I visited the lush city of Durban for work for a period of <24 hours. Here is a view of some of the city from the Westville Hospital window.
ed fake elephants along a bridge that shakes like an earthquake every hour while dry ice pours out from the sides. (Because of some technical difficulties the hour I decided to go, I didn't exactly experience the shake but I figured since I've experienced earthquakes in SF, I pretty much knew what it would feel like). It also poured rain every day but only for an hour or so. Here is a shot of the sky after the biggest storm. Stunning. I went on a game drive one morning in Pilanesberg National Park where you can potentially see the Big 5. Unfortunately, I only saw a few animals this morning. Oh well. Sometimes that happens with animals in the wild...Can't wait for Kruger National Park in December.
have enough room in front of you and the next car in case you need make a get away, but don't leave too much room otherwise every small car you can think of will try and fit in. And lastly, leave a little tiny crack in your window so if someone decides to come up and spark your window ("smash and grab"), it won't shatter through. My experience so far? Well, traffic is terrible here in Joburg. And it's magnified due to the bad drivers. The road signs are confusing and if you head the wrong way down the highway, it's tough to figure out exactly which exit is safe to get off on. Thank God for GPS! This is all to say that driving on the other side of the road isn't so difficult compared to the other stuff you need to keep in mind. I DO tend to drive left so have to keep reminding myself to stay right. I've been known to take out some of the bushes on the left side of the road. Oops!
I moved into my furnished one bedroom shortly after arriving to Joburg and was warned it is quite small. Having lived in a studio for 5 years, I wasn't too worried. Well, it's not too small although my air shipment arrives soon and I'm not sure if all my stuff will fit. But, it is quiet and I do feel safe which is the most important thing. It's a gated complex located in the northern suburb of Sandton. I learned the other day that Sandton is known as the "mink and manure belt". Why? Mink is for all the rich people who live here. And manure, well, I have gotten different reports...I'll have to get back to you. Or, does anyone have any ideas?Here is a picture
of one of my neighbors taken from my kitchen window. There are about 3 nests and I wake up to 
chirpping every morning. In the back, I look down to a swimming pool. It seemed nice until I witnessed a stream of water draining into it this past weekend. I think I'm going to pass on actually getting in!
(My plan was to take my own photo of the trees, but it's hard to do so when you're driving. Also, I've been told not to put the windows down when driving as it is unsafe. This picture is borrowed from the web taken along the streets of Pretoria.)
p of the continent of Africa. The country is split up into 9 provinces while surrounding 2 other countries- Lesotho and Swaziland. Johannesburg (otherwise known as Joburg) is in the Gauteng Province. SA has 11 official languages including English, Afrikaans, Zulu, Tswana, and Xhosa. My coworker Mmonimang taught me how to say "south" in Zulu. She said to me, "Welcome to 'Mzansi' Africa". 
It's not everyday that you have to slow down while driving to avoid hitting animals such as Springbok, Zebra, Waterbuck, Kudu, Impala, Eland, Wildebeest, and Hartebeest. Too bad I
didn't get pictures of them but seeing them with the sunset as a backdrop was truly an unforgettable sight. However, I DID get pictures of these guys- a 4 month old tiger and a female cheetah just after her run demonstrating her speed of over 80 km/hr.
e- through the 
bush. Thrilling! Very dusty, but thrilling. And lastly, I once again experienced South Africa's national pastime- a braai which means barbeque. The lamb chops were great, and I rarely eat lamb! Also had the boerewors- "farmer sausage" or spicy sausage- which is always good as well.
