Here in Johannesburg what we call taxis are really mini buses who pick up people on their path (most workers who live in the township, like Soweto, do not have cars and have to go a long way to go to work).The taxi drivers are typically real bullies. They drive terribly just like you would expect from a road bully. They go through red lights, change lane without notice etc just because they feel they can.
They even bully their customers. One of my colleague here was in a taxi and since he wasn't full he refused to go any further until more people came and when she wanted to leave to take another taxi he bullied her into staying.
They are known for carrying guns and there is often incidents in the newspaper of taxi drivers shooting at each other.
Yesterday they were on strike for one day and in heir anger against people who were finding other ways to go to work they ended up shooting bus drivers and getting violent towards cars. One other colleague of mine was taking the ramp to get onto the highway (a concrete overpass that you cannot drive off) when she saw ahead of her a group of taxi drivers throwing bricks and shooting at cars. She quickly reversed (on a highway ramp!) and got away from there.
The police typically does not get involve with taxi drivers because they have guns, there are many of them in town and just like anybody else they don't want to get shot at. This is the main reason why the taxi drivers can drive anyway they want: the police doesn't want to get shot trying to give them a ticket.
through all this everybody is calm and ultimately finding it frustrating but entirely normal and entirely unavoidable.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Monday, March 23, 2009
Things are alright here
So what am I up to?
Mostly I work! I am sure this will be not surprise to those who know me, but on the other hand I am tryingto make an effort to try to do other things. This is not a rotation job anymore. I have taken the week ends off so far. Of course in the office they are happy about this. Ultimately this is what they wanted. They wanted (and still want) me to have a job as close as possible to a "regular" office job. I have to seriously consider how I live well while doing this job. Especially since they have asked me if I would extend the contract (and just in case you wonder I said that yes I would...I have to work for a living and right now it is not a good time to be an unemployed contractor in the oil industry!) so life style has become a bit of a priority in my personal life.
I've settled into the house fairly well. I've already cooked myself a couple of meals, though nothing extravagant (home made chicken soup one day and mushrrom risotto the other) but most of all in a real effort to make this place feel like home this week end I made myself some great coffee and burnt a little frankincense while making coffee. The combined smell always makes me feel great. I never fails to bring visions of good life in warm places, desert, nice food and somehow also reminds me of Ethiopia. I instantly thought of making myself a lamb couscous and in fact bought al the ingredients..with lots of chick peas.
Another thing which never fails to make me feel good is having books and I have already a couple of boxes of books in the house, though no bookshelves. One entire box is from a friend who has asked me to take them to the secondhand bookstore, but that I am keeping first to see what I want to read in the lot and to make my house feel bookish and comfortable. Along the same line I have shuffled around a good part of the furniture to create a few good reading spots. The owners who lived in the house before me (it is the first time they rent their house) are clearly not into reading, you can just tell by the lay out of the house and by the obvious lack of bookshelves...not one in the entire house.
All this to say, things are alright here, I grant you maybe in a bit of a boring way, but alright just the same.
Mostly I work! I am sure this will be not surprise to those who know me, but on the other hand I am tryingto make an effort to try to do other things. This is not a rotation job anymore. I have taken the week ends off so far. Of course in the office they are happy about this. Ultimately this is what they wanted. They wanted (and still want) me to have a job as close as possible to a "regular" office job. I have to seriously consider how I live well while doing this job. Especially since they have asked me if I would extend the contract (and just in case you wonder I said that yes I would...I have to work for a living and right now it is not a good time to be an unemployed contractor in the oil industry!) so life style has become a bit of a priority in my personal life.
I've settled into the house fairly well. I've already cooked myself a couple of meals, though nothing extravagant (home made chicken soup one day and mushrrom risotto the other) but most of all in a real effort to make this place feel like home this week end I made myself some great coffee and burnt a little frankincense while making coffee. The combined smell always makes me feel great. I never fails to bring visions of good life in warm places, desert, nice food and somehow also reminds me of Ethiopia. I instantly thought of making myself a lamb couscous and in fact bought al the ingredients..with lots of chick peas.
Another thing which never fails to make me feel good is having books and I have already a couple of boxes of books in the house, though no bookshelves. One entire box is from a friend who has asked me to take them to the secondhand bookstore, but that I am keeping first to see what I want to read in the lot and to make my house feel bookish and comfortable. Along the same line I have shuffled around a good part of the furniture to create a few good reading spots. The owners who lived in the house before me (it is the first time they rent their house) are clearly not into reading, you can just tell by the lay out of the house and by the obvious lack of bookshelves...not one in the entire house.
All this to say, things are alright here, I grant you maybe in a bit of a boring way, but alright just the same.
Monday, March 09, 2009
Second day at work
I am so happy I did not take the staff position!!
Today is my second day at work since I took the week end off and already as I was stumbling into the shower this morning I was thinking "OK, only six more months of this" and I was feeling quite depressed about it, in fact I had a moment of : "I can't do it" near panic. I'm hoping it is because I basically just landed and I am quite tired...actually I am more at the stage of "feeling weird" where I cannot tell if I am tired, thirsty or just plain old.
Last week end, my first week end here (I landed on Friday ) was not entirely a success. I did go out for sushi with a friend on Saturday night, then for a movie and stayed with friends on Sunday night but still. It plain felt weird. Thats' what I don't like about short periods of time off (like week end) is that you are basically counting the hours off. It feels like a mixture of trying to rest, trying to do all you want to do and passing the time before you have to go back to work...and I don't like it. The last time I had a job with week ends off I was ?????? ........ Let's see...... I was .... what ever... It was nearly 20 years ago!! It was a life time ago.
Ok, breath deep and repeat after me; "it is only for six months. It is only for six months..."
By contract I have to work 110 days in those six months (which is quite reasonable...well, I negociated the contract myself so I can't really complain)... since traveling days are work days I've already worked 4 days (today is the fifth day) so 106 days to go.....yaaaks!
Today is my second day at work since I took the week end off and already as I was stumbling into the shower this morning I was thinking "OK, only six more months of this" and I was feeling quite depressed about it, in fact I had a moment of : "I can't do it" near panic. I'm hoping it is because I basically just landed and I am quite tired...actually I am more at the stage of "feeling weird" where I cannot tell if I am tired, thirsty or just plain old.
Last week end, my first week end here (I landed on Friday ) was not entirely a success. I did go out for sushi with a friend on Saturday night, then for a movie and stayed with friends on Sunday night but still. It plain felt weird. Thats' what I don't like about short periods of time off (like week end) is that you are basically counting the hours off. It feels like a mixture of trying to rest, trying to do all you want to do and passing the time before you have to go back to work...and I don't like it. The last time I had a job with week ends off I was ?????? ........ Let's see...... I was .... what ever... It was nearly 20 years ago!! It was a life time ago.
Ok, breath deep and repeat after me; "it is only for six months. It is only for six months..."
By contract I have to work 110 days in those six months (which is quite reasonable...well, I negociated the contract myself so I can't really complain)... since traveling days are work days I've already worked 4 days (today is the fifth day) so 106 days to go.....yaaaks!
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