Sitting in the American Consulate office I am looking out the window in front of me as I type and watching the small boats and large ships make their way around the harbor. Durban has the 4th largest port in Africa. Every morning when I open the curtains in our room at the Hilton I can see the big ships in the Indian Ocean heading for the port. Every day, except Sunday, I was able to count a dozen or so ships. I guess they all wanted to be in port so they could go to church..... :)
I was all set to come to the office and blog yesterday but I got here and found that the consulate was closed for the American holiday! I had totally forgotten about Columbus Day, but it reached out and touched me even here.
The consulate is in a tall building within safe walking distance from our hotel. Entry is typically given only to those who have an appointment, but when we say that we are American we don't need an appointment. It is nice to know our tax dollars are at work for us here. Two floors are dedicated, one for administration and another, the 30th floor is basically some offices and a library. There are 4 computers set up for South Africans to do research. There is an embassy officer who is in charge of an outreach program to help high school students research and apply for various scholarships. It is a very good thing I think. There are so few opportunities for black south africans in particular to have worthwhile education.
Anyway.......we discovered that I can come here and use the computers for free to blog, check my emails, etc. So.....here I am.
We were told that we were the first Americans to have come to the consulate! I was very surprised about that. They were very informative and helpful with what was safe, where we should definately visit, etc. They were very helpful and even gave out their cell phone numbers if I need help.
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