'n Werksdag op 'n boot buite Miami met 'n kelkie in die hand, wyl die samba-dromme sing.

Foto: Die Afrikaanse Ontwikkelingsbeampte met die Kansellier en haar span.



Amerikaners doen alles uitspattig, volgens Afrika-standaarde beoordeel. Voeg daarby 'n stewige dosis Latino-kultuur-element en jy het 'n sukses-resep vir 'n tamaai werks-partytjie.

Ons jaarlikse Werknemer-Dag is vanjaar op 'n Tiki boot gehou - in hierdie geval meerendeels 'n drywende tropiese eiland, om die beskrywing nou nederig te hou.

Skaamteloos is daar eiland-kroee, 'n buffet ete, Bali-styl sofas en rusbanke, 'n "live" eiland-band en les bes, see-sand en kamma-gras.

Die kaptein het rondom die stad en die beroemde Suid Strand gevaar, en ons met skemer afgelaai by 'n bekende winkelsentrum.

Weens my dissertasie-voordrag die volgende oggend en my vlug die aand daarna, moes ek die gedans, gewuifery en gesellige atmosfeer met 'n kalmerende bedeesdheid benader. :-(

Die Samba-wurm loop op die Tiki-boot!

The Incredible Lightness of Just Being

This has been way too long a Blog-silence - the past 2 weeks.

On Saturday I completed the last requirements for my MBA, defending my thesis in front of a panel of judges. Driving to a dinner with Sarah and some classmates, it felt like emerging from a long period underground, from a cave-like existence back into the light. And light as a feather!

Sarah though, started her Masters a couple of weeks ago and I think the brutality of studying AND working full-time has hit her. Her course is very intense and although it seems less problem solving-oriented as my business course was, there is more academics in the true sense of the word involved. If that makes any sense...

We spend the weekend at good friends' place at the beach. Vegg is too active a word to describe my state of being Saturday and Sunday! Will miss the sun, sand and surf as I travel to African Winter tomorrow to spend a few weeks with my family in Cape Town, 3 years since I stepped on African soil.

Te lank gelede, seg ek.

Sien uit om die vele nuwe aanwinste tot die vele jong gesinne van my vriende te ontmoet!