This weekend I had a friend from South Africa visiting. We really wanted to do the whole ‘touristy’ thing and show her Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and of course Disney or Universal. On Friday night we picked her up from the airport and headed straight down to Miami. We had dinner and then hit Collins Avenue. I’m not much of a party animal and am really clueless when it comes to the ‘hip’ places to go. Well, we started at one end of Collins, and had dinner at Opas Greek Taverna. The food was great, and the restaurant’s atmosphere was lively and fun-filled. We then went across the street to Nikki Beach. I had been there before and it really is the only place I know. It’s absolutely exquisite! It is right on the beach, and is extremely refreshing and unique.

The photo below if of the Gianni Versace House!

We eventually got home (I fell asleep in the car as it was way past my usual bedtime). We had every intention of waking up around 7am to drive to Orlando to visit Universal… but it didn’t quite happen like that. I could blame it on the alarm clock - but I would just be lying. We eventually got up and decided we’d do Universal on Sunday. We headed down to Fort Lauderdale and took a stroll down Las Olas BLVD. We peaked inside the boutique stores and walked right the way down to the ocean. The Intracoastal was beautiful and the boats were amazing. This is a photo of Thomas and Nadine in front of the Intracoastal backdrop.

We returned home for a Barbecue (which in South Africa we refer to as a braai. This technique is handed from Father to son, and is the basic survival skill that every man has to know and have mastered. It really is an art). The next day we had the same intention of rising early and heading to Orlando… but this time it was the weather. So, we instead went to Fort Lauderdale (again) where we visited The Bodies Exhibit. It was so interesting! They actually use human bodies that they preserve through a process of placing the dissected specimens in acetone, which rids it of body water; then they place the specimen in Silicon or Polymer and store it in a vacuum. During this stage, the acetone leaves the body as a gas and is replaced by the polymer. After which, they coat the specimen in some form of catalyst, which hardens the specimen. I highly recommend seeing this exhibit. They have several all over the world, but the closest one to Lynn is obviously in Riverfront, Las Olas, Fort Lauderdale.

That evening we went home and lazed around the house. In the evening we made sushi, which I now realize whilst writing this, sounds rather disgusting after visiting the exhibit.

After visiting China in August, I have really become more interested in Asian cuisine. For Christmas I was given this exquisite Chinese tea set. So, we had an Chinese/Japanese evening. We rolled our own sushi and made hand rolls. We then sat down to a wonderful meal and fantastic tea… all the way from China!

This morning Nadine flies back. I’m back at work and ready for a busy week. It was great to arrive on campus to the buzz of students returning from their holidays, excited to see their friends and catch up on holiday news. The campus has such a wonderful vibe when the students are here. The only way I can describe it is an array of opportunities making their way to or from classes, the whole day ahead of them.

I have just been reviewing the last blog I wrote before flying home and realized that although I didn’t have an opportunity to do everything on my list, I did many other things that make up for the missed activities!

Where to begin? Well lets refer to the list:

1. Go to Moyo (this beautiful restaurant on a wine farm. You have your meal in private tree houses!

TICK! I went to Moyo, although I didn’t sit in a tree house. My family and I packed a lovely picnic and sat under a willow tree on the river’s edge. It was so peaceful and the farm was exquisite.

2. On the Wine farm, they have cheetah cubs that are part of a rehabilitation center, and I can play with them!

TICK! I didn’t play with cheetah cubs as I favored the risk of playing with an adult cheetah. It was an amazing experience. I wasn’t at all frightened, as they are very calm, lazy animals. A handler came into the cage with me. I sat down next to ‘Enigma’ - the two year old cheetah. The rehabilitation center is part of the Cheetah Outreach Program. If you remember, I wrote an earlier blog about the woman that came to campus and spoke about the cheetah outreach program in South Africa; well this is part of her organization. You can actually see Enigma as a cub here.

He just purred and cooed as I stroked his beautiful coat. Did you know that a cheetah’s stride is 7-8 meters! There are only 10 000 - 15 000 left in the world! So, the cheetah’s survival is truly dependent on programs, such as Cheetah Outreach.

3. There is a lion rehab. near to where my grandparents live, so we’re going to have a picnic at the lion rehab (I hope we aren’t their picnic!)

HALF A TICK! So, we didn’t have a picnic (and nor were we their picnic) but I did go to the rehab with my grandparents. I have never been that close to a lion before. The lions are all rescued from zoos, circus’, and various other cruel environments. There was a flimsy fence between the lions and us, so this was rather daunting. They are beautiful creatures, Kings of the Jungle. I got some beautiful photos of them, although I wish they had been in the wild, rather than in a rehab center.

4. I am a pathetic South African! I have never been to Robbin Island (where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 27 years). So, I have to do that. It’s very historical and Mandela’s artwork is showcased there. The tourguides are all ex-inmates! You have to take a ferry out to it though.

TICKLESS! I am still a pathetic South African I have no excuse!

5. There is this fantastic beach club called La Med. It was the highlight when my parents were in their early twenties, and still is today! It pretty much dies during the winter, but during summer, on Sunday nights it makes up for all that it lost in the winter. It’s view is what makes it what it is. I have never seen as beautiful sunsets as seen from La Med.

TICK! TICK! TICK! So, I may have spent a little too much time here, but it was well worth the sunset after a long day on the beach!

6. I always go to Greenmarket Square, it’s basically a huge outdoor market in a square in the center of town. Many of the African’s (from all over, esp. from the Ivory coast and Zim.) sell their artwork, sculptures, carvings, and innovative designs here.

TICK! I bought/bartered the most beautiful African carving of a Maasai man and woman. You can read more about the Maasai here.

All in all my trip was unforgettable. I spent New Years with my grandparents and parents on the beach.

I went to my favorite band that was playing in the valley I live in. The concert is a tradition in our valley, it is very small (with about 70 tickets sold) and hosted by our local beach bar. The club is mostly outside and the ground is all beach sand. It’s very casual, and everyone knows everyone. Afterwards, the band socializes with the audience. I even got to chat to the lead singer, Art, after the concert. It’s an amazing experience - nothing like any concerts you’d see here. It’s nice to know they haven’t forgotten where they came from and who their fans were in the beginning. And the band, Just Jinjer is now really famous, and they now perform in the US. You can listen to their music here.

(That’s the band behind us)

Well, that was my trip! I hope you all had a wonderful vacation too!

After a long tiring flight (and two days recovery) I am back in Boca and ready to take the new year by storm. My holiday home was amazing! Being back home in the Cape Town summer is enough to make anyone want to stay there forever. I have tons of gorgeous photos and plenty of exciting stories, ranging from stroking cheetahs to rock jumping into the Atlantic Ocean. However, you will have to wait to hear all my holiday stories until tomorrow, as today is my first day as the Graduate Assistant in the Marketing Department.

Thus far, everything has been terrific. After reading all my fellow bloggers blogs, I realized I had better update mine. It takes a while getting used to the internet, as I haven’t used it in ages. My parents have finally ordered high speed internet at our house in South Africa. After living in the US for the last 3 years, and enjoying the luxury of wireless internet, my father is struggling to get used to twiddling his thumbs for 20 minutes while waiting for a page to upload! So, he has ordered high speed, which takes over six weeks to install! (TAFY: That’s Africa For You!).

I have many plans for this upcoming year, both as a Grad. Assistant and in my personal life. I have many great ideas that I can’t wait to get the ball rolling on. On a personal level, I have started swimming in the morning. I also have a list of things I want to do… and I’m going to actually do them. This year is all about lists and ticking things off one at a time.