A Trip to the Hospital

Well, I had the pleasure of taking a trip to Christian Barnard Memorial Hospital last night. I have had a terrible, repetitive cough the past two days. Those of you who know me well have had the pleasure of hearing my seal-like barking cough. Last night I woke up with shooting, sharp pain from my lower back and up through my spine. I was sweating profusely all over. I had to lay down on the bathroom tile and Molly got an ice pack to put on my back until I broke out in shivering and chills all over. We called the program coordinator and she sent Avril, the Nurse Practitioner, to come pick us up. She took Molly and I to the private hospital (which was actually recommended by my insurance back at home). They did a blood test, ECG, and a chest x-ray. I have a lower respiratory tract infection. They gave me a round of antibiotics to take over the next 5 days, some heavy duty cough medicine, and pain meds for the back pain. The shooting back pain turned out to be referred pain from my diaphragm which was worn out from all the coughing and extremely stressed. It was quite an interesting experience to say the least. However, I'm feeling much better today. The meds are kicking into gear and I am on the upside of things. Molly and I figure if this is the worst of our health problems for the trip then we have got it all out of the way, should be smooth sailing the rest of the trip! So, for today we are laying low (again) and recovering so that tomorrow we can go on the wine route tour. Sometimes you just need a doctor to make everything all better :)

R&R

Rest and recovery. Molly and I are quite the pair. Molly came down with a bout of food poisoning/traveller's sickness last night and spent most of the night praying to the toilet god. I on the other hand did not get sick from eating the exact same food. Instead my crazy cough came back and I have some serious sinus congestion and a pounding headache. Just what you all wanted to know! We both laid in bed all day and I was able to go out for sustenance for Molly: applesauce and saltines. We are laying low today and we have rescheduled the wine route tour for Thursday. Don't worry Biehl parents, I'm taking care of Molly and she is feeling better! Hopefully we will be back in action by tomorrow. Hopefully I will have something fun and exciting to talk about then.

City Tour and Green Market Square

We set off on a tour of the city today. Our driver Isi came to Cape Town from the Congo when civil war broke out there. He was a wonderful tour guide and very knowledgable. He took us to all the highlights of Cape Town. We drove to Clifton Beach and Camp's Bay. The mountain ridges on the western side of Table Mountain are called the Twelve Apostles and we took some pictures of them rising up behind the bay. Next we drove up Signal Hill also known as the "Lion's Head." The view from the top was unbelievable. We had a panoramic view of Cape Town, Robben Island (picture above), Table Mountain, and the ocean. Guinea fowl run free at the top and it is illegal to hunt any animals or birds in Cape Town. We stopped in the Malay Quarter on the way down to buy some spices at a shop Isi recommended. I bought some curries and masalas to bring home, yummy! We stopped at Destinee a Diamond and Tanzanite store. We saw a 14 carat Tanzanite stone, it was beautiful. The jewelry there was amazing, if only I had 10,000 dollars to spare! Needless to say it was a pricey place and we were just excited to see some impressive gems. Next we drove down Long Street toward Greenmarket Square and on to the Iziko Museum of South Africa. It was an archaeological, historical museum with a vast collection of artifacts from early history to the present as well as a multitude of wildlife on display. There was a massive Blue Whale skeleton in the center of the museum as you can see in the picture. We also stopped at the Castle of Good Hope and then had Isi drop us off at Greenmarket Square. First on our agenda was lunch. We went to Safari Burger and each order the Ostrich Burger. There are no words to describe that succulent morsel. I ate it with relish and then we hit the market. I bought a plethora of items as gifts and some things for myself including a pair of Springbok skin pillowcases (they aren't endangered and are so soft). We also went in the Pan African Market, a four story enterprise similar to an antique mall. These markets had everything you could possibly imagine from all over Africa. There were shopping temptations left and right but I came out without too much of a dent in my pocket and quite a few bargains in my shopping bag. Tonight we are laying low and getting some good rest before we embark on a Wine Route Tour tomorrow.

JAWS

Yes, I went great white shark cage diving! Molly and I were picked up at 5 am yesterday morning and a group of 8 drove to Gansbaai on the coast. We had a quick breakfast and then jumped aboard a massive Catamaran. The crew took us about an hour out to sea to Dyer Island. This island is home to over 60,000 cape fur seals and cape comrade birds. The smell was overwhelming disgusting...however, once we rounded the island the wind blew the other way, thank goodness. We dropped anchor and the dive master gave us a quick run down on safety rules: keep all limbs in the cage, get in the cage when he says so, get out of the cage when he says so. Pretty simple rules for not getting eaten! Of course Molly and I volunteered to go in the first group of six, we wanted to get into dry wetsuits. We were ready to go, cage was in, and bait was set. Then we waited a very long time. Finally the sound of Shark! (usually terrifying words in most contexts) was heaven to the ears. We quickly got in the cage and waited for the shark to come back up. They were surprisingly shy creatures. One swam right in front of our cage and another was about 10 meters behind us. It was thrilling! The water froze us all half to death and we came out with white knuckles and toes. After warming up we watched the next group go and got a great view of a shark at the surface from atop the catamaran. They are massive and impressive. We boated back to Gansbaai with the sun on our faces, finally warm. The two hour drive home wasn't bad. Molly and I talked to our parents on Skype a bit and then walked to the V&A Waterfront for some more delicious Indian food and ice cream for dessert. Definitely an amazing day!

The Half Marathon Walk

Molly and I got our hiking gear and backpacks to hike up Table Mountain. However in the lobby, the travel guy, Henry, who let us know how to hike it the day before made a call to Table Mountain. The cable car was shut down and no one was allowed to hike today...bummer! The cloud cover and winds were too harsh. So we decided to book a couple tours through the travel office for Monday and Tuesday. Then, we set off for Camps Bay. We stopped at a recommended place called PostNet to grab a world phone card for me to make calls home. Then we pressed on for another 7 miles to Camps Bay. The road ran parallel to the beach so we had some great views on our walk of ocean waves crashing on the rocks and sandy beaches below. It reminded me of Newport or Laguna beach. Instead of a small beach though, the white sand stretched the whole way there. There were fancy condos and homes all along the cliffs and right down to the water's edge. We arrived in Camps Bay and had lunch at Cal Cacchio an Italian pizzeria. The meal was tasty! After rejuvenating and leaving the restaurant we walked along the beach for a bit before heading back to Sea Point where our hotel is situated. After freshening up we hit our favorite Newport Cafe only to encounter further hair-pulling internet frustrations. After an hour of tinkering, we decided to bite the bullet and just pay for internet across the street: problem-solved. Tonight we are just laying low for early dinner and maybe a good movie on TV. We deserve a rest after our half marathon walking tour!

The Malay Quarter

Today Molly and I ventured over to the Malay Quarter of town which has an Indonesian and Malaysian vibe to it. Above is a beautiful yellow Mosque in the neighborhood. It was surrounded by colorful houses in pinks, greens, blues, and yellows with all the young children playing soccer in the street. The hype over World Cup is definitely in the air over here. We stopped at Africa Cafe for some african tapas for lunch. You can see my tasty meal. The rest of the day was spent troubleshooting with our computer and chatting with an American girl at the internet cafe about suggestions for restaurants, how to buy a world phone calling card, and fun things to do in the area. Tomorrow we are planning to hike Table Mountain on a popular weekend trail. More to come!

TIA

This Is Africa
Well I survived the total 25 hours of flight time alone and have landed on the stunning continent of Africa. Molly and I met up in Amsterdam Schipol Airport at our gate. It was so nice to see a familiar face! Our looooong flight consisted of watching 4 complete movies, indulging in some delicious plane meals believe it our not, and arriving at 11 pm in Cape Town. We both got our baggage (yay!) and found an airport authorized shuttle service to get to The Ritz Hotel at Seapoint. Our hotel room is modest but has all the necessary amenities and extremely comfortable beds.
Today we slept in until 9:30 and Marion our program coordinator called to check on us and make sure we arrived safely. Molly and I decided to walk along the beach boardwalk to the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront which is about a 20 minute walk. They have a shopping mall that is reminiscent of Bellevue Square. We looked in many of the shops. Then we found an Indian Restaurant on the waterfront that had a view of Table Mountain and had a yummy lunch. After that we explored all the shopping, watched street performers, and went to look at arts and crafts places. Then we walked back to the hotel and decided to come check out a cafe with free internet across the street. So far so good! Cape Town is wonderful and I am looking forward to the days to come.

Amsterdam

I had a breeze of a flight from San Fransisco to Amsterdam. I spent my time on the 10 hour flight (eek!) watching Up! and The Time Traveler's Wife and then sleeping the rest of the time. Today I went in to Amsterdam to visit the Van Gogh Museum. What an amazing collection of art. Impressionism at its best. Then I sat at a cafe for a late dinner. Amsterdam has such an efficient public transportation system. You can hop on a train right in the airport entrance which takes you to Amsterdam Central Station. From there just jump on the right tram at it will get you to virtually anywhere in the city. I was impressed! I will be taking off for Cape Town tomorrow morning at 10 AM. Molly will be meeting up with me at that point. Smooth travels so far!

Back to Africa

I'm so excited! This picture captures the giddy anticipation I feel about this trip. It happens to be a snapshot from my younger days in Africa. Tomorrow Monday, March 22nd I fly from Seattle to San Francisco. From there I catch a flight to Amsterdam and should be arriving around 11 AM on Tuesday morning. Let the adventure begin!

My Travel Partner

Molly and I met in 1st grade attending Chambers Elementary School in University Place, Washington. We struck up a friendship in Triad (a class for advanced kids) and became avid pen pals when I moved away to Nigeria. We kept up our overseas friendship for four years and were able to see each other in the summer time. Molly and I continuously joked to her mother that I would pack her in my suitcase and tow her along one year. She has yet to make it to Nigeria, but South Africa will have to do for now.
When I returned to the United States and began 8th grade at Curtis Junior High, it was quite a culture shock to say the least. Molly was a great friend that year and made the transition back into American culture much easier. Above is a picture of us at a Junior High dance in our younger days.
We have continued our friendship over the years and are ecstatic about venturing to Africa together. Molly is pursuing graduate school for a Master's Degree in Public Health while perhaps pursuing a Ph.D. simultaneously. I had a medical school interview today at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland. We both applied to OHSU and we are hoping to receive good news abroad. I believe everything happens for a reason and that good things happen to good people... let's hope I am right!

What's with the title?

So you may be thinking, "What's the deal with the title of the blog?" Well, let me tell you. Where I grew up significantly shaped the person I am today. I attended the American International School of Lagos which had students from over fifty countries in attendance. This third-world country knows poverty well but positivity better. Growing up in Nigeria imprinted myriad people, sights, smells, beliefs, and desires into my memory. Witnessing the hope and generosity of people in the face of tremendous obstacles inspired me to help others, appreciate what I have every day, and pursue a career in medicine. Therefore, I carry Africa in my heart, I carry it in my heart, to remind me of who I am, where I am going, and the joy of living.


The title also happens to refer to my favorite poem by e.e. cummings "i carry your heart"
Which also reminds me of my fiancé Scott Deal. Scott and I are recently engaged as of February 6, 2010 after a four year long courtship. It will be tough to be apart for the next 3 months. I head to South Africa while he pursues his baseball career with the Oakland A's as a minor league pitcher. Two weeks until I leave, the countdown begins...