Charlotte's Grassroot Soccer Blog: A foodie from Cape Town who is going to Kenya. Yebo!

The two month mark has come and gone and scary to say, but I may not get a chance to blog until the 3 month mark on November 9th. The reason being (for all you blog skimmers, I'm blessing you with the big news first this post):

I'M GOING TO KENYA!!!

The grant came through, my boss is amazing, and now... I'm off to Nairobi and Muhuru Bay for two weeks!!!

You're probably sitting there wondering... How the heck did she manage that?! And to be honest, I'm still not entirely sure either. After participating in the Generation Skillz Training of Coaches in early September I was given the opportunity to get involved in curriculum development and next thing I knew work entailed...

-Re-writing a lesson for girls that addresses puberty, sex education, and mother-to-child HIV transmission

-Helping out with a grant proposal to Nike (RED)

-Learning how to assess potential implementing partners

This Saturday(October 23rd) I'll be flying off to Nairobi, putting my public speaking skills to the test and helping Taylor out with a Training of Coaches for a week. From there I'll be hopping on a bus and making a solo trip to Muhuru Bay (see below) to check out WISER (Women's Institute for Secondary Education and Research).

WISER, associated with Duke University, (check them out at WISERgirls.org) "is a non-profit NGO working to build the first girls' boarding school and research center in Muhuru Bay, Kenya". With only 5% of girls in the community finishing secondary school and an estimated HIV prevalence of 38%, Muhuru Bay definitely needs WISER and is a perfect spot for Grassroot Soccer to have an implementing partner. Much more to come on this in the next few weeks...

A big thanks to my co-workers/bosses: Tay for getting me involved in Kenya curriculum development, Elise for suggesting a visit to WISER and Leah for giving me such incredible growth opportunities. I can't wait to get to Kenya and make it all count!

And just when I thought work couldn't possibly get any better...

-Sara and I had a conversation with Zak and Elise about starting a research project to help gear up for the Randomized Control Trial that starts in 2012.

-The Gear-for-Education exchange program that Julie and I dream of may actually happen. December's inventory numbers will tell all..

-Um... did I mention that I'm traveling to KENYA for work?!!!!!!

WOWZA.

Starvation

In other news, I got ROCKED by Rockin' the Daisies. We arrived early on Friday evening, I enjoyed some bizarre South African music, ate some chicken and lamb schwarma, finished off a nutella and banana crepe and then... proceeded to spend the entire night getting sick outside our tent. My roommates woke up to me curled up in a sleeping bag in a lawn chair (I quickly got over unzipping the tent flap to run outside) and drove me the hour and a half back to Cape Town. Sad/happy to say, there are no pictures from the weekend. My rockin' in short: Saturday was spent trying to calm a 102 degree fever, Sunday attempting to drink water and Monday shoving crackers down my throat. Food poisoning or nasty South African flu... not entirely sure. I do know, however, that I won't be eating meat any time soon. Currently Day 10 as a pescetarian and still feeling strong...

Indulgence

-Talia and I currently have a 200 Rand bet to see who can stay off of chocolate for longer. While I've steered clear of Cadbury bars, my roommates are a little worried about my sudden interest in vanilla ice cream and Mentos...

-Jamo, T, Graham and I splurged and ate in style yesterday at the swanky Blonde Restaurant, set literally 30 steps from our front door. Combine South African prices with 50% off Sundays and you get a meal complete with:

-a scrumptious slice of salty sourdough

-crisp bread with salmon pâté

-an amuse-bouche (in our case, a tiny shot of soup from the chef)

-a mini tarte tatin topped with tomato and goat's feta

-a spoonful of lime and ginger jelly to cleanse the pallet

-a main course of pan-fried sole served with pommes-frites

-small chocolate truffles (don't worry, I steered clear)

All for a grand total of....... 12 US DOLLARS.

Hi. I'm from Cape Town.

Beyond the eating extravaganza at Blonde, this past weekend was one of the first where I actually felt like a true Cape Town resident. Saturday: grabbed a croissant and read the paper at Cook Shop Bakery, shopped around the boutiques at the Old Biscuit Mill, tanned down at Camp's Bay beach, played tennis with Taylor on Hof street, and danced the night away on Long Street. Sunday: ran along the promenade (dodging around hundreds of people participating in a Ghandi Peace Walk), watched movies with Marg, and did some work from home. It's official. I'm a local.

Below are some pictures from the world's ugliest beach, Camp's Bay... Ha. But seriously, it isn't on our list of favorites. That should give you a good idea of how gorgeous the others are.