Soweto Marathon and 10K

Over the weekend of November 6-7, 2010 we went to Johannesburg to run the Soweto Marathon and/or 10K. There were about 20 of us caravaning from Swaziland and let me just say that approximately 19 of us ran the 10K. Which, as you can probably do the math, ONE person ran the marathon. Our friend Michelle (PAC Doctor) was running her first marathon, so we were going to cheer her on and at least had to do the 10K. One of our friends from Swaziland, Allison, had since been transferred to Johannesburg for her work as a consultant; therefore, we piled into her place. She was a very gracious host as every bed, couch and square foot of floor space was taken!

History Lesson: Soweto is an urban area outise of the city of Johannesburg bordering the city's mining belt towards the south. It stands for 'South Western Township' and its origin was as a black settlement during South Africa's Apartheid government. Black citizens were relocated to townships outside of the city and Soweto is the most populous of these with approximately one million residents.

Back to the story...On Saturday morning we went to the Expo center to pick up our race numbers and packets. It was definitely not the 'expo' that you'd experience at say the Chicago or New York marathons. This was the sign that awaited us upon entry.

So, we followed directions to the 'collections' table and retrieved our race numbers. I commented at the time that it was strange not to receive our 'race/goody bag' as on the registration form I had been asked to request a size for my t-shirt. This was actually foreshadowing for the next day, though, because there ended up being a riot and 100% stampede by 1000's (yes, 1000's) of people in pursuit of their race t-shirt. Doors were busted in, fences were trampled, and t-shirts were snatched. I am not exaggerating in the least and I am assuming that next year there will be t-shirt pick-up along with your race number. I hope.

After picking up our race numbers we went to the Apartheid Museum.

None of us had been, but many of us had always wanted to go, so we took advantage of the free afternoon and visited. On our way, we followed the signs that pointed us to the museum, but when we arrived, we were in the parking lot for an amusement park! It was quite the juxtaposition, the amusement park vs. the Apartheid Museum, and we decided that this would be a cruel joke for a kid (having to go to a museum, when there were roller coasters next door). Turns out, this was also a cruel joke for Doug. Okay, just kidding. Kind of. I can guarantee if we had more time (i.e. the park didn't close at 5:00pm) we would have gone after touring the museum.

Doug, me, Keri and Eric in front of Gold Reef City

Since the museums cafeteria was closed and we were all starving, we decided to run across the street for lunch prior to entering the museum for good. Where did we eat, you ask? Well, at the casino, of course. Because what Apartheid Museum/amusement park intersection is complete without a casino? Bizarre-o land.

It was just like Vegas, except that there were impala in the fountain

And gold-plated elephants

Keri and I took ZAR20 and played a safari slot machine without any luck...

After lunch we went to the Apartheid Museum for real and were impressed by the mutlimedia format and the history explained. It was a powerful and interesting exhibit, but much like visiting a holocaust museum, it isn't what you'd call 'uplifting.'

There were many art installations, like this one, which was supposed to represent the people past/present who have visited the museum.

And this one represented the many people illegally executed during Apartheid

Additionally, there was a special Mandela exhibition

On Sunday morning Doug, Michelle and I got up at 4:00am to make our way to the marathon start (because it gets so hot here, races start by 6:00am). Since Doug and I were the only ones in the group who had ever run a marathon, we were sympathetic to Michelle and agreed to accompany her and then to wait around for the start of the 10K.

Everyone had a successful race day and completed either the 10K or marathon. It was a really beautiful day and interesting course.

Keri and I after the 10K

After our race, Doug and I ran backwards on the marathon course to pick-up Michelle and to run with her at the bitter end when the finish line just can't come fast enough. We picked her up at the 38km mark and ran her in to the finish.

Finish line

Doug, Michelle and Steph (PAC Doctor) after Michelle finished the marathon

I would like to say that our day ended here, but (unfortunately) no trip to Johannesburg is complete without a car being stolen. And this time it was Tammy's (TechnoServe) white RAV-4 which bit the dust. You might think that I am kidding or that the rumors about crime in Johannesburg are exaggerated, but I'm here to tell you that this is the third car from our group of friends that's been stolen. THIRD. Needless to say, this put a damper on the day, but the good news was Tammy had full-coverage insurance (and none of the rest of us did). I'll leave it at that.

European Union Planning Meeting

On November 2 and 3rd I was invited to attend an annual planning meeting for the Support to Education and Training Programme (SET) at the Orion Hotel in Pigg's Peak, Swaziland. Pigg's Peak is in the northern region of the country and is where most of the lumber is harvested and citrus groves are found. It is a mountainous and beautiful part of Swaziland. In addition, the Orion Hotel is the main casino resort in the country and is considered to be the 'nicest' hotel. I am not sure that I would agree with 'nicest,' but I am for sure that it is the most expensive! Thankfully for me, the EU was picking up the tab.

My room

The view from my balcony

The two-day meeting was scheduled such that it straddled the close of one budget cycle and the opening of another. We were asked to report on the progress of our programs in Program Estimate 4 (PE4) as well as to map out a plan for programming and spending in PE5. My boss, Maria, the Director of In-Service Education and Training (INSET) and I had thought that we had to come to the meeting prepared with a presentation on PE4 and then a plan for PE5; but, it turned out that the meeting was a 'working' meeting and that each of these tasks would be completed over the course of the two days. Needless to say, we were the darlings of the SET Programme as we appeared to be insanely organized and efficient. It was really just that we had done the work in advance...

The conference room

Maria presented our PE4 progress and then allowed me to present our PE5 plan. It was exciting to be able to stand in front of such a group as the highest people in the Ministry of Education, the European Union, UNICEF, etc. were present.

Our PE5 plan

It was a good learning experience and I got to check out the Orion Hotel (which I had always been curious about). I left feeling a bit overwhelmed by all of the work that is yet to be done in PE5, but that is always the case with these sorts of 'step back' and 'plan ahead' meetings. Just when you've finished celebrating your achievements you plow ahead to what's next.

I feel very fortunate to have found such meaningful work in Swaziland. I wasn't really sure what to expect or what type of opportunities would exist, but I love working for the teacher training department and with the Swazi trainers and teachers. I will definitely miss them and be sad to go next June.

Happy Halloween

There were a few rumors about where the party was going to be and eventually it was decided that Nick and Gwenyth would host the Halloween shindig. Doug and I came up with last minute costumes and stuck with our tradition of a ‘pun’ costume as I was ‘pad thai’ and Doug was a 'Swazi Bean.' Both beer pong and flippy cup were played and it was all around a good night with good friends.

My favorite costume was our friend Shaun’s since he dressed up as Doug. I had seen him during the day and we were talking about what each other might be when he said, “I want to dress as Doug.” Since Doug was out mountain biking, I ran home and grabbed a stereotypically ‘Doug’ outfit and gave it to Shaun. And, if you know Doug at all, the outfit comprised of board shorts, a button-up, flip flops, a visor, and hair gel. Plus, Doug had left his wedding ring on his nightstand, so I even pinched his ring for Shaun to wear. Doug had no idea (and tore up the house looking for his wedding ring) and when he first saw Shaun it was awesome. Laughs all around.

Just a couple of pictures to capture the evening

Cooper was a ‘Swazi street light’ as many of the street lights in town have newspaper headline mini-billboards on them…and most of the headlines are totally ridiculous (think National Enquirer).

Our friends Garret and Joe were ‘sexy doctors.’ Yeah, I know.

Laura was ‘box wine’ and she actually had the wine on tap in her costume, which was a big hit.

Jaqui was Mary Poppins and you can also see my super creative ‘pad thai’ with a maxi pad pinned to one of Doug’s ties. I know.

Nick was a court jester and Duanne was a tennis star.

And, as previously mentioned, there were straight college drinking games. The two Doug’s ran the beer pong table for a while.

USA Part II: There’s No Place Like Home

Only a few short months after our summer visit, Doug and I circumvented the world (okay, only halfway, but still) and returned to the United States from 6-21 October 2010. The primary purpose for our visit was for Doug to take his Pediatric Board Examination as the exam is only offered one (yes, ONE) day per year. Since we were planning to come home for this exam, long before we ever left we recruited our family to consider ‘October 2010 Reunions.’ Our families obliged and our visit could not have been better!

Our journey began in Miami where we rented a car and drove to Captiva Island, FL for Martin and Krystal’s wedding. Because Doug’s high school friends are not only his best friends, but unusually, also best friends with each other, 80% of Martin’s wedding party was identical to our wedding (and Preston’s and Katzen’s). This is to say, we were really looking forward to the wedding because it meant seeing some of our nearest and dearest friends. What could be better than seeing your favorite people all at once?! Since Krystal vacationed on Captiva Island growing-up, the wedding was held in the Sea Island Resort.

Sunset coming over the bridge

Liza, Berke, Neal, Doug and I stayed in one of the Marina Villas. No south Florida accommodation would be complete without floral furniture and mirrors on the wall.

Our bedroom

Kitchen

Family Room

On Friday, before the rehearsal, six of us played the 9 hold ‘Executive’ course (if you don’t know, that’s the fancy term for ‘Par 3’ course). Lisa, Katzen and Preston teed-off just ahead of Doug, Berke and I.

The boys

Doug got off to a hot start with par, bogey, par (I was sweatin’ it out, until he had a 12 on one hole)

Here were all three of our tee shots on the third hole. We were pretty pleased with ourselves

The course ran along the ocean and was very beautiful

The rehearsal was held at one of the island restaurants, famous for their ‘buffalo shrimp’ and fish tacos

All the ladies (L to R: Kristin, Morgan, Krystal, Lisa, Liza, Lynsdy, Paisley)

Doug and Berke giving their speech

Good times with good friends

On Saturday, the wedding was held in the late afternoon inside of the resort. It was a beautiful ceremony by the sea

The groomsmen (like I mentioned, they might look familiar)

Graciela giving Martin away

Exchanging vows

Happy couple

Another ladies' shot

Handsome men

Dance party

On Sunday 9 October, we flew from Fort Myers Beach, FL to Austin, TX for the Blank Family Cousin’s Club (affectionately known as ‘CC’10’). We had such a gathering in Hilton Head back in 2005(ish) and have pledged to continue the tradition as our families grow and we scatter further and further around the world. Jason, Sarah, Aoi, Max and Jack came from London; Marco, Kara, Anika, Hannah and Ava came from D.C.; Marissa came from New York; we obviously came from Swaziland; and Dan and Meridith planned the outing as they were local with their boys, Luke and Colt. All told, we were 17 including 8 children under the age of 7.

Dan and Meridith found a great lake house on Lake LBJ, just outside of Austin. It was 7800 square feet and had two kitchens, three refrigerators and even 2 dishwashers. The outdoor facilities were also perfect for our group as we were on a canal, had a huge pool, and most importantly an empty lot on the right side of the house fit for any game imaginable. We only left the house to go to the grocery store and for one outing to nearby caves.

Doug and I stayed in the pool house

Bedroom

Family room, bathroom, and kitchen

Canal

Patio

Master bath (just to give you an idea of the 'fancy' factor)

A lot of fun was had in the pool; Max in the inflatable kayak

Anika

Hannah and the noodle

Jack and his 'just in case you fall in the pool' outfit

Bead necklaces were strung

Stories were read

Fish were not caught, but not for a lack of effort

Kayaks were paddled around

And let’s not forget the lawn games

Or the bouncy house

There was a dance party

Lunch by the pool (meal times were a group effort, fo sho)

And a retired camera donated by Risy to the kids (got a lot of action)

Even the adults had some fun with the Wii Karaoke

Risy was the preferred back-up dancer

Family shots

Dan and Colt

Doug and Marco

Jason and Sarah

Ava, Kara, Aoi and Luke

The Big Blank Cousins

Some of the Little Blank Cousins

Our Swaziland friends, Jay and Hilary (they were in the Peace Corps in Swaziland and overlapped with us for one year; now they are back home in Austin)

And last, but not least, we had a real Thanksgiving on Thursday

And Max got a drumstick

Apart from our Super Shuttle not showing up at 3:45am to take us to the airport and us having to wake-up Dan in the middle of the night; it was a fantastic week. So much fun was had there’s been talk of another CC in 2012 (e can’t even wait another 5 years).

On Friday 15 October 2010 we flew from Austin to Los Angeles and joined a smaller ‘Dillon Family Reunion.’ We stayed with my cousin Jesse and his family in Long Beach. Tim, Nichole and Henry came from San Francisco, CA; my cousin Beth came from Chicago, IL; and George and Liz came from Midland, MI.

Tim, Nichole and Henry

George & Liz

Beth

On Friday evening we ventured to 2^nd Street for a meal at one of our favorite restaurants, Open Sesame. But, before we left, a Halloween costume that arrived in the mail had to be tried and of course, modeled.

Kate is obsessed with Star Wars (more to come on that topic)

Jesse, Kristin and my Mom at Open Sesame

Henry playing with his trains (that’s not a pout, it’s him making noises for the trains)

Dillon Family

On Saturday, we started the day at Kate’s soccer game

One of my best friends, Allison, her husband, Oliver, and daughter, Miri, joined us for the morning

After an unfortunate soccer loss, we ventured back to the house to play before lunch

Everyone loved getting a ride in the push car; Allison and Miri

Ben pushing Henry

Playing at the park

In the evenings, we usually had an early dinner and then it was time for the ‘evening routine’ for the kiddos

Including bath time, teeth brushing (Kate enjoyed a blue ring pop) and bedtime stories

On Sunday, we went to Pa’s Pumpkin Patch in Seal Beach

The 1-ticket super slide was very popular with Kate and Ben

While the Train was Henry’s ride of choice

My Mom and I also took Henry to the petting farm while the big kids jumped in the bouncy castle

The most famous ride at Pa’s is the ‘bathtub swinging tea-cup’ thingy. Doug and Kate have a history on this ride and neither disappointed

Then it was on to the face paint before a couple of family shots on our way to In-n-Out (YUMMY)

Dillon cousins

Sunday evening, my cousin Beth and brother-in-law Tim departed and Doug went to stay in the LAX Hilton as his Board Examination was Monday 18 October 2010. So, in between lots of errands and appointments, Doug and I went with Nichole and Henry to the Long Beach Aquarium.

Then, on Tuesday, they too left Long Beach leaving Wednesday for Jesse/Kristin/Kate/Ben to play hooky. I’ll give you one guess where we went?! Yup, DISNEYLAND. Ben was measuring 39 ½ inches – or 40 with his shoes on – which officially made him tall enough to ride everything in Disney Land. Brave little Ben went on Space Mountain, TWICE. It was the BEST day and the perfect way to end our vacation.

Paisley, Kate and Ben with the giant pumpkin

Doug took Ben on Autotopia while Jesse/Kristen/Kate and I rode, Indiana Jones

At the lightsaver training camp, Kate was selected and ended up using her lightsaver skills in a one-one-one duo

And just to prove Jesse went to the themepark, here he is with Kate on a ride

That night, we took a red-eye from LAX and began our journey back to Swaziland. I’m not going to go into detail because having lived through it once; I don’t need a reminder. Grumpopotamus Doug might chime in if he feels strongly enough, though…Guess we’ll have to wait and see…