Settling in

It's hard to believe we've now been in Cape Town for over two weeks!  I have been very slow to recover from jet lag.  Probably because my sleeping patterns were erratic to begin with.  Hopefully I am finally adjusted though, after crashing sleeping for 12 hrs almost straight through on Saturday night.  I don't think I've done that since college.

Cape Town is truly a unique city.  Since the last blog, I have explored a fair amount while Rebecca has been going to her classes.  The streets here are hilly with slanted and uneven sidewalks.  Intersections are absolutely no fun for me in a wheelchair.  The first week, especially, I got pretty down about how difficult it was.  Rebecca and I both are having a hard time adjusting to how very different it is to be here with my disability.  When we visited 2 years ago, we walked all over town to explore, hiked up the side of Table Mountain, and even repelled off the top of the same mountain a couple days later.  This time, if I want to go anywhere, I have to take time to consider the logistics.  And I certainly won't be hiking any mountains or repelling any time soon.  A lot of people run and bike here on a beautiful, scenic oceanfront path.  It's not dissimilar from the lakefront path in Chicago, except that it's on the Atlantic ocean.  For now, its only use to me is as a way to avoid the terrible intersections on my way to the store, which is kind of a waste and frustrating.

Here is an example of something not uncommon.  I had worked my way up a fairly large hill early last week to view a potential apartment.  A block away from the apartment, I encounter this.  There is only a busy street next to me and tons of debris in front.  Instead of going back downhill two blocks to a POSSIBLE crossing and trekking back uphill, I decided to jump off the curb into the street and hide behind this van until traffic stopped for a minute, then hurried uphill.  Once I passed this mess, if you can barely see, the curb on the following street had no ramp/entry point.  So I was stuck yet again.  I had to go down the side street until I was able to cross in the middle of the street using garage exit ramps.  Not a fun day for me!  And it kind of ruined this apartment for me, too haha...

Here's another more typical example of what I encounter here.  The streets are REALLY old and not maintained that well.  The result is that the sides of the street slope down into the curb.  The sidewalk also slopes down into the street, which is somewhat dangerous for me.  So not only is this street cross very difficult for me, but if you look, the other side of the street has no exit.  So I'd be stuck in the street if I tried to cross, anyway.  Luckily my wheelchair skills are pretty decent at this point and I can drop down off curbs and jump over small curbs and whatnot.

I had to take a picture of the reason why outside of the US, when I say I'm from Kentucky, everybody knows what I'm talking about.  They don't know where it is, but they know about KFC!  Kentucky Fried Chicken is hugely successful worldwide, mainly because fried chicken was already eaten by nearly every culture on earth.  

 Okay so it's not sounding so good so far for me, right?  That's what I thought.  I was getting pretty depressed about my situation here, frankly.  I hadn't realized that the area of our hotel - Cape Town City Centre - is not a residential area at all.  It's kind of like the loop in Chicago and dies after happy hour is over, except worse.  Restaurants all close by about 7pm or so downtown.  I started thinking, "Why did we move here???"

Rebecca said she found an apartment in Sea Point that was the best option so far for me.  She cautioned that it was on the side of a hill, though.  So I decided to go check it out.  The side entrance wasn't the best, but when I got into the apartment, I wanted to sign the lease immediately!  The views are ridiculous.  We negotiated and moved in a few days later.  We can see parts of the mountain and the city from the bedroom.  From the study (yes, a study), and living room, we have incredible views of the Atlantic Ocean.  There is even a little sitting area with a big window that opens up over the ocean... on the 24th floor!  Very cool.

This is the view from the sitting area overlooking the ocean.

Looking down out of that same window, you can people watch the (very nice) public pools.  Fully-maintained by the city.  Not bad at all.  I'm about to try to go swimming over there after I post this.

This is our kitchen.  Complete with washer and dryer and dishwasher.  The dryer and dishwasher, particularly, are luxuries.  Not a bad sunset to watch while you cook.

Crazy that we found this place, and at a price similar to things of much lesser quality with not nearly the view.

In addition to the cool apartment (there is a separate entrance for wheelchairs... nice for me), the street behind us has several restaurants and a coffee shop that is bound to turn into my hangout.  They have unlimited free wifi (many places give you 100 MB, very strange for an American), great food including breakfast until noon, and also serve beer and wine.  I was really bummed when the bathroom required the manager to hoist me up a 12" step.  Then I figured out a path to the shop that wasn't wheelchair accessible but that I could walk.  So I'm hoping it will just motivate me to walk more.  The pool, as well, isn't wheelchair-friendly (yet - that part is under construction), which will force me to walk there to swim.  The restaurants, as well, are in walking distance.  So I think I'll just try and walk a lot since it is strangely easier than using the wheelchair, thanks to the steep hills and unpredictable intersections.  Click here if you want to check out the coffee shop.

Last thing I'll say about getting around here - I haven't tried the buses which are supposed to be nice.  But Uber is big here and works great for me.  They are kind and help me with my crutches and the best part - as in Chicago - is that they pick me up where I happen to be standing.  I love that.  Also here you can go most places for a few bucks.  Awesome.

This is a random picture I had to take at a local grocery called Pick N Pay.  They are apparently obsessed with Snickers here.  Either that or the Mars rep has his way with things.  This MASSIVE display was in the middle of the store, which wasn't big to begin with.  Then there were multiple other displays, by vegetables, in the fridge next to pizzas, everywhere.  I don't get it.

 Other than that, we are enjoying the incredibly cheap food and drink here.  In the US there is a huge cost difference between cooking at home and going out to eat.  Not so much here.  It also adds the incentive for me to just pick up food from a restaurant instead of buying groceries.  It's a difference of a couple bucks.  We also love that all the good South African wine averages about $4/bottle!  Crazy.

I'll stop there before I create a novel.  More to come.

Dear Lord, please keep me positive.  Like the coffee shop, let a challenge turn into an opportunity.  Let us focus on the things we can do instead of the things we can't.  Let us trade in our expectations for gratitude.  Guide us in all we do.  Help me find work here so that I can be productive and feel like I'm truly contributing.  Thanks for the incredible apartment.  Thanks for the view of your great creation so that I think about You every morning, noon, and night.  Be with all our family and friends back home who we really miss right now.  In Your name, Amen.  

Off to the pool!  Enjoy the cold weather back home.

Chip

Moving to Cape Town: The Logic

Me and Rebecca rappelling (called abseiling there) off the side of Table Mountain in early 2013.  You can see the mountain in the next pic on this page.

            SO… Cape Town.  Why in the world did we decide to move here, halfway across the world?  Well, Rebecca has been involved for years in economic development work in Africa.  I have mentioned how she was about a year into her contract in Mozambique and about to move to Chicago to start a life with me when I had my accident.  Her passion has always been Africa.  Out of college, she spent nearly a year in Ghana as part of a volunteer organization, teaching in an orphanage and doing media analysis on the side (she once had an internship with CNN).   She’s been yearning to get involved somehow again on that front.  Ideally it was to be a position in the US with measurable impact in Africa.  However, those jobs are not too common.  And, in Chicago at least, there is no shortage of well-educated folks pursuing the few jobs in that sub-category.  We discussed ways to impact using business.  Her brother and sister-in-law, Stephen and Leah, are trying to do just that in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.  Obviously I spoke from the business-logic side of things, mostly. That was my contribution.  As we brainstormed, Rebecca got excited.  However she didn’t feel like she had the experience necessary to pursue something like that, as there is a fair amount of risk.  She started looking at going back to school. 

            Originally she looked at getting a masters degree in International Relations, a continuation of her undergraduate degree.  After talking with some friends and after all of our business talks, she realized that an MBA would probably provide the education while simultaneously making her more marketable in the general job marketplace, should the need arise.  I already have an MBA from Kentucky from 12 years ago (??? OLD MAN!).  So I was biased, but believed that it was a smart move. 

            We began getting her prepped for the GMAT.  I helped with the math stuff since I’ve always been a math guy, much to her annoyance.  As things progressed, it turned out there were a handful of MBAs that had programs with classes focusing on emerging markets.  The ones in the US were not the best, but at least they had the program she wanted.  The ideal option turned out to be the University of Cape Town, which not only had a focus on emerging markets, but also courses on doing business with corrupt African governments, a focus on personal development and growth, and a new business school approach that focused on overall impact instead of just making money.  She applied and I held my breath.

            The idea of moving to Africa made me nervous for multiple reasons.   I knew the infrastructure wasn’t even comparable to the US when it came to accessibility.  However, we visited Cape Town for Valentine’s Day 2 years ago as a side trip from Mozambique and I remembered how great it was.  By now you know where this is going.  Rebecca was accepted and after much deliberation (and many of my spreadsheets), we decided to sell all our furniture and fly over with just 5 suitcases, story our other knick-knacks in my parents’ basement!  The program is only 11 months and intensive.  So I will barely see her and she will graduate this December.  We are committed to stay at least that long. 

            Cape Town is a really cool city.  It is basically a 1^st world city in a 3^rd world country, which they like to say down here.  The weather is comparable to Los Angeles, with far less traffic and no smog.  The culture is very laid back.  People seem to work 8:30-4:30 and then at 4:31, they are out of the office.  That’s certainly new to me compared to Chicago.  Right now it’s about 72 degrees and sunny here, with pretty strong winds.  They call the winds the “Cape Town Doctor”, since they blow out any pollution and make the air fresh again.  Fun fact for you.

            Even though Cape Town is growing rapidly and the economy is booming, unemployment is at a staggering 26%.  26%!!!  In the US we panic at 7%.  There is a huge, HUGE, population of under-educated that are essentially poor in varying degrees.  More than half here don’t graduate high school.  For that reason, and as an aftereffect of Apartheid, the jobs are protected from foreigners and minorities are given high priority.  The interesting part is that there is also an incentive for employers to hire the disabled, even more so than in the US.  However, I don’t qualify since I am not a citizen.  Bummer!  Good to know for the US, though.

            Luckily, I have been told that I qualify for something called a Critical Skills Work Visa, thanks to running my own business.  So hopefully I will find some income-paying work.  It is supposed to take months to get that, however.  I am not going to sit around and wait.  I will be seeing if I can network, find a church, hopefully find a choir or two, possibly volunteer, and mostly try and write a book.  I have talked with an agent about it and while I haven’t been signed or anything like that, it was suggested that I write in the form of memoirs.  I’m not sure it will lead anywhere but I have the time so I’m going to pursue it until it doesn’t make sense.  Writing this blog is part of that.  It helps me to document things for anything I might need it for in the future – talks, a book, a basic reference, whatever. 

Aerial view of Cape Town.  The donut-looking building is the "football" (soccer) stadium that was built for the 2010 World Cup held in South Africa.

            So that’s the logic!  It’s been about a week here now.  We made sure to spend a lot of time with friends and especially family leading up to our flight.  It worked out well that we moved things to my parents’ basement (THANKS MOM AND DAD), so that we could stay with them for 11 days in Kentucky, relax, go to church, play games, pack, etc. 

Hanging out with the family for a late Christmas in Louisville.  

Rebecca and I trying to get our last hugs from Tucky just before heading to the airport.

Dad and I playing in their basement.  I played the whole game standing.  

The whole Battoe gang in Dallas just before Thanksgiving.

The Maier clan posing on statues in Albuquerque.  I would have climbed on one of the statues to pose but... I didn't.

            The most depressing part that I haven’t wanted to bring up is that it didn’t make sense to bring Tucky.  Too costly ($7000 round-trip???  Lots of shots, special travel, etc.)  and too traumatic of a travel experience for a dog.  We didn’t want to do that, especially if we end up only staying here a year.  So she is with my parents, who of course are already loving her to death since she’s the best dog in the world.  I’m not just saying that, I swear.  She’s the best dog in the world.  Go visit my parents and see. 

            We have Skyped  (read: video chat) a couple times already.  The last time, my mom showed Tucky the iPad with my face on it talking to Tucky, who then proceeded to get excited, walk to the iPad, lick the iPad, put head down in disappointment, whine, and finally go pout underneath the kitchen table.  She is part human, I swear.

Tucky wondering if she is in trouble for chewing up her new toy.

            I’m trying to make an effort at making these blogs shorter but I seem to have failed again.  So I’ll stop here for today.  In a few days I'll post again about the experience here since moving.  Also hopefully pics of the sweet new apartment we just found!  I’ll talk about the roads here in a wheelchair, the hills, the apartment search and the ridiculous views from them, and anything else I can’t think of right now.

Dear Lord, thanks for everything You have given me.  Thank You for the abundant opportunities You have afforded me.  Keep me positive.  Help me to dwell on the things I have instead of the things I don’t.  Help me to always appreciate life and not take things for granted, as I did before the accident.  Let Rebecca and I be a team as we take on this new adventure together.  Let the apartment situation work out.  Be with all our friends and family back home.  Fill us all with Your Holy Spirit.  In Jesus’ name, Amen. 

‘Til next time,

Chip

           

New Year, New Address, New Blog

My last post was November 4th.  I had kind of let the blog go, thinking that there wasn't much to share with folks anymore.  Nothing too exciting, anyway.  Or maybe that things related to my injury had just gotten to be kind of "old news".  I didn't want to keep pushing the story of my life out there.

But this is a new year!  Ha!  So much has happened since we climbed the Willis Tower in early November.  The biggest changes have prompted me to take the blog back up.  I remembered that in the early days after the accident, journaling via the blog gave me an outlet for my frustrations and also helped me to feel connected to my support network.  It felt good to be productive in a time when it seemed that much was taken from me (and given, to be sure).  A lot of great stuff is happening right now, but a lot of change and a lot of unknowns, too, which cause frustrations.  There is a lot happening and perhaps it would be of benefit to document it all.  Why not be public, then?  That way I can get feedback from the SCI (spinal cord injury) community, support, ideas I hadn't thought of - on both how to manage this condition and how to tackle my other goals in life - and hopefully someone benefits form my mistakes and lessons learned along the way.

I chose to switch to Blogger because it is a little more manageable.  Also because the Tumblr account was set up by Erik Severinghaus, who was very proactive in finding a way to share my updates early on.  I finally took the time to Google how to transfer the blog to a new account, so all the old posts are still here.  You can also follow the blog by entering your email in the appropriate field on the right.

So what are these events I mentioned?

1) Rebecca and I just moved to Cape Town, South Africa.  What?!?!? More on this (including an explanation... trying to give an incentive to read more!) very soon.  We are staying at the Circa Hotel and trying to find an apartment right now.
2) I am probably going to start writing a book.  Or at least I will be attempting to write a book.  Please comment if you have thoughts about this.  Terrible idea?  Great idea?  I tend to just follow a path until it doesn't make sense for things like this.  So that's what I'm doing.  I have plenty of free time, so why not?
3) I am researching and thinking of my "next big thing".  The goal in mind is to positively impact the economy (US or abroad... or both) via business or business education.  The end goal is to both earn an income and better the lives of as many people as possible in as big a way as possible.  I might have go to a new industry to do this - even taking years to ramp up on things before launching anything on my own (if ever) - that's fine.  Thoughts on this are absolutely welcomed.

Please share this new blog site with anyone you think would be interested.  You should be able to share on Facebook if you desired, or again just follow it.  That will prevent you from having to check to see if there is anything new, since you will get email alerts when there is a new post (I got the impression people got tired of checking Tumblr).  Also, if you are new to the blog, the archive is on the right, below my info.  This is far better than the other site where you had to keep clicking "older posts" if you wanted to, say, start at the beginning.

I plan on blogging at least once a week.  The next blog will be about the journey (both our logic in the decision and the physical travel) to Cape Town and the first week here.  Hopefully tomorrow or Tuesday I will post that.

Dear Lord, thank You for this life.  Thank You for Your abundant grace.  Help me to understand how best to follow Your will and remind me to put Yours before my own.  Keep me humble.  Give me purpose.  Give me energy.  Take away all pain and discomfort.  Thank You for this incredible world.  In Your name, Amen.

Have a great weekend and God bless!

Chip