Sitting on the Edge of a Continent

South Africa was bursting with springtime blooms. (Left: King Protea, South Africa's national flower)






The view from my room at the Cape Town Hotel - The Commodore - provided spectacular views of the port and mountains.



(L to R: Geir, the Prime Minister, Anton, and me) We took some R&R and visited one of Cape Town's top jazz clubs - The Green Dolphin.





The following day we visited a squatter camp to observe mental health training for young leaders from surrounding developing countries. The squatter camp pictured is one I visited outside of Johannesburg in the famous township of Soweto (home of Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu).



Vilakazi Street in Soweto is considered one of the most famous in the world where two Nobel Peace Prize laureates have homes - Tutu and Mandela.





South Africa is full of contrast. The following three pictures are views from the flat where I stayed after my business trip was over - owned by my Fellow.

On a Sunday afternoon, we drove around the western side of the Cape and visited the Cape of Good Hope on the Horn of Africa - pictured here with the three fingers extending. The following six pictures were taken during that drive. The Cape area on the southern-most tip of Africa is by far the most beautiful place I have been to on earth.

Local baboons on the side of the road (not in a game preserve) during our Sunday drive.

The 5 a.m. sunrise from my beautiful Johannesburg hotel - The Westcliff.

A Rainy Day in Johannesburg

Despite having the worst jet lag I have experienced to date (including two totally sleepless nights - thus I'm writing in the blog) I am doing incredibly well and couldn't be more pleased with the events as they unfold here. (Pictured left: Eli Lilly Dinner - (L to R) Dr. S. Seape, Psychiatrist from Private Hospital Soweto; Former Norwegian Prime Minister Bondevik; and Jim Ringer, MD of Eli Lilly and host for the evening.)

The Tuesday luncheon provided an opportunity for Prime Minister Bondevik to share his personal story of mental illness, and I spoke about the Fellowship Program and discussed our efforts to sustain the program in South Africa. A potential partner emerged from the meeting and is willing to hold additional talks.

(Photo Left: At my dinner table, the Norwegian Ambassador to South Africa and me)

A quick drive through the city to pick up flowers for the breakfast meeting with editors enabled a quick tour of the private school for Boy's - St. John's. (Photo here). The lush landscapes of Johannesburg have taken me by surprise and are bursting forth with the rain that we are drenched in now. I am promised better weather when we arrive in Cape Town tomorrow. (The South Africans have taken hospitality to a new level and are so embarrassed that the weather has been so poor in J-burg.)

I was able to see former Rosalynn Carter Fellow Shandukani Mathagu, who at the last moment agreed to do a radio interview on Kaya FM due to a conflict so I could attend the Eli Lilly dinner. He will join us tomorrow morning as well.

Tomorrow I will see Claire Keeton of The Sunday Times, and Tamar Khan of Business Day - two more former Fellows.

My alarm will ring in an hour, and we are off running to an early morning breakfast followed by my interview on SAFM before we all run to meet a plane headed to Cape Town. It is World Mental Health Day (10/10)! You can read about it on the Carter Center website at http://www.cartercenter.org/news/features/h/mental_health/world_mh_day.html
It is all too exciting - maybe I shouldn't blame my sleeplessness on just the jet lag! :)

A Wet Arrival in South Africa

A 17 1/2 hour flight isn't a walk in the park...period. However, shockingly, I slept about 12 hours of it! I don't know if that is an indication of how fatigued I really was or if the Tylenol PM was "just what the doctor ordered." I landed in Johannesburg directly before what was suppose to be one of the worst storms they have experienced in years; however, it never came to fruition. After much talk of tornados, my flight still landed on time and I was met with double rainbows when exiting the airport. I think it is going to be a good trip.

The Westcliff Hotel is a small enclave in the midst of the city and a nice retreat during our busy schedule. The partners met last night for drinks and to review the schedule and last minute details. Interestingly enough, the lunch and dinner events have an outstanding attendance with capacity seating for the Eli Lilly lunch that will leave Bondevik and me as the guests and Zane, Anton and Marion stepping aside to give their seats to other potential partners. Although this isn't ideal, I am pleased that there is such interest!

Another concern is that we have yet to secure a meeting time with the President. As Marion says, things down here are done on SAT (South Africa Time). I rather enjoy the slower pace and the relaxed tone placed on everything. Oslo seems to be comfortable with this as well. We Americans have a lot to learn (especially me) in this area.

I have awakened to a cold, rainy morning, but the jacaranda trees are just beginning to dot the misty landscape with bright purple buds. They should be in full bloom by the time my trip has ended. A good time to be in South Africa.

I must run. Bondevik lands in 30 minutes and I'm going to appease my hungry, jet-lagged stomach before we start a very full but hopefully fulfilling day.

I'm Back At It...

So many of you followed my Romania blog last summer, and I have already been asked to do the same for South Africa. This time I am including my Mental Health Program (MHP) colleagues so they can follow my "on the ground" activities. No worries, you will still get the passionate/personal Rebecca throughout. :)

I leave for South Africa on Sunday, October 7 and will return home on Wednesday, October 17. The trip is focused on launching a national dialogue around mental health issues by leveraging the opportunities that World Mental Health Day (October 10 and Thom's Birthday!) offer. The trip includes former Prime Minister of Norway Kjell Bondevik and his Special Advisor Geir Sjoberg. Bondevik created the Oslo Center for Peace and Human Rights after leaving office. http://www.oslocenter.no/ One of his significant areas of focus is mental health after experiencing a major depressive episode during his first term in office. He was hospitalized for 30 days and turned over the reins of the government during that time. After recovering, he returned to office and completed his term. As a true testament to the Norwegian people, he was re-elected for a second term. Clearly, this wouldn't happen in this U.S.! We have a lot to learn!

We have many on-the-ground partners that are coordinating every detail and I'm sure you will hear about them endlessly throughout this blog. They have been amazing as each phase of this trip has developed (now almost 12 months in the making). Zane Wilson and the South African Depression and Anxiety Group http://www.anxiety.org.za/- Marion Scher, journalist and 05/06 Rosalynn Carter Fellow http://www.mediamentors.co.za/web/index.asp- Anton Harber, our international advisor to the Fellowship Program and acclaimed journalist and producer in South Africa http://www.big.co.za/wordpress/category/1/. Roshni has been the wizard behind the curtain and I'm not certain any of this would be pulled off without her.

So, those are the players and the intros are done. I'll have camera in hand as I move through Johannesburg and Cape Town. I look forward to hearing from you!