Autumn in Miami

I would love to have a post for you showing the changing leaves in my backyard or the abundant pumpkin patches filled with cider doughnuts and caramel apples; alas, I cannot. I live in season-less Miami which means any "seasonal" activities are completely contrived. So here are few snapshots of what we do in autumn in Miami:

We go boating with friends!

A pod of dolphin came and swam around our boat - so cool!

By the way, you can tell the difference between a shark fin and dolphin fin by the way it moves: dolphin fins will "roll"...dolphins will never come straight at you. Shark swim straight; they don't do that wavy (rolling) motion: ~ ~ 

Then we went out to Stiltsville. It's an area just off of downtown Miami that was built by Al Capone in the late 1920s/early 1930s. He wasn't allowed to run gambling rings on US soil, so he just sailed a few miles out and built these. Now they're just abandoned structures, but still a pretty cool piece of history. 

(One benefit of unemployment: extra down-time with the hubby:)

Friends:)

Not quite cool, crisp weather, but such a beautiful day nonetheless! Thanks to our friends, Leo and Myra, for taking us all out!

Travelling with a dog: pre-experience

As mentioned yesterday all the time, we are leaving so soon for our great, big adventure. There is still a lot of packing and clearing out to be done, but one member of the three musketeers is so ready and he doesn't even know it.

Rolo.

We, of course, have to bring our precious basset hound with us. We've got his crate (and he's used to it!), his shots are up-to-date, and we've booked his last appointment for the final physical exam he's required to get just before we head out. We are so glad he's coming with us, but let me forewarn anyone wanting to move long distance (especially cross-continent) with a pet: it is a mission. He's expensive, he's not a normal size package to transport, and he has no clue what is going on...so he's not particularly helpful.

We have decided to go with a pet-travel company because it seems like the safer and better option. By safer I mean, safe in terms of guaranteeing that there are no issues getting Rolo to the airport, on the plane, and through customs in the US. The cost was a couple thousand Rands more (a couple hundred dollars), than if we tried to go through the whole process ourselves; so, we thought it's worth the expense. Basically, we say ciao to the long dog when the company picks him up at our house (first-class service, I tell you) and then again once we're in Miami, ready to take him home. We provide the company with the documents assuring that he has all the correct shots, but they work out everything else.

They are also kind enough to give poor Rolo an herbal, calming drug thing. The vet said that they don't sedate animals for this kind of trip (which I thought is what would happen) because they then loose their ability to balance; but they do give this calming thing just to help them relax a bit. I hope it works. The vet also said that really, the whole event is quite traumatic for the little boy, but once he's in his new home with food, fun, and lots of love, he won't even remember the whole ordeal.

Practicing his stretching for the big trip.

I'll let you know how the process goes once we're on the other side (that sounds weird, like sixth sense weird). Good luck, Mr. World Traveller!

Things I'm going to miss about South Africa, Part 1

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Welcome to June, everyone! I'm not sure what this week looks like for you or what all is going on in your life (I hope wonderful, warm things!) but the turn of the month over this past weekend marked some big things over here and it tends to feel like life is picking up speed at a slightly staggering speed.

June is our leaving month. We leave South Africa to move to the United States in just 15 days! (Seriously, when did that happen?!)

This first week in June is my last week of work here in SA. I work at a high school that follows an American school schedule, so the school year actually ends this week too. It's a bit exhausting and oh so exciting.

June means summer. Not in South Africa, but in the northern hemisphere; and since we are headed that way, that is something to get excited about.

As the end of this chapter of my life draws to a close, I constantly find myself identifying things I am going to miss (and, I have to admit, a few things I am not going to miss). So, I thought I would start sharing a few of them with you. Family and friends are a given (that we will miss them all terribly), so for the rest...in no particular order...

Thunderstorms. I'm from Florida and we have some pretty good thunderstorms in the summer, but Johannesburg truly has some of the most spectacular displays of booming thunder and lightening flashes that I have ever seen. I love when the clouds steadily start to build up more in November and slowly but surely, you have images like the above, every day. I'm going to miss that.

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Going to the movies: it is CHEAP here! Hubby and I often go to a particular theatre for which we have a club card type of thing, which makes our movies tickets R25 each! That's approximately $2.36 US dollars! Last time I went to the movies in the States, I think tickets were about $12 each. Sigh. There goes our movie watching.

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Ok, so I feel like this one is selfish and snobby but I can't help it. I am totally going to miss having a housekeeper. Our wonderful cleaning lady only comes once a week, but just that one day a week means I pretty much never do laundry, I do serious cooking and baking on Thursday (and Wednesday, if I'm pushing it) because I can decide to not wash the dishes, and once a week I get to walk into a perfectly pristine home as if someone from Hogwarts had just passed through my house. It's divine. And I suppose I can add to this general category of cleaning: missing having someone to wash your lunch tupperware at work before you go home for the day.
Oh geez, I am in for such a rude awakening.

There are many more things we'll miss and a lot we're looking forward to! I'll definitely be sharing more in the coming weeks.



Oh, and something I will NOT miss: South African taxis. Unless you've been to SA, you truly cannot appreciate comprehend the chaos that is the South African taxi system - especially of Johannesburg. I shared this picture on Friday of my view to work, for 25 minutes out of the 45 minutes it took me to get to work that day: taxis creating their own lanes and cutting into the two that do exist. God bless US traffic laws and public transportation systems - I've never been so excited to follow and utilize them!

A different kind of trash the dress

 A few weeks ago, we were flying back to South Africa after visiting my family in the US. We had a 10 hour layover in wonderful London and had long ago decided to spend our time exploring the city (versus sitting in Heathrow and drinking as much Starbucks as possible). 

But then one day while we were still in the US, my mom had this spectacular idea that while hubby and I were galavanting around the city, we should wear our wedding attire. Yes, my wedding dress and his suit. 

And that's what we did! 

Nuts! I know.

I still kind of can't believe we did it. When we first got on the tube (we changed into our wedding garb at the airport and then rode the tube into the city), I felt so insecure and spent a good 20 minutes telling myself this was a terrible idea. EVERYONE stared at us. It definitely was awkward for a little while. But slowly, people started asking us if we had just gotten married and wanting to take pictures for us and sharing in our excitement (or supposed excitement? Don't worry, we told people the truth that we hadn't really just gotten married). We even got a free lunch! 

But I also made a decision that I wasn't going to spoil the day because of my insecurities. I am so lucky to be married to a man who encourages me to have some gumption and "get out of my comfort zone" but doesn't push me if I really don't want to do something. And because he is so patient and kind with me, I couldn't let myself be the spoil-sport. So I just held his hand a little tighter and reminded myself that God gave us such a unique opportunity - one for the books, really. 

The whole experience was actually so fun! I'm so glad we did it! We have these fantastic pictures from it and I have now gotten to wear my wedding dress THREE times. I am so blessed. But really, I'm so glad I did it because it reminded me of some of the many reasons I married my husband. Besides just  being downright in love with him, he makes life so much more fun and adventurous. We have the best time together and can't stop talking. And when we can stop talking, the silence is just as wonderful. And the romance isn't just for special occasions, my husband makes life romantic!

These pictures remind me to love every moment of our life and to be bold, adventurous. I would be missing out on so much otherwise. 

Love, 

EF

PS - I put quite a few pictures here (although there's still more!). Hope you don't mind looking at lots. :)

What makes an American?

Today's post is for Americans and non-Americans. So, I guess it's for everyone and anyone. 

I have had a number of South Africans remark (enough for me to notice) that I am not "a typical American". The only thing that I honestly, consistently see as the reason this is said is because I'm not overweight. I'm never quite sure what to make of that.

As I've now been living in South Africa for two and half years and just traveled back to the US for three weeks, and am now back in SA again, I've wondered a lot about the two countries' cultural differences. When I'm in the States, I often get multiple variances of the following questions:

"What's the food like?"

"What's a typical South African meal?"

"Can you do a South African accent for me?"

"What's the culture like?" (that's not a broad question...can you hear the sarcasm?)

Likewise, living in SA, I get similar questions about the US fairly often. And sometimes for both countries, I actually struggle to answer these questions. I can tell you what a typical South African meal is like (for a number of the different cultures) but I can't do a South African accent. There isn't one accent. There are 11 official languages in South Africa, so everyone sounds a bit different from each other. 

And when I'm asked about the US, I find that my answers confuse even me. 

"What's the food like?"

         Large portions. (Ok, that's all over the US.)

"What food do you miss the most?"

         Mexican, Cuban...wait a second - that's the American food that I miss the most?

Yeah, I crave a good burger every now and then - like on the Fourth of July (I mean really, what's more American than a burger or hotdog?) And I love hot, chewy brownies with the best of them. 

But what really defines America? What really makes you American?

I was born on the west coast of Florida, grew up in Miami, went to college in Boston, and lived in New Orleans and Washington, D.C. over two different summers. From my experience:

Being American is being multicultural. Americans are accepting (I know you may think that's debatable, but overall, I really think we are), diverse, fun, and hard working (yes, I know there are exceptions to all of these). Americans eat a lot. Many Americans never learn another language. A lot of Americans don't know how to consistently relax (more than having a TV series marathon) and take holidays (vacations) for more than one week a year. Americans loving watching football, eating turkey, and going shopping at 4am in order to try and get really great deals. 

Please do not get me wrong: I know every American does not fit into these statements. But in terms of how the rest of the world sees us, these are a just a few qualities by which I think you can generalize Americans. 

So, I'd love to hear your thoughts. 

What defines America? What really makes you American?

Have you traveled to other countries? What do people in other countries say/think about the US?

Do Americans really have a global reputation for being overweight?

This is a friendly discussion. Please keep the comments light and appropriate. :)

Love,

EF