Howdy
I just wanted to pop off an entry before I hit the road (tomorrow!) for a much needed and lengthy escape from Pretoria. Tomorrow I leave for Grahamstown (unfortunately by bus, 15 hours) to see a really awesome arts fest. Pretty much any kind of performance/music/film/etc you can think of is crammed into this tiny hamlet in the Eastern Cape. I went in 2002 and had a great time. And for some random reason I seem to remember acquiring a pair of hot orange (think Mac n Cheese) Chinese sneakers in the process. Maybe I can get lucky again cos my current shoes are starting to take on a life of their own...and it's not pretty!
I guess a lot has happened in the last week or so, but I wouldn't know cos I've been cooped up in my production studio at the radio station. This is a good and bad thing. Good because it's fun and I learn, but bad because I don't know when to say "stop!" and go home. So it secretly steals all my time from me. I've made some good things in the last week-ish though. Most notably a new feature called "Mind your language" for a friend's show. She hopes to feature definitions for slang from around the world. Right now she is featuring USA hillbilly slang thanks to the ample redneck jokes available on the internet. And who do you think does the best American accent at the radio station? Who? If you guessed me, then you are one clever cat. I've been providing the hillbilly voice for all these pieces. If you want to hear one of them, email me and I'll send you the mp3. They are freaking hilarious! Also, this guy I was talking about last week (Barney Simon) is using my voice for some of his ads and jingles. Cool man! I'm secretly taking over the airwaves down south...my little plan is all coming together, mwa ha ha!
It snowed here. Serious! Last night I was coming home from the radio station at 2am and when I walked up to my dorm I thought "wow, this rain dances like snow." I looked down on my black coat to see tiny snowflakes! I was SO excited. A Mozambiquan girl that stays on my floor thought I was crazy...hey, what can ya do? Simple pleasures! To say it snowed in Pretoria would be a pretty huge exaggeration...I'm going w/a light flurry. In the Chicagoland area we call it "lake effect" snow and we don't even release the salt trucks. There was no accumulation and I doubt the snow lasted for long. I saw some photos of accumulation in other parts of the country though. Palm trees and snow look funny together. The "snow" in Pretoria was the first snow since 1981! Dang! This morning someone described it as "sleet" but I had to correct them and explain the many subtle forms of snow. A girl I met here in 2002 told me that Zulus have like 30 different ways to say rain in Zulu. She described the rain we were experiencing that night as "spit of the flies." It was an appropriate moniker too. I guess us northern folks have that many names for different types of snow. Each with their own nuances...although I don't think I've ever heard any snow description come close to "spit of the flies." I guess we could take some poetic pointers from the Southern hemisphere contigent.
I was asked to write an article for a campus newspaper here. The paper, Campus Times, is distributed to all the major campuses in South Africa and has a circulation of about 100,000. Cool man! I got the offer cos I sent an email to one of the music editors (he was reviewing one of my fav obscure USA bands, Magnolia Electric Co....how random is that!!!) and the head editor got wind of the fact that I was an American. I was asked to write a piece on what it was like to be an American at a predominantly Afrikaans institution. 1000 words...which I thought was a lot. But if you've read this blog then you know I can say a lot more than 1000 words on just about any subject. I'll post a link (if there is one) when it gets published or I will post it up here.
I spent this past weekend at my friend Irene's house. She stays in Rustenberg which is about 2 hours NW of Pretoria. I basically spent the weekend eating TONS of food and trying to keep up with a swirl of Afrikaans. It was sort of tiring not knowing what was happening most of the weekend, but also a good learning experience. Although I was relieved when I didn't have to spend all my trying to figure out what the heck folks were talking about. Irene is a DJ at the radio station and we also went with another DJ, Kenzy. Irene and Kenzy are one of the dynamic duos of the station...inseparable. Kenzy is the DJ I did the hillbilly thingee for and she's one of my best friends here. 2 of their friends also came. So we kinda took over Irene's parents' house, but they liked it! I also met Irene's ouma and oupa. New vocab 4 you! Said: OH-ma and OH-pa...these words mean grandma and grandpa, respectively. I think the GPs enjoyed our company and Oupa gave me a coin "for luck" when he left. I sat next to Ouma during the SA vs. New Zealand rugby game and she was getting so excited that she kept hitting me at all the crucial plays. It was kinda hilarious. Even old ladies in these parts dig rugby so much that they get violent and shout at the tv!
This past Monday I went to a really lekker show the radio station put on. (Remember "lekker"???...said: LAH-kkuhrrrr...means super cool). It's a series called "On the Rocks" and is similar to Vh1 storytellers/MTV Unplugged. An unplugged set in a small intimate venue. 3 course meal. Booze. A great time! The band that played is called Wonderboom (also a neighborhood in Pretoria). They are pretty old skool on the SA music scene as they have been together for 11 years. They put on a really really fun show and the music was great. I really recommend them if you are surfing around the net (doesn't everyone have a myspace page these days?).
Just on a random rant...myspace is huge here . I mean it's to be expected in the younger age bracket no matter where you are in the world. When I first arrived here everyone was like "do you have a myspace page?!?" and folks were spending hours at the radio station computers souping up their myspace page. Then, in the span of about a week, myspace was no longer cool. It was all about facebook. The quick change was so bizzare. I haven't heard the words "myspace" in weeks and when I glance and the screen next to me it is always plastered with facebook. Myspace? Myspace? That was soooooo 5 minutes ago. The team of DJs and other radio station lackeys that do the breakfast show here started a facebook page and in the span of about 2 weeks they had over 2,000 new friends. I'm sure they are up to, and breezing by, the 3,000 friends mark. Craziness! I especially find the new facebook craze interesting because I thought facebook was soooooo 5 minutes ago. I remember it being big at U of IL years ago, such that you would go to parties where many of the participants had not heard about the party from a person or from walking by the party....they heard about it first on facebook. Communication networks are so interesting....cyber, drums, or word of mouth. The intricacies and customs are all something of wonder.
On the school tip...
I've got back all my grades now. I have received 4 distinctions in 4 classes. "Distinction" means 75% and above here and also means I got As. It's pretty hot stuff here cos most folks just concern themselves with passing the classes. I find the difference in styles very interesting. But also it can be hard just to pass a class here. Everyone here thinks I'm crazy cos I tell them that my passing is 75% or above. But also they all think I'm a total brain. I just tell them that I'm not here to screw around. Plain truth.
Yesterday I had a meeting with the Dean in my faculty (the college I'm a part of at the University). I think that I have put administrators in a tough position here cos their system of equalizing students to the Univ of Pretoria system is not working for me at all. And it's making me angry. I am not nice to deal with when you are in my way. I don't mean that as a threat...but if I'm going for something then I'm going for it. The dean I met with was very sympathetic to my situation (especially when he saw my grades) but it sounds like his hands are tied. It seems like he's going to try to make a plan for me and I guess that is all I can ask! More on this in a few weeks I guess.
Hope you are all well, wherever you might be.
Much Love
Lynsee
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Saturday, June 16, 2007
Oh baby, baby it’s a wild world
First and foremost…condolences to the Simpson family in Zion, IL. They just lost one of their family members to Lake Michigan. Joshua Simpson was attempting to save a girl that was struggling in the waters at Waukegan Harbor when he himself drowned. If you’d like to send condolences you can email Myra Simpson (his grandma) at: msimpson@waukeganschools.org. Although I didn’t know Josh very well at all (his grandmother is a family friend) it hit me hard to hear that he drowned. I can’t imagine the sadness his family is feeling now. When I read the articles online I couldn’t help but shed some tears when I learned that he was actually trying to save someone else’s life. What a noble way to go…
You can read his obituary at:http://www.legacy.com/Link.asp?I=LS000089000534X
Also here's a story from the newspaper (probably the News Sun in Waukegan):
Hey it’s been a tough one this week! Basically anytime I have to study here I get really really depressed because, well, studying sucks. Especially when it’s sunny and nice outside. Especially when your classes are completely pointless. Studying depresses me and then I start to think of home and the homies. I get anxious cos I worry about getting good grades. And such… Also I’ve been working a lot at the radio station…which is so rad, but time consuming and freaks me out cos I feel like I don't really know what I'm doing. I really haven’t got the time management thing down in this place. I don’t know what it is cos usually I’m a time management multi-tasking whiz. Maybe it’s just the new environs, etc. The southern hemisphere is a trip. It's June and freezing. As much as this shouldn't mess me up...I think it's screwing with my brain's sense of time.
This week I took my last 2 exams (I’M FREEEEEEE!) of the semester. I studied for literally 12 hours for one of the exams and the other one…well…I think it went okay. Wednesday was really hard cos I looked at the semester grades from the exams I took earlier in the month and I saw that I got a 63% in my carbohydrate biochemistry class. Yo, that is not acceptable. I was pulling a 77% in the class (that’s an A w/a “distinction” here). I basically had to totally fail the final exam to get a 63% in that class. I know I didn’t fail cos the test wasn’t that hard. So I emailed the professor on Friday and she said that there had been a mistake in the grading and that my actual final grade was an 81% cos I got an 84% on the final exam. Woo! But before I found out that news…I was just crying all day. Serious. Carbohydrates was the first exam I took and it made me doubt my abilities if I ended up w/a 63% in a class. But I guess all those tears and worrying wasn’t even worth it. When will I EVER learn?!?! I’m stressing too hard about stuff here. It really sucks.
Just when I’m laying lower than a snake’s belly in a wagon rut the universe reveals its most beautiful and fragrant flowers to me. It keeps happening, but I keep stressing. Like I said, when will I ever learn? Case in point…Friday. Which, by the way, was “Day in the Life.” You can see the photos of my day at: http://picasaweb.google.com/lynseemelchi. I also added some photos to the general photos and the Rotary photos. Enjoy!
So Friday morning I had my last exam (did I mention I’M FREEEE?!?)…Microbiology. I only studied for like ½ a day for the thing, but at this point I just didn’t care anymore. And the dude’s tests aren’t that hard cos you don’t have to prove you actually know anything. All you have to do is memorize useless facts…something I’m not too bad at. I calculated the score I needed (c/o of Ben…thanks!) to get a “distinction” in the class and all I needed was a 66% on the final exam. Which I think I got. We’ll see next week I guess.
So I finished the exam at like 10am and went to the radio station to check email and chill out w/the radio folks a bit. I read the stuff about Josh Simpson online, which made me cry a lot…but then the flowers started to bloom. And they just wouldn’t quit. I was chatting online to my best friend Graeme, who stays in Poland right now, and then he called me on my cell phone. It was initially the happiest :45 of my day…little did I know the day was only going to get better! I found out that I didn’t screw up my test and that I actually got an 81% in my class (which is a SUPER A here). So I did a little dance, literally, when I found that out. Made a bunch of plans to hang out w/folks…which is something I’ve been craving hardcore lately. Took a nice nap and generally just reveled in the fact that I have unburdened myself of school for the moment.
My friend Luso invited me over for dinner and we watched a movie. If you haven’t seen Lemony Snicket and the Series of Unfortunate Events…well you are just missing out. It’s a fantastic movie based on a set of fantastic kids’ books. I haven’t read the books yet, but I have it on good authority (from the Urban family kiddies) that the books totally rock. I have them on my iPod…just haven’t listened to them yet. The movie is about 3 kids w/cool talents that become orphaned. They have to fight against this evil dude (Jim Carrey) that is trying to kill everyone they come in contact with and wants the family fortune the kids were left. The movie has a Tim Burton-esque feel to it, so it’s a visually stunning movie and very dark. Think Edward Gorey type stuff. Also some great actors: Billy Connely, Meryl Streep, Jim Carrey. Basically the kids persevere and they see that their series of unfortunate events was actually helpful to them. The journey is the destination…which is actually something that Graeme told me earlier in the day. A message I need to take to heart! It’s funny how sometimes you’ll just need to hear a message and then randomly it appears to you. It happens a lot for me with music, but movies are also a good source.
Friday night I was supposed to go hang out w/a friend of mine from the radio station and have a sleepover w/her and some other girls…but it just didn’t work out. No matter though cos the end result was even better. I went down to Hatfield Square w/my friend Chris (he stays in my dorm) to meet a friend I know that’s in the vet school here, David. Just drinks and sitting around, yawn…but good company…so salvageable. We ended up going to another bar from the one we started at because David and friends needed to meet up w/a guy they know. So we go over there and I’m waiting at the bar to order a drink when the biggest most fragrant flower of the day burst open in front of my eyes…
I looked over and randomly see this guy that I knew from my time here in 2002, Mas Tyali. I haven’t met up with him yet because I lost contact with him. I actually sent a letter to his parents’ home when I arrived here to try to get back in touch with him…but I guess he hasn’t been home yet. So I look over and am thinking “is that him?” I went up to him and was like “Excuse me…what’s your name?” Sometimes here I think I see people and know them when I really don’t. I mean, I guess that happens at home too. Also I knew this guy when he was just 18-19yrs old and he’s not a scrawny little dude anymore. Mas didn’t answer he just gave me a look that said "you know it's me, dummy" and said “Oh my god what are you doing here?” Craziness!!!!!!!!
I was sorta involved with this guy back in 2002 and then also saw him again in 2003 when I came back to SA for a visit. We weren’t dating per se, just kicking it (as we say in the USA). This is hands-down the hottest guy I have ever seen. Hot guys almost never talk to me. It’s just the truth…I’m sorry to say. So when this guy was interested in me it was like a one in a million event. I don’t really care that much if a dude is hot or not. It’s the between the ears stuff that really matters…but it doesn’t hurt if you are one sexxxy mutha!
I don’t trust African guys. Black or white. I think they are all a bit shady. Maybe I just don’t get them yet. I don’t know. Sorry if you are an African guy and reading this…it’s just my opinion! If you disagree with me…prove it! It’s been my experience that men and women here don’t actually interact much except to make babies, especially among black people. That’s a blanket statement that doesn’t always apply, but I stick to my general observations on this one. So if a guy is talking to you here…you know what he wants. He doesn’t usually care about you or what you are saying or whatever. He wants to make babies. Yo, I need substance, so I don’t really dig this modus operandi. But this guy Mas was something else. He is sincerely sweet and kind. How refreshing! When I visited him in 2002 I had just had an INSANE situation go down in Zimbabwe and had also missed my airplane from South Africa to the USA such that I had to stay in SA for an extra month. Needless to say, I was a bit upset at the time. One thing I remember about this dude is that he would always be asking about what I was thinking about and how I was doing and all that. And I could tell he really cared. He has no game…which is I think his game. Guys here are big-mackin’ game-layin’ down players. It’s not cool. I don’t appreciate mind games. Just be straight up with me…it’s just easier that way.
Mas told me that he had looked me up on Google (okay I looked him up too a long time ago) but he hadn’t been able to locate any contact info for me. But he was like “Dang, girl! There is like 4 pages of hits for Lynsee Melchi. What have you been up to?” Google me…it’s fun. Anyways…so turns out this dude lives in Pretoria. And has lived here for a few years. He lives, literally, 10 minutes from my house. If that. Damn the universe just gets curiouser and curiouser every single day that passes. Ben told me that sharks swim to stay alive. I guess I just need to keep swimming.
Oooooo…on the radio tip. There were 3 producers in my department at the radio station, plus our boss and script writer. One of the producers just left to make his fortune in the UK. Actually he’s a production god. I can imagine what it would be like to have watched Van Gogh slap paint on a canvas after seeing this guy make a :30 commercial. No joke! So now it’s just me and this other dude, Jayton, doing all the production work for the station. Hey that’s a tall order cos I’m green and work slow. I think I’m producing good work for the most part (which is good) but it takes a lot of effort to get there. It’s actually tiring. Creatively tiring. We have a daily program that airs at 1:30pm called the Lunchbox. It’s an arts & entertainment, celeb gossip, movies, etc type of piece and it’s about 5 minutes long usually. My boss has asked me to produce this and to make it my thing. Jayton and I switch off producing it based on our schedules…but it’s supposed to be my “thing.” So for the last 2 weeks I’ve been producing this daily show. It’s really taken a lot out of me, but I enjoy it. I would so much rather be producing than studying useless material for useless classes. But the production stuff has been really stressful on top of the studying for exams stress and whatever other stupid things I’m worrying about. I think the radio stress is going to settle down a bit soon. I’m getting more and more comfortable with the production stuff, so it’s taking a bit less out of me each day that passes.
When Rob, the production god, left he had a final final “I’m leaving on a jet plane tomorrow” drink down at a local spot. When I was saying my last goodbyes and thanking him for infusing me with production know how he said something that really gave me hope about my production steez. He’s the type of guy that tells it like it is. He wouldn’t build you up just to say nice things about you to your face. If he’s saying something to you then you know he means it. He’s just a brutally honest guy. He told me that he’s cut a lot of producers at the station (he’s been there for like 5 years) and that he could see that I’ve got what it takes to make it (nice!). He told me that I know WAY more about producing then a person who has only been making stuff for 3-4 months should know. Awww…thanks man :) So I stress a tiny bit less now when I’m making things. Also I’ve been getting tons of good feedback from my boss as well as Jayton so I think I can just keep swimming and stop worrying about this radio thing. I’m doing it. It’s working.
Another random radio tidbit…there’s this dude called Barney Simon that is a DJ at our station. I think I can safely say that he’s a radio legend in this country. He’s got all sorts of radio shows, writes for magazines, had his house featured on a “Cribs” type show they have here in SA, etc. The guy is in his late 40s-early 50s-ish, if I had to guess, and still dresses like an old school rocker. Black band T-shirts, heavy metal chains with dragons and crazy symbols, black pants, Doc Martens. I gotta respect someone that age who is still being true to what he likes…especially in this crazy suit and tie world. Anyways, he does a show on Monday nights here that is a rock extravaganza (7-10pm…you can stream it at http://www.tuksfm.co.za/). He plays a lot of really hard stuff, but also I’ve heard some softer indie rock tunes on his show. I sat in on a production session he has with Jayton each week before his show and the guy is super excited about my voice. He wants to use it on his show as well as wanting to push for my voice to be used for some general station jingles. I’ll keep ya posted…but I might be a voice for TuksFM here one day. Cool man! Finally whiskey and cigarettes are paying off for me in the sexy voice department!
You can read his obituary at:
Also here's a story from the newspaper (probably the News Sun in Waukegan):
Teen hero remembered with smiles and tearsJune 10, 2007
BY ERICA MASINI
ZION-- A comic, a dancer, a hero. That is how 19-year-old Joshua Simpson of Zion is being remembered days after he drowned rescuing two friends from choppy Lake Michigan waters at Waukegan Municipal Beach. Saturday,his selfless act of bravery prompted his family to remember him with pride and smiles. At his uncle Benjamin Simpson's wedding, Benjamin said Joshua stole the show with his hip-hop dancing and suave conversation with the ladies. Joshua Simpson, 19, of Zion (inset photo of his 2006 high school graduation) drowned Thursday in Lake Michigan near the band shell at Waukegan Municipal Beach as he tried to save a female friend who was having trouble swimming.(Josh Peckler/News-Sun; grad photo: Special to the News-Sun)"He outdid me at my own wedding. He has always been the center of attention," he said, laughing as he glanced at the North Carolina-bluewristband Joshua had given him. Joshua enjoyed having dance battles at home with his family, capturing them on camera phones to laugh at them later. He also was part of the"Step of Faith" dance team at Christian Faith Fellowship church in Zion from the ages of 13 until 18. A 2006 graduate of Zion-Benton Township high school, Joshua's contagious sense of humor took the stage when he participated in his school's Individual Event (IE) speech team in the category of humorous interpretation where he would make "everybody laugh" with his impromptu speeches, according to his mother. He also dressed up as a member of TheTemptations in one of his school's musical revues."He was a flashy dresser," Simpson, known by Joshua as "Unc," said. "He always wore classy suits and athletic gear and Timberlands. He looked good."Authorities say Joshua drowned around 4:30 p.m. Thursday in water near the band shell at Waukegan Municipal Beach after he rescued two friends (a male and female) who were having trouble swimming in the rough waters. Joshua helped his two friends make it out safely, but he was stranded about 150 feet off shore in choppy water, made worse by fierce winds. Powerless, all his friends could do was watch as Simpson was dragged farther and farther from safety. Rescuers found his body 20 minutes later. He was pronounced dead later at Vista Medical Center East."We were talking in the car the other day and asked ourselves if we could do what he did, and we don't think we could," his mother Antheria Simpson said. "He only knew the woman he saved for a day and that says alot about his character. He did such a selfless thing."Joshua was working full time in customer service for a Bannockburn company and planned to join the Navy through a buddy system, Antheria Simpson said. She said he was also a great friend and a loving brother to his younger brother and sister, Josiah Mars, 8, and Jadyn Mars, 5."People aren't saving people these days," a friend of the family said."People are killing people. What he did is a blessing."Benjamin said he took care of Joshua when he was a child, which made him feel like a father to Joshua."I'm so proud of my first son," Benjamin said. "I'm so proud of him I don't know what to do with myself."His family described Joshua as a "real person" who did not wear a mask. His godmother and cousin Rachel Miller said he brought joy to anyone in his presence and people loved him because of it."He was my first companion for 11 years. He was my baby. He is my baby,"Joshua's mother said. "Joshua gave himself just as Christ did," she added. "His name, after all, means 'Jesus Saves.'""His service will be felt," Miller said."For him to do what he did so that two more people could live and dowhat God called them to do makes me proud as a mother," Antheria Simpson said. Joshua's wake will be held at 10 a.m. on Thursday June 14 at Bradshawand Range funeral home in Waukegan. The funeral service will be held at11 a.m. the same day at Christ Faith Fellowship Church in Zion.
**************************************
Hey it’s been a tough one this week! Basically anytime I have to study here I get really really depressed because, well, studying sucks. Especially when it’s sunny and nice outside. Especially when your classes are completely pointless. Studying depresses me and then I start to think of home and the homies. I get anxious cos I worry about getting good grades. And such… Also I’ve been working a lot at the radio station…which is so rad, but time consuming and freaks me out cos I feel like I don't really know what I'm doing. I really haven’t got the time management thing down in this place. I don’t know what it is cos usually I’m a time management multi-tasking whiz. Maybe it’s just the new environs, etc. The southern hemisphere is a trip. It's June and freezing. As much as this shouldn't mess me up...I think it's screwing with my brain's sense of time.
This week I took my last 2 exams (I’M FREEEEEEE!) of the semester. I studied for literally 12 hours for one of the exams and the other one…well…I think it went okay. Wednesday was really hard cos I looked at the semester grades from the exams I took earlier in the month and I saw that I got a 63% in my carbohydrate biochemistry class. Yo, that is not acceptable. I was pulling a 77% in the class (that’s an A w/a “distinction” here). I basically had to totally fail the final exam to get a 63% in that class. I know I didn’t fail cos the test wasn’t that hard. So I emailed the professor on Friday and she said that there had been a mistake in the grading and that my actual final grade was an 81% cos I got an 84% on the final exam. Woo! But before I found out that news…I was just crying all day. Serious. Carbohydrates was the first exam I took and it made me doubt my abilities if I ended up w/a 63% in a class. But I guess all those tears and worrying wasn’t even worth it. When will I EVER learn?!?! I’m stressing too hard about stuff here. It really sucks.
Just when I’m laying lower than a snake’s belly in a wagon rut the universe reveals its most beautiful and fragrant flowers to me. It keeps happening, but I keep stressing. Like I said, when will I ever learn? Case in point…Friday. Which, by the way, was “Day in the Life.” You can see the photos of my day at: http://picasaweb.google.com/lynseemelchi. I also added some photos to the general photos and the Rotary photos. Enjoy!
So Friday morning I had my last exam (did I mention I’M FREEEE?!?)…Microbiology. I only studied for like ½ a day for the thing, but at this point I just didn’t care anymore. And the dude’s tests aren’t that hard cos you don’t have to prove you actually know anything. All you have to do is memorize useless facts…something I’m not too bad at. I calculated the score I needed (c/o of Ben…thanks!) to get a “distinction” in the class and all I needed was a 66% on the final exam. Which I think I got. We’ll see next week I guess.
So I finished the exam at like 10am and went to the radio station to check email and chill out w/the radio folks a bit. I read the stuff about Josh Simpson online, which made me cry a lot…but then the flowers started to bloom. And they just wouldn’t quit. I was chatting online to my best friend Graeme, who stays in Poland right now, and then he called me on my cell phone. It was initially the happiest :45 of my day…little did I know the day was only going to get better! I found out that I didn’t screw up my test and that I actually got an 81% in my class (which is a SUPER A here). So I did a little dance, literally, when I found that out. Made a bunch of plans to hang out w/folks…which is something I’ve been craving hardcore lately. Took a nice nap and generally just reveled in the fact that I have unburdened myself of school for the moment.
My friend Luso invited me over for dinner and we watched a movie. If you haven’t seen Lemony Snicket and the Series of Unfortunate Events…well you are just missing out. It’s a fantastic movie based on a set of fantastic kids’ books. I haven’t read the books yet, but I have it on good authority (from the Urban family kiddies) that the books totally rock. I have them on my iPod…just haven’t listened to them yet. The movie is about 3 kids w/cool talents that become orphaned. They have to fight against this evil dude (Jim Carrey) that is trying to kill everyone they come in contact with and wants the family fortune the kids were left. The movie has a Tim Burton-esque feel to it, so it’s a visually stunning movie and very dark. Think Edward Gorey type stuff. Also some great actors: Billy Connely, Meryl Streep, Jim Carrey. Basically the kids persevere and they see that their series of unfortunate events was actually helpful to them. The journey is the destination…which is actually something that Graeme told me earlier in the day. A message I need to take to heart! It’s funny how sometimes you’ll just need to hear a message and then randomly it appears to you. It happens a lot for me with music, but movies are also a good source.
Friday night I was supposed to go hang out w/a friend of mine from the radio station and have a sleepover w/her and some other girls…but it just didn’t work out. No matter though cos the end result was even better. I went down to Hatfield Square w/my friend Chris (he stays in my dorm) to meet a friend I know that’s in the vet school here, David. Just drinks and sitting around, yawn…but good company…so salvageable. We ended up going to another bar from the one we started at because David and friends needed to meet up w/a guy they know. So we go over there and I’m waiting at the bar to order a drink when the biggest most fragrant flower of the day burst open in front of my eyes…
I looked over and randomly see this guy that I knew from my time here in 2002, Mas Tyali. I haven’t met up with him yet because I lost contact with him. I actually sent a letter to his parents’ home when I arrived here to try to get back in touch with him…but I guess he hasn’t been home yet. So I look over and am thinking “is that him?” I went up to him and was like “Excuse me…what’s your name?” Sometimes here I think I see people and know them when I really don’t. I mean, I guess that happens at home too. Also I knew this guy when he was just 18-19yrs old and he’s not a scrawny little dude anymore. Mas didn’t answer he just gave me a look that said "you know it's me, dummy" and said “Oh my god what are you doing here?” Craziness!!!!!!!!
I was sorta involved with this guy back in 2002 and then also saw him again in 2003 when I came back to SA for a visit. We weren’t dating per se, just kicking it (as we say in the USA). This is hands-down the hottest guy I have ever seen. Hot guys almost never talk to me. It’s just the truth…I’m sorry to say. So when this guy was interested in me it was like a one in a million event. I don’t really care that much if a dude is hot or not. It’s the between the ears stuff that really matters…but it doesn’t hurt if you are one sexxxy mutha!
I don’t trust African guys. Black or white. I think they are all a bit shady. Maybe I just don’t get them yet. I don’t know. Sorry if you are an African guy and reading this…it’s just my opinion! If you disagree with me…prove it! It’s been my experience that men and women here don’t actually interact much except to make babies, especially among black people. That’s a blanket statement that doesn’t always apply, but I stick to my general observations on this one. So if a guy is talking to you here…you know what he wants. He doesn’t usually care about you or what you are saying or whatever. He wants to make babies. Yo, I need substance, so I don’t really dig this modus operandi. But this guy Mas was something else. He is sincerely sweet and kind. How refreshing! When I visited him in 2002 I had just had an INSANE situation go down in Zimbabwe and had also missed my airplane from South Africa to the USA such that I had to stay in SA for an extra month. Needless to say, I was a bit upset at the time. One thing I remember about this dude is that he would always be asking about what I was thinking about and how I was doing and all that. And I could tell he really cared. He has no game…which is I think his game. Guys here are big-mackin’ game-layin’ down players. It’s not cool. I don’t appreciate mind games. Just be straight up with me…it’s just easier that way.
Mas told me that he had looked me up on Google (okay I looked him up too a long time ago) but he hadn’t been able to locate any contact info for me. But he was like “Dang, girl! There is like 4 pages of hits for Lynsee Melchi. What have you been up to?” Google me…it’s fun. Anyways…so turns out this dude lives in Pretoria. And has lived here for a few years. He lives, literally, 10 minutes from my house. If that. Damn the universe just gets curiouser and curiouser every single day that passes. Ben told me that sharks swim to stay alive. I guess I just need to keep swimming.
Oooooo…on the radio tip. There were 3 producers in my department at the radio station, plus our boss and script writer. One of the producers just left to make his fortune in the UK. Actually he’s a production god. I can imagine what it would be like to have watched Van Gogh slap paint on a canvas after seeing this guy make a :30 commercial. No joke! So now it’s just me and this other dude, Jayton, doing all the production work for the station. Hey that’s a tall order cos I’m green and work slow. I think I’m producing good work for the most part (which is good) but it takes a lot of effort to get there. It’s actually tiring. Creatively tiring. We have a daily program that airs at 1:30pm called the Lunchbox. It’s an arts & entertainment, celeb gossip, movies, etc type of piece and it’s about 5 minutes long usually. My boss has asked me to produce this and to make it my thing. Jayton and I switch off producing it based on our schedules…but it’s supposed to be my “thing.” So for the last 2 weeks I’ve been producing this daily show. It’s really taken a lot out of me, but I enjoy it. I would so much rather be producing than studying useless material for useless classes. But the production stuff has been really stressful on top of the studying for exams stress and whatever other stupid things I’m worrying about. I think the radio stress is going to settle down a bit soon. I’m getting more and more comfortable with the production stuff, so it’s taking a bit less out of me each day that passes.
When Rob, the production god, left he had a final final “I’m leaving on a jet plane tomorrow” drink down at a local spot. When I was saying my last goodbyes and thanking him for infusing me with production know how he said something that really gave me hope about my production steez. He’s the type of guy that tells it like it is. He wouldn’t build you up just to say nice things about you to your face. If he’s saying something to you then you know he means it. He’s just a brutally honest guy. He told me that he’s cut a lot of producers at the station (he’s been there for like 5 years) and that he could see that I’ve got what it takes to make it (nice!). He told me that I know WAY more about producing then a person who has only been making stuff for 3-4 months should know. Awww…thanks man :) So I stress a tiny bit less now when I’m making things. Also I’ve been getting tons of good feedback from my boss as well as Jayton so I think I can just keep swimming and stop worrying about this radio thing. I’m doing it. It’s working.
Another random radio tidbit…there’s this dude called Barney Simon that is a DJ at our station. I think I can safely say that he’s a radio legend in this country. He’s got all sorts of radio shows, writes for magazines, had his house featured on a “Cribs” type show they have here in SA, etc. The guy is in his late 40s-early 50s-ish, if I had to guess, and still dresses like an old school rocker. Black band T-shirts, heavy metal chains with dragons and crazy symbols, black pants, Doc Martens. I gotta respect someone that age who is still being true to what he likes…especially in this crazy suit and tie world. Anyways, he does a show on Monday nights here that is a rock extravaganza (7-10pm…you can stream it at http://www.tuksfm.co.za/). He plays a lot of really hard stuff, but also I’ve heard some softer indie rock tunes on his show. I sat in on a production session he has with Jayton each week before his show and the guy is super excited about my voice. He wants to use it on his show as well as wanting to push for my voice to be used for some general station jingles. I’ll keep ya posted…but I might be a voice for TuksFM here one day. Cool man! Finally whiskey and cigarettes are paying off for me in the sexy voice department!
Also noteworthy...I have a friend in Urbana, IL USA from Radio Free Urbana that has a good friend in Pretoria. They've never met in person, but have been friends over the internet for like 2 years or something. Cool! So I finally met up w/this guy 2 Fridays ago for his 28th birthday party. It was a great party that was super chill and held at his parents' house way in the north of Pretoria. Carel, the dude who's bday it was, actually arranged a ride for me any everything. He's a really nice guy, very smart, and good sense of humor. Definitely my type of people. Also I learned tons of new Afrikaans words...yeah! I look forward to hanging w/him sometime soon! Thanks Eric for the friend hookup!!
Well I don’t know if I mentioned it…but I’M FREE! Free from the shackles of school. Wonderful. I think I’m going to chill out in Pretoria for a week-ish so I can collect my thoughts and make some radio without the pressure of school on my back. There’s a really amazing Arts Fest in this place called Grahamstown in the Eastern Cape province. I went in 2002 and had a great time, so I’m going back at the end of the month to check it out for a week. The big thing is that Eagle Eye Cherry (sexy!) is playing at the fest. People are really geeking over that! There’s tons of plays and dances and performers and musicians that hit Grahamstown during the fest. I think it’s pretty much the only time of the year that Grahamstown is a happening place to be. Otherwise it’s an old military fort that turned into a town. It’s in the middle of nowhere and that’s about all I can say about the place. It is in pineapple country which is pretty cool.
And in between…who knows. I’ve been invited to a banana farm in middle of nowhere and maybe will try to hit up some Rotarians in the north. Just need to get a hold of them. Hey but for right now I’m not going to think or strategize anything. I think I deserve to let all thoughts leave my head. And on that note…I’m off to ride my bike around town. Peace.
Well I don’t know if I mentioned it…but I’M FREE! Free from the shackles of school. Wonderful. I think I’m going to chill out in Pretoria for a week-ish so I can collect my thoughts and make some radio without the pressure of school on my back. There’s a really amazing Arts Fest in this place called Grahamstown in the Eastern Cape province. I went in 2002 and had a great time, so I’m going back at the end of the month to check it out for a week. The big thing is that Eagle Eye Cherry (sexy!) is playing at the fest. People are really geeking over that! There’s tons of plays and dances and performers and musicians that hit Grahamstown during the fest. I think it’s pretty much the only time of the year that Grahamstown is a happening place to be. Otherwise it’s an old military fort that turned into a town. It’s in the middle of nowhere and that’s about all I can say about the place. It is in pineapple country which is pretty cool.
And in between…who knows. I’ve been invited to a banana farm in middle of nowhere and maybe will try to hit up some Rotarians in the north. Just need to get a hold of them. Hey but for right now I’m not going to think or strategize anything. I think I deserve to let all thoughts leave my head. And on that note…I’m off to ride my bike around town. Peace.
Much Love
Lynsee
Saturday, June 2, 2007
Being the best gargantuan sea monster I can be
"I usually solve problems by letting them devour me," wrote Franz Kafka. That's an interesting approach, I guess, and though it might work for a fire sign or air sign, it's not a wise policy for you Pisceans. In fact, I urge you to fervently resist any temptation you might have to allow your problems to gobble you up. On the contrary, be like a gargantuan sea monster in the midst of the perfect storm. Rise up as high as the dark sky and growl back at the thunder. Shoot flames from your mouth at the lightning. Become too big and ancient and wild to ever be devoured."
-Horoscope for week of May 31, 2007, www.freewillastrology.com
Shoot flames from my mouth?
...sweeeeeet!
This has been good advice lately! You haven't heard from me cos I've been holed up in a little place called my dorm room doing the most wicked studying a girl can do. Hey, but I can breathe a bit now...thank goodness. I just finished my second exam in 2 days this morning and I think I'm standing pretty tall after both these little exercises in futility. I've got a week and 1/2 now to myself (ok...there will be more studying in that time) until my next exams mid-June. But the hard exams are done and it's smooth sailing on rippling waters from here on out. I can't wait to get into the radio studio so I can finally have as much time as I want to play around and learn!!!!! I know it sounds weird, but I've been dreaming of the red studio walls for a week or so now...production studio here I come!
Final exams started for us on Thursday and I started it all off with a nice little exam in Carbohydrate metabolism. Then today I took a Genetics exam. Exams here are nuts...they count toward 50% of your final grade (usually it's like 15-30% at U of IL). It's really an all or nothing situation. I think it's kind of a stupid idea to put all your eggs in one basket like this, but it's the way South African institutions decide to see if you really did memorize all the structures of the major carbohydrates and Citric Acid cycle intermediates. When I studied in Pietermaritzburg I went from having one of the best grades in my Pig/Poultry Production class to barely passing the class (I actually think I passed on mercy) all because I totally bombed the final. I must have got like a 30% on the final, seriously. It certainly wasn't my finest hour. I guess Secret Agent Brain can't save my tail every time.
I've been feeling incredibly defeated because of all the studying I have had to do in the past week. Studying this semester really stresses me out because it's so useless, but requires a lot of time and energy on my part. I mean I've already done these classes at U of IL so I'm not really gaining any new knowledge from the material. The classes aren't necessarily getting me anywhere because I don't know if I will get into vet school after this year's worth of academic uselessness. But the most annoying part is that if I want to have any chance at getting into vet school in the convoluted fashion the University of Pretoria has set out for me then I MUST do a really kickass job on these useless and difficult classes. It's a seriously bad situation for my mental health. Oh, and I'm a few thousand miles away from home. Being away from home is no thing, but coupled w/the the bad vibes from my academic situation...well it makes for one homesick girl sometimes. I'm not a homesick person usually, but this semester it's been biting hard because I'm so frustrated with my situation here in Pretoria. Academic, social, Rotary, etc.
Anyways...these bad vibes have been burning a hole in me for almost 2 weeks now (but also this has been a broader pattern since I've arrived...and even just before I came here). That is so lame! I'm a fighter. Not an armadillo that will just play dead and hope that the danger passes! But something has really been bringing out the armadillo in me lately. It sucks. I see it happening and then I get pissed off at myself...but I still just lie there in the fetal position hoping this will pass. I'm sick of it. I was so happy to read my horoscope this week. In fact, I think it's the one thing that was able to help me refocus my energy such that I could actually study effectively. For most of the week I was just staring at pages too stressed out to let info actually pass into my tightly clenched gray matter. I wrote part of the horoscope on my hand so I could look at it when I was studying and when I was in my exams. It's weird how something so random can really perk you up.
On a positive academic note...I have had some more replies from the Administration in the Veterinary School here and there may be a resolution to my problem that I can live with. I may have been advised incorrectly when I first arrived (wow that will piss me off). There may have been a place in vet school for me. Etc etc etc. All this is hearsay and conjecture at this point. I'm still waiting (waiting for the last month actually) to hear a definitive word from the Dean/Associate Dean in the Vet Faculty. They were away in Australia for the last few weeks which is why they haven't replied to me in ages. Hopefully I'm actually on their agenda now...but more importantly...hopefully something can be done to get me to the place I need to be. Not in this brackish academic backwater pool I currently am stagnating in.
Last weekend was pretty crazy overall. My Rotary district had their annual convention here in Pretoria. My sponsor club (Pretoria Silverton) organized the whole thing so they were pretty busy keeping the whole thing going. I think it went really well and it was interesting to attend the conference. There are about 50 clubs in my district and I think there was somewhere between 150-200 people at the conference at any given time. I gave a speech about myself and my experiences to date on the Friday of the conference. It made me nervous (but not too nervous) to talk in front of all those people, but it was only for 5 minutes and was on a topic I know lots about...me!
The best thing about the conference (besides the fact that the District Governor, DG, opened the conference with a blonde joke...serious!) was FINALLY being able to make contact w/some of the Rotarians in the district. I've been super frustrated with making contact with people. I sort of didn't have a plan on how to do it and what I did try got almost no response. I sent out an email letter to all the club presidents in the district when I first arrived, but only 1 club out of 50-ish emailed me back. D'oh! I also haven't really gotten any direction/assistance from my host counselor on connecting with various Rotary clubs. I haven't been too aggressive in seeking his help, but he hasn't really been too forthcoming in offering assistance either. Guess I'm on my own...the story of my life here in Pretoria.
Yeah, that's another thing I've been really frustrated with as far as the whole Rotary scene goes here. I really feel like I'm just blowing in the wind here in Pretoria. Like Rotarians might know I'm here (maybe) but there hasn't been that great of a reaching out process on the part of my "hosts," despite attempts on my part to reach out to them. It's not what I expected at all from an organization that prides itself on building goodwill and better friendships! But maybe my expectations were too high...people are people after all. There have been some people that have been really great at keeping me in the loop as far as Rotary is concerned. Inviting me to their club and to other clubs or events, giving me rides to events (a major issue for me to be involved in anything here). I really value those precious Rotarians. I guess this lack of connection generally ties into not being able to make good contact with the various clubs. I don't quite know how to shoot flames from my mouth at this problem. It's sort of a large problem with many solutions. I feel like I've been so consumed w/school that I really haven't had time to problem solve on this issue. But now I've got some tools and I'm going to try to make a plan. I was really happy to hear a speech at the Conference from the Youth Leadership Coordinator about how Rotarians were neglecting the youth. I wanted to jump up and say "Right on!" a few times during his speech! His speech mirrored my experience here in a number of ways (like the ones I mentioned above).
One of the hottest issues of the conference was re-districting. I'm in D9250 which includes Botswana, Swaziland, Southern Mozambique, and NE South Africa. Because the # of Rotarians in the district is below the # required by Rotary International (1000 Rotarians, I think), Rotary International wants to switch the districts around. The proposed redistricting would group Mozambique and Botswana with Angola and Zimbabwe. The remainder of D9250 would fuse w/the Joburg clubs. Makes sense if you are drawing up plans in an office in Evanston, IL USA (the world headquarters of Rotary), but on the ground in Southern Africa the plan just doesn't jive. Just on a practical level it apparently doesn't work. There aren't good roads (or flights) connecting Angola to Mozambique. The DG would have a terrible time keeping up w/the District and Rotarians would never be able to affordably travel to a convention at the other side of the district. On Saturday morning there was a plenary and vote on this issue and I hear it was the most heated part of the conference. I was asleep at home (more on this in a sec) so I missed the whole thing, d'oh! I guess that Botswana and Mozambique clubs were pretty irritated at the prospect of being dropped. A really neat thing though is that ALL the clubs in the district got behind the Botswana and Mozambique clubs in saying "hell no!" Every last club voted 'no' to redistricting. Solidarity is a beautiful thing! I spoke to a woman from Botswana later at lunch and she was so happy to see the solidarity shown w/the people that were potentially being dropped. I'm sorry I missed the chance to see a mostly elderly Rotary crowd get crazy over something they were passionate about! One of the main issues people were angry about is that they felt they were never informed of this potential change. DG Chris Pretorius sent out all sorts of letters and stuff to warn the clubs about the potential redistricting...but poor communication seems to predominate in this District. I guess I don't feel too bad about not getting in contact with various clubs if even the DG has trouble keeping in touch w/all the clubs spread out over the Southern African plains.
One sucky thing about the conference is that I got sick from some of the buffet food I had at lunch on Saturday. "No seafood in Pretoria" should be scrawled into my mind forever now!!! I had the same food poisoning thing going on that happened to me over Easter (fever and sick stomach). One of my fav Rotarians in my club, Andre, gave me some Bicarbonate Soda that was so nasty on its own that it made me throw up. But that was a really good thing because it meant I was only SUPER sick for a day instead of 3 or 4 days. I missed the big gala dinner and dancing on Saturday night cause Andre took me home early. I even threw up on the way home. I had to make Andre stop the car RIGHT NOW so I could puke out the open door. It was kinda cool and dramatic in a sick way I guess. I've never puked out of a car door before. Kind of exciting. Anyways I went home and pulled my own Rip van Winkle. I went to bed at 9pm-ish on Saturday and didn't wake up until 2pm the next day. I think it helped me to recover a lot too.
Friday night of last weekend was Tuks FM's 26th Bday party....Jungle Fever. So I double-dipped radio and Rotary last weekend. Hectic! The party was pretty cool, literally and figuratively. I know it's hard for those of you in the warm embrace of June in the Midwest to picture the fact that it's winter here. But it is. It's not super cold, but I did have to buy another blanket last week cos it was too cold for me to fall asleep. I heard that the coldest it will get here is around 10C which is about 50F. I think it might get colder here in Pretoria, but not much colder. No wind chills, no freezing this, sleet what what. I guess there has been snow and ice in parts of the country (Plettenberg Bay and even ice in Joburg), but it's just not the same. A huge difference between dealing w/the cold here and at home is that almost no buildings here have heat in them. My dorm has no central heating unit. I don't know if I've been in a building here that has central heating. So when it's chilly you are sort of on your own. The sun is nice though! And the production studio at the radio station is also super warm! It's funny to check people stressing about the cold here though! A chick on my floor is from Mozambique and so the weather here is REALLY cold for her. Last night it was so pleasant out...not even nippy. She was shivering and freezing to death. It's all relative I guess. The lady that cleans my dorm, Sarah, and I always talk about the cold cos it's the easiest thing to talk to people about right now. And I can tell them horror stories about my hair freezing on the walk to school in IL. That's always a shocker. Anyways the other day Sarah was like "man it's so cold." I agreed and showed her how many skirts I was wearing. Hey, this lady had me beat though! She was wearing leggings, pants, a skirt, a BATH TOWEL!, and her cleaning uniform. And I thought we knew something about layers in the Midwest!
Sorry...I digress.
So Jungle Fever was pretty cool. I had to work the door w/my friend Kenzy (a DJ at the station). It was fun cos we got to give people crap AND take their money! Oh yeah! And our shift ended before we ran out of R10/R20 notes so we didn't have to scramble to make change. Whew! After that I just enjoyed some beers with my radio station compadres. Met some random people (beer always makes it easy to talk to strangers), found R20 on the ground, and saw some people from around campus. It's still weird for me to go places and see people I "know." I just don't expect it and it always leaves me feeling sort of discombobulated. But it's a welcome change to anonymity. The bands Ef-El, One Sock Thief, Myepic, 16Stitch, and The Parlotones played at the party. I saw Ef-El and then caught most of The Parlotones (until my ears were ringing that is...). Ef-El is a band made up of whippersnappers and has a pretty characteristic young boys jammin in the garage sound. But they were enjoyable. The Parlotones were very rad...and if you are going to hit myspace to check out any of the above listed SA bands, then this is the band to check out. The Parlotones are probably one of the biggest rock bands in SA right now. I don't know how to describe their sound except that they rock. They aren't quite into that whole experimental/electronic infused style of indie rock that has taken over the USA...but they aren't far off. Check 'em out!
I guess that's about all I have to say. I thought not much has happened except doom and gloom since I last came atcha...but that's not ever really true is it? I started to write down nice things that happen to me everyday and it's pretty amazing that even on the crappiest day at least one thing had to have made you smile!!! Try it. Take the time to think of all the funny, small, stupid, positive things that happen to you in the span of one day. I promise that even on the worst day at least a comic in the paper made you smile. Promise...
I added some more photos to my Picasa site: http://picasaweb.google.com/lynseemelchi
Check out General Photos for Jungle Fever photos. Check out Rotary General Photos for a few snaps of the conference.
Also please check out this blog: http://radiopcp.blogspot.com/
My friend and Central IL (and CentroAmerica) radio compatriot Bill Taylor is at it again! Bill's organization, Primary Communications Project, is heading down to La Esperanza, Honduras to help an indigenous rights organization (COPINH) to build a radio station. The radio station will help to better organize the Lenca (and other indigenous groups) so that they can continue to consolidate their power against "the man." Okay it's not that hokie...really! Basically the Lenca, like many indigenous groups around the world, are fighting encroachment on their lands/resources as well as fighting to preserve their culture in this crazy global world of ours. Please check out what Primary Communications Project is doing and if you have a few bucks...I'm sure Bill could use help w/gas money down to Honduras!!! The radio station that is being built is supposed to be the sister station to Radio Free Urbana, my radio baby in Urbana, IL. Anyways...check it out!
Hope you are all well and learning to shoot flames out of your mouth at any of the problems you face!
For those of you in Central IL with a view from the porch...soak it up! I want a full lounging report!!! Not a day has gone by these last few weeks without fond memories of slapping mosquitoes and drinking 40s on my High St slice of heaven.
Later
Much Love
Lynsee
-Horoscope for week of May 31, 2007, www.freewillastrology.com
Shoot flames from my mouth?
...sweeeeeet!
This has been good advice lately! You haven't heard from me cos I've been holed up in a little place called my dorm room doing the most wicked studying a girl can do. Hey, but I can breathe a bit now...thank goodness. I just finished my second exam in 2 days this morning and I think I'm standing pretty tall after both these little exercises in futility. I've got a week and 1/2 now to myself (ok...there will be more studying in that time) until my next exams mid-June. But the hard exams are done and it's smooth sailing on rippling waters from here on out. I can't wait to get into the radio studio so I can finally have as much time as I want to play around and learn!!!!! I know it sounds weird, but I've been dreaming of the red studio walls for a week or so now...production studio here I come!
Final exams started for us on Thursday and I started it all off with a nice little exam in Carbohydrate metabolism. Then today I took a Genetics exam. Exams here are nuts...they count toward 50% of your final grade (usually it's like 15-30% at U of IL). It's really an all or nothing situation. I think it's kind of a stupid idea to put all your eggs in one basket like this, but it's the way South African institutions decide to see if you really did memorize all the structures of the major carbohydrates and Citric Acid cycle intermediates. When I studied in Pietermaritzburg I went from having one of the best grades in my Pig/Poultry Production class to barely passing the class (I actually think I passed on mercy) all because I totally bombed the final. I must have got like a 30% on the final, seriously. It certainly wasn't my finest hour. I guess Secret Agent Brain can't save my tail every time.
I've been feeling incredibly defeated because of all the studying I have had to do in the past week. Studying this semester really stresses me out because it's so useless, but requires a lot of time and energy on my part. I mean I've already done these classes at U of IL so I'm not really gaining any new knowledge from the material. The classes aren't necessarily getting me anywhere because I don't know if I will get into vet school after this year's worth of academic uselessness. But the most annoying part is that if I want to have any chance at getting into vet school in the convoluted fashion the University of Pretoria has set out for me then I MUST do a really kickass job on these useless and difficult classes. It's a seriously bad situation for my mental health. Oh, and I'm a few thousand miles away from home. Being away from home is no thing, but coupled w/the the bad vibes from my academic situation...well it makes for one homesick girl sometimes. I'm not a homesick person usually, but this semester it's been biting hard because I'm so frustrated with my situation here in Pretoria. Academic, social, Rotary, etc.
Anyways...these bad vibes have been burning a hole in me for almost 2 weeks now (but also this has been a broader pattern since I've arrived...and even just before I came here). That is so lame! I'm a fighter. Not an armadillo that will just play dead and hope that the danger passes! But something has really been bringing out the armadillo in me lately. It sucks. I see it happening and then I get pissed off at myself...but I still just lie there in the fetal position hoping this will pass. I'm sick of it. I was so happy to read my horoscope this week. In fact, I think it's the one thing that was able to help me refocus my energy such that I could actually study effectively. For most of the week I was just staring at pages too stressed out to let info actually pass into my tightly clenched gray matter. I wrote part of the horoscope on my hand so I could look at it when I was studying and when I was in my exams. It's weird how something so random can really perk you up.
On a positive academic note...I have had some more replies from the Administration in the Veterinary School here and there may be a resolution to my problem that I can live with. I may have been advised incorrectly when I first arrived (wow that will piss me off). There may have been a place in vet school for me. Etc etc etc. All this is hearsay and conjecture at this point. I'm still waiting (waiting for the last month actually) to hear a definitive word from the Dean/Associate Dean in the Vet Faculty. They were away in Australia for the last few weeks which is why they haven't replied to me in ages. Hopefully I'm actually on their agenda now...but more importantly...hopefully something can be done to get me to the place I need to be. Not in this brackish academic backwater pool I currently am stagnating in.
Last weekend was pretty crazy overall. My Rotary district had their annual convention here in Pretoria. My sponsor club (Pretoria Silverton) organized the whole thing so they were pretty busy keeping the whole thing going. I think it went really well and it was interesting to attend the conference. There are about 50 clubs in my district and I think there was somewhere between 150-200 people at the conference at any given time. I gave a speech about myself and my experiences to date on the Friday of the conference. It made me nervous (but not too nervous) to talk in front of all those people, but it was only for 5 minutes and was on a topic I know lots about...me!
The best thing about the conference (besides the fact that the District Governor, DG, opened the conference with a blonde joke...serious!) was FINALLY being able to make contact w/some of the Rotarians in the district. I've been super frustrated with making contact with people. I sort of didn't have a plan on how to do it and what I did try got almost no response. I sent out an email letter to all the club presidents in the district when I first arrived, but only 1 club out of 50-ish emailed me back. D'oh! I also haven't really gotten any direction/assistance from my host counselor on connecting with various Rotary clubs. I haven't been too aggressive in seeking his help, but he hasn't really been too forthcoming in offering assistance either. Guess I'm on my own...the story of my life here in Pretoria.
Yeah, that's another thing I've been really frustrated with as far as the whole Rotary scene goes here. I really feel like I'm just blowing in the wind here in Pretoria. Like Rotarians might know I'm here (maybe) but there hasn't been that great of a reaching out process on the part of my "hosts," despite attempts on my part to reach out to them. It's not what I expected at all from an organization that prides itself on building goodwill and better friendships! But maybe my expectations were too high...people are people after all. There have been some people that have been really great at keeping me in the loop as far as Rotary is concerned. Inviting me to their club and to other clubs or events, giving me rides to events (a major issue for me to be involved in anything here). I really value those precious Rotarians. I guess this lack of connection generally ties into not being able to make good contact with the various clubs. I don't quite know how to shoot flames from my mouth at this problem. It's sort of a large problem with many solutions. I feel like I've been so consumed w/school that I really haven't had time to problem solve on this issue. But now I've got some tools and I'm going to try to make a plan. I was really happy to hear a speech at the Conference from the Youth Leadership Coordinator about how Rotarians were neglecting the youth. I wanted to jump up and say "Right on!" a few times during his speech! His speech mirrored my experience here in a number of ways (like the ones I mentioned above).
One of the hottest issues of the conference was re-districting. I'm in D9250 which includes Botswana, Swaziland, Southern Mozambique, and NE South Africa. Because the # of Rotarians in the district is below the # required by Rotary International (1000 Rotarians, I think), Rotary International wants to switch the districts around. The proposed redistricting would group Mozambique and Botswana with Angola and Zimbabwe. The remainder of D9250 would fuse w/the Joburg clubs. Makes sense if you are drawing up plans in an office in Evanston, IL USA (the world headquarters of Rotary), but on the ground in Southern Africa the plan just doesn't jive. Just on a practical level it apparently doesn't work. There aren't good roads (or flights) connecting Angola to Mozambique. The DG would have a terrible time keeping up w/the District and Rotarians would never be able to affordably travel to a convention at the other side of the district. On Saturday morning there was a plenary and vote on this issue and I hear it was the most heated part of the conference. I was asleep at home (more on this in a sec) so I missed the whole thing, d'oh! I guess that Botswana and Mozambique clubs were pretty irritated at the prospect of being dropped. A really neat thing though is that ALL the clubs in the district got behind the Botswana and Mozambique clubs in saying "hell no!" Every last club voted 'no' to redistricting. Solidarity is a beautiful thing! I spoke to a woman from Botswana later at lunch and she was so happy to see the solidarity shown w/the people that were potentially being dropped. I'm sorry I missed the chance to see a mostly elderly Rotary crowd get crazy over something they were passionate about! One of the main issues people were angry about is that they felt they were never informed of this potential change. DG Chris Pretorius sent out all sorts of letters and stuff to warn the clubs about the potential redistricting...but poor communication seems to predominate in this District. I guess I don't feel too bad about not getting in contact with various clubs if even the DG has trouble keeping in touch w/all the clubs spread out over the Southern African plains.
One sucky thing about the conference is that I got sick from some of the buffet food I had at lunch on Saturday. "No seafood in Pretoria" should be scrawled into my mind forever now!!! I had the same food poisoning thing going on that happened to me over Easter (fever and sick stomach). One of my fav Rotarians in my club, Andre, gave me some Bicarbonate Soda that was so nasty on its own that it made me throw up. But that was a really good thing because it meant I was only SUPER sick for a day instead of 3 or 4 days. I missed the big gala dinner and dancing on Saturday night cause Andre took me home early. I even threw up on the way home. I had to make Andre stop the car RIGHT NOW so I could puke out the open door. It was kinda cool and dramatic in a sick way I guess. I've never puked out of a car door before. Kind of exciting. Anyways I went home and pulled my own Rip van Winkle. I went to bed at 9pm-ish on Saturday and didn't wake up until 2pm the next day. I think it helped me to recover a lot too.
Friday night of last weekend was Tuks FM's 26th Bday party....Jungle Fever. So I double-dipped radio and Rotary last weekend. Hectic! The party was pretty cool, literally and figuratively. I know it's hard for those of you in the warm embrace of June in the Midwest to picture the fact that it's winter here. But it is. It's not super cold, but I did have to buy another blanket last week cos it was too cold for me to fall asleep. I heard that the coldest it will get here is around 10C which is about 50F. I think it might get colder here in Pretoria, but not much colder. No wind chills, no freezing this, sleet what what. I guess there has been snow and ice in parts of the country (Plettenberg Bay and even ice in Joburg), but it's just not the same. A huge difference between dealing w/the cold here and at home is that almost no buildings here have heat in them. My dorm has no central heating unit. I don't know if I've been in a building here that has central heating. So when it's chilly you are sort of on your own. The sun is nice though! And the production studio at the radio station is also super warm! It's funny to check people stressing about the cold here though! A chick on my floor is from Mozambique and so the weather here is REALLY cold for her. Last night it was so pleasant out...not even nippy. She was shivering and freezing to death. It's all relative I guess. The lady that cleans my dorm, Sarah, and I always talk about the cold cos it's the easiest thing to talk to people about right now. And I can tell them horror stories about my hair freezing on the walk to school in IL. That's always a shocker. Anyways the other day Sarah was like "man it's so cold." I agreed and showed her how many skirts I was wearing. Hey, this lady had me beat though! She was wearing leggings, pants, a skirt, a BATH TOWEL!, and her cleaning uniform. And I thought we knew something about layers in the Midwest!
Sorry...I digress.
So Jungle Fever was pretty cool. I had to work the door w/my friend Kenzy (a DJ at the station). It was fun cos we got to give people crap AND take their money! Oh yeah! And our shift ended before we ran out of R10/R20 notes so we didn't have to scramble to make change. Whew! After that I just enjoyed some beers with my radio station compadres. Met some random people (beer always makes it easy to talk to strangers), found R20 on the ground, and saw some people from around campus. It's still weird for me to go places and see people I "know." I just don't expect it and it always leaves me feeling sort of discombobulated. But it's a welcome change to anonymity. The bands Ef-El, One Sock Thief, Myepic, 16Stitch, and The Parlotones played at the party. I saw Ef-El and then caught most of The Parlotones (until my ears were ringing that is...). Ef-El is a band made up of whippersnappers and has a pretty characteristic young boys jammin in the garage sound. But they were enjoyable. The Parlotones were very rad...and if you are going to hit myspace to check out any of the above listed SA bands, then this is the band to check out. The Parlotones are probably one of the biggest rock bands in SA right now. I don't know how to describe their sound except that they rock. They aren't quite into that whole experimental/electronic infused style of indie rock that has taken over the USA...but they aren't far off. Check 'em out!
I guess that's about all I have to say. I thought not much has happened except doom and gloom since I last came atcha...but that's not ever really true is it? I started to write down nice things that happen to me everyday and it's pretty amazing that even on the crappiest day at least one thing had to have made you smile!!! Try it. Take the time to think of all the funny, small, stupid, positive things that happen to you in the span of one day. I promise that even on the worst day at least a comic in the paper made you smile. Promise...
I added some more photos to my Picasa site: http://picasaweb.google.com/lynseemelchi
Check out General Photos for Jungle Fever photos. Check out Rotary General Photos for a few snaps of the conference.
Also please check out this blog: http://radiopcp.blogspot.com/
My friend and Central IL (and CentroAmerica) radio compatriot Bill Taylor is at it again! Bill's organization, Primary Communications Project, is heading down to La Esperanza, Honduras to help an indigenous rights organization (COPINH) to build a radio station. The radio station will help to better organize the Lenca (and other indigenous groups) so that they can continue to consolidate their power against "the man." Okay it's not that hokie...really! Basically the Lenca, like many indigenous groups around the world, are fighting encroachment on their lands/resources as well as fighting to preserve their culture in this crazy global world of ours. Please check out what Primary Communications Project is doing and if you have a few bucks...I'm sure Bill could use help w/gas money down to Honduras!!! The radio station that is being built is supposed to be the sister station to Radio Free Urbana, my radio baby in Urbana, IL. Anyways...check it out!
Hope you are all well and learning to shoot flames out of your mouth at any of the problems you face!
For those of you in Central IL with a view from the porch...soak it up! I want a full lounging report!!! Not a day has gone by these last few weeks without fond memories of slapping mosquitoes and drinking 40s on my High St slice of heaven.
Later
Much Love
Lynsee
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