Ek is hier!

I'm back in Pretoria, and it's quite nice.
The jacarandas are at the beginning of their bloom, and already the skyline is tinged with lavender everywhere you look. I had a long chat with one of my hosts on Thursday, and we discussed the state of affairs here (the new President and other oddities), and many other topics. As we were wrapping up our conversation, she walked me out and we were talking about the jacarandas. She beamed at the thought of what is to come. She's been here for ten years, and still has a great ardor for them.

It's been good to see a lot of old friends, sad that some have moved on since last I was here, and still more new friends and colleagues to meet. I've moved up in the world, from the first floor labs over in FABI 1, to the 6th floor of the Agriculture Building.

I've hit the ground running, and still am getting settled. I've just gotten back onto the internet. I'd forgotten how tight the security of the internet was around here. I'm certainly spoiled, coming from the land of the great flowing interwebs.