New Portugal

Bom Dia!

Apparently this strange sounding phrase, which sounds more appropriate for fashion week than for greetings, means "good day" in Portuguese! ("Did you see how fierce Tyra looks in Marc Jacobs? Bom diaaaaaaa!")

Why have I adopted Portuguese as my mother tongue today? While I have always had a soft spot for Ferdinand Magellan (mostly because of the dragon Magellan from Eureeka's Castle), I'm actually feeling Portuguese because I'm moving to a place called The Algarve this very afternoon. No - I'm not moving from a hotel in Johannesburg to a region in the south of Portugal (had to look that up - when I first read Algarve, I thought it was a cactus). It's the name of the apartment complex I'm moving into!

This will just be a quick post, but I want to draw attention to how much easier it is to find an apartment/flat in Johannesburg than it was in London. In London, it took weeks of negotiations, endless forms, security deposits, and pain and suffering just to move in (thank God I moved in to our flat between leases so I didn't have to go through the worst of it). Then, if - God forbid - you needed a repair done or something of the sort, you'd better have 2 months and a lot of time to wait on the phone to even hear back about getting it fixed. And don't even get me started on utility bills!

So, when I arrived in Johannesburg, I was prepared for a battle royale. Instead, my boss's assistant Debbie drove me to a flat on my first Monday, it was furnished, the landlord works at my work, utilities and repairs are included, and that's it. I can move in whenever, just have to sign a three page lease. Voila! Five minutes drive from work, 24 hour security, two pools, queen sized bed. In truth, we all know I usually sleep on the floor, so the bed will be for Taj (my stuffed tiger - don't judge). Yesterday I moved most of my things over from the hotel and was surprised to find that there are already dishes, towels, and lightbulbs there for me (and there is a maid/laundry service - my prayers are answered). Someone even left Marmite in the cupboard. Ew.

So today I'm completing the big move. My video games are already set up there so I will feel at home upon arrival. (I needed a step-down converter to play here - which is basically looks like Mother Brain from Metroid attaching itself to your television). Yesterday, while exploring the neighborhood I'm moving into, I got a little lost and hit a man with my car. Luckily I was only going about 15kph and I have a tiny car. He was selling flowers, so I decided to buy one and he seemed quite pleased - no harm done. But it was kind of a traumatic experience. In Johannesburg, every intersection floods with people when the light turns red and people sell everything from steak knives to internal organs (I haven't experienced this, but I know it must happen). It's kind of fun - it all feels very old-world market place - except that it takes quite a bit of labor for someone who doesn't pay attention very well when he drives to notice every single person in the intersection. So when I love-tapped this gentleman yesterday, I had flashes on being sued and having to furnish someone with fake-legs and feeding tubes for the rest of my life. Luckily, I just knocked him on his bum and gave him R20 (just under $4) for a rose that has since gone the way of Liz Taylor (wrinkly).

Anyways, I'd better get my butt in gear. I have to take one last jacuzzi in the hotel room before I go (the new place has a shower but no bathtub - sigh) and I need to pack up all of my clothes. I'm excited to move into The Algarve. Just as the USA has New England, I feel like South Africa has a kind of New Portugal thing going on. The primary settlements were of course Dutch, but I was not aware of the heavy Portuguese influence until I was down here, and I'm excited to have even a small part in it. If I live here and keep eating Nando's chicken, you might be referring to me as Michael Magellan by Christmastime!

Have a great Sunday - it is the best day of the week.

:) Mike