Back in Africa Again for the Final Push

This adventure has taken two years so far, and is expected to take three in total. Doing a Ph.D. at my age is quite a challenge, but doing it in the South African system, which is based on the English system, is even more challenging. There is no such thing as grade inflation or 504s or a senior citizen easy lane in this system. But, nothing is worth having that you don't have to work for.

I have learned so much in the past two years about how one goes about conducting scientific research that I did not know when I started. I chose to do my Ph.D. in Sustainable Development, which is a multi-discipline endeavor that incorporates Environmental Science, Atmospheric Science, Chemistry, Health Economics, Environmental Economics, and Public Policy. Had I known that when I started, I would probably never had started this adventure in the first place!

It all started with the trials and tribulations of getting the São Paulo Clean Air Project from a concept to reality. That took much longer than anyone anticipated, almost 12 years in total. But the lessons learned in that exercise are something I think the world should know about. So, I dreamed up the idea of recreating that project in Cape Town (a similar climate on a similar parallel in the Southern Hemisphere). Then, the stars lined up nicely for this whole thing to unfold.

Stellenbosch University is one of the oldest universities in Sub Saharan Africa. It was originally an Afrikaans university, and as such, was the lifeblood of the Afrikaaner culture. The school is very much like an Ivy League school but with apartheid long dead, the school is now quite diverse in it's student population. I first visited here in February 1976 while on business in the country and fell in love with it. Stellenbosch, the town, is over 300 years old and has a very Cape Dutch style architecture in the heart of the South African winelands. It is definitely a tourist destination.

I have spent approximately five months per year here working on my research in 2009 and 2010, and will be here a like amount of time this year. It is imperative that I spend a certain amount of time here as this is the area I conduct my research in and from which I derive my data, and I cannot think of a more beautiful place to be. Unfortunately, my research is necessary to be conducted in the winter months when they experience temperature inversions with significant amounts of vehicle pollution that stays near the ground. Back home in the Seattle area we call these days "Burn Ban Days" when one cannot light a fire in the fireplace because the temperature keeps the smoke low to the ground and is dangerous to people's cardiovascular and cardiopulmonary systems.

So, after arriving, attending a BMW motorcycle BikeFest in Oudtshoorn for a weekend, and getting settled into my new flat (apartment), I am back at it again. I love the place I stay at and it is conducive to my work as it is light, airy, and has a beautiful view of the Hottentot Mountains and Helderberg Mountain above the cabana and swimming pool. It is absolutely idyllic!

This time around I have given some seminars to grad students on the American political system and on my São Paulo Project. I've also gotten involved in the local Rotary Club as I was a member of the Issaquah Rotary Club back home. Being involved in student life is great, and I have an ever broadening group of friends here to spend time with when the studies get too intense.

More later......