9 days till Athol's last exam/paper, 1 Month to Graduation, 1.5 months before we head back to SA

9 days till Athol's last paper/exam

As the end of the Semester nears, students are frantically busy with final exams and papers. Lectures end this week. My last Corporate Finance lecture is today, luckily no exam for me :) Athol is busy writing one paper for his Progressive Alternatives course which needs to be at least 15 pages. It is due today at 4pm. Then he has a Game Theory exam and a final paper for his African Politics course on 9 May.

Even though everyone is busy with exams, there are still so many social get-togethers - shouldn't they be working on their final papers or studying for their final exams?! It really is impossible to go to all of these.

On Monday 22 April, there was a Pinoy Fiesta so we decided to go. The HKS Phillipino students held a colourful event with traditional food and dances. Apparently there are 7707 islands in the Phillipines, they have a population of about 100m and they send the most sms's in the world!  Here are some photos of the dancing which they call 'tinicking' - where they use two sticks and beat them on the floor and the people jump in and out of them :) it must be painful if your foot gets caught inbetween the sticks!

 

 

Me trying out the delicious Phillipino food :)

Photos courtesy of Winnie Ng

1 Month to Graduation

Graduation (Americans refer to it as 'Commencement') will be in one month on 30 May. The Mason Graduation will be on 27 May, this is the fellowship for students at HKS who are from developing countries. There will be many events happening around that time and I am sure that Cambridge will be packed with tourists as a lot of family and friends will be attending the graduation.

1.5 months before we head back to SA

We'll be back home in 1.5 months. So we have begun selling our non-essential furniture. I've already sold a couple of things - soon our apartment will be empty :) I might have to be creative and make some temporary furniture if things get sold quickly :) It is much easier to sell furniture here (except for the odd scamsters on Craigslist).

The weather has warmed up nicely and Spring is in full force. The current average temperatures are min 5F and max 20F. The trees and plants are in full bloom, quite beautiful to see. The flowers are lovely, not sure exactly what kind of flowers they all are but they are different to the flowers we see back in SA.

 

After Athol's last exam and paper we'll have 6 weeks to hang around and enjoy Boston before we head back to SA. We will be going to Washington DC end of May, which should be fun. What's a trip to America without a trip to the capital!
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Doing my little bit for America - Volunteering at Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center (BCNC)

During my year here in Boston, I wanted to do something good for society so I decided to do some volunteer work. I came across BCNC which is a center in Boston Chinatown that does amazing work for immigrants. They offer English classes for adults, schooling for infants and other support for immigrants. I decided that I'd volunteer as an English Tutor.

What a wonderful way to give back to society, by helping an immigrant speak English and be more confident in America. This has real, meaningful, direct impact on a person's life. It is very difficult to be an immigrant in America especially if you cannot speak English. A lot of these people are too afraid to go out to a shop/restaurant/bank/post office and speak because they cannot understand and communicate - which is a very frustrating!

Since I myself am learning a foreign language, I understand exactly how hard it is to communicate in a different language :)

There were three long training sessions in October last year where we were given tips and guidelines on how to prepare a lesson plan to prepare us for our tutoring.

I started tutoring my tutee, Tina, in November. She is from China and came to live in Boston in 2011 after she got married. Although she has studied Accounting in China, not being able to speak English makes it very difficult to get a job here in America. So she wants to go to college so that she can get a job one day in either Accounting/Real Estate or maybe even open her own business. She is extremely hard working and driven.

We meet every Wednesday at 12:30pm for two hours at BCNC in Chinatown. The biggest challenge that immigrants have is pronounciation so we have been spening a lot of time on this. In Mandarin, there are no words with 'br' or 'ght' or 'kn' and their 'n's', 'r's' and 'l's' sound similar :)

Tina's teachers have told me that her pronounciation has improved a lot, so I'm glad that all our lessons are paying off :)

Tutor Appreciation Dinner 24 April 2013

It is National Volunteer Week this week. On Wednesday 24 April, I was invited by BCNC to a Tutor Appreciation Dinner. Apparently they have 40 tutors volunteering. It was wonderful to so many people giving of their time to help immigrants, one of them has even been tutoring at BCNC for 20 years - incredible! We had some delicious Chinese food and were treated to a performance by one of the volunteers who is a belly dancer.

 

 

My friend Lirong accompanied since we were allowed to bring a guest. Her husband is also studying at Harvard and I met her at the HSSPA Painting class. I have also been helping her prepare for job interviews and her English tests.

Each volunteer received a small token of appreciation from BCNC :) Thank you BCNC, however just by being able to make a difference in someone's life is big enough a reward! I will continue tutoring until we leave for SA.  Such wonderful memories.

I really respect organizations like BCNC, they are doing such good for the community. http://www.bcnc.net/

Here is a picture of the Chinatown Gate in Boston.

For more on Boston Chinatown http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinatown,_Boston

Seeing Matt Damon live at the Harvard Arts First Festival 2013

We was fortunate to get tickets to go see John Lithgow's interview with Matt Damon yesterday at the Sanders Theatre, Harvard. Matt Damon was the receipient if the Harvard Arts Medal for 2013.

There was a long queue to get into the Sanders Theatre. Tickets were sold out in minutes last Tuesday. Athol went to queue for us as students had first preference for tickets. We were supposed to go together but Athol was sick in bed with a cold so I managed to get a friend, Venee, to come with me.

John Lithgow founded the Harvard Arts First Festival and is well known for his performance as Dick Solomon in Third Rock from the Sun.

Matt Damon is a well known actor and screenwriter. He acted in Good Will Hunting (which was based at MIT in Boston!), The Bourne Trilogy, Ocean's Eleven/Twelve/Thirteen, The Adjustment Bureau, The Talented Mr Ripley, etc. He was born and raised in Cambridge MA. He went to Harvard for 4 years and stayed in Lowell House however did not graduate. He then co-wrote Good Will Hunting with his friend Ben Affleck. He is 42 years old, is married and has 4 daughters.

It was great to hear Matt speak about growing up here in Cambridge and when he wrote the script for Good Will Hunting with Ben Affleck. He was very humble, down to earth, inspiring and has a great sense of humor - he showed us a picture of him when he was in a school play dressed as Humpty Dumpty :)

They screened a clip from Good Will Hunting and a few photos from his movies.

He played Francois Pienaar in Invictus, did you recognise the Springbok jersey? I remember that he played the role well and the South African accent was pretty good :)

They also screened the trailer for his new movie where he  plays Liberace's lover - of all people! should be interesting :) Liberace is played by Michael Douglas. The movie is called Behind the Candelabra. Matt mentioned that he wore 4 wigs during the movie.

Matt is also involved in an organisation Water.org which helps distribute clean water to areas in great need. So he is really giving back to society.

There was a Q&A session. Matt mentioned that the moving scene near the end of Good Will Hunting where Ben Affleck speaks to him about coming everyday to his house, was actually done on the first take!

The President of Harvard, Drew Faust,  awarded him his Arts Medal for all his contributions to the Arts.

What a fun day! How often do you get to see such a great actor. One of the benefits of living in Cambridge.

  

Sellers - Beware internet scam! I almost got scammed on Craigslist

I am busy selling some furniture on Craigslist since we are leaving Boston in June. I came across a suspicious buyer, upon some investigation on the Internet, I was horrified to discover that this was a common scam. Fortunately, we had discovered this soon enough and were not victims of fraud.

I hope that by posting about my experience that this will help people be aware of this scam in future. Here is exactly what happened:

A person called 'Adam Bradley' responded to my posting about a headboard that I was selling for $170.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Message #1 

Still up for sale? 

would love to buy it right away,

let me know via my personal email adambradley238@yahoo.com,if is can be done ASAP.

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Since, it hadn't been sold, I gladly offered it to him. I thought that it was a little strange about the urgency and that he wanted to communicate via a different email but gave him the benefit of the doubt. Also, people usually negotiate a price but he mentioned nothing about the price.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Message #2

 

Hello,
Thanks for your prompt response, However, i will need your name and
address for payment,As am only able to make payment by money order at this time b/c i am away on assignment. It will be nice if you can send me more pictures.
It will take about 4days payment to get to you.
As per pick-up, I will make arrangement for the pick-up after
payment has been received by you. I don't mind adding fifty dollars so you can keep it in my favor.
Please take the posting off Craigslist today and consider it sold to me, Include your phone number.
Expecting to hear from you soon.
Regards
Adam Bradley

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He seemed serious about the sale and asked for more photos. Seemed like a reasonable story that he was away. He also wanted me to commit to the sale by asking me to remove my posting from Craigslist. Thought that it was strange that he was willing to pay an extra $50 for me to hold it for him especially since I was only asking for $170 (I had only paid $200 for the headboard!). I thought that I'd be a nice guy and give it to him for the original $170 which I asked for. It was also strange that he insisted on sending a money order. I didn't even know how a money order works but thought that maybe that's how Americans do things, I could figure it out.

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Message #3

Hello,

 I have given my assistant the go ahead to mail payment to you,as i am in London on a business trip.You should receive payment within the coming week( 4-5days time).

Once payment is received we can proceed with the pickup.Thanks for your understanding and patience.

                                                  Regards,

                                                 Adam Bradley.

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It was a bit strange that he was getting his assistant to do the payment. To be careful, I thought that we must definitely make sure that the money order was legit and check that the back would accept it.
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Message #4

Hello,

I hope you are fine and alright. I have been busy myself but doing great. There is something i think i must bring to your notice.

After a reconciliation of my account , i discovered that somehow my assistant must have over paid you. The payment that was meant for another transaction was added to your money, however i want to believe i wont have a problem with you.

Please once you receive your payment, i will like you to deduct your money and send the remaining via western union,to me so i can liaise with the shippers my self, so as to ensure that pick up is done asap. I will ask them to contact you as soon as possible .Let me know as soon as you get your payment.

I will like you to acknowledge receipt of this email by emailing me back.

                                              Warm regards.

                                               Adam Bradley.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Obviously you think that it is an honest mistake and since I am an honest person I reassured him that this won't be a problem and that once I've received the payment I will give the money back. Shippers for a headboard? I thought to myself, if he was even willing to pay $50 extra, he could just order it directly from Target - it wasn't something special. This was really getting weird.

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Money Order received

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Fake details observed: The address does not exist, the name of the buyer is 'Joshua' not 'Adam' like in the emails, the date on the money order is 2012/06/06 (last year!), the postage stamp says that it was posted in Virginia (whereas the address on the envelope says Arizona), the amount was for $987 ($808 more than the original sale price, the amount that he would gain from the scam) and our address was spelt incorrectly. Clearly a fake money order!
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Message #5

Hello,

Thanks for your mail and update.

Please go ahead and take the 2 money orders to your bank  today and have

the deposited. The funds should be available to you same today or tomorrow.

You will deduct  your payment we agreed on and have the balance

sent via western union money transfer(money in minutes option) to the manager of the shipping company,

with the information below:

LINDA RUSSELLS

CITY:COTONOU

COUNTRY: BENIN. 

TEST QUESTION-SENT TO.

ANSWER-SHIPPERS.

You will have to take balance cash to any western union location

around where you stay and have it sent.Deduct the western union

charges from the balance.Get back to me with the info on the western

union transfer like   The MTCN(control number), Exact amount sent

after deducting charges, Senders name and address.   I will be expecting to

hear from you as soon as you complete this transaction,so that pick up can be done ASAP.

I will like you to email me the most convenient date for pick up so i can alert that shippers about that before hand.

I am so sorry that all this had to be this stress,accept my apologies.

Hope to hear from you soon.

                                             Adam Bradley. 

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How bizarre to get an email like this with such detailed instructions. Also, things didn't make sense. Why did I have to send the balance to shippers? Previously he mentioned that I could wire it back to him. Benin? Really now. 2 money orders?but  we had just received one. Again no mention of the $ amounts. Again the urgency to come collect it.

With all this suspicious behaviour I googled it and was horrified to discover that this is a common scam http://www.craigslist.org/about/scams. There is a similar scam, where they phone old people and pretend to be a grandchild. The money order is fake, the bank will only find out a few days later when you have already sent the money. The bank could hold you responsible for the fake money order.

This is just such a horrible scam and it targets innocent, honest people. It actually makes me sceptical to trust other people in future. It is such a cleverly thought out scam and it is virtually impossible to catch the culprits since they don't give any true details - everything is a lie.

The Lessons:

• Be aware when people ask you to wire money via Western Union or Moneygram - this method is instant and you cannot get your money back
• If anything seems a bit suspicious, do some investigation - rather be safe than sorry

A little too close to home.... manhunt for the Marathon bombings suspects in Boston

Last night we at around 11:30pm we received sms alerts from Harvard saying that there were shootings at MIT and an officer was shot.

When we woke up this morning, I saw 5 sms's and a missed call, I knew that something was up. A sms from Harvard said that the university was closed today due to a suspect on the run. The other suspect was the older brother (26 years old) who was shot and killed in the car chase. Apparently, he had thrown a pressure cooker bomb at the police - that same type of bomb that was used in the Boston Marathon.

The police told people in Boston, Watertown, Cambridge, Newton, Belmont and Allston to stay at home - 'shelter-in-place'. Boston was in 'lockdown' - public transport, shops, schools were all closed.  Taxis were suspended. Police are searching for the second suspect (19 years old).

The suspects lived in Norfolk Street Cambridge MA, which is just a few streets away from where we live. Apparently bombs were found in their apartment. It is scary to think that they live in Cambridge and were so close to us. It is strange to watch TV and see the places where we have been to and are familiar with - a little too close to home.

The city has been in lockdown since 2am this morning, now it is 6pm and still we wait patiently to see if they capture the suspect. Boston has been a ghost town today with nobody on the streets except for police, army, media and bomb squads.

The news have been reporting conflicting information. There has been a lot of speculation. The mayor and governor have given press conferences and it seems that the police have things under control. Earlier there had been reports of the brothers robbing a 7/11 around the corner from us, but now media is saying that this was an unrelated event. Hopefully this madness will end soon and things can go back to normal.

Relatives of the suspects are in shock and feel that the brothers have been set up but why then did they run and throw a pressure cooker bomb at the police? so many questions....

I hope that they don't kill the younger brother so at least they can question him to understand why they planted the bombs on Monday - if they kill him we will never know. It has been a memorable week in Boston and the drama still continues.

An eventful year in Boston history... Hurricane Sandy, Blizzard Nemo and Boston Marathon Blasts

Looking back at the 10 months that we were here in Boston, it was quite an eventful time - can't say that it was boring :)

Here's a recap of some of the big, record breaking events in Boston from June 2012 to now:

• Hurricane Sandy (25 October 2012) - The largest hurricane in the Atlantic basin
• Blizzard Nemo (9 February 2013) - Fifth biggest snowstorm in Boston with 63cm of snow 
• Boston Marathon Bombings (15 April 2013) - Two blasts near the finish line, 3 people killed and 180 people injured 

Other big headlines outside of Boston:

• Batman Massacre in Colorado (July 2012)
• Summer Olympics in London (June/July 2012)
• US Elections - Obama wins second term in office (6 November 2012)
• Mayan’s end of the world prediction didn’t happen (21 December 2012)
• Gangnam Style takes the world by storm - the most watched and most parodied video
• Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner, aged 43, performed a jump from 39 km above the Earth's surface (16 October 2012)
• Newtown CT shootings at school where 20 children and 6 adults were shot by Adam Lanza (14 December 2012)
• Lance Armstrong confessed to doping (January 2013)
• Oscar Pistorius shoots and kills his girlfriend (South Africa - 14 February 2013)
• Margaret Thatcher died (9 April 2013)

Explosions at Boston Marathon... heart breaking

Today's is Patriot's Day (the third Monday of April) - celebration of the anniversary of the Battle of Lexington. Public schools were closed this week for their April vacation. It is a tradition for the Boston Marathon, Red Sox game and Bruins game to happen on Patriot's Day.

Today thousands of runners from around the world came to run in the Boston Marathon. It was meant to be a day filled with fun and happy moments but instead it turned into a nightmare of smoke, blood and cries of pain.  Two explosions went off at 2:50pm near the finish line along Boylston Street in Downtown Boston. Currently the death toll is at 3 people with over 90 spectators injured. Nobody knows yet who is responsible for the horrific event. As it all happened, we watched the news, followed facebook and tweets and checked with people that we know to see if they were ok. We then heard that a suspicious pakage was found by the Harvard T and that there was a fire at the JFK Library were potentially could be related to the explosions.  The race was stopped, parts of the T were halted, the Bruins game was cancelled, Logan International halted flights, the Harvard Kennedy School was evacuated and other US cities were on high security alert. It felt like September the 11th all over again.

What a sad day for this great city, Boston. I don't that this city will be the same ever again. It is a sad day for America.

Innocent people were killed/injured - many had the feet blown off... one of the dead is an 8 year old child.

Fortunately, we didn't go to the marathon. Some of Athol's fellow classmates ran or went to support the runners but luckily all are safe. It is very scary to think that this happened so close to us and Athol and I have even walked along that street where the bombs went off.

Who would do such a thing? Is it a terrorist attack? Is it angry soldiers protesting against Patriot's Day? Why harm innocent bystanders?

The bombs were reported to be small homemade bombs and the police are questioning a man. It all seems a bit unreal. My heart goes out to all those affected on this horrific day.

10 months done, 2 months to go... eye-opening experiences

2 months left in Boston until we head back to our home country South Africa - can't believe that we have been here for 10 months!

Living in Cambridge has been an eye-opening experience for both Athol and I.

As we enter our last 2 months here, I've taken a moment to reflect on some of my eye-opening experiences and learnings. This is what living here has opened my eyes to....

Attitude is everything

Nothing is impossible if you just out your mind to it. The American can-do attitude is admirable, it really is the land of opportunity. Think big! Allow yourself to dream. Attitude and being proactive is key. If things don't work out the way you planned, keep at it, you'll find a way. Sometimes you just have to put yourself out there, something good or maybe even great could come of it. Each individual has the power to change their own destiny.

Appreciate life, cherish every minute and be open to learning new things - sometimes you need to take a big leap out of your comfort zone

It was a big unknown for us to come to America for a year, we didn't know what to expect. We knew however that this was an opportunity that we couldn't refuse because in 10 years time we wouldn't want to regret not doing it - whether the experience was good or bad. We had to leave behind our beautiful house, our families, our jobs... our good life.

This was the first time that I've been in America and I have been extremely fortunate to share this amazing experience with my wonderful husband. A sabbatical year off to just do whatever I want - not many people have the luxury of this! I have never been one to just sleep, loaf around, watch TV, shop, go do my hair and nails, etc.  Instead, I decided to spend the year learning Mandarin, auditing two classes at Harvard, tutoring English to immigrants in Chinatown, exploring Boston, learning about America, meeting new people from around the world and learning about their cultures, illustrating a children's book and being a good wife to my student husband :) one of the best year's (if not the very best) of my life! Athol too is having an amazing time here, he has always had a curious mind so where else than to be in the heart of one of the leading academic institutions in the world. This year has been better than we couldn't have ever imagined. No regrets at all.

Benefits of living in a first-world country

It has been amazing to see the benefits of living in a first-world country - first hand. Consistent good customer service is possible. Things just work here, like clockwork - public transport, businesses, restaurants, deliveries, etc. People take pride in their jobs. Since America is so developed they don't have to focus on the basics like poverty and crime they have the luxury of focusing on a higher standard of living - first-world problems are very different to thisr-world problems.

Crime is not normal

What has been eye-opening for me is the fact that it is possible to live peacefully without fear of being robbed, murdered, raped, etc. Thinking back of how we live back in Johannesburg is really sad. The murder rate is the highest in the world. We live with high walls, electric fences, alarms, garden beams, panic buttons, etc. We don't go out at night, we don't walk anywhere, we always make sure that doors and windows are locked and there's always the fear that someone wants to rob you (women at church even take their handbags up with them when they go up for holy communion!). I was sad to see a Cape Town online discussion where someone was advising other residents to have multiple dogs because robbers can easily poison one! Gosh, what kind of a world are we living in?!   Having lived in Johannesburg for most of my life, I can certainly understand why Oscar Pistorius was paranoid about crime - people from the rest of the world simply cannot understand this. South Africans have accepted their fate that this crime is normal and that there is nothing that can be done about it - very sad. That life is certainly not normal! Living in Cambridge has made me realise that you can live without fear.

Live simply and conscientiously

It has been good to live simply once again - when you have to go back-to-basics it makes you appreciate the little things. We can over to Boston with only one suitcase (20kg) each. We had some clothes, our camera, video camera, Athol's laptop and our Nintendo Wii :) Here we live in a two bedroom apartment with no garden. When we got here we had to start from scratch and buy all new furniture and other necessary household things. It's funny knowing that you will only be in a place for a year so you behave very differently - you buy the cheapest furniture (only what is necessary) and you behave like a tourist and soak in every little thing. I'm a housewife here :) I do the laundry, cooking, dishes and cleaning (reminds me of my early working days when I had no choice but to do everything myself) but actually I don't mind it much as nothing makes me happier than making my husband happy :) Fortunately, the property managers deal with any maintenance issues and they are very quick and efficient. We had to get American cellphone numbers. We haven't had our cellphones ringing all the time with salesman trying to sell you something like in SA, plus nobody really calls us here, we use our cellphones just for Athol and I to keep in touch with each other. Here we don't have a car, we just walk and use public transport. Back home in SA, we have nice cars and a beautiful big house with a domestic worker, gardener and dishwasher so we don't have to deal about cleaning, maintenance, etc. However, the more you have the more that potentially can go wrong!   Actually looking back now, it seems rather spoilt, snobbish and pretentious - especially since the majority of the population doesn't live that. Living here has made me realise that sometimes simpler is better. Success is NOT about having fancy cars and houses or going on trips to exotic places and staying in 5 star hotels or having the most money or going to a spa/beautician/hairdresser every week or being CEO or sipping cocktails/whiskey or having the latest gadgets (like ipads, iphones, etc.). Success is doing what you love, in the place that makes you the happiest, surrounded by the people you love and making a difference in the world.

Make a difference in the world - no matter how small

It has been a humbling experience for me to tutor English at the Boston Chinatown Neighbourhood Center. Knowing that I am making a difference in one person's life so that she can become a confident individual is a very rewarding experience. These immigrants can't speak English and struggle in their everyday lives - they don't want to go out and speak to people because they simply cannot understand and speak English. It is frustrating trying to do simple things like shopping, going to a restaurant or going to the post office or bank. The teachers told me this week that my tutee's pronunciation has improved so much over these past months and thanked me for working with her. I can't remember when last I made such a difference in someones life back home in SA.

Perceptions and the evilness of power

Living here in America has made me question and challenge the status quo (of course my husband has influenced me a bit here!). The media largely influences the way people think and how they perceive other people and countries. I have followed the South African news both locally and from America and I have seen the subtleties and perspectives from the different sources. I for one am guilty for being gullible and believing what I read in newspapers but I know now that it is important to remember who is writing it and what their intentions are. Often what we read is not the entire truth - they may not be directly lying to readers but it is what they are not saying that might lead us to believe otherwise! this can be dangerous...

For example, people tend to think that Russians, Chinese, Japenese, Italians and South Americans are bad. Why do people think that? because we see it in movies and TV which just happen to be made in America. Another example, people tend to think that fat people are stupid, blond women are dumb, gay people are feminine, etc. Why do people think that? Again, we see it in US TV sitcoms and laugh about it. It is these subtleties that actually brainwash us. The government and media have a lot of power and can make people believe something without them actually knowing it.

America has the biggest military therefore they have the most power in the world. However, we know that with power comes great responsibility and sometimes power can be used for evil so we need to challenge what we see/read.

A visit to the Harvard Kennedy School. Spring has finally sprung :)

A visit to the Harvard Kennedy School (HKS)

Today I went to a session on Why Mali Matters where Mayor and Presidential Candidate, Yeah Samake spoke.

Mali has come a long way. His story was really inspiring, he's strategy is to work on improving the country from within communities first - rather than trying to change things from the top down (like many other African countries, there is a lot of corruption in the government). He is a social entrepreneur and has radically changed the country. He has helped build 15 schools in Mali over the last nine years serving 2,500 students between the ages of 13-17. He is running in the next Mali elections so could be the next President.

Last two photos courtesy of Winnie Ng

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yeah_Samake

The talk too place in the Rubenstein Building - 4th floor - Perkins Room. HKS is the government school of Harvard, where Athol has a lot of his classes. Their buildings are about a 5 min walk from the Harvard Yard, it is in between the Harvard Yard and HBS.

Spring has finally sprung! well for now :)

Today's max temperature is 22C, a beautiful day in Cambridge! Everyone is enjoying the sunshine, I even saw a sun bather on one of the lawns in the Harvard Yard. Today is such a nice day but it will cool down again and even rain over the next few days. But I think that we can finally pack away our thick winter jackets and boots. No more subzero temperatures :)

I went to the Corporate Finance course which I am auditing, so here are a few photos of the Harvard Yard and around in Cambridge.

Harvard Hall Room 201 - Corporate Finance

 

Harvard Square

Charles River

Words of Wisdom... my two cents worth

I have been very fortunate to have this sabbatical year to just think and ponder life. Hopefully I have become a bit wiser in the process. Also with my wonderful husband being so wise, how could it not rub off a bit on me :)

So here are my two cents worth: My Top 10 Life Lessons (in no particular order)

1. Family is very important - don't take them for granted.
2. Live consciously, don't be ignorant of what is happening around you and why, think about your actions and how it influences others. 
3. Enjoy life, it is too short so live without regrets and don't fuss about petty things.
4. Dream big, anything is possible - If you are not dreaming, then you are not living.
5. Be true to yourself, don't pretend to be something or someone that you are not, in order to gain respect from others. Be happy with who you are!
6. Learn from your mistakes and your misfortunes, these valuable lessons only make you stronger.
7. Give back to society, help others less fortunate - think about what YOU are doing for society (in particular your career) to make the world a better place for all.
8. Beware of media (particularly news and movies) and food labels as they often lie, leave out information or twist words to mislead/manipulate viewers.
9. Live positively. Your actions will positively influence others - even a smile goes a long way!
10. Money isn't everything - success is doing what you love, being surrounded by the people you love and helping to improve society in some way - this is true happiness. Not luxuries like fancy cars, jewellery, shoes, the latest iPhone, etc.

2.5 months left... Being creative

So it's the 1st of April, how time is just flying by!

I hope that nobody was fooled by an April's fool joke today :)

1 April 2004 was the day that I joined Taurus Associates - this was my very first job. The MD of Taurus Associates was Athol - my Boss back then :) that was 9 nine years ago - gosh! who would have thought that I'd be happily married to my first Boss :) we have and still do work so well together - we really make a great team. Between the two fo us, I believe that we can do anything :)

I have been working on illustrations for a children's book. The book is based on one of Athol's poems. So it will be Written by Athol and Illustrated by me :) our first book together. It is hard work and requires a lot of patience but hopefully the final product with look great. Like I said to Athol in my speech at our wedding reception 'I really hope that we will do great things together' and I think we are :)

I'd like to believe that I have somewhat of an artistic flair - having done very well in Art in Standard 6 and 7 however I didn't carry on with Art since I chose Science, Biology and Accounting instead! I've always enjoyed been creative with my hands, I did pottery for a while back in Joburg, I even handmade little bowls as 'thank you' gifts at our wedding for the guests (I made over 40!). In Primary School, I won a couple of prizes in art competitions, the one year I even remember winning 'The Best Senior Prize' for clown that I had drawn. So I have been a bit artistic back in my day.

My time in Boston has allowed me to be creative once again :)

2.5 months to go.....

The weather is getting warmer, we finally reached a state where where there is no more subzero temperatures during the day - it is still colder than a Joburg Winter though. There is one last cold front this week then we should be in the clear and can enjoy Spring! Pity we will be coming back to Joburg in the middle of Winter. I think that it is still much colder inside the houses in Joburg than here because of the good internal heating - here I didn't even need to use the Winter bedding or buy a heater. Nonetheless, I think that the Boston Winter has toughened us :)