Counting down the weeks

This blog of mine seems to be turning into a visa info blog... i can't wait for the day i don't have a visa issue hanging over my head. To update, i'm still in Durban and it's been 2 weeks since i made the trip up to Pretoria for my date with the Swiss Embassy to hand in my residency application. I was told to wait 8 weeks and then phone them to check on the status of my application... sigh, so we wait some more!!! As things stand now it looks like i'll only be able to make the move to Zurich at the end of Nov or early Dec.

I have been trying to keep myself busy during this time... with studying for my upcoming exams taking up the bulk of my time (writing 5 exams between 30 Oct and 25 Nov), i am also helping out Cllr Warwick Chapman with some of his ward 18 issues, planning our wedding and was planning my school reunion (which was held last Saturday, it was awesome to see and reconnect with some of the girls again).

My husband will be making the trip across the equator in a couple weeks to visit me... YAY :) we will be spending our time together in Cape Town... oh so very excited :) :)

Plan M is in effect

After a couple days of nervous waiting i was told by the Swiss Embassy that yes my Schengen visa will be issued but it'll take a further 4 weeks... 4 weeks i didn't have... SIGH! Once again Stu and i chatted long and hard about the situation, played with a few ideas and scenarios and eventually decided enough was enough with this visa game... we're playing no more. So all flights and booking were cancelled and Stu booked myself a flight to Durbs... he arrives in 10 days :) :)

We've decided to put Plan M into effect... do the marriage paperwork here in Durbs and apply for my Swiss residency permit, enough with these silly tourist visas!! So yes, we are doing things a little differently but it's what works for us... and that's all that matters!


So, here i sit... in Durbs (enjoying the wonderful Durban winter weather), trying to keep myself busy with this and that and procrastinating about studying... nothing new there :P

The visa saga continues

I am currently back in SA on a "visa run". After much research and discussion Stu and i established that i had no choice but to return to SA to reapply for my Schengen visa and to apply for my US tourist visa. We discovered that once a Schengen visa has been issued for a certain duration, it can't be extended in the Schengen region and a new visa has to be applied for... sigh!

So here i am... once again thousands of miles away from the love of my life, waiting around on visas. The day after landing in SA (after a torturous flight full of delays and layovers) i turned up at the US Consulate and applied for my B1/B2 visa... which was intially denied because the lady was not convinced i would be returning to SA. After some pleading i walked out of there empty handed with tears rolling down my cheeks... but whilst on the phone with Stu trying to figure out what's next, the phone rang... it was the lady from the consulate imforming me she had reconsidered and is going to issue me my visa... SIGH!! :) Now my passport and application forms sit at the Swiss Consulate in Pretoria and i await a decision on my visa... not sure how much more visa stress my nerves can handle!!!

Now that i think of it, i didn't actually write a post about my engagement... oops!!!!! I think i just got swept up in everything that i forgot about my poor blog... well Stu and i got engaged on 23 june... i'm very excited about our life together and just can't wait for the "fine print" to be behind us so we can get on with it!! Right now i'm missing him terribly and am just focusing on getting home (that is now Zurich)!

Gruetzi from Zurich

From my previous post you would've picked up that after many months of talk, anxiety and stress i've finally set foot on Swiss soil... and very nice soil it is! Zurich is a beauitful, efficient city, the countryside with it's green rolling hills and cows, just like a scene from Sound of Music and the people are friendly yet quiet... the language (Swiss-German) is a whole nother story.

the Letten down the road from my apartment

It's been 3 weeks now and i think i've settled nicely into the role of house-girlfriend... my days consist of cleaning, laundry, gorcery shopping, studying, exploring the city and cooking for my wonderful boyfriend, who spends his days working hard (had to add that because i know he'll read this at some point) :) the only thing i'm battling with is the language... but that'll come with time!

During my time here i've made a few observations about the city:

• For a city that is so health and environmentally concious... this is obvious from all the effort that goes into recycling and the number of "normal" sized people on the streets (after my stint living in the states, it was one of the first things i noticed... very few obese people), the Swiss are very relaxed on the smoking issue, most places still allow smoking indoors and in public places, the smoking of weed is also not frowned on and there is a wiff of weed almost everywhere you go (yes, i know what it smells like)!
  

• Sex shops and Erotica clubs can be found on almost every corner (something like McDonalds)... apparently the Swiss have a "healthy" interest in sex, this comes as a surprise considering how tame the Swiss seem to be, obviously this all changes behind closed doors!
  

• Graffiti is another surprise, the Swiss seemed to have imbraced these random, colourful scribles that find themselves on public and private walls... they have graffiti zones in Zurich where people are free to express themselves to their hearts' content, in my opinion a good move... and it actually brightens up some areas that have the potential to be pretty dreary looking.

• Swiss wine... or wii (Swiss-german)/wein (German), it's one of the best kept secrets of Switzerland but it wasn't kept from me for very long, they make some awesome wines... what a combination, Swiss chocolate, cheese and wine :) on my to-do list... exploring the wine making regions of Switzerland.
  

All in all, Switzerland so far has met up to all those expectations i've been holding onto for many years... i do need to spend some time in the countryside, get aquainted with the cows and their bells and experience the magic of the Alps... but that will all come in good time.

a storm moving in over Zurich

the See (pronounced say) with the Alps in the background

Next on the agenda... sorting out my visa issues, my life would be empty without a visa problem hanging over my head!

Just a little side note... this is my 100th blog post, yay me... keep on reading :)

Dubai... the city under constuction

As i write this i am finally in Zurich! :) it's been a long time coming and very happy to finally set foot in Switzerland and be able to be with Stu for an extended period.

I flew out of the US on 20 May and into Jozi on 21 May where i met Stu, we then proceed to surprise friends and family but more importantly... my mom :) it was a very hectic and busy week, with loads of meeting, greeting and admin stuff but an enjoyable week... it was great to see everyone again and i'm happy that Stu got to meet all the important people in my life! :)

Enjoying a few refreshments in the oasis (pool bar)

On 29 May we boarded the plane for Dubai... a quick 2 day stop over on our way to Zurich! As i have a South African passport, i need a 96 hour transit visa for UAE and with no precise guildlines on how to acquire this visa... i was basically holding thumbs that things would work out. After going through the process of handing money over to 2 different people, waiting around and a conversation with an immigration officier following a misunderstanding... 90 minutes later i had my passport stamped and was allowed to proceed! :)

View from hotel room

Dubai is an interesting city... very hot (around 40C) and dusty and there is construction everywhere you look! Skyscrapers and cranes line the horizon as well as those famous landmarks, ie Burj Al Arab and Burj Dubai. The best part of Dubai was the pool bar at our hotel... we spent many hours in the pool cooling off and sipping of "softdrinks" :)

City of construction

Burj Dubai... topped out at just over 800m

On the surface the city looks amazing with all the development and some stunning architecture but when you take a closer look there are faults... some construction has come to a standstill and the buildings are falling apart, many buildings have been put up in a rush and workmenship is sloppy and some buildings are incomplete but are inhabited.

All in all it was an enjoyable 2 days and an eye opener... i can see why people have flocked to the city, i mean where else can you go skiing and half an hour later be tanning on the beach (all in a desert), but i wouldn't call it a holiday destination... from my point of view anyway!

Next stop... Zurich, Switzerland :)

Florida storm

We've had weeks of very hot and humid weather here in Florida... i officially think it's hotter here in Florida during spring than in Durbs in February... eish! Last night a storm finally rolled in bringing some much needed rain and of course, thunder and lightning... which i've taken a fascination to... gone are the days of me hiding under my bed during storms!!

I think i may have found my new hobby... well photography has always been a hobby of mine but photographing storms is something i could get into :)

Coming to an end

My season at Johns Island is coming to an end... slowly but surely, it's actually unbelievable that i have been here for almost 7 months. It's been a long and hard season but a good one, it's a bit of an anti climax now... we were busy for weeks on end through spring break and easter, working 60 hours a week and now in the last couple of weeks business has dropped off, members have returned up north and staff levels have almost halved! It's been sad having to say goodbye to all the friends i've made in the last 7 months and especially saying goodbye to Julz, she has gone up to NYC for a couple weeks and is then off to Block Island to work for the summer... who knows when i'll see her again.

I'm now in the process of packing up my house and moving out... the remaining staff have to be moved around because some apartments have to be handed back to the leasing company... so i'll be living out of a suitcase for 2 weeks... urgh :P

My days in the Florida sunshine are numbered, i've been working very hard on my tan... i may even look like i've spent 7 months in FL, make all the people in Europe jealous ;) all plans for my departure are set and things are coming together nicely, i can't wait to see my sexy geek (Stu) again :)

Looking back...

I was chatting to a friend the other day and he asked me if i had achieved everything i wanted to on this trip, if it was a success and if i was satisfied... my immediate answer was yes but it also made me think about what my objectives were before this trip, the reasons i came over here and what i've gotten out of being in the states!

Within a couple weeks of me being here i realised that yes, maybe i had originally come here for the wrong reason... trying to make something out of nothing, fix something beyond repair, etc but i came to terms with that very quickly, moved on and decided to make the most of me being in the states! I made a list of things i wanted to do and places i wanted to see... visit my twins in denver, go skiing again, get to the bna xmas party, go to nyc, see a bit of florida, get back to disney, go to new orleans, work hard, make some money, meet new people and see old friends and all and all everything bar one was done... i haven't made it to new orleans yet, but i have plenty of time for that yet, besides it was substituted by key west... a fair compromise :)

These last 6 and a bit months i have worked hard, i've done some travelling and met some great and some not so great people, i've done some growing and some forgiving... i've also realised that the success to a relationship of any kind is compromise...

The most important and special part of my trip to the states is me meeting Stu... a kind, wonderful, caring, funny and sexy man who makes me feel special and who i love deeply! Stu is proof that all things happen for a reason and that there are no regrets in life, only lessons to be learnt... so looking back, yes my trip has been a success and i am more than satisfied!

I am now ready for the next chapter to begin... let the journey continue :)

Switzerland here i come

After 10 days of nervous waiting, the Fedex man finally dropped my package at my front door and Julz had the responsibilty to open it (because i was at work) and inform me whether or not there was a Schengen visa stuck in my passport... after a very long and nerve racking day, at 4:05pm i finally received an sms from her reading, "your foto looks cute in your schengen visa, YEAH" i haven't been that relieved and happy in a long long time!! :)

Now all the plans that Stu and i have been discussing seem real without the visa cloud hanging over my head (well except for the usa tourist visa i now need to apply for)... i can now let myself get super excited about my summer in Switzerland and Europe... YAY :) details to follow on plans whilst in Switzerland... there is nothing concrete yet!

Taken from the beach at JI... a flock of pelicans doing a fly-by

Other than the visa excitement not much else is happening in Zero Beach, except for work... we are mid way through Easter week, the week we were told we would be the busiest the entire season but so far business has been slow... it would seem that this economic recession has hit even the rich! The US unemployment rate reached a 25 year high of 8,5%... at this rate they are going to leap frog over SA, a scary thought for the "world's most powerful nation"

Once Easter is behind us our season is basically over, a large majority of the members return up North and a number of staff go off to start their summer jobs... i can't believe it's been 6 months already, it's been a hard season but a very enjoyable one! :)

Sunset over the Beach Club

Time for SA and cricket to show it's true colours

South Africa's hour

SA has a chance to show the world what it is capable of... go on the little country that could :)

Up, up and away and St Augustine Beach

I've just realised i haven't blogged about my escape to St Augustine Beach with Stu! St Augustine is about 3 hours north of Zero Beach, it's the oldest inhabited town is the states and a really quaint and pretty little town with loads of history... the beaches are beautiful as well. After been postponed a couple of times, we were fortunate enough to see the STS-119 (NASA Discovery) launch which was about 100 miles south of us... it was an amazing sight, this fireball travelling through the sky :)

Discovery shuttle launch... amazing sight

The rest of the weekend was spent relaxing, exploring the town and long walks on the beach! :) oh, i almost forgot... our weekend started off with a scare as Stu discovered he had "misplaced" his passport... after a few phone calls we located the little blue book, he had left it on his flight from NYC to Orlando... thankfully the airlines in this country are a lot more honest than those in SA!

Sunrise from our hotel room

See you in 52 days babe :)

The waiting game...

After weeks of research and document collecting i have finally submitted all my documents and passport to the Swiss consulate in Atlanta and am now playing the waiting game... "patiently" waiting for my passport to be returned to me with a Schengen visa inside... fingers crossed :)

Work is crazy at the moment, i'm working 60 hour weeks with little time for my body to relax so i'm feeling really drained and tired... but i know it's only for another 2 weeks (til the end of easter) and all for a good cause, in 51 days i will be jetting out of here, onto bigger and much better things :) i'm really excited about what (more like who) is waiting for me across the Atlantic!! :) :)

So watch this space for news on my visa...

Florida at it's best...

... the last week or so we've had the most amazing weather (clear skies, sunshine, a slight breeze) and i've been "blessed" to get to work outside and stare out at the beautiful ocean and all it's shades of blue!! Sometimes i really do hate my job when i have to slave away serving the more fortunate while they get to enjoy the amazing weather and view! I thought i'd share my misery with you...





I now have the most attractive uniform tan to show for my hours working in the sun... i'll be working on correcting that this weekend when i take a well earned break! Stu is arriving in the morning... so super excited and we will be spending the weekend chilling on the east coast of FL in a town called St Augustine, soaking up the rays and destressing! :) Catch ya'll on the flip side... hehe ;)

Schengen Visa application process update

So as my luck would have it, a week after Stu and i meet the Swiss decide to join the Schengen, which means South Africans now need visas to visit Switzerland! The application process is not complicated, just time consuming with all the documents that have to be collected... and when you are dealing with services in SA things become delayed!!

I've managed to tick most of the requirements off the list (itinerary, flights, travel insurance, letter from employer, bank statements), i'm now just waiting on UNISA to get their act together and send me the docs i'm waiting on (this could be a long wait)... grr!!

The countdown continues, with 76 days til i leave the states... it's getting very exciting :) i have another countdown running... 9 more sleeps til Stu visits again, for now that is even more exciting!! :) we are just planning to spend the weekend chilling on a beach in FL somewhere... get away from it all.

Taking a bite out of the Big Apple...

... and landing up with toothache, literally!! Not sure what it is with my wisdoms and the states but for the second time my one wisdom tooth has chosen America as the place it would like to play up and put me in pain! Luckily i caught the infection before i hit lob-sided chipmunk stage again but it's again been a costly and painful ordeal... for now i get to hang onto the troublesome tooth and the Vicodin will help with the pain ;)

So i've been home from my romantic getaway for 2 weeks now... wow, what a weekend, NYC is an amazing city and being there with Stu was the cherry or was it the apple on top?? :P i'd done all the touristy stuff on my pervious stopover in the city so Stu and I just did a lot of walking and looking. I met his close friend, Dave, which was cool... he's a local so gave us Dave's tour of the city :) on the Saturday night we met up with a few BnA peeps (there were more than 3 BnA members present at the bar so it was an official meetup) including one of the founders, Sean, it was a fun and interesting evening and i landed up drinking Tusker, a Kenyan beer... the closest i could get to a SA beer!


I've finally made a decision on my next move once i'm done here in Florida... i'll be spending the summer (the Northern hemisphere summer) in Zurich with Stu! :) i'm super duper excited and can't wait... the countdown has started, 13 weeks to go!! I've weighed up the pros and cons and the pros won hands down... being there gives Stu and i a chance to build on what is already an awesome relationship, it gives me the opportunity to do some travelling around Europe... something i've been longing to do and it gives me time to study so i can write my last round of exams at the end of the year and finally finish my degree! Have i mentioned i'm very excitied :)

All that's left to do now is convince the Swiss consulate to give me a Schengen visa :)

4 months down and having a good time :)

After all the promises of me doing better with this blog and i've slipped into my bad habits already... i need a kick in the arse!! Ok, so i've been in Florida for almost 4 months now and so far so good... no complaints expect for the fact that at times i wish i could throw in the tray and go lay on the beach that i stare at all day! :)

Another "tough" day at the office

Work is going very well, i'm really enjoying the people i work with and the rich, old people aren't that bad!! ;) It also helps that at Johns Island hard work is appreciated and rewarded... i was given a raise a couple weeks ago, so all is well!

I've managed to squeeze some travelling in as well... went to Portland, Oregon in Dec for a BnA party... was loads of fun and i met loads of very cool interesting people, including one in particular who i will get to shortly. I also ventured to the west coast of FL, to a place called Clearwater, which is the home of Scientology (no, i'm not trying to tell you anything)... beautiful beaches and sunset! :) In Jan i took a week off and spent a very romantic 4 days in Key West and then myself, Julz and Roo jetted off to CO to visit my boys and do some skiing... lots of funness! I have another romantic weekend coming up next weekend in the Big Apple... yipee, so very excited!! :) :)

Sunset in Clearwater, FL

Roo, Julz and myself at A Basin, CO

Ok, so now you are probably wondering about this particular someone and all the romantic getaways... well his name is Stu and we've been seeing each other for 2 months now, he's wonderful, amazing, kind, caring (i hope you are reading this Stu) and i've never felt this way about anyone... he has swept me off my feet!!! One small problem, is that he lives in Zurich, Switzerland... which is a strange way is actually a plus cos i love Switzerland (altho i've never been, but have always wanted to)... so there are decisions to be made, but i know it'll all work out soon :)

Cheese... me and Stu in Key West :)

So that's all my news, i'm in the process of uploading fotos, but you can also check them out on the F to the B!! :)

I have arrived

I know this is 2 weeks old now... old news really, but i haven't had much opportunity to get online... problem solved tho... i now have very high speed internet in my apartment, woohoo!

Julz and i arrived here on the 10th and since then we have pretty much settled in and adjusted to the "terrible" Fl weather, i've been working hard on my tan... life is Fl is really tough!! :)

John's Island Club is absolutely amazing, the money in that club is scary and the new Beach Club they have just built is stunning! The service standards at the club are very high, it's pretty much silver service all the way... so i have to mind my Ps and Qs! Just to give you an idea, it costs $200 000 per member to initially become a member, which is by invite only btw, and then it's $12 500 every year, on top of that the members still have to pay for their house on the estate and the meals and drinks they have at the club... so much of moneys! The luxury cars i see in the parking lot are jaw dropping...

At the moment i'm still on training, but will slowly but surely be weened off and on my own... which i'm looking forward to because all this training is becoming a little frustrating!

Anyway, i'm off to enjoy my day off in the Fl sun... tan here i come :)

6 days and counting...

i can't actually believe that i have less than a week to go before i jet off to the states... as they say, time waits for nobody!! in the next 6 days i have loads of goodbyes to say, 2 exams to write and one big farewell to have... oh, and pack, EISH!!

it's definitely with a heavy heart that i'll be getting onto that plane but i know once i'm there loads of fun will be had and i'll be doing all the travelling i want to do and i'll get to see my twins again... which i'm really excited about!

last week i spent a week in the Eastern Cape and completed the very grueling Otter Trail but i'll post fotos and stories about that adventure as soon as i have time to stop and breathe!

anyhoo, just wanted to give you a quick update :)

South Africa's golden games

After the disappointment of the 2008 Olympics where SA came home with one silver medal, SA has an olympic team to be proud of... the 2008 Paralympic team, who flew the country's flag high and outshone everyone at the games, well i think they did anyway!! Every race i watched on TV filled me with pride and caused an instant case of goosebumps! :)

Oscar celebrating after winning his third of 3 golds in a world record time, taking the treble (100m, 200m and 400m), what a boykie :)

With golden girl, Natalie du Toit (5 golds), and golden boy, Oscar Pistorius (3 golds), leading from the front then rest of the althletes set about smashing all records and coming home with 21 gold, 3 silver and 6 bronze with a total of 30 medals and in 6th spot... an unbelieveable result and one that has made me extremely proud! :) Many world records were recorded and Natalie du Toit was awarded the the Whang Youn Dai Achievement Award, all in all, an outstanding result... you guys ROCK!! :)

Glorious end for Paralympic Team SA by The Good News

Sjoe, where has the time gone?

As i write this i have 23 days left until i depart for the states and i'm not quite sure how i'm going to fit all i have to do into my days! Just to give you an idea... this week is my last week at work and i have 3 shifts to work as well as having an event to attend every night. Monday a birthday party in Ballito, Tuesday dinner with a friend, Wednesday i'm working, Thursday is free for now (but it is phuza Thursday, so anything could happen), Friday i'm working my very last shift (YIPEE) and then have a wine tasting evening... yum yum, Saturday have shopping to do for the Otter Trail next week and then dinner with friends at Moyo and Sunday is family day... eish, i'm tired just writing that and don't forget i have to fit studying in there as my exams are coming up very shortly as well!!

As mentioned above, myself and 10 others are doing the Otter Trail next week... really can't wait to get lost in the middle of nowhere for a while and away from the real world! We leave early on Monday morning on our road trip which will take about 14 hours but are breaking it up and taking it slowly. We are stopping in Coffee Bay on Monday night and staying at the Coffee Shack, it should be a good party. Tuesday we complete our road trip and stay at Wild Tongue, where we will be doing our carbo loading and resting. Wednesday morning we set off on the trail and will be trailing until Sunday where we return to Wild Tongue on Sunday night and then set off early on Monday morning to return Durbs! All in all, it sounds like an awesome week of adventure and i'll have loads of fotos to share! :)

the bar in casa la chapman, best pub in town and the location of the birthday party in Ballito. this pub is owned by father Richard and located at his home, it is also fulled to the max with "stuff" from all over the world

why the long face... it's a rusta wildebeest :)