Jess writes:
So as you read this post, we'll actually be on our way to South Africa!!! (Remember, I love that "Scheduled" post option... ha!). Since we may have little access to internet or phone during training, I wanted to set up one final, very important, post before we left. Yesterday's post may have covered the specifics of contact, etc., but there were some things that we both wanted to make sure were said upon our departure.... Thank You:
If we were to thank everyone who has helped to get us this far, this post would be far too long to read. So we hope you all know how very much your love and support has meant to us over the last few years.
In particular, to our "family" at ISU, the Boys & Girls Club and the Alliance - we could not have made it without your guidance and willingness to share our dream. To our "family" at WineStyles & Duffy's - you have made our last nights in the states so incredibly memorable! To our "family" of doctors - you have kept us in one piece before we embark, what a feat! To our "family" of friends, distant and near - your many visits and unwavering support of our endeavors has helped us to get through some of our toughest times. You have all done more than you could ever know.
And a special note to our actual families, who have been at our sides through all the thick and thin of this Peace Corps process. Adam and I would not have had the stamina to keep trying or the strength to keep hoping without your love and support of our dreams. You have remained, as always before, our physical and emotional foundations for life. We could never thank you enough for all you have done, but we hope you always know what it has meant to us.
To all of you, for all you have done,
Thank You.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
"All the 411" (Episode 1)
Jess writes:
So as you read this, we'll be headed off to Washington D.C. for staging...!! (I love the "Scheduled" post option, so we can write these tidbits in advance for everyone!) But, before we take off, we wanted to provide all the important information that you'll need to get a hold of us, keep up with us, and follow the journey!
This informational mini-series (ha!), aka "All the 411", will be updated periodically as our information changes during training, site assignment and service. So look for our "All the 411" updates throughout our Peace Corps adventures!
Time Difference:
So as you read this, we'll be headed off to Washington D.C. for staging...!! (I love the "Scheduled" post option, so we can write these tidbits in advance for everyone!) But, before we take off, we wanted to provide all the important information that you'll need to get a hold of us, keep up with us, and follow the journey!
This informational mini-series (ha!), aka "All the 411", will be updated periodically as our information changes during training, site assignment and service. So look for our "All the 411" updates throughout our Peace Corps adventures!
Time Difference:
- Just a quick reminder that South Africa falls in the GMT+2 timezone... which is +7 hours EST, +8 hours CST, and +10 hours PST. So we appologize now if we are blogging / emailing / calling very early in the morning!!
- Also, South Africa does not observe daylight savings time... which means when all of you "spring forward", we don't, so the time difference is reduced by one hour (i.e., +6 EST, +7 CST, +9 PST). Hope that makes enough sense!! Ha!
- Our Stories: We will update this blog as frequently as possible with our tales of Peace Corps Service. You can also leave us messages on any post - we would love to hear from you!
- Our Photos: When possible, we will update all photos in the "Albums" section of Jess's Facebook page (find link at right). At times, we may add some photos to the blog as well.
- Other Chit-Chat: When possible, we will be checking our Facebook pages (find links at right) to chat with friends and family and send brief messages if necessary.
- NOTE: We will not typically send mass emails or updates to friends and family, so please use the connections above to stay in touch!
Phone Us:
- During Training, we will not have general telephone access. (However you can always contact our family stateside by calling Mona at 815.228.5712.)
- In case of emergency, the S.A. Office Phone can be reached at: +27.12.344.4255
- In case of emergency, the S.A. Duty Phone can be reached at: +27.79.111.5810
- In case of emergency, the S.A. Country Director can be reached at: +27.79.111.8356
- We have set up a Skype account (and have even bought a webcam!) in hopes that we will have dependable enough internet service at some point during service to say hello to friends and family "in digital person"!
- In order to connect, you must first set up your own Skype account (at www.skype.com) and then search us via our Skype account name, "JessAleksy" or via our Skype account email, BordAngel4@hotmail.com.
- During Training, our address (for letters & packages) will be as follows:
Volunteer Name Peace Corps
PO Box 9536
Pretoria 0001
South Africa - DHL Packages only (important, lightweight packages) should always be mailed to: Country Director U.S. Peace Corps 126 Verdoorn Street Sunnyside Pretoria South Africa
- Letters: estimated delivery time: 2-3 weeks
- Packages: estimated delivery time: 6-9 weeks
- NOTE: Letters are delivered to volunteers only once a month and packages are only delivered if office staff are visiting our sites (unless we travel to Pretoria for other reasons and are able stop by the office to pick up mail).
- IMPORTANT: Make sure to number & date all letters and packages (so we know if one gets "lost" in the mail) and mark all with "AIRMAIL" to ensure speedy-er-ish delivery. It is also suggested to mark all packages either "EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS" or "RELIGIOUS MATERIALS" to avoid theft while passing through customs and mailrooms.
- P.S. - We would LOVE to receive letters throughout service, and especially during training when we are in "adjustment" mode and have little other communication... so this is our tactless plea for your writing! Packages, however, are often very expensive for volunteers to receive (due to SA taxes), so as much as we would love goodies from home, please do not send any packages until we determine the most cost-effective way to do so. Thanks!!
Alphabet Soup:
Peace Corps service is a wondrous world of abbrviations, acronyms and interesting shortenings. So to keep you "in the know" (and make reading our blogs possible!!), here's a handy, alphabetical, list (Good luck!):
- APCD: Associate (S.A.) Peace Corps Directors (current: H. Matseke & K. Lelaka)
- CBO: Community-Based Organization (Grassroots, usually non-profit)
- CDO: Country Desk Officer (current: Fernando Moyle)
- CHOP: Community HIV/AIDS Outreach Program (our service program)
- HC: Host Country (i.e., South Africa)
- HCA: Host Country Agency (i.e., our assigned CBO or NGO)
- HCN: Host Country National
- ICD or CD: In-Country Director (current: McGrath Jean Thomas)
- IRC: In-Country Resource Center
- IST: In-Service Training (short stints during service, as needed)
- MI: Master's International Program (My Master's Program)
- NGO: Non-Governmental Organization (Non-Governmental NPO)
- NPO: Non-Profit Organization
- PA: Program Assistant (current: Jan Molomo)
- PC: Peace Corps
- PCD: Peace Corps Director (current: Aaron S. Williams)
- PCMO: Peace Corps Medical Office
- PCPP: Peace Corps Partnership Program (donor program for PC)
- PCT: Peace Corps Trainee (during Training)
- PCV: Peace Corps Volunteer (current)
- PST: Pre-Service Training (2 months prior to service)
- PTO: Programming & Training Officer (current: Lisa M. Jordan)
- RPCV: Returned Peace Corps Volunteer (alumni)
- SA or ZA: South Africa
- TM: Training Manager (current: Victor Baker)
- WWS: World Wise Schools (correspondance program with U.S. schools)
Hope that helps! We'll keep you posted!!!
Thursday, January 21, 2010
A Pre-Departure Mini Tour
Jess writes:
So, first of all, I should mention how uber helpful the current South Africa volunteers (especially those from SA 18, 19 & 20) have been in our stressful preparation for service!!! They are so wonderful! Now to the point: a current PCV who will be assisting in our training from February-March recently visited our soon-to-be training area and took some photos for us! After a brief stay in Siyabuswa at a regional college to settle-in, finish immunizations, etc. we will be moving to our homestay sites in one of two villages outside of Dennilton (both in the Mpumalanga region, Northeast of Pretoria). The remainder of our training will take place at a facility in a local nature preserve, a short van ride from the villages. So before we even depart - thanks to our super-great PCV mentors!!! - here is a mini-tour of where we will be spending the first couple months of our stay in South Africa:
Around Dennilton - rolling hills!
Road out of Dennilton - headed towards the homestay villages.
Arriving in one of the homestay villages - apparently this area is frequented by baboons!!
The outside of one of the training facilities in the nature preserve.
The outside of another training facility - this could be interesting if it rains....!
The inside of the primary training facility - Hey look! There's electricity! YAY!
That's it for now - we'll keep you posted!!!
6 Days and counting....!!!
So, first of all, I should mention how uber helpful the current South Africa volunteers (especially those from SA 18, 19 & 20) have been in our stressful preparation for service!!! They are so wonderful! Now to the point: a current PCV who will be assisting in our training from February-March recently visited our soon-to-be training area and took some photos for us! After a brief stay in Siyabuswa at a regional college to settle-in, finish immunizations, etc. we will be moving to our homestay sites in one of two villages outside of Dennilton (both in the Mpumalanga region, Northeast of Pretoria). The remainder of our training will take place at a facility in a local nature preserve, a short van ride from the villages. So before we even depart - thanks to our super-great PCV mentors!!! - here is a mini-tour of where we will be spending the first couple months of our stay in South Africa:
Around Dennilton - rolling hills!
Road out of Dennilton - headed towards the homestay villages.
Arriving in one of the homestay villages - apparently this area is frequented by baboons!!
The outside of one of the training facilities in the nature preserve.
The outside of another training facility - this could be interesting if it rains....!
The inside of the primary training facility - Hey look! There's electricity! YAY!
That's it for now - we'll keep you posted!!!
6 Days and counting....!!!
Peace Corps Wants to Say Hi!
Jess writes:
Hello all! Since the majority of our family & friends know to check this blog exclusively for important updates, I am using it to distribute, at Peace Corps' request, a desk letter to "Family & Friends of Volunteers". We have additional information that we will be posting in the very near future, with even more specifics about staying in touch, etc., but for now, here's Peace Corps' first correspondance to you all specifically!! Enjoy!!
January 2010
Dear Families and Friends,
Greetings from the South Africa Desk at the U.S. Peace Corps in Washington, D.C.! It is with great pleasure that we welcome you to the Peace Corps circle of friendship. We receive many questions from family members and friends of Volunteers about life in South Africa, so we would like to offer you advice and assistance in advance.
1. Irregular Communication. (Please see #3 for the mailing address to Peace Corps' office in Pretoria, the capital of South Africa) Mail from the United States to Pretoria is fairly reliable; however, mail service within South Africa is not as efficient and reliable. There is enormous variation in the time it takes for mail and packages to arrive at Volunteers’ sites. Generally, Volunteers find that they receive mail and packages from the United States two to four weeks after it has been sent. The same is true for sending mail from South Africa. Of course, there are exceptional cases in which a letter or a package might arrive within a shorter period or be substantially delayed. Some mail simply may not arrive. The destination of mail for Volunteers is as varied as the length of time it takes for mail to arrive.
We suggest that in your first letters you ask the Volunteer to give an estimate of how long it takes for him/her to receive your letters, and then try to establish a predictable pattern of how often you will write to each other. Also, try numbering your letters so that the Volunteer knows if he/she has missed one.
Being a Peace Corps Volunteer is a rewarding experience; however, there will also be times when Volunteers may write home telling of their "war" stories. Letters might describe recent illnesses, frustration with work, isolation, lack of resources, etc. While the subject matter may be good reading material, it can often be misinterpreted on the home front. Volunteers have a wonderful support network in-country that includes counterparts and community members at their site, other Peace Corps Volunteers, as well as Peace Corps/South Africa staff. The Peace Corps’ highest priority is maintaining the health and safety of every Volunteer. Peace Corps/South Africa maintains a medical unit in Pretoria with two full-time medical officers, who care for the Volunteers’ primary health care needs. If the Volunteer requires medical care that is not available in South Africa, he/she will be medically evacuated to the United States. Fortunately, these are rare circumstances.
If for some reason your communication pattern is broken and you do not hear from your family member, you may want to contact the South Africa Desk or the Office of Special Services (OSS) at Peace Corps Washington at 1-800-424-8580, extension 1470. Also, in the case of an emergency at home (death in the family, sudden critical illness, etc.), please do not hesitate to call OSS immediately, so that a message can be sent to the Volunteer. Use the above number during regular business hours (9:00 am to 5:00 pm Eastern Time, Monday through Friday). After hours, or during weekends, the Peace Corps Duty Officer may be reached at (202) 692-1470 and you will be transferred to an answering service. Tell the operator your name, telephone number, and the nature of the emergency and the Peace Corps Duty Officer will call you back.
2. Telephone Calls. The telephone system in South Africa is relatively good and service in and out of Pretoria to the United States is mostly reliable. In the interior of the country, where most of the Volunteers are located, phones are fewer in number and of decreased reliability. Volunteers do not have residential phones; however, many Volunteers choose to buy cell phones or use public phones to make and receive international calls. They will be able to inform you of the actual telephone numbers and the reliability of telephone service once they arrive at their permanent sites in the country.
The South Africa Desk maintains regular contact with the Peace Corps office in Pretoria through phone calls and e-mail. However, these communication lines are reserved for business only and cannot be used to relay personal messages. All communication between family members and the Volunteer should be done via international mail, personal phone calls, or e-mail. Many Volunteers are able to access e-mail at Internet cafes in larger cities and towns on a weekly or monthly basis, depending on their location.
3. Sending packages. Parents and Volunteers like to send and receive care packages through the mail. Unfortunately, sending packages can be a frustrating experience for all involved due to occasional thefts and heavy customs taxes. You may want to try to send inexpensive items through the mail, but there is no guarantee that these items will arrive. Even though many Volunteers choose to get local post office boxes, you may also use the following address to send letters and/or packages:
Name of Volunteer, PCV
U. S. Peace Corps
PO Box 9536
0001
Pretoria
SOUTH AFRICA
It is recommended that packages be sent in padded envelopes or bubble envelopes if possible, as boxes tend to be taxed more frequently and might pose as a greater target for theft. For lightweight but important items (e.g. airline tickets), DHL (an express mail service) does operate in Pretoria. If you choose to send items through DHL, you must address the package to:
Country Director
c/o: U. S. Peace Corps
126 Verdoorn Street
Sunnyside
Pretoria
SOUTH AFRICA
The phone number for the Peace Corps office in South Africa is (27) 12-344-4255, as DHL will need this information. If you send the item to the Country Director, no liability can be assumed. For more information about DHL, please call their toll free number, 1-800-CALL-DHL, or visit their web site at www.dhl.com. Other courier services may operate in Pretoria - DHL is only one possibility.
We hope this information is helpful to you during the time your family member or friend is serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in South Africa. We understand how frustrating it is to communicate with your family member overseas and we appreciate your using this information as a guideline. Please feel free to contact us at the South Africa Desk in Washington, D.C. if you have any further questions. Our phone number is 1-800-424-8580, ext. 2331, or locally, 202-692-2331.
Sincerely,
Fernando Moyle
South Africa Country Desk Officer
202-692-2331
Hello all! Since the majority of our family & friends know to check this blog exclusively for important updates, I am using it to distribute, at Peace Corps' request, a desk letter to "Family & Friends of Volunteers". We have additional information that we will be posting in the very near future, with even more specifics about staying in touch, etc., but for now, here's Peace Corps' first correspondance to you all specifically!! Enjoy!!
January 2010
Dear Families and Friends,
Greetings from the South Africa Desk at the U.S. Peace Corps in Washington, D.C.! It is with great pleasure that we welcome you to the Peace Corps circle of friendship. We receive many questions from family members and friends of Volunteers about life in South Africa, so we would like to offer you advice and assistance in advance.
1. Irregular Communication. (Please see #3 for the mailing address to Peace Corps' office in Pretoria, the capital of South Africa) Mail from the United States to Pretoria is fairly reliable; however, mail service within South Africa is not as efficient and reliable. There is enormous variation in the time it takes for mail and packages to arrive at Volunteers’ sites. Generally, Volunteers find that they receive mail and packages from the United States two to four weeks after it has been sent. The same is true for sending mail from South Africa. Of course, there are exceptional cases in which a letter or a package might arrive within a shorter period or be substantially delayed. Some mail simply may not arrive. The destination of mail for Volunteers is as varied as the length of time it takes for mail to arrive.
We suggest that in your first letters you ask the Volunteer to give an estimate of how long it takes for him/her to receive your letters, and then try to establish a predictable pattern of how often you will write to each other. Also, try numbering your letters so that the Volunteer knows if he/she has missed one.
Being a Peace Corps Volunteer is a rewarding experience; however, there will also be times when Volunteers may write home telling of their "war" stories. Letters might describe recent illnesses, frustration with work, isolation, lack of resources, etc. While the subject matter may be good reading material, it can often be misinterpreted on the home front. Volunteers have a wonderful support network in-country that includes counterparts and community members at their site, other Peace Corps Volunteers, as well as Peace Corps/South Africa staff. The Peace Corps’ highest priority is maintaining the health and safety of every Volunteer. Peace Corps/South Africa maintains a medical unit in Pretoria with two full-time medical officers, who care for the Volunteers’ primary health care needs. If the Volunteer requires medical care that is not available in South Africa, he/she will be medically evacuated to the United States. Fortunately, these are rare circumstances.
If for some reason your communication pattern is broken and you do not hear from your family member, you may want to contact the South Africa Desk or the Office of Special Services (OSS) at Peace Corps Washington at 1-800-424-8580, extension 1470. Also, in the case of an emergency at home (death in the family, sudden critical illness, etc.), please do not hesitate to call OSS immediately, so that a message can be sent to the Volunteer. Use the above number during regular business hours (9:00 am to 5:00 pm Eastern Time, Monday through Friday). After hours, or during weekends, the Peace Corps Duty Officer may be reached at (202) 692-1470 and you will be transferred to an answering service. Tell the operator your name, telephone number, and the nature of the emergency and the Peace Corps Duty Officer will call you back.
2. Telephone Calls. The telephone system in South Africa is relatively good and service in and out of Pretoria to the United States is mostly reliable. In the interior of the country, where most of the Volunteers are located, phones are fewer in number and of decreased reliability. Volunteers do not have residential phones; however, many Volunteers choose to buy cell phones or use public phones to make and receive international calls. They will be able to inform you of the actual telephone numbers and the reliability of telephone service once they arrive at their permanent sites in the country.
The South Africa Desk maintains regular contact with the Peace Corps office in Pretoria through phone calls and e-mail. However, these communication lines are reserved for business only and cannot be used to relay personal messages. All communication between family members and the Volunteer should be done via international mail, personal phone calls, or e-mail. Many Volunteers are able to access e-mail at Internet cafes in larger cities and towns on a weekly or monthly basis, depending on their location.
3. Sending packages. Parents and Volunteers like to send and receive care packages through the mail. Unfortunately, sending packages can be a frustrating experience for all involved due to occasional thefts and heavy customs taxes. You may want to try to send inexpensive items through the mail, but there is no guarantee that these items will arrive. Even though many Volunteers choose to get local post office boxes, you may also use the following address to send letters and/or packages:
Name of Volunteer, PCV
U. S. Peace Corps
PO Box 9536
0001
Pretoria
SOUTH AFRICA
It is recommended that packages be sent in padded envelopes or bubble envelopes if possible, as boxes tend to be taxed more frequently and might pose as a greater target for theft. For lightweight but important items (e.g. airline tickets), DHL (an express mail service) does operate in Pretoria. If you choose to send items through DHL, you must address the package to:
Country Director
c/o: U. S. Peace Corps
126 Verdoorn Street
Sunnyside
Pretoria
SOUTH AFRICA
The phone number for the Peace Corps office in South Africa is (27) 12-344-4255, as DHL will need this information. If you send the item to the Country Director, no liability can be assumed. For more information about DHL, please call their toll free number, 1-800-CALL-DHL, or visit their web site at www.dhl.com. Other courier services may operate in Pretoria - DHL is only one possibility.
We hope this information is helpful to you during the time your family member or friend is serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in South Africa. We understand how frustrating it is to communicate with your family member overseas and we appreciate your using this information as a guideline. Please feel free to contact us at the South Africa Desk in Washington, D.C. if you have any further questions. Our phone number is 1-800-424-8580, ext. 2331, or locally, 202-692-2331.
Sincerely,
Fernando Moyle
South Africa Country Desk Officer
202-692-2331
Sunday, January 17, 2010
T-Minus...
Jess writes:
So my husband kindly reminded me today that we are down to our final countdown!! Oh boy! Well, then here it is folks...
- T-Minus 10: Tomorrow we finish up laundry, alterations, etc. and start to pack
- T-Minus 9: Tuesday we spend in the suburbs, finalizing all purchases, etc. & having our last WineStyles wine tasting with friends
- T-Minus 8: Wednesday we complete ALL packing (yes, this includes carry-ons, etc.) Done! Done! Done!! with packing!!
- T-Minus 7: Family time! (I'm "lunching" at the Grand Lux Cafe in Chicago!)
- T-Minus 6: Family time!
- T-Minus 5: Family time!
- T-Minus 4: Family time!
- T-Minus 3: Next Monday is our LAST full day at home... so we'll probably be tieing up loose ends - gathering up paperwork, organizing last-minute instructions, (Hopefully, our cars are sold by this time!), etc. - Yikes!
- T-Minus 2: Next Tuesday, both families will head up to Chicago to spend the night near the airport and get some seriously concentrated time together! (Whoa, serious!)
- T-Minus 1: Wednesday, Jan. 27th, we leave for D.C.!!! (Staging, training, etc. and hopefully dinner with some friends and family in the D.C. area!)
- Blastoff!: Thursday, Jan. 28th, we leave for South Africa!!!!!!!
Buckle your seatbelts.... here we go.... !!!
Monday, January 11, 2010
Going Out with a (Very Civilized) Boom!
Adam writes:
Hey everyone! So for those of you who don't know this, my wife is one of the most thoughtful gift givers. This year for Christmas she got us reservations at a restaurant in Chicago called Schwa. Now a little background on this. I read a feature story in GQ Magazine early this year on this place. The short story is that it was hailed as one of the greatest food experiences ever. I was more than smittened, however, reservations are hard to get because they don't pick up the phone and return messages when it is convenient for them. However, Jess decided that she would call them every single day until she talked to someone and could make reservations. So. For Christmas I got reservations at Schwa for two on Jan. 9. And after a few minutes of jumping up and down and giggling like a school girl, I immediately called Ricky. To brag. And explained to him that since Jess had gone to all the trouble of getting the reservations I was taking her instead of him. He was quite sad but he understood and I am happy to say that our friendship has recovered from such a blow quickly and easily. On top of this, Mona and K.C. decided that they didn't want us in the house that night, so they had booked us a room at The Palmer House for Christmas. (Thanks again!)
So. Now we had dinner plans at a fancy restaraunt and a room at a fancy hotel. So I did what seemed the only reasonable thing to do and started making plans to go to a fancy bar in between. That bar was The Violet Hour. It seemed to fit the bill as it was as intensely focused on great cocktails as Schwa is on food, and where Schwa is tough with reservations The Violet Hour doesn't take them but they also don't allow standing room so it can be really tough to get in sometimes. . . like on a Sat. night. So we had our plans for what promised to be one of the best nights out on the town ever.
So we packed an overnight bag and loaded the car and head towards. . .Sandwich! "Why Sandwich?" you ask. Because in Sandwich there were motorcycles, duh! Phil and Lynn Hoffman of Black Magic Customs were hosting there 2nd annual Wicked Wheels Weekends and the only way to make such an awesome day better is to add motorcycles because motorcycles make everyday better. So Jess and I met my folks in Sandwich and spent the early afternoon ogling beautifaul custom builds and chatting with Donny who was there manning a booth for his folks. Then after Mom and Dad spent a good amount of time talking to a painter about pinstriping the trike (can't wait to get those photos in the spring(US)/fall(SA)), they took Jess and I to lunch (Thanks again guys!) and sent us on our way to the city.
We arrrived at The Palmer and got checked in quickly and headed to the lobby so that Jess could take three thousand pictures of it (at this point I will refer you the slide show below that Jess so kindly set up for me) and I could chat with the concierge about the best way to get to Schwa and The Violet Hour. I walked up to the concierge with my list of venues and addresses and he took one look at them and said "Sir, I like where this list is headed". I had made a friend and his name was Phillipe. We quickly sorted out that the L was going to be the way to the restaurant and Phillipe even got on the phone and did that great thing that concierges do where they step to the side and lower their voices so you can only pick out a few words like they are discussing something of national importance with the person on the other end and got us on a list at The Violet Hour (Thanks Phillipe!).
So the rest of this blog will be subtitled "Down The Rabbit Hole We Go". Also at this point the slide show will come in handy as it will follow what I am typing course by course till the end of the evening. When we walked up to Schwa it looked like it had been closed for a few months. Though I loved this effect, Jess started to get nervous. But once we opened the outer door you could see a little bit of a nice restaraunt, like looking through the rabbit hole. (Now you will start seeing what I am getting at with the subtitle.) We were greeted as we walked in and they took our sparkling wine and meritage to prepare for bottle service. As we ordered our three course meals Jess mentioned that we were leaving for the Peace Corps in roughly two weeks. Soon, the sous chef came out to greet us and ask if we had any food allergies (no), if we were adventurous eaters (yes), and if we had time (yes). "So, if we were to just, like , throw some different stuff at you, that would be cool?" (Yes, really f@$&*n cool!) We ended up with nine courses and they are as follows:
Course one was the amuse. One bite to wake up the palate and get you excited about the coming meal. The amuse was an oyster encapsulated in golden raisin topped with warm and salty almond bubbles seasoned with cinnamon and a dab of golden raisin puree. This was the most difficult dish of the evening and had the two of us worried for a bit. The salty sweet of the dish seemed to work opposition of each other until the brineyness of the oyster cut through and brought them together. It definately had our palates awake and on their toes, er, tongues?
Any worries we had after the first course were quickly dispelled by the second course: Red beat rissotto served with an aged spanish cheese sauce, parsnip sauce, horseradish bubbles, edible flowers, and pickled beets. Every component individually was fantastic but when you ate all of them at once is was trancendent. The rissotto was perfectly firm, the beet flavor was clean, and the cheese added a pungent richness to the dish. Now you have to understand, Jess does not like beets or rissotto, and yet her plate was surprisingly clean at the end, as if someone had been licking it.
The third course came out accompanied with a small food history lesson about the origin of apple pie as a savory dish. In an esspresso cup was a savory apple pie soup and it was accompanied by a consome of the herb savory, a salad of light cheese and shaved apples and a section of piecrust with aged gruyere melted on top. Here was another dish where independently the parts were delicious, but together they were magnificent. And the flaky piecrust squares with melted cheese might need to be made at home.
The fourth course was hand-cut tagliatelle pasta in a honey and yuzu gellee with aged Spanish goat cheese, micro arugala, finely minced veal heart, huckleberry, and black truffle. This was my favorite course of the evening. Don't get me wrong, everything was phenomenal, but this I could have eaten everyday for the rest of my life. I want to name one of my children after this dish!
Course number five was a sushi dish with root beer as its theme. Green curry pickled carrots, green curry and rice rolls, rolled in a leaf from South America with root beer characteristics, with mint puree, and sprinkled with flying fish roe, accompanied by a shot of house-brewed root beer and root beer infused soy sauce. Before this dish I had no idea how you could possibly make green curry and root beer harmonious on the plate, but now I know that the answer is mint. Is anybody elses mind blown? Fantastic! And I need to mention that the house-brewed root beer was phenomenol, it was smooth and pepperey.
Course six was kona kampachi with lime gell, daikon, pickeled daikon, and (a thai cousin of ginger that I don't remember the name of) "glass". This was probably the best fish dish I have ever tasted. The fish was lightly seared so it was firm and the glass was delightfully crunchy and the pickled daikon had a real punch to it. Jess continued to nibble on the glass far after her fish was gone.
Course seven was pork swimming in a parsnip broth with beer bubbles, mustard greens, little balls of parsnip and peanut sauce. I don't know if there is really anything more to say about this dish than "pork at Schwa". Cooked to perfection, executed perfectly, and able be be delicate and complex at the same time.
This is where we hit course eight. Now, for those of you who have taken the time to watch the slide show and are observent you will have noticed that there is no picture of this course. Let me tell you a story that explains why. The cook comes to our table and places an olive tray down with what looks to be two more amuses and says, "This is the cheese course. For this course we have a pretzel (I can't remember the name so we'll say) fritter injected with bleu cheese fondue, topped with Red Chimay beer bubbles and mustard skin." Jess and I responded by diving straight in, I enjoying this course in a single bite, and Jess eating half of it. I started to ask what she thought of it and she responded with, "Don't talk to me." After five minutes of silence she ate the other half and then sat in silence a while longer until the taste had completely vanished. Apparently it was so good she needed a personal moment.
The final course was dessert and it was a celery root cake with celery puree, white chocolate, salted caramel and a rum roasted bannana. It was the perfect end to the entire meal. It was the most well composed dish, balancing savory and sweet and adding just the right hint of salty. Really outstanding.
And so our meal ended at Schwa. I know the next few statements will sound like more sarcasim and wit but they are anything but. All of my ideas about food had changed. My definition of delicious was redefined. And my life was forever changed in some small way. It was simply the best meal I have ever had.
So on to the next rabbit hole, The Violet Hour. At the end of some wood paneling that looks like it is housing a storefront undergoing rennovations is a door that is a bit difficult to make out. Through that door is a hallway that is fairly nondescript apart from giant curtains hanging from the ceiling sectioning it off. Matt was there waiting. After talking to a man and handing him a card we were escorted past people who had been waiting for the better part of half an hour and were seated. (Thanks again Phillipe!)
The inside of The Velvet Hour was gorgeous, like a grand ballroom sectioned off by curtains and furniture. The libations were truly magnifecent. They have mastered the alchemy of mixing several boozes together to create great flavor and remove the flavor of alcohol. Between the three of us we had five different cocktails and one after the other was stupendous. I had a whiskey cocktail that is my new favorite and as soon as I figure out the recipe will be my "go to" drink. I had another that made me a believer in gin. Jess had a cocktail that was the most refreshing thing we had ever tasted, like sherbert, only with sparkling wine and rum and liquor. Really amazing stuff.
So folks, that's it. That was our (Very Civilized) Boom! It really was the best way to spend one last night in Chicago before we go. Thanks for reading and we'll be posting again soon.
Hey everyone! So for those of you who don't know this, my wife is one of the most thoughtful gift givers. This year for Christmas she got us reservations at a restaurant in Chicago called Schwa. Now a little background on this. I read a feature story in GQ Magazine early this year on this place. The short story is that it was hailed as one of the greatest food experiences ever. I was more than smittened, however, reservations are hard to get because they don't pick up the phone and return messages when it is convenient for them. However, Jess decided that she would call them every single day until she talked to someone and could make reservations. So. For Christmas I got reservations at Schwa for two on Jan. 9. And after a few minutes of jumping up and down and giggling like a school girl, I immediately called Ricky. To brag. And explained to him that since Jess had gone to all the trouble of getting the reservations I was taking her instead of him. He was quite sad but he understood and I am happy to say that our friendship has recovered from such a blow quickly and easily. On top of this, Mona and K.C. decided that they didn't want us in the house that night, so they had booked us a room at The Palmer House for Christmas. (Thanks again!)
So. Now we had dinner plans at a fancy restaraunt and a room at a fancy hotel. So I did what seemed the only reasonable thing to do and started making plans to go to a fancy bar in between. That bar was The Violet Hour. It seemed to fit the bill as it was as intensely focused on great cocktails as Schwa is on food, and where Schwa is tough with reservations The Violet Hour doesn't take them but they also don't allow standing room so it can be really tough to get in sometimes. . . like on a Sat. night. So we had our plans for what promised to be one of the best nights out on the town ever.
So we packed an overnight bag and loaded the car and head towards. . .Sandwich! "Why Sandwich?" you ask. Because in Sandwich there were motorcycles, duh! Phil and Lynn Hoffman of Black Magic Customs were hosting there 2nd annual Wicked Wheels Weekends and the only way to make such an awesome day better is to add motorcycles because motorcycles make everyday better. So Jess and I met my folks in Sandwich and spent the early afternoon ogling beautifaul custom builds and chatting with Donny who was there manning a booth for his folks. Then after Mom and Dad spent a good amount of time talking to a painter about pinstriping the trike (can't wait to get those photos in the spring(US)/fall(SA)), they took Jess and I to lunch (Thanks again guys!) and sent us on our way to the city.
We arrrived at The Palmer and got checked in quickly and headed to the lobby so that Jess could take three thousand pictures of it (at this point I will refer you the slide show below that Jess so kindly set up for me) and I could chat with the concierge about the best way to get to Schwa and The Violet Hour. I walked up to the concierge with my list of venues and addresses and he took one look at them and said "Sir, I like where this list is headed". I had made a friend and his name was Phillipe. We quickly sorted out that the L was going to be the way to the restaurant and Phillipe even got on the phone and did that great thing that concierges do where they step to the side and lower their voices so you can only pick out a few words like they are discussing something of national importance with the person on the other end and got us on a list at The Violet Hour (Thanks Phillipe!).
So the rest of this blog will be subtitled "Down The Rabbit Hole We Go". Also at this point the slide show will come in handy as it will follow what I am typing course by course till the end of the evening. When we walked up to Schwa it looked like it had been closed for a few months. Though I loved this effect, Jess started to get nervous. But once we opened the outer door you could see a little bit of a nice restaraunt, like looking through the rabbit hole. (Now you will start seeing what I am getting at with the subtitle.) We were greeted as we walked in and they took our sparkling wine and meritage to prepare for bottle service. As we ordered our three course meals Jess mentioned that we were leaving for the Peace Corps in roughly two weeks. Soon, the sous chef came out to greet us and ask if we had any food allergies (no), if we were adventurous eaters (yes), and if we had time (yes). "So, if we were to just, like , throw some different stuff at you, that would be cool?" (Yes, really f@$&*n cool!) We ended up with nine courses and they are as follows:
Course one was the amuse. One bite to wake up the palate and get you excited about the coming meal. The amuse was an oyster encapsulated in golden raisin topped with warm and salty almond bubbles seasoned with cinnamon and a dab of golden raisin puree. This was the most difficult dish of the evening and had the two of us worried for a bit. The salty sweet of the dish seemed to work opposition of each other until the brineyness of the oyster cut through and brought them together. It definately had our palates awake and on their toes, er, tongues?
Any worries we had after the first course were quickly dispelled by the second course: Red beat rissotto served with an aged spanish cheese sauce, parsnip sauce, horseradish bubbles, edible flowers, and pickled beets. Every component individually was fantastic but when you ate all of them at once is was trancendent. The rissotto was perfectly firm, the beet flavor was clean, and the cheese added a pungent richness to the dish. Now you have to understand, Jess does not like beets or rissotto, and yet her plate was surprisingly clean at the end, as if someone had been licking it.
The third course came out accompanied with a small food history lesson about the origin of apple pie as a savory dish. In an esspresso cup was a savory apple pie soup and it was accompanied by a consome of the herb savory, a salad of light cheese and shaved apples and a section of piecrust with aged gruyere melted on top. Here was another dish where independently the parts were delicious, but together they were magnificent. And the flaky piecrust squares with melted cheese might need to be made at home.
The fourth course was hand-cut tagliatelle pasta in a honey and yuzu gellee with aged Spanish goat cheese, micro arugala, finely minced veal heart, huckleberry, and black truffle. This was my favorite course of the evening. Don't get me wrong, everything was phenomenal, but this I could have eaten everyday for the rest of my life. I want to name one of my children after this dish!
Course number five was a sushi dish with root beer as its theme. Green curry pickled carrots, green curry and rice rolls, rolled in a leaf from South America with root beer characteristics, with mint puree, and sprinkled with flying fish roe, accompanied by a shot of house-brewed root beer and root beer infused soy sauce. Before this dish I had no idea how you could possibly make green curry and root beer harmonious on the plate, but now I know that the answer is mint. Is anybody elses mind blown? Fantastic! And I need to mention that the house-brewed root beer was phenomenol, it was smooth and pepperey.
Course six was kona kampachi with lime gell, daikon, pickeled daikon, and (a thai cousin of ginger that I don't remember the name of) "glass". This was probably the best fish dish I have ever tasted. The fish was lightly seared so it was firm and the glass was delightfully crunchy and the pickled daikon had a real punch to it. Jess continued to nibble on the glass far after her fish was gone.
Course seven was pork swimming in a parsnip broth with beer bubbles, mustard greens, little balls of parsnip and peanut sauce. I don't know if there is really anything more to say about this dish than "pork at Schwa". Cooked to perfection, executed perfectly, and able be be delicate and complex at the same time.
This is where we hit course eight. Now, for those of you who have taken the time to watch the slide show and are observent you will have noticed that there is no picture of this course. Let me tell you a story that explains why. The cook comes to our table and places an olive tray down with what looks to be two more amuses and says, "This is the cheese course. For this course we have a pretzel (I can't remember the name so we'll say) fritter injected with bleu cheese fondue, topped with Red Chimay beer bubbles and mustard skin." Jess and I responded by diving straight in, I enjoying this course in a single bite, and Jess eating half of it. I started to ask what she thought of it and she responded with, "Don't talk to me." After five minutes of silence she ate the other half and then sat in silence a while longer until the taste had completely vanished. Apparently it was so good she needed a personal moment.
The final course was dessert and it was a celery root cake with celery puree, white chocolate, salted caramel and a rum roasted bannana. It was the perfect end to the entire meal. It was the most well composed dish, balancing savory and sweet and adding just the right hint of salty. Really outstanding.
And so our meal ended at Schwa. I know the next few statements will sound like more sarcasim and wit but they are anything but. All of my ideas about food had changed. My definition of delicious was redefined. And my life was forever changed in some small way. It was simply the best meal I have ever had.
So on to the next rabbit hole, The Violet Hour. At the end of some wood paneling that looks like it is housing a storefront undergoing rennovations is a door that is a bit difficult to make out. Through that door is a hallway that is fairly nondescript apart from giant curtains hanging from the ceiling sectioning it off. Matt was there waiting. After talking to a man and handing him a card we were escorted past people who had been waiting for the better part of half an hour and were seated. (Thanks again Phillipe!)
The inside of The Velvet Hour was gorgeous, like a grand ballroom sectioned off by curtains and furniture. The libations were truly magnifecent. They have mastered the alchemy of mixing several boozes together to create great flavor and remove the flavor of alcohol. Between the three of us we had five different cocktails and one after the other was stupendous. I had a whiskey cocktail that is my new favorite and as soon as I figure out the recipe will be my "go to" drink. I had another that made me a believer in gin. Jess had a cocktail that was the most refreshing thing we had ever tasted, like sherbert, only with sparkling wine and rum and liquor. Really amazing stuff.
So folks, that's it. That was our (Very Civilized) Boom! It really was the best way to spend one last night in Chicago before we go. Thanks for reading and we'll be posting again soon.
Monday, January 4, 2010
Getting Closer
Jess writes:
The last couple of days have brought about some additional specifics about our staging, training and service that might be of interest. They are listed below:
The last couple of days have brought about some additional specifics about our staging, training and service that might be of interest. They are listed below:
- We depart Jan. 27th (9:00am) for staging (orientation, introductions, shots, etc.) in Washington D.C.
- We will complete staging Jan. 27th & 28th
- We leave from D.C. Jan. 28th (5:40pm) for South Africa
- We arrive in Johannesburg on Jan. 29th (6:20pm)
- We will be training 1.5 hours NW of Pretoria for 8 weeks
- We will be learning isiZulu or a related dialect
- Our permanent service sites will likely be in the Mpumlanga or KwaZulu Natal provinces (likely rural areas)
- There are roughly 35 members in our program
Here's some nifty sites related to the tidbits above that I found interesting:
- http://isizulu.net/ : A Zulu-English Dictionary site - be sure to check out the podcasts to hear the actual spoken language (there's clicks!!)
- http://www.mpumalanga.com/splash/splash.asp : The official Mpumalanga Tourism bureau - has some great pictures and info on popular hot spots.
- http://www.zulu.org.za/ : The official KwaZulu Natal Tourism bureau - also has some great pictures and interesting info on Zulu history.
Enjoy! We'll keep you posted!!
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Applicants: Revisited
Jess writes:
As 2010 begins, I can't help but do the so-overly-cliche thing and start thinking back on how we got to this point. It certainly seemed that this journey to Peace Corps service was never ending at times... It has been a long and often bumpy ride to 2010.
While it feels now like several lifetimes ago, our first Peace Corps application was submitted in December, 2006. That's right, this last Christmas marked our 3 year anniversary as Peace Corps applicants. (Turns out, that's not uncommon for couples - Yikes.) That December was the beginning of something that Adam and I couldn't possibly comprehend at the time... one of the longest and hardest processes I've ever endured. The rollercoaster ride that is Peace Corps application as a couple has taught Adam and I more about ourselves, our relationship, and our dreams than we ever could have imagined. Especially those times - those many times - when service began slipping through our hands... again. So many times in the last three years we have felt the pang of losing our sense of reality and our grip on certain hopes. And yet, we have also felt the cautious and often strangely fearful exuberance of discovering that possibilities might once again be possible.
Dear endurance: how have you endured? (Usually, you didn't. It's okay.)
And through all the ups and downs of Peace Corps-ness, the rest of our lives slowly began to take shape, to fall into place. We received our degrees in Sustainable Community & Economic Development and Interdisciplinary Studies, we planned and enjoyed a truly beautiful wedding in Wine Country, we moved a couple of times and, thus, held down several jobs and/or related internships, Adam cooked, I cleaned (usually!), we had drinks with other couples and occasionally went out to dinner. All these pieces of the day-to-day slowly began to fit into their pre-determined places for continued life. Thus, to the unknowing eye, our days probably looked as though they were forming quite nicely into normal, typical, lives.
Dear unknowing eye: how little you did know.
Adam and I often joked that the rigors of Peace Corps may actually seem like a glorious vacation after the last few years (hence the somewhat ironic, but still pruposefully suited, blog title.) We are not so naive to think that this may be true, but then again, a few days of village boredom after training will most likely be met with a very warm welcome. Oh the things I might do again with boredom...
So, we enter 2010 with several long years in our wake and many unknowns about the near future. But, to be honest, I know we wouldn't have wanted it any other way. The last few years, despite all the trials, have made us stronger, bound us closer, and brought us to our great adventure... to this journey together that will define each of us and us as one, to that place where we felt our lives together would truly begin. So there it is...
Dear 2010: Go ahead, let life begin.
As 2010 begins, I can't help but do the so-overly-cliche thing and start thinking back on how we got to this point. It certainly seemed that this journey to Peace Corps service was never ending at times... It has been a long and often bumpy ride to 2010.
While it feels now like several lifetimes ago, our first Peace Corps application was submitted in December, 2006. That's right, this last Christmas marked our 3 year anniversary as Peace Corps applicants. (Turns out, that's not uncommon for couples - Yikes.) That December was the beginning of something that Adam and I couldn't possibly comprehend at the time... one of the longest and hardest processes I've ever endured. The rollercoaster ride that is Peace Corps application as a couple has taught Adam and I more about ourselves, our relationship, and our dreams than we ever could have imagined. Especially those times - those many times - when service began slipping through our hands... again. So many times in the last three years we have felt the pang of losing our sense of reality and our grip on certain hopes. And yet, we have also felt the cautious and often strangely fearful exuberance of discovering that possibilities might once again be possible.
Dear endurance: how have you endured? (Usually, you didn't. It's okay.)
And through all the ups and downs of Peace Corps-ness, the rest of our lives slowly began to take shape, to fall into place. We received our degrees in Sustainable Community & Economic Development and Interdisciplinary Studies, we planned and enjoyed a truly beautiful wedding in Wine Country, we moved a couple of times and, thus, held down several jobs and/or related internships, Adam cooked, I cleaned (usually!), we had drinks with other couples and occasionally went out to dinner. All these pieces of the day-to-day slowly began to fit into their pre-determined places for continued life. Thus, to the unknowing eye, our days probably looked as though they were forming quite nicely into normal, typical, lives.
Dear unknowing eye: how little you did know.
Adam and I often joked that the rigors of Peace Corps may actually seem like a glorious vacation after the last few years (hence the somewhat ironic, but still pruposefully suited, blog title.) We are not so naive to think that this may be true, but then again, a few days of village boredom after training will most likely be met with a very warm welcome. Oh the things I might do again with boredom...
So, we enter 2010 with several long years in our wake and many unknowns about the near future. But, to be honest, I know we wouldn't have wanted it any other way. The last few years, despite all the trials, have made us stronger, bound us closer, and brought us to our great adventure... to this journey together that will define each of us and us as one, to that place where we felt our lives together would truly begin. So there it is...
Dear 2010: Go ahead, let life begin.
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