Oh Yes We Are!

I can't believe we've been home for 4 months already! This summer went by incredibly fast and I spent most of my time trying to purge and organize. We came home to a house full of 'stuff' that we just don't need! We've made several trips to Goodwill and sold big items on Craigslist, and the rest was sold at our garage sale last weekend. We got new siding and windows put on our house but still have a lot of little things to do, and now we're a couple of years behind. Rusty and I spent the 2^nd week of July being miserable – he got Influenza B and I got the mother-of-all sinus infections that led me to an allergy specialist who confirmed that I am pretty much allergic to everything having to do with nature.

The last 2 weeks in Africa were a blur, I was so busy packing and deciding what would be OK to leave behind. Rusty was adamant about us not going over the allotted 16 pieces of luggage, and that became quite a struggle for me. I filled up the top of our pool table 3 times with different items to give away, most of it went to our maid & her family. At the last minute I had to purge a box of kitchen items I was hoping to bring home, and Anna was very grateful to have all of it.

Our trip was pretty uneventful, which was a good thing! A big van/bus showed up at our house on June 1^st and we got everything loaded. A couple of families stopped by to say goodbye and help us finish up. I barely had time to think the last couple of days so I wasn't able to get too sad about leaving. It was hard saying goodbye to Anna whom Jackson had lovingly come to know as 'Noni'. Since he was just a baby when we moved, he hasn't known life without her. His last day of preschool was Thursday, and it was hard to say goodbye to his teachers, but I'm grateful for the internet so we can keep in touch. Miranda seemed to be handling it all very well, her last day of school was Friday and we left the next day. We made it to the airport in plenty of time. It took almost 2 hours to get all of our luggage and boxes wrapped and tagged and checked in. I am so proud of my kids and their behavior. They were antsy and whiny, but they are also 2 & 6, so that was expected. But no tantrums or meltdowns, so I call it a success. The first class lounge was a great place to relax, get some food & drinks, and mentally gather myself before we departed. Seeing people's reactions to 2 little kids sitting in business class seats made me laugh a little, they ranged from unbelief to jealousy to friendly conversations. The takeoff was a challenge because Jackson kept taking off his seat belt. I would have to say it was a little easier traveling TO Africa when he was 7 months old than it was flying home with him at 2 1/2. He did do a great job sleeping and for the most part was well behaved – no meltdowns or screaming – and the staff was so kind and helpful. Miranda was easy, just like last time, she just watched movies, played iPad, and slept. I was doing OK until they served dinner. Even though I took motion-sickness pills, they didn't work. Or maybe it was just the stress & anxiety finally catching up with me, but I was not well until there was about 5 hours left of the flight. I do not travel well. I spent about a half hour in the galley talking with the stewardesses which really helped calm my nerves.

Landing in Atlanta was a glorious thing! We didn't have a ton of time to relax after gathering all our luggage (all 16 – YES!) and getting it re-checked. But we were able to get some lunch/breakfast and get cleaned up before our last leg to KC. I could tell the difference right away in regards to service people. If we had given R100 ($10) to each person who helped us with our luggage in Africa, they would have been so appreciative and thanked us instead of sighing and rolling their eyes. Really? You just earned $10 for 5 minutes of service. The kids were about at the end of their ropes by the time we boarded our flight to KC, but then Jackson fell asleep and Miranda got candy, so it all turned out just fine. Landing in KC was an even more glorious thing! We were one of the first off the plane and our gate-checked items were right there waiting for us. Our entourage was there to greet us with signs and balloons and treats for the kids, Miranda ran off ahead of me and into the arms of her Grammy. Jackson was a little overwhelmed at first. We got all of our luggage pretty quickly (all 16 again!) and we had reserved 2 vans to transport it all to our house.

Miranda was so excited to get back to our house. She ran straight to her room and showed Jackson his room. My little Shih-tzu (Maeby) was there and she was so happy to see me. She would not stop licking my face which is not something she usually does. Then I went to the back door to see Jozi who had arrived 2 weeks earlier. She looked really confused, but she was also super excited to see us. Unfortunately she & Maeby don't get along well. Jozi is still a puppy and she just wants to play, but Maeby is 8 and just wants to be left alone so she can sleep. We were all starting to run on empty but got revived after we got everything unloaded. The kids started to go downhill quickly and were asleep in bed by 6:45 (1:45am Africa time). I was out by 7:30. Rusty was up by 2am and Miranda by 3am, but Jackson and I were able to sleep until 5:00am. We were all able to get back on schedule pretty quickly, and as the summer progressed, we slept in a little later each week.

Our first week back we spent getting over jet-lag and car shopping. Rusty picked up his Subaru WRX first, then we spent a few days test driving cars for me. I ended up with a Toyota Sienna SE that I still haven't gotten used to driving yet. It feels absolutely massive compared to my Corolla I've been driving the past 2 years. I only drove on the wrong side of the road once, and it was in our neighborhood and Rusty was in the car to correct me. I'm getting better, but I still turn on the windshield wipers instead of the turn signal at least once a week. After a few months I finally had to fill it up myself. I never did in SA since you're not allowed to (unless there is a strike). I miss not knowing where the police are set up with their radar cameras. Since it would take about 3-6 months for your speeding ticket to get mailed to you, I'm wondering if any will start rolling in from our last few weeks we spent driving in Africa. Come and get your money!

Moving back to the US was quite a reverse culture shock. More so than I thought it would be. The biggest thing I noticed was how clean everything was and how wide the driving lanes are. The first trip to the grocery store was incredible, I wanted to buy everything! I kept having to remind myself that I don't have to buy all my favorite things right now because it will be there next time. And I really need to stop handing the check-out workers my credit card when I'm allowed to scan it myself. The super-clean day-glow white eggs kind of freaked me out, so I paid a little extra and bought the brown ones. I had been told by friends who have made trips home that you can taste the chemicals/hormones in the fruit, and they were right. I couldn't eat the bananas, apples, strawberries, and grapes for awhile. I visited a Whole Foods and their produce tasted like what I was used to. I have now gotten used to the taste of regular fruit, but I am still shocked at the difference and am surprised that I could actually taste it. I was surprised when I bought too much bread that it was still good after 2 weeks. And I can buy a week's worth of milk and it won't go sour. Hamburger Helper was my new best friend the first few weeks, but I'm already burned out. I miss Melrose Cheese that I could buy in a jar, but Velveeta works OK. I found my favorite jam that I used to buy at Woolworth's in Africa, so that was a nice surprise. I find myself checking my purse frequently to make sure it's zipped up and my cell phone is put away and out of sight. I still wear it across my body and never put it in the seat of the shopping cart. JoCo would be a thieves paradise if they could see how careless and trusting some people are. But I love that I can go shopping at 7:00pm and ALL the stores are still open! Having the sun still be out at that time is a wonderful thing as well. Summertime in SA meant 4am sunup but 7pm sundown. When I made Miranda go to bed at 8:30 and it was still bright out, she says to me “Is it REALLY time to go to bed?” A few other things I'm getting used to are resisting the urge to open my windows to air the house house when it's getting stuffy. I keep trying to turn the light on in the bathroom by flipping the switch on the outside. I also keep saying 'back home' when referring to stuff in Africa and I don't know why. I do miss a lot of things about South Africa and wish I would have had one more year there. I just needed a break, to come back home to the 'real world' for a few weeks, and then I could have pushed on. Two years was a long time to not visit home, and having little breaks would have made it a lot more bearable. But traveling with 2 little kids is expensive and stressful, so we are home for good. I am still trying to find my routine now that both kids are in school. Our house is getting in order, and although I don't enjoy having to clean it, it's half the size of our house in SA so it's doable. We've been so lucky to have a cooler summer although the humidity is something I was not at all prepared for. I think I'm going to have a rough winter. When it gets below 70 I feel cold and want to wear jeans and a jacket. Last night I had to resist the urge to run upstairs and unplug our router for fear that lightning would hit our house.

So our African adventure is over and I'm back in the 'real world' again. My brain is full of stories and memories and my computer is full of thousands of pictures and videos. Hopefully I will make it back there one day, I should probably start saving now so I can pay for the 'trip of a lifetime' and show Jackson where he took his first steps and learned to talk. Although it was quite a struggle at times and I don't adjust well to change, I'm so happy we did it and only regret that we didn't have more time.

2 Years

We arrived in Africa two years ago today, and all that was going through my mind was “I've made a huge mistake”. After landing from our 16-hour flight from Atlanta, we decided then and there that we would not be making a trip home while we were here because we were not going to go through that again until we had to. So it has now been two years since we set foot on American soil. The taxi ride from the airport to our apartment was the scariest ride I've ever been in since getting stuck in Colorado on I-70 during white-out conditions. Our lovely driver decided to tell us all the horrible things you never wanted to know about Africa and what to watch out for. Not exactly the “welcome to Africa' speech I wanted to hear. After a month in our apartment we moved into what we believed to be a great house, which honestly it is very homey and very cool and we have immensely enjoyed, but 7 sinus infections later and watching rats run around on the beams above me makes me wish I knew then what I know now. I will miss this kitchen, but I'm excited to go back to my little house which is half the size (and ¼ the mortgage!).

If I could turn back time and make the decision all over again whether or not to move here, would I say yes? Absolutely, without a doubt. But I would have packed more stuff. Would I stay two more years if I could? Nope. It's time to go home and be with my family. I have a niece and nephew who were born and have celebrated their first birthdays since I moved here. Miranda is very excited to get back to her pink room and all her toys and friends. She has forgotten a lot, but she had just turned 4 when we moved. She had her first slumber party on Friday with all the girls in her class, but she only made it until about 7pm and she asked to come home. Of course by the time Rusty got there she was fine. Poor Jackson is going to be one confused little boy since this is the only home he has known. He was 7 months old when we left and was barely crawling, he took his first steps in our living room here at 9 months, and now at 2 ½ he can ride his bike almost as fast as Miranda. We will miss Anna, our maid/nanny, whom Jackson lovingly refers to as 'Noni'. Her actual name is Innistasia, but a lot of the domestics change them to ones that are easier to pronounce. I have been giving her a lot of our things that we cannot take home. We'll have 16 pieces of luggage/boxes to bring back and right now I'm wondering how I'm going to accomplish that.

Two more weeks and I will be sitting in my living room with my family and my dogs. I miss my little Shih-tzu 'Maeby' so much and I hope that she will remember me and not want to stay with my mom who has been taking care of her all this time. She has been with her sister (a litter mate) and brother (from a previous litter). Jozi, our Standard Poodle we got here just over a year ago, is flying home today. They have picked her up and are en route to the airport for her 8pm direct flight via Delta to Atlanta. After an 8-hour layover she will continue on to KC and picked up on Wednesday morning by local family. We decided to book her flight a couple weeks early in case of any delays or complications. I hope she doesn't try to eat Maeby.

Since the end of our time here is so near, it makes me think about all the things I love about Africa and what I will miss. It almost makes me want to stay! Almost. I think I will miss the restaurants the most. There are so many affordable, quality restaurants that cater to kids. No one cares if your child is running around screaming because theirs probably is too! Most places have nice play areas and some even have 'child minders' who will keep an eye on your kid while you eat. We don't have to trade quality food for kid's entertainment. And of course the weather here just can't be beat. I'm afraid I have severely acclimatized, 60F is cold and 90F is hot, with little to no humidity. Uh-oh. Thank goodness for central air/heating! There are so many more things that I wish I would have had the opportunity to do here, but two years just isn't enough to accomplish it all, especially when you have 2 small children. I keep getting asked if I'm going to come back for holiday, but as of right now, a return visit isn't on the agenda. Unless someone else wants to pay for the flight. I have met so many wonderful people here and am very grateful for social networking so I can keep in touch. It hasn't quite hit me yet that there are some I may never see again, but I'm just happy for time that I've had with them. If it weren't for all the Black & Veatch families here, I don't think I would have made it these two years without demanding an early move back home. You couldn't have asked for a better field assignment or a greater group of people to have as a temporary family. Luckily most everyone will end up back in KC eventually so we will get to see each other again.

Operation 'clean out the pantry' is in full swing and I must say I'm doing a pretty good job! I just used up the last bag of my cherished Nestle Toll House chocolate chips on a batch of cookies and I'll see what else I can whip up this week with the remainder of my over-priced US goods. Hopefully somebody will make me something with Cool Whip in it as a 'welcome home' treat! Or just the tub with a spoon will suffice. ;-)

Warthog -- It's What's for Dinner

Now that's it's about time to leave, the Fox network has arrived! Although the television programming is a little behind here, we actually get some cinema movies early. 'Iron Man 3' was here a few days before the states, and we rented 'Dino Time' this weekend which is now Jackson's favorite movie, but I found out it's not available back home. We had a friend bring us some new Nexus 4 phones since they don't exist here yet. Blackberry is pretty popular. I'm excited to get back and have unlimited phone calls, texts, and internet without needing to stop in somewhere and buy airtime.

The weather has been absolutely gorgeous! It is now the dry season which means it's sunny every day. It's cool at night, maybe between 45-50F, with the highs getting up to 70F or so most days. We did have a little cold spell so I had to turn on my floor heaters for a bit. Unfortunately dry weather means it's time for everyone to start burning the land, so there's an awful brown haze over the city which is irritating, and we've been dealing with runny noses and coughing.

Our geyser (water heater) in the garage decided to break one night so we had a lovely waterfall over the freezer and a thick frozen one inside of it. Could have been worse, one of them is also located upstairs above Miranda's closet (we have 3 total). One day it will break, I just hope it waits until we're gone. We also had water issues in the house where there were 2 days where it just didn't work for several hours. I can live without electricity for a day, but no water is very challenging. They had the same challenge at Miranda's school last week when they didn't have water for almost 3 days. They brought in bottled water and fancy portable toilets that flushed and had working sinks. School was canceled on Wednesday so they could resolve the issue, and it just happened to be a holiday (Worker's Day) so it all worked out. Rusty and I spent the morning at the China Mall which is full of fun & cheap junk. I spent most of my money on new 'pashmina' scarves and some costume jewelry. My 'new experience' of the day was when I went to use the restroom, the toilet paper dispenser was on the outside of the stall. I had to take what I predicted would be enough before I went in. Maybe this is practiced all over the world, but it was new to me! This weekend we took Miranda to see 'The Croods' at Montecasino. As we were waiting in line to pay to park in the parking garage, there was a security truck with a guy standing next to it with his machine gun, and another guy on the other side of the entrance/exit with a gun as well. Then they both rand into the truck and sped off up the ramp into the garage. We asked the lady taking our money if we should be here, and she said it was OK. Hmm, didn't appear to be OK to me! Then after we parked and we were walking to the entrance, two security trucks raced down one of the lanes. We chose to go inside anyways. Interesting.

Miranda has been going to a lot of birthday parties and play dates lately, it's sad that we most likely will never see any of her kindergarten classmates ever again. But what a great experience she's had, and she is old enough to remember it. Unlike Jackson, who will probably only have memories from the pictures we've taken and the scars he's acquired. My lovely daughter decided to disobey me once again and turn on the treadmill in the upstairs loft. Just as I was calling them down for dinner, I hear crying and “it's OK, it's OK!” It wasn't. Jackson got his finger stuck under the tread and the band ripped off a thick layer of skin on his arm and hand. Yes, it was very gross. It's been over a week and he is healing nicely, but it's going to leave a mark.

For the 'Worker's Day' holiday, several of Rusty's co-workers & family members got together for a braii. We enjoyed the warthog that had been hunted by one of the guys. Tasted like ham, and I like ham. Cinco de Mayo was celebrated a day early on Saturday with our '2^nd Annual' event with most of the B&V families in the office here. Most people have really missed Mexican food, and there have only been a couple of restaurants found that are acceptable. But since I don't like Mexican food, I haven't had a problem. That's right, I said it, I don't like Mexican food! And considering there's one on every corner in KC, it's a problem. But there's an Italian restaurant on every corner here, so apparently this is where I belong!

Birthdays!

March has come and gone without a post, so April it is! Fall is in the air, the trees are starting to change, and it's very cool & dark in the morning. But, the sunny afternoons can still get warm. We aren't getting as much rain which is good since our roof is still leaking. The one unfortunate thunderstorm we got last month fried our router, lightning hit either near our house or our rod, and our internet speed has been even slower ever since. Could have been worse!


Miranda is still enjoying school and is a very good reader. Her 6th birthday was spent at Yeesh again with most of her kindergarten class. Jackson loves playing soccer at school and playing with his trains at home.



The first week of March was spring break at Miranda's school, so we packed up the car and headed to Ballito which is just north of Durban (about a 7-8 hour car ride). Since none of the other schools were on break and it wasn't a holiday, the roads were clear and the beaches were empty. Our condo was right on the beach and we spent 3 glorious days playing in the sand and waves. Poor Jackson got sick, again, so we had to make a trip to the local doctor. I got sick the day we left and ended up at the doctor myself. 11 rounds of antibiotics in less than 2 years. I am broken.


Good Friday and Easter Monday are holidays in this country, so we took advantage of the 4-day weekend and had a 'stay'-cation. On Friday we drove to Hartbeespoort Dam and visited the Bush Babies monkey sanctuary. This is a protected area where you can walk around with a guide. The kids liked it until a monkey jumped on me and then down onto Miranda who proceeded to scream and cry. Next we headed to the chameleon village for some lunch and shopping. There was a massive warehouse packed with booths of very persistent people selling their goods. It was a bit overwhelming, but I'm used to it by now, and I was able to find a big wooden bowl I've been looking for (and other goodies, of course). Saturday we went to Montecasino for their 'Easter Beach Party' for kids where they enjoyed face painting, jumping castles & slides, an obstacle course, playing in the sand, and Miranda got a manicure. We were up early on Easter Sunday to hunt for eggs and go to church. It was a relaxing day and I managed to make us quite a dinner feast of crock-pot gammon, sweet potato pie, grilled green beans & caramelized onions, deviled eggs, Mac & cheese, and crushed cookies with custard for dessert. Monday we headed to Fourways Mall for a few rounds of miniature golf.




It was a busy weekend with a birthday party on Friday at Avalanche for one of Miranda's classmates -- it's like sliding down a snow hill on an inner tube, except the hill was made of little white plastic 'grass' that was easy to slide on. Saturday was 'Family Fun Day' at Miranda's school where she spent the morning on water slides and jumping castles & slides, as well as big trampolines and games and face painting. Last night Rusty and I celebrated my birthday at Montecasino where Jersey Boys is currently showing. It was really entertaining, it must be hard for a bunch of Afrikaans to do a New Jersey accent for 2 hours!

  

100 DAYS

Have I made a post yet that doesn't include me talking about somebody being sick? Well, then why stop now? My allergies and sinuses were acting up again but I managed to avoid a 6^th sinus infection, for now. Plus I can no longer get my antihistamine nose spray here so I have to try something else. Jackson got sick the end of January with a low fever for several days that ended up being a left-over ear infection and bronchitis. He took his breathing treatments very well. Three weeks later he got a low fever again but it didn't turn into anything, although he has new bumps and blisters on parts of his body. Two days later Miranda got a high fever and then a sore throat with a splotchy red rash all over – Scarlet Fever. She missed 3 days of school but was able to go back today.

We had workers all over adding another layer of thatch to our house for 3 weeks and 2 days. They should have been done a lot sooner, but when you don't show up until 10am, then immediately lay down in the garden and take a tea break, it takes much longer. It was such a horrible mess and seriously aggravated my sinuses with all that junk falling from the ceiling all day. They pretty much just take bundles of grass and shove it into the old stuff. I was taking pictures and stopped to talk to one of the workers, trying to explain to him how it's impossible to have a roof like this where I'm from. He seemed to think otherwise, we just needed a thicker layer and stronger wooden supports. Apparently he has not seen 'The Wizard of Oz'. Then he proceeds to tell me that Americans are 'ignorant' because we all think that the people in South Africa live in tiny huts. What? I was not in the mood to argue with someone who clearly is unfamiliar with mass media.

Miranda is back in swimming lessons and progressing nicely. After 7 months of lessons last year and taking a break during winter, she 'forgot' how to swim. Luckily a friend of mine started teaching here in the estate and has a lot more patience for her than I do. She is growing like a weed, and since we'll have summer again when we move home, hopefully all her clothes will still fit. Poor thing had an evil classmate tell her that 'Santa doesn't exist because he got really old and died.' What kind of parent tells their 5-year-old this and then says it's ok to go to school and tell all her friends? I can accept that not everyone does 'Santa' at their house, but this is going a bit too far in my opinion.

Jackson loves school and is really bored on the days he is home with me. But he LOVES to ride his balance bike and play in his jumping castle. Trains and cars are still his toys of choice, and anything that Miranda is playing with. We converted his crib to a toddler bed and pushed the open side up to the queen-sized bed in the room since it is still pretty high off the ground. He would have been fine without it converted, he has never tried to climb out, but we thought we'd give it a shot and see what happens. Every night has been very successful, and he stays in bed until we get him up in the morning. The potty-training is going ok, he's starting to figure it out, but I'm not going to push it until after we get home. Who wants a newly-potty-trained toddler on a 16-hour flight or in line at customs?

Rusty & Jozi both had their birthdays and now we're trying to figure out travel arrangements to fly her home. Unfortunately the airline-approved kennel we purchased here is too small for the height requirements, so we are having the transport service make her one. She is still a puppy and likes to chew up the kids toys to get attention. She's a good walking companion but is still needing more training.

100 more days and we will be home! I'll actually be able to go to one grocery store to get everything I need and they will have kleenex every time. When it rains, the traffic lights won't just stop working for several days. I can go for a walk at dusk and not fear bats attacking me. But I won't be able to stock up on $3 bottles of wine or live within walking distance from all my friends. If anyone still wants to come visit, I'd love to take you on a safari!    

Who's Going to Mow My Lawn?

Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's, and school! November ended very nice with a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner at our house with about 30 of our South African family members. Since the holiday is not celebrated here, we moved it to Saturday since the husbands had to work and some of our kids had school. Miranda gets some of the American holidays off as well as the local ones, so she had a little break. I was able to take advantage of some of the 'Black Friday' sales online. It will be like Christmas all over again when we return home! We took the kids to Sandton City to see a live Dora show and Santa. Jackson cried for the first time, saying 'cheese' through tears, but he finally calmed down enough to get a nice picture. We traveled there via the Gautrain which was a 5 minute drive to the station and 10 minutes train ride to the mall. Christmas brought another round of sickness. Poor Miranda had to miss the company party due to a 24-hour stomach bug, and Jackson went to bed Christmas Eve with a fever. Rusty & I took turns attending Christmas Day dinner at our friend's home. After 6 days we finally took him in with the result being a double ear infection as well as chest & throat. As soon as he got better, Rusty & I started to feel bad. So New Year's Eve was spent sleeping, waking at midnight to the sound of the neighbors setting off fireworks. I am currently on several medications to cure all this junk I have going on.

December was rough, but I knew it would be. With some good friends moving home and others leaving for the holidays, it was very quiet and lonely here. Miranda and Jackson had 3 weeks off of school to torture each other which they succeeded at very well. Santa almost brought coal, I may have to cave and buy one of those creepy elves for next year so I can have at least one month of behaved children. But we now have a jumpy castle in our dining room and an over-priced train set on the coffee table. It will be interesting trying to get everything home in 16 suitcases/boxes in June.

Since we spent our 12th anniversary at the doctor and taking care of our sick boy, we moved our celebration to the next weekend and enjoyed a show at MonteCasino last weekend. We saw a live performance called “Potted Potter” which was a two-man comedy show covering all seven Harry Potter books in 70 minutes. The theaters here are so different, they let you bring in any food or drink you want! So refreshing.

Miranda and Jackson went back to school on Monday. I'm going to try sending Jackson 3 mornings a week and see how it goes. He moved up to the next class as this month is the beginning of the new school year for local schools. A miracle happened on Christmas morning, he peed in the toilet! So our journey down that road has begun, and I can see it being a very long one. Miranda is getting back in the groove and happy to be back at school even though she protested at first. I'm hoping to use some of my free time accomplishing as many things I can for the remainder of our time here.

Summer is in full swing and it is HOT! When it rains in the afternoon or evening it cools things off, otherwise 84 degrees outside with no air con inside makes a stuffy house. Our pool is freezing but we have used it a few times recently. The sun is up from about 4:30am to 7:15pm. Since all the gardeners and maids were off for 3-4 weeks over Christmas, Rusty actually had to mow our lawn a few times. I found it pretty easy to keep the house clean, I honestly don't know what our maid/nanny does all day when she 'cleans' my house Tuesdays and Thursdays. My neighbor called me the week before Christmas and asked if my gardener was still in town because she wasn't sure how she was going to get her garden (lawn) taken care of for the next 3 weeks. She was serious. I think she's funny.

6 More Months

October & November just flew by!  The last 3 weeks of October were spent with Rusty's family visiting. We kept them very busy to try to get in as much 'Africa' as possible.  Although about 16 hours after their arrival we whisked Rusty's sister and her fiance of to a German Bierfest.  The following day we drove up to Kruger National Park which is South Africa's first national park that has been protected since 1898 and covers an area of 7,523 square miles.  We stayed inside the park at Jock Safari Lodge which was founded by the Fitzpatrick family in the early 1900s.  Their descendants just happened to be staying there at the same time although they had their own private accommodations.  My goal was to see the 'Big 5', specifically the elusive leopard, and that goal was accomplished within 24 hours of arriving.  This trip was by far my favorite since arriving in Africa.

The next week we packed everyone up and flew to Cape Town for our 2nd visit.  Those 3 days were the windiest days I think I've ever seen!  Several attractions were closed down, although we managed to take a tour bus to the Constantia winery and get in some sight seeing & hiking.  Poor Jackson had a fever the whole time except for the day we left, and Miranda started the trip out with a fever and stomach pains that resulted in a mess all over the kitchen floor.  I think I've had enough of Cape Town for now.

Our neighborhood got hit with a massive hail storm which resulted in shattered windows and dented cars (the neighbors, not ours).  It seems that a lot of our thunderstorms produce at least some hail and our roof continues to leak, but it's not over any electrical devices or furniture so it's manageable.  But every time the outside lights get wet, the circuit breaker trips.  Go figure.

I can't wait until next Halloween and my kids can experience what it's REALLY like.  Our estate celebrated the Saturday before, but Miranda had a 103 fever and it was thunder storming, so it was pretty much a bust.  Plus, only about 1 out of 10+ houses actually have candy, so it can be exhausting.  On the actual Halloween date we headed to a local shopping center where they had a costume contest (we didn't win even though we were a very convincing Dorothy & Glenda), jumping castles, face painting, and trick-or-treating at the shops.  Unfortunately the candy here consists of little hard pieces, and everyone posting pictures of their children's loot back home was torture!  But luckily Rusty's family brought us some bite-sized Kit-Kats.  We have them here, but they're different.  It had been so long since I'd had the 'real' thing that I had to do a taste-test, and sure enough, totally different.  US Kit-Kats are thicker and the chocolate is creamier.  Also, high-fructose corn syrup does not exist here.

Miranda is still enjoying school but is looking forward to having a 4-day weekend.  Even though Thanksgiving is not celebrated here (of course), she still gets the holiday off since her school is based on the American schedule.  We will be celebrating on Saturday with our South African family.  Jackson is still having bad skin issues and after a blood test (THAT was fun), it was determined that he might have a mild allergy to milk, peanut butter, and dogs.  We have been avoiding those and there is no change.  He is not allergic to Jozi because we lived here for a year before getting her and he already had issues.  It's eczema, and we've tried every cream available, we're just going to have to try to maintain it the best we can until we move home.  I'm convinced it's the air, grass roof, old carpet...

6 months from yesterday is technically the end of Rusty's 2-year contract here.  Miranda's last day of school is May 31 and our lease on the house is up at the end of June, so we are still unsure of our move-home date.  Hopefully it will be as early in June as possible so we won't miss out on any of Rusty's sister's wedding festivities.