So we may have found a house, just waiting for the owner to sign the contract. I'm not looking forward to spending the next 3 weeks in this apartment but if there's a light at the end of the tunnel, then I can handle it. Someone has a dog which is probably really hoarse today because it was barking for at least an hour straight last night. Lovely. One of the houses we looked at was almost 7,000 square feet and Miranda had such a good time chasing the dog around that the owner said we could keep him there if we wanted to. It also had a cat which doesn't go well with Rusty's allergies. But there is no hvac in any of the homes here, just room air-conditioners (if you're lucky) and under-floor heating.
We ate at an American-themed restaurant called "Spur" a couple of times. Their menu is geared towards the US, the decor is Native American. Miranda had grilled cheese, I ordered from the section that stated "enough for two" thinking that I would have leftovers. Nope. It was chicken quesidillas, a medium-sized tortilla cut into fourths, just the perfect size for my dinner but too small for a second meal. They had a play area with 'child-minders' so we could hang out at the table while Miranda ran around. The second Spar we visitied was at the casino which was similar to Ameristar in KC. It was nice because the shops were open which usually are closed by 6:00pm every night. Makes it impossible to run errands after Rusty gets home from work.
The language barrier is a bit frustrating for me with the locals. They speak so fast and I cannot understand them most of the time. You have to be very blunt and forward and somewhat demanding when asking for something which I am not very good at yet. I wonder if it's just as hard for them to understand me. Grocery shopping is still interesting and time consuming because I'm not quite sure what some things are. Luckily I ran into another US citizen who has lived here for 2 years and she was able to guide me through the baking aisle. Still getting used to degrees celsius and 24-hour time.
The Lion Park on Sunday was a fun experience. It was not overly crowded and we happened to show up on the day where they let you watch them feed the animals. We had a very close spot in the lion area, maybe a little too close for comfort, and watched as a truck full of what looked like zebra legs drove through with a man in the back throwing them out as the lions chased after them. Then we got to drive through the rest of the park with cheetas and other animals. I liked the cub area where you could pay to pet them. They were like dog-sized kittens and would sometimes nip at your hands. You could also feed the giraffes but Miranda didn't want to get too close. Back at the food area they had a braii (BBQ) buffet with lots of grilled goodies. It was about a 30 minute drive from our apartment and I got to see a lot of Africa scenery. We passed by a very large settlement where the poorest of the poor live. It was like a giant shanty-town with 'homes' made out of whatever people could scrap together. I would guess over 15,000 people live in there and can't even imagine what it must be like.
Today I went to a Sam's Club-like store with a friend and then out to lunch at McDonald's. Miranda got a McNuggets Happy Meal with a choice of corn or fries and a side of sweet and sour sauce for dipping. For my extra-value meal I got the medium fries and drink which is equivalent to a small in the US, and there is no super-size here. Everything tasted the same except the fries seem to have less sugar and salt on them and weren't as greasy. The Sprite was cold even though I forgot to ask for it with ice. My bad.
I still do not have a phone, only Skype, but hopefully that will change this week. My next adventure will be attempting to drive. I haven't taken the required course yet, but I want to practice first.
Monday 30 May 2011
Tuesday 24 May 2011
Apparently today was 'cold'
Today's front-page headline for the local newspaper: "There Used To Be A City Here". It was an article and picture of Joplin, MO.
Today I went out with the 'Stepping South' relocation specialist to look at some houses. I wore jeans and a t-shirt because it was about 65 degrees and very refreshing. Everyone else had on sweaters and kept asking me 'aren't you freezing?' and telling me to go put on a jacket. I had to explain what a typical winter was like in Kansas. The houses were either too small or had cats which won't work with Rusty's allergies. They all have teeny-tiny washing machines (big enough to wash 2 bath towels and wash cloths) and some don't have dryers. We have one more to look at tomorrow, keeping my fingers crossed! We still don't have a phone which is irritating because I can't get a hold of Rusty if I need to, and vice versa. A phone call would have helped this morning when I overslept until 9:25 and was being picked up at 9:30. Not quite over the jet-lag, Miranda was still awake at 11:30 last night and I was up until 1:30. So frustrating!
I looked like a stupid American at the front office today when I kept pulling on the door to get in and they had to tell me to push. This would be unacceptable at home due to fire codes. Africa lingo: when you say 'thank-you', the reply you get is 'pleasure'.
The TV censors are interesting. Watched the 'Sex and the City' movie last night and they silenced every 'F'-bomb and 'God' (as in 'oh my ---!). But every 'sh*t' was heard and all nudity was shown. Commercials are also very limited so programs don't usually start on the hour or half-hour because a 30-minute show is actually only 22 minutes or so. Wish I didn't have to miss the 'Dancing With the Stars' finale tonight!
Today I went out with the 'Stepping South' relocation specialist to look at some houses. I wore jeans and a t-shirt because it was about 65 degrees and very refreshing. Everyone else had on sweaters and kept asking me 'aren't you freezing?' and telling me to go put on a jacket. I had to explain what a typical winter was like in Kansas. The houses were either too small or had cats which won't work with Rusty's allergies. They all have teeny-tiny washing machines (big enough to wash 2 bath towels and wash cloths) and some don't have dryers. We have one more to look at tomorrow, keeping my fingers crossed! We still don't have a phone which is irritating because I can't get a hold of Rusty if I need to, and vice versa. A phone call would have helped this morning when I overslept until 9:25 and was being picked up at 9:30. Not quite over the jet-lag, Miranda was still awake at 11:30 last night and I was up until 1:30. So frustrating!
I looked like a stupid American at the front office today when I kept pulling on the door to get in and they had to tell me to push. This would be unacceptable at home due to fire codes. Africa lingo: when you say 'thank-you', the reply you get is 'pleasure'.
The TV censors are interesting. Watched the 'Sex and the City' movie last night and they silenced every 'F'-bomb and 'God' (as in 'oh my ---!). But every 'sh*t' was heard and all nudity was shown. Commercials are also very limited so programs don't usually start on the hour or half-hour because a 30-minute show is actually only 22 minutes or so. Wish I didn't have to miss the 'Dancing With the Stars' finale tonight!
Sunday 22 May 2011
We have arrived!
We made it to South Africa! The flights went smoothly, except for our lack of sleep trying to keep Jackson quiet. I do not recommend flying 15 straight hours with a baby. We had roomy first-class seats that I will hopefully get to enjoy on our return trip. Miranda had a great time watching Disney movies and playing her Nintendo DS. We left KC at 3pm and arrived in Atlanta just under 2 hours later. We left Atlanta at 7pm and landed in Johannesburg at 10:30am (5:30pm South Africa time). When we arrived, we got all our luggage, and had 3 people pushing 4 carts with all our stuff, then a large taxi with a trailer took us, our 6 pieces of carry-on luggage, 5 checked bags and 8 cardboard moving boxes to our temporary extended-stay. It's a nice furnished 2 bed/2 bath apartment with no heaters so we quickly purchased an oil one to put in the dining room which is where Jackson is sleeping. Miranda is excited to have a tv in her room.
The first night was challenging as Jackson decided to death-scream from 2-3am. The day was spent in a jet-lag cloud. We made our way to the local 'Pick N Pay Hyper' which is like a super Walmart; it has a little bit of everything. Things have different names over here so it takes awhile to figure out exactly what you want. Don't ask for a napkin, it's a 'serviette'. After much-needed naps, we headed out to dinner at Papacinos, which is a large family-friendly Italian-style restaurant. Miranda got to go to a special kitchen and make her own pizza. I had a flatbread pizza with chicken & mayo, feta cheese, and avacado slices. It was so good! There is a large playground outside where the 'child-minders' will watch your kids while you eat dinner. Genius! The evening was spent Skyping family. We are 7 hours ahead of KS time.
Today is Sunday and the night went much better. The jet-lag cloud is beginning to dissapate but I found myself wide awake from 4-6am. We had a nice lunch and visit with one of Rusty's co-workers and his family. It makes me anxious to get into a house. We went back to the Pick N Pay to pick up a few more things and it was much less crowded, since we showed up 20 minutes before closing time at 4pm. Everything closes early here except for restaurants and movie theaters, so we won't be running errands in the evenings during the week as Rusty will be putting in 10-hour days. I have my international driver's license, but have not driven on the streets yet. I'm not that anxious to head out on my own, have never driven on the left side before, and the other drivers are a little scary. Plus, people try to sell you things at the major intersections, and sometimes the street lights (I mean 'robots') aren't working. I am very happy we decided to bring our carseats from home as there are no child-restraint laws here and it is difficult to find a proper carseat.
It is almost winter here, so the sun is set by 6pm and it projects to the north side of buildings instead of the south. But, the winter weather is lovely; the high was about 65 today with no humidity and clear blue skies. Haven't ran into any crazy bugs yet, but I'm sure it will happen soon since the homes here do not have screens on any of the windows. I will be heading out Tuesday with our relocation specialist to look for a house. We are hoping to be out of our extended-stay very soon!
The first night was challenging as Jackson decided to death-scream from 2-3am. The day was spent in a jet-lag cloud. We made our way to the local 'Pick N Pay Hyper' which is like a super Walmart; it has a little bit of everything. Things have different names over here so it takes awhile to figure out exactly what you want. Don't ask for a napkin, it's a 'serviette'. After much-needed naps, we headed out to dinner at Papacinos, which is a large family-friendly Italian-style restaurant. Miranda got to go to a special kitchen and make her own pizza. I had a flatbread pizza with chicken & mayo, feta cheese, and avacado slices. It was so good! There is a large playground outside where the 'child-minders' will watch your kids while you eat dinner. Genius! The evening was spent Skyping family. We are 7 hours ahead of KS time.
Today is Sunday and the night went much better. The jet-lag cloud is beginning to dissapate but I found myself wide awake from 4-6am. We had a nice lunch and visit with one of Rusty's co-workers and his family. It makes me anxious to get into a house. We went back to the Pick N Pay to pick up a few more things and it was much less crowded, since we showed up 20 minutes before closing time at 4pm. Everything closes early here except for restaurants and movie theaters, so we won't be running errands in the evenings during the week as Rusty will be putting in 10-hour days. I have my international driver's license, but have not driven on the streets yet. I'm not that anxious to head out on my own, have never driven on the left side before, and the other drivers are a little scary. Plus, people try to sell you things at the major intersections, and sometimes the street lights (I mean 'robots') aren't working. I am very happy we decided to bring our carseats from home as there are no child-restraint laws here and it is difficult to find a proper carseat.
It is almost winter here, so the sun is set by 6pm and it projects to the north side of buildings instead of the south. But, the winter weather is lovely; the high was about 65 today with no humidity and clear blue skies. Haven't ran into any crazy bugs yet, but I'm sure it will happen soon since the homes here do not have screens on any of the windows. I will be heading out Tuesday with our relocation specialist to look for a house. We are hoping to be out of our extended-stay very soon!
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