Our lovely HR manager, possibly recognising the signs of an impending nervous collapse, gave me the week off. I'm not on "leave" so I'm still fielding e-mails and phone calls, but I took advantage of the fact that I'm off the schedule and have no clinic/court appointments to get away from the baby house for a few days. I found a retreat center just about an hour north of Jo'burg which is great. It's close enough that I can go home in the case of an emergency but far enough to feel like a holiday.
Two of the things I find subtly stressful about Jo'burg are the walled-in yards and the lack of water. After living in MN and on the North Sea, I'm used to seeing the horison and the smell of water. Neither are things that you consciously notice the lack of, but when you experience them again it's very refreshing. Especially the horison. I notice that I being to feel a little bit trapped when I've been in the city for too long.
Another funny reminder from the drive out here was how "African" South Africa really is. Sometimes living in Jo'burg you can feel like you're just in any other city (although the cultural differences jump out and surprise you) but driving out today I found a cow in the middle of the road, being herded by some adolescent boys.... not something you commonly see in Eagan, Minnesota! Also, within view of my retreat, I saw a man who was 'mowing' his lawn with a hand-scythe for the better part of the afternoon.
So far, I'm enjoying my break, although it is uncommonly quiet out here. Apparently I am the only guest, at least for tonight, so I suppose that's part of it. Also, it is just so far from traffic, and our street is quite busy well into the night. Anyway, I've decided I'll never make it on a "silent retreat" and have iTunes going in the background while I write this! Should it get to be too much I have my fan in the car for a little white noise.
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