It's been quite a couple of weeks. First Miranda got sick, again, with a 103.8 fever all day Monday, then 100 the next day. She was perfectly fine on Wednesday. Had a visit to the doctor for a possible ear infection with Jackson but it wasn't severe enough for medication although I don't think he has gotten any better. Then I visited the doctor 2 days later for a sinus infection and I don't think my medicine has done anything because 5 days later, I'm still miserable. I've been told I just have to wait until the rain comes and it will wash everything away. It has only rained twice since we've been here, and it has now been 4 months. There is still a lot of field burning and the wind has picked up. At home I would just shut the house up and turn on the a/c, but that is not an option here. I'm grateful that all my allergy prescriptions I had back home are available here, now if only they would start working!
On top of all the sickness last week, my washing machine broke during the rinse cycle so I got water everywhere when I opened up the door which is on the front of the machine. Thankfully I have nice neighbors who let me bring my dripping wet towels over for a spin cycle. But then Miranda decided to get sick all over everything so I did my best effort at hand-washing until I could get a load over to another neighbor who let me use their machine at 8pm. I did not get a new washer until 4 days later, and it is so teeny tiny, I didn't know they made them that small! But, a tiny washer is better than no washer at all. I have had a lot of practice with it as I sent my maid home to take care of her family while they arranged a funeral for her daughter's husband-boyfriend... not really sure. I believe he had an aneurysm and passed away from surgery complications. I had a lot of people offer their maid to me or someone they know of that needs work, but we managed just fine by ourselves, and I even figured out what to feed the gardener although I gave him all the stuff to make his own tea because I'm not quite used to 'tea time.'
Miranda decided she wanted short hair on Thursday night. She apparently forgot our discussion that scissors are for cutting paper, not hair. I noticed a big matted clump on the table next to a wad of white hair. I guess her stuffed dog needed a haircut too. It could have been worse, but she now has bangs and the rest goes just past her ears. It's pretty cute, but I was devastated. Just before we moved here her bangs had finally grown out to be as long as the rest of her hair and I was going to see how long we could grow it before returning home. Not going to happen. And I think the bangs might stay because now her hair stays out of her eyes and it's perfect for summer which is right around the corner.
So I've figured out that my Africa catch-phrase is "What the f--- IS that?!" as I seem to utter these words at least once a week. This week it was in regards to new bugs in my house I've never seen before. It also pertains to bird calls that are super-loud and I've never heard before, or types of food that I see in the store. Prawn-flavoured potato chips? Ostrich jerky? I wasn't aware there was such a plethora of Ostrich here that they could make jerky out of them.
With the weather getting warmer I am liking my house a lot more. We are lucky to have a thatch-roof as the breeze blows through it and it doesn't get too hot. We also have a lot of vegetation surrounding the house so there is an abundance of shade. It's peaceful and secluded.
We are trying to plan a trip to Durban on Jackson's birthday but are having troubles getting a place to stay. It is about a 7-hour drive SE from us. We still have a few weeks, so hopefully we'll find something soon. Miranda still likes preschool and has a couple of friends in school and outside of school that she has really taken a liking to. Her South-African accent appeared yesterday at the park while we were sitting on a bench next to the pond. "Water" came out as 'wuh-tuh'. I asked her to say it again and she said it the 'American' way, but I'm sure that's just the beginning. I am unable to do too much exploring during the week as Jackson keeps me on my toes whenever I leave the house. Shopping carts (trolleys) do not have seat belts and he is constantly trying to climb out. Everyone has a pool at their house, and he makes a bee-line to it every time.
My dad will be here in 11 days. Soooooo excited!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Monday 19 September 2011
Monday 5 September 2011
No Shoes Required
I finally made it back to the gym and tried out the pool. I had it all to myself, and it was heated. With Jackson in the child care room, I was able to shower and get myself ready for the day, then sit in the cafe area and enjoy a banana/lemon smoothie before picking him up. Lemons have become my new staple here since all the lemons on my tree are starting to ripen. I have made lemon 'bread' several times, which to me seems to be more like a cake, and is now a family favorite.
On the subject of food, the stores here lack a lot of processed foods which I have realized is the way I used to cook all the time back home. I have had to learn how to cook more organically, which is a little difficult when your kids are hungry NOW, but we're adapting. I really miss canned biscuits, frozen pizza (they do have some here but not much), Stovetop stuffing mix, Libby's canned pumpkin, and Cool Whip/Reddi Whip. Other foods I miss are brown sugar, ricotta cheese (can't figure out how to make lasagna), graham crackers, kraft mac & cheese, and shredded cheese. I also cannot figure out how to get my floors clean. The mops are not high-quality and you can't wash or replace the heads, and no Swiffer. I miss my Shark Steam Mop, but not enough to shell out $200 for one here when they're only about $75 back home. I'm getting the carpets cleaned on Thursday.
Words in the US that have the letter 'z' in them have an 's' here. Like 'realized' is spelled 'realised'. And my spell check just underlined it.
The weather has been absolutely beautiful. We eat lunch outside every day and have all the windows and doors open. The humidity is very low, and it has only rained 2 times since we've been here. I've heard the rainy season will start soon but they're quick and usually happen in the afternoon. There are no screens on any of the windows so I'm not looking forward to the mosquitoes.
Miranda has had the past month off from school and she returns tomorrow. I am hoping she will find some good friends like she had back home, it's hard to be the new kid and the only one with an 'accent'. We are trying really hard to adapt here, but we had a setback a couple of weeks ago when we had to put Crissy down. The vet said her cancer was a very aggressive type that she probably only had for about a month. If it weren't such a long flight, I might have considered getting a dog here. Jackson is running all over the place. He thinks he's pretty cool that he can walk now. He's a sneaky little boy, and his favorite things to do with his toys are to either put them in his mouth or hit stuff with them. He will be 11 months tomorrow and I am busy planning his birthday party.
I've been noticing lately since it's been warmer out that a lot of kids don't wear shoes, and no one seems to care. This weekend I saw bare feet walking into the movie theater, at the casino, and at church. The park has several bare feet kiddos as well, and one day last week must have been 'naked day' as there were about 4 little girls ages 3-4 who were playing all over the park in their birthday suits while their moms sat on blankets chatting away. When Miranda asked "why are they naked?", my only response was "I don't know." It was a little awkward as there were little boys present.
I discovered BBC's version of "Dancing With the Stars" today, but it is called "Strictly Come Dancing." It is the exact same set, songs, structure, etc. Bruno and Len are judges alongside some people I don't know. I also don't recognize any of the 'stars' or professional dancers, but it's still enjoyable to watch. We hooked the computer up to the TV on Saturday and were able to watch College Game Day live on ESPN via our Slingbox in Olathe.
My dad arrives in 25 days, and yes, I'm counting down!
On the subject of food, the stores here lack a lot of processed foods which I have realized is the way I used to cook all the time back home. I have had to learn how to cook more organically, which is a little difficult when your kids are hungry NOW, but we're adapting. I really miss canned biscuits, frozen pizza (they do have some here but not much), Stovetop stuffing mix, Libby's canned pumpkin, and Cool Whip/Reddi Whip. Other foods I miss are brown sugar, ricotta cheese (can't figure out how to make lasagna), graham crackers, kraft mac & cheese, and shredded cheese. I also cannot figure out how to get my floors clean. The mops are not high-quality and you can't wash or replace the heads, and no Swiffer. I miss my Shark Steam Mop, but not enough to shell out $200 for one here when they're only about $75 back home. I'm getting the carpets cleaned on Thursday.
Words in the US that have the letter 'z' in them have an 's' here. Like 'realized' is spelled 'realised'. And my spell check just underlined it.
The weather has been absolutely beautiful. We eat lunch outside every day and have all the windows and doors open. The humidity is very low, and it has only rained 2 times since we've been here. I've heard the rainy season will start soon but they're quick and usually happen in the afternoon. There are no screens on any of the windows so I'm not looking forward to the mosquitoes.
Miranda has had the past month off from school and she returns tomorrow. I am hoping she will find some good friends like she had back home, it's hard to be the new kid and the only one with an 'accent'. We are trying really hard to adapt here, but we had a setback a couple of weeks ago when we had to put Crissy down. The vet said her cancer was a very aggressive type that she probably only had for about a month. If it weren't such a long flight, I might have considered getting a dog here. Jackson is running all over the place. He thinks he's pretty cool that he can walk now. He's a sneaky little boy, and his favorite things to do with his toys are to either put them in his mouth or hit stuff with them. He will be 11 months tomorrow and I am busy planning his birthday party.
I've been noticing lately since it's been warmer out that a lot of kids don't wear shoes, and no one seems to care. This weekend I saw bare feet walking into the movie theater, at the casino, and at church. The park has several bare feet kiddos as well, and one day last week must have been 'naked day' as there were about 4 little girls ages 3-4 who were playing all over the park in their birthday suits while their moms sat on blankets chatting away. When Miranda asked "why are they naked?", my only response was "I don't know." It was a little awkward as there were little boys present.
I discovered BBC's version of "Dancing With the Stars" today, but it is called "Strictly Come Dancing." It is the exact same set, songs, structure, etc. Bruno and Len are judges alongside some people I don't know. I also don't recognize any of the 'stars' or professional dancers, but it's still enjoyable to watch. We hooked the computer up to the TV on Saturday and were able to watch College Game Day live on ESPN via our Slingbox in Olathe.
My dad arrives in 25 days, and yes, I'm counting down!
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