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.
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