Birthday Ballet!

About 2 weeks ago, it was my birthday. Normally, my birthday is a BFD, but I was in such a rush moving things into storage, getting vaccinated for yellow fever and typhoid, and packing for Durban, that I completely forgot to write about it! The boy was visiting and, after not as much convincing as I thought it would take, agreed to go to the ballet with me!
Let me tell you, I love the ballet. As I get older, you can bet that I'm gonna be one of those people that goes so often the theater knows my name. The production we went to see was Giselle. A classic, and I'd never seen it before! My favorite thing about ballet is the precision. I enjoy the super-synchronized movements and, having done a little ballet myself, appreciate how difficult some of the moves are that seem so effortless and graceful. It was a wonderful birthday if there ever was one (plus, I got to get all dressed up and see N in a suit)! And afterward, we hung out in downtown Raleigh for a bit and had the most delicious desserts and wine. Couldn't have asked for more.

New Beginnings

Sawubona! That's Zulu for "hello!" The first week-ish has been a blur and a half. I'm feeling a bit less jetlagged, which has been nice, because now I actually want to interact with humans and see things instead of just nap and watch re-runs of The Big Bang Theory on my computer. My stomach still isn't really on board with this new schedule yet though and I keep waking up from hunger pangs at 3am like clockwork. C'mon, body, get with the picture. Don't you want to be able to enjoy delicious treats like avo sandwiches (pictured below) at the appropriate time?
I'm staying in a cute little place on a very steep hill and if I walk to work, it's basically a 20 minute climb. I probably won't be making the trek too often, but the view down the hill (pictured below) is killer. Maybe I should though...it's definitely good exercise.
I'm working mainly in clinics in the townships on the outskirts of the main city. The drive there is super scenic too (pictured below). You're probably going to get sick of me telling you how pretty I think Durban is in every synonym I can find by the end of this trip. This was a lot of words and not a ton of pictures, but eventually, I promise a ton of pictures. I do.

  Until next time, hambani kahle!

Tuesday Tunes

Hello from Durban! I just got in today and am already feeling a little overwhelmed by the place. The flight was pretty good and the drive from the airport was beautiful. Has me thinking about traveling and places I miss this lovely Tuesday, hence the theme of this week's Tuesday Tunes.

1. "Leaving on a Jet Plane" - Chantal Kreviazuk
2. "California 2005" - Phantom Planet
3. "I've Been Everywhere" - Johnny Cash
4. "Around The World" - Red Hot Chili Peppers
5. "Born to Run" - Bruce Springsteen

Mud

I saw Mud yesterday, and I was a little skeptical at first because I wasn't really sure what the premise was going to be so I was trying to keep my expectations low. Holy crap, it was amazing.

I feel like Matthew McConaughey gets typecast as the hot dude in chick flicks, but this is another movie that proves he's a much better actor than that (I'd also recommend U-571 and Angels in the Outfield). And then the two boys, Tye Sheridan and Jacob Lofland, were twice as good maybe. They complemented each other perfectly. Honestly, I think Tye Sheridan could get an Oscar nod.

Other than the actors, the filmography and location were beautiful. Tons of shots of the river at all times of the day and night, oh man, take me there. The story was brilliant. Without giving too much away, I thought it was great that even though romances were the main basis for the plot, it never felt cliche or like a chick flick. Also, I love how Ellis's (Tye Sheridan) motivations change throughout the movie based on his perceptions of love and the relationships of the people around him. It's very heartfelt and I walked out feeling a big jumble of nostalgic for that age and desirous of some adventure...so then we went and had lemonade and giant slices of cheesecake.