Roxy's Nutrition 101

This last week i have spent travelling, road tripping through the north and east of South Africa. We set off by plane to Johannesburg where we picked up our rental car. Our first night we spent on the outskirts of Kruger national park. The following day we did a self game drive in the park where we were lucky enough to spot 3 animals out of the big five! One thing which I noticed was that Kruger is very touristy. I can compare this safari destination to the North Luangwa in Zambia where i went a few years ago. Here there are very little roads and it is not open to the public except with a safari operator. The difference was quite striking. Although i understand the need for tourism and conservation I would say Kruger is more like a big zoo. Nonetheless it was still impressive to see the different animals. After Kruger we went to Mlilwane wildlife sanctuary in Swaziland! It was quite a long drive but i really enjoy driving so that wasn’t a problem. However on the freeway we were suddenly stopped by a man wearing a police vest. We immediately didn’t trust the situation as there were 2 other cars who were stopped and the car of the so called police was just a normal white Toyota. Another vague point was that there was a camera at the opposite side of the street supposedly filming the cars going to quickly. After asking what was wrong the man said we were speeding. Carly the driving disagreed and the man said we should step out the car and come see for ourselves. I didn’t think this was a good idea. After a few seconds the car in front of us drove off. We followed suit after a minute of discussing what we should do. It was quite a tense moment. But we handled it really well! After Swaziland we went to St. Lucia near Durban on the east coast. It was nice and hot there with temperatures around 27 degrees compared to the cold and wet western cape. I had a really nice holiday and it was definitely an enjoyable way to end my 6 months here in SA.

I will look back fondly on my time here. I will miss it many ways. Not only the lifestyle but the Primary school where we spent many days working, giving lessons and measuring the children. This was a truly special experience, one which i will not forget. I also really appreciate the fact that the group of TWK students were really incredible. I am happy to say that many are my friends. Not only the place but also the people who are with determines what kind of an experience it will be. I leave with a heavy heart but of course also with excitement of what is to come.

Perhaps a career switch?!

I’m nearing the end of my time here in South Africa 😦 . I was recently asked, if you could go home tomorrow or stay another year which one would it be? And without hesitation i answered stay here another year. I think that says enough about my time here. I have really enjoyed all the aspects of life here, from working until the early hours of the morning on my thesis with my partner in crime or…

I am aware that i’m not writing regularly but when i have the time or when i am in the mood to write! Last week was again full of activities; firstly we got the green light for our research and hopefully we will be able to publish an article about our findings. On Wednesday Ilse & I went to the university of Western Cape (UWC) to follow a lecture given by our supervisor. The building inside…

Always learning new things, everyday!

Between hot days of 35 degrees and slightly cooler days of 23 degrees, life in the western cape continues. Apologies for the fact i have not written for the last 3 weeks. But no worries i am still alive, even after a rather intensive hike up table mountain! We did the more scenic route starting at kirstenbosch botanical gardens all the way up to maclear’s beacon at a height of 1087m. The view was…

The real work begins

I tend to start with how long I have been here and how the days pass by WAY too quickly. And yes, once again this is the case. It’s been 3 weeks; whereby more than half of it was introduction and only this last week began the “real work”. We handed in our research proposal and have been to the research location a few times for meetings. We have also been kept busy with the desk research. There is…

You are responsible for you!

So it may seem that I am writing quite a lot but I have the feeling that I need to document all my days here. The time seems to fly by, probably because everything is new. Well not everything; new country, new culture, new language (partly: Afrikaans), new people but one factor remains the same, that I am in a different country to my parents and family. I have lived independently for the last 3…

First impressions; feelings and food

After a 12-hour flight with minimal delays we (Ilse & I) arrived safely at Cape town international airport. We left a snowy and cold Amsterdam behind to find ourselves at the tip of the African continent. Being a future dietitian I feel obliged to make a small comment on the food aboard the airplane. I will keep it restricted; 5/10 I would say, tasty enough to swallow and be satisfied but for a…

So as busy uni life resumes i have made a few changes to daily routine. The first is that i have started the INSANITY workout program and can definitely say it is insane! But after 3 and a half weeks i can see a radical change in my physique. My muscles are more toned and my endurance has progressed in one giant leap compared to what it was in the summer.