Week Two in PE

The days here are flying and it’s hard to keep track of how quickly time goes by. We went to Jeffrey’s Bay on last Saturday, which is one of the top surf sites in the world. Mike, my surfer roommate, was like a kid on Christmas when we pulled up to the beach. The waves were around 8-10 feet and they would break perfectly all the way down this massive stretch of sandy beach. The boys went out to try some of the bigger waves and Sarah and I stuck to some small ones that ended up being really choppy and I got completely owned. On a side note, as I was putting my arms into my wetsuit I realized I had it on inside out. Go figure. We rented from a Billabong shop across the road from the beach and the guy was trying to sell us on surf lessons with some short surfer bro with super-blue eyes and I was thinking “Psh, I can handle this myself.” Then I put the wetsuit on inside out, grabbed my board, and hit the waves. Awesome.

We called it quits after about 45 minutes, but we walked down the beach to see the boys. Dom found us and pointed out which little speck was Mike in the water. We could see dolphins swimming in the swells with the surfers. So cool. Mike came running down the beach 15 minutes later with his face lit up, telling us about riding the waves with the dolphins – he said it was awesome after he realized they weren’t sharks. One thing I didn’t really think about was the sharks – they’re definitely around but it sounds like surfers are pretty safe as long as they don’t go at prime feeding hours.

Our head coaches travelled to Somerset East, about two hours drive from PE, to a Training of Coaches (ToC), where they train new coaches in the SKILLZ curriculum so they can deliver the curriculum to kids at new sites. They took Big Momma, so we were stuck at the house for most of Sunday through Tuesday. We worked from home for a couple days and I got a chance to sleep and catch up on some reading, and spend some time down at the beach where I run. Tuesday was beautiful – sunny and hot. I ran to the beach, and attempted to run down it, but the wind picks up around midday so the sand was blowing across the beach in waves. I just about collapsed from the dry air, which is taking some time to adjust to.

The rest of the week went by quickly, just doing odd jobs around the office and getting supplies for SKILLZ graduations, where the kids complete the curriculum and finish with the GRS program. This is still something GRS is working on in terms of engaging the kids once they finish SKILLZ. The Snap project (cameras and kids) that I’m hoping to help with is one idea, but it’s something we all know is essential to develop and implement in the near future. A lot of the kids ask that SKILLZ be taught every day at their school, so there is definitely demand for some kind of post-SKILLZ program.

The last couple of days have been pretty relaxed. Friday night we went out for dinner at the boardwalk and watched Barcelona play a UEFA Cup match. They won in OT on a great goal by Pedro, assisted by Messi. Mike’s a huge Barca fan, so we get caught up in the excitement. Saturday was also laid back: surfboard shopping (I’m still hunting but I have an idea of what I want) and brunch at a fantastic café downtown called Vovo Telo. I tried on some wetsuits, both of which kind of bombed. The first fit well, but I realized once I had it on that it was a men’s suit and I walked out of the changing room asking the guys if there was supposed to be a huge pouch at the crotch. Obviously yes. Then I tried a women’s suit and the chest was cut so that it was somewhat like a cone bra. Not a great look for me.

Vovo Telo is my new favorite spot for food and coffee. It’s located in a side neighborhood in a shady part of town, but the atmosphere was great and the waiters were hilarious. I ordered mueseli, yogurt, and honey with fresh fruit and our waiter looked at me like I was crazy not to order the pizza he just recommended. I also had two cappuccinos that finally tasted like espresso. The coffee has been pretty weak so far and I was starting to worry that I’d be going for a year without a good shot of caffeine. We ended up at the pub where we sang karaoke a couple weeks ago for dinner and to watch Man U vs. Arsenal. What a game. We were sitting with a bunch of Arsenal fans and the energy was great.

Sunday morning we got up early and headed downtown to surf for a few hours. I managed to stand up a couple times and even caught a pretty big wave at one point. I didn’t stand up completely on that one, but managed to ride it for a while. It’s so addicting, and is one of those things that hook me in because I get so competitive with myself. I wanted to try bigger waves once I stood up, and I got pretty close. After surfing we walked down to an outdoor market where people sell everything from clothes to baked goods to wood carvings and paintings. We bought this incredible painting of a Cape Town township with Table Mountain and Lions Head in the background to hang in our living room. I also got a couple paintings and a beautifully carved wooden piece of elephants. Needless to say I’m wiped and my face is completely sunburned.