On the Road Again!

Hey Everyone,

Did you miss me? Sorry I've been out of touch recently, but I've been feeling kind of down and didn't want to spread my whining around the world. Honestly, I was in pretty dire straits, coming home from work to sit on the couch and sob myself to sleep by 7pm most nights. I'm still hurting pretty bad, being bored, lonely, and desperately in need of a hug, but I'm starting to feel a little better, starting to settle in and create some routines. And I've (mostly) stopped crying myself to sleep at night ☺ I'm still hunting for housing, but thankfully, that's a little easier now that I've got my car back on the road. For those of you who missed my sob story (one of many), I bought a car (1988 Mercedes, Dad is SOOO jealous) that stopped working within 3 days. Just my luck! But with a little help from a new battery and a very kind neighbor, I'm back to cruising in style! It still feels weird for me to be driving, but I'm getting better, and I haven't killed or maimed any pedestrians yet, so that's a plus.

I'm also on the road again on my own two feet. I had gotten really lazy about my running the month before I left, and I've been struggling to get back into a routine, but I made it out for a couple good runs this weekend, and I'm feeling good about it. We're just at the start of winter here, and it's already dark by 6pm, so it's hard for me to get out on weekdays, but I'm trying to fit in short runs wherever I can. I've even started to think about getting up early to run in the morning. Hey, stranger things have happened.

I'm leaving the office in a bit to go look at what looks on paper like the perfect apartment, so hopefully I'll be permanently settled soon. Ciao for now,

Susan

Missing Home, Moving On

Hi Everyone,

I gotta admit, I've been missing home a lot recently, to the end that I'm struggling to send emails or make phone calls, because talking to the people I love makes their absence seem more real. So, if you haven't heard from me, it's not because I don't care, it's because I suspect that talking to you would make me cry. Again.

Yesterday was the end of the NCAA Tournament (I won my pool!) and the first day of the baseball season. Normally, either one of these events would have been enough for my ESPN-addict self to spend the entire day and night glued to the television. Last night, I fell asleep on the sofa, alone, at about 7:30 pm, 1/2 an hour into the Bangladesh/New Zealand cricket match (NZ won, in case you were curious). So yes, I'm struggling a little bit, but I'm also starting to feel a little better. I'm trying to stay connected to some parts of my old routine so I don't completely lose my mind. Despite the fact that my current home is on top of a gigantic hill, I've been going out jogging/running fairly regularly. The fact that no matter which way I go, it's downhill on the way out and uphill on the way home presents a new challenge for me, but I'm making progress. With no public transportation to speak of, and my rather isolated location, I've been feeling out of touch with the world at large, but I got my first stick-shift driving lesson yesterday, and I think that with a few more lessons I might actually be ready to buy a car and brave the roads of Johannesburg by the end of next week. There are a few people here that I know from their time in PSI Washington, and I'll try to get together with them this weekend. I also had a friend from the office offer to take me out dancing in Soweto this weekend. I'm not sure if I'll accept, but it's nice to know that there are options on the table. One thing is for sure, I can't spend another weekend at home alone or I'll go completely off the deep end.

For any of my running buddies that are stopping by, Congrats on some fantastic Cherry Blossom times! I saw times for Noel, Marvin, Mark, Dr. Joe, and Katie, and I was most impressed! I tried my best to replicate and run with you, but see my earlier note about hills for why I wussed out around 6 miles. Even at 60% of my running goal, my legs are so sore that I can barely walk and going from sitting to standing or vice versa is pure torture. Maybe it's the hills, or maybe it's the fact that I spent the last month before my departure binge drinking, chain smoking, eating crap, and not exercising. Either way, I suppose by the time I get back in shape and back to running on fairly flat surfaces, I'll be able to FLY!

All my love,

Susan