2007-New year, new home!

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Well hello everyone,

I've decided to enter 2007 in Africa with a few changes. 1) new home! My old place, though full of wonderful roommates and views, was getting a bit to pricey for my heavily reduced budget, so i've moved just around the corner to a new abode. I'm living in a cottage behind someones home. One of two cottages behind the home actually. Its a great little place, I love it. I'll take some pics soon. They have a kitty named, creatively enough, "Kitty" who is either chronically unappreciated at home or an attention addict and always wanders in looking for belly scratches. 2) I have decided to enter the 21st century and had internet hooked up at my place at a cost so astronomical i don't even want to talk about it. i needed it, straight up, with my research and no more classes, but good lord do you get cheated here. If you ever think the US is bad, pause for a moment to consider the plight of those living ina country where there is only one, STATE OWNED, telecommunication company that is known for simply charging you whatever the heck they want. It makes me a much bigger fan of free-markets, if nothing else. However, I have SKYPE now, so if you have skype too, we can talk for free!
3) Arriving back in Durban I seem to have gone from the depths of a Midwest winter to the middle of the Sahara. It is punishingly warm here. You step outside and have sweated off your clothes in 5 minutes. The electricity went out the other day and my refrigerator completely defrosted itself from the heat. I have come to value the siesta as perhaps the most wonderful invention ever and a staple in my existence now. By 2pm I am wiped. However, it is wonderful to have the sun back.

So- I've been back in Durban for 3/4 weeks now and have gotten back into the swing of things, seeing old friends and meeting some new, missing American grocery stores all over again, and re-learning how to drive stick shift. I'm currently working three days a week at DRA, I just started a new project with another researcher, we've been commissioned by the gov't to study their Integrated Sustainable Rural Development programme, as its now 5 years in, and to report back on whats working/whats failing. Its really interesting and will keep me busy/employed until April, so thats quite nice.

School wise- I've just turned in the proposal for my research. It now goes through a faculty review and if approved I should start gathering data in April. Its called, " Women and Livelihoods: A Qualitative Study of the Impact of Land Acquisition on Livelihood Strategies for Female Land Beneficiaries in Kwazulu-Natal Province." Which is a ridiculous mouthful. Alot of you have been asking about it, so I am going to try to attach my proposal and you can read what i'm doing should you be so inclined to wade through 11 pages of academic meandering. Actually though, its quite interesting and I've very pumped.

Otherwise, all is well. Pretty much due to the fact that my car hasn't been stolen yet, which might just be a new record. Knock on wood. i'm planning to ride out my research at least until the end of may, then do some traveling to Namibia and Mozambique, before heading back to the states of whatever new unknown is calling my name. I am starting to itch to wrap up this segment of my life and move on to something else, and I miss home quite a bit, but I'm sure as the time grows closer, I'll be more and more sad to leave. It is such an awesome country. Who's coming to visit me next???

Alright, this was the boring yet necessary life update, hopefully i'll have more interesting musings next time around. Hope all of you are well and surviving the deep freeze.
Love,
lauren
** Note: So apparently I can't attach files. I'll send my proposal by another email. L

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