Sleepy Hollow

Pietermaritzburg is the capital of Kwazulu-Natal. Still, it’s a small city and the locals call it sleepy hollow. Definitely not like bustling Durban and the town has a much more middle class feel to it (I would say that PMB is Richmond,VA if Durban is Washington, DC). That’s fine by me as it means I can go on runs and walk to the stores without problem. Want to see where I live?

My flat is in a neighborhood called Pelham. It’s unpretentious, and feels quite comfortable. It’s about 2km from what South Africans call “The Varsity” otherwise known as the university. I live with my lovely flatmate Shantel. She’s 24, from Maritzburg and works for an office of finance. 

In my last post I told you a little bit about where I work, but you know what they say…pictures are worth a thousand words.

View from my office

Also the view from my office—only an hour later.

So as you can see, the weather in Vulindlela is quite changeable. But I promise I don’t just spend my days snapping pics of the nearby hills. At the moment I am working on collecting and compiling data related to MMC (Male medical circumcision). Did you know that when a man is circumcised it can help reduce the risk of transmission of HIV? Yup it’s true. And of course, reduction in transmission  is always a good thing—especially in a community where HIV rates are high. But what happens if people start believing circumcision will PROTECT them from HIV? It can negate the beneficial effects.  Anyway, I know for most of you this is a little too nerdy so in a nutshell, for the first month of work I will be trying to answer questions related to the behavioral patterns of adolescent males in V. 

Oh and Sabs, this is for YOU!