Year of the Ox

Chinese new year has come and gone. Life has been so busy for me, primarily with work, that I was just too tired to arrange an evening out for Chinese food this year. We may still have a delayed celebration. Although, I could not let Monday pass without having some ethnic food so I went and got myself some chicken fried rice. Sad, very sad, I know...

Oba"ma"

I went to an unofficial Obama inauguration party last Tuesday. Quite interesting being surrounded by South Africans (and some Americans) and seeing people's reactions. There was a poster in the room with MLK, Obama, and Mandela. Later in the week, I went to a workshop where the speaker was talking about how kids in the townships are so excited about Obama. In fact, they are all saying that anyone whose name ends in "m-a" is someone special...Oh boy.

A glimpse into my 16 day Morocco trip

(a bit delayed, i know)

there is much to share about my holiday trip to morocco with family and friends. we saw it all from Casablanca to Rabat to Fes through the Atlas Mountains to the Sahara Desert in Erfoud to Marrakech to the seaside town of Essaouira. a lot to take in and remember. i'm still processing it post-trip and realizing what a privelege it was to visit this foreign land. of course, it wasn't without mishap from suspicious guides to not-so good morrocan food to sickness (from colds to tummy problems) ending with delayed and missed flights. however, overall, a fantastic once-in-a lifetime trip with beautiful scenery, interesting people, a great driver, and good company.

Holidays in Morocco

I recently read a book called The Caliph's House where the author writes about his first year living in Casablanca after moving from the UK. I picked up the book knowing I would be visiting Morocco this December/January. One of the descriptions on the back cover says that Casablanca is "where Islamic tradition and African folklore converge". I am so excited to leave tomorrow to visit this seemingly foreign country with my family and friends. It will be interesting celebrating Christmas in a Muslim country... Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

More good food

I of course took the liberty to try some more good food in Switzerland. To go along with fresh croissants with nutella and nice creamy yogurt for breakfast, here is a sampling of the other cuisine:

Montreux tea with rum served from a boiling pot.

Gaufre with grand marnier and powdered sugar.

Pikeperch probably from the Lake.

Rosti with "raw ham" and egg.

Let it snow, Let it snow - In Switzerland

I made another trip up to our Swiss headquarters last week. There is something about snow and the Christmas season. They definitely go hand-in-hand. I was welcomed to Switzerland with a delay in Zurich as the connecting plane waited to be de-iced before taking off to Geneva. And the snow/rain/gray clouds continued in Lausanne throughout most of my trip. Regardless, that did not stop me from doing some exploring and wandering. This time I took a train around the east side of Lac Leman (Lake Geneva) to Montreux and walked 3km further to the Chateau de Chillon. Montreux also had a wonderful Christmas market with good food and trinkets which was most enjoyable to walk through. Although the holidays is often too commercialized, I think some of that helps set the mood for celebration of the season.

A day to remember to be thankful.

I hope all of you celebrating have a big piece of dark meat turkey with gravy for me! Remember to think of all the things you're thankful for. I'm thankful for my time in South Africa and the chance to learn from people from different parts of the world. Also glad I've been kept safe. Still can not believe I've been here a year. The thought did cross my mind to invite people over and cook a big feast including a turkey. However, I took one look at the frozen turkey in Woolies and decided that it's too much work. If I were going to have a party, I think I would go with chicken which is much more manageable...Cheers!