En ingles, por favor!

Now that my dad has returned home, we are ready for the next visitor!  The weather was great for the rest of his trip and we were able to go out and do a lot of "Africa" things.  We went to the Montecasino and looked for the guards who hide in the shadows with machine guns, but we still can't find them.  After a croissant in a cafe, we headed to the Bird Gardens which were a little more alive than when we went back in July because now it's spring.  A stork had laid an egg and was busy tending to the nest.  The following day we headed to the Elephant Sanctuary near Harbeespoort Dam.  After 2 1/2 hours spent learning all about elephants, touching them, and walking with them, we enjoyed a buffet overlooking the sanctuary.  The next day we drove to the Rhino and Lion Park.  We spent some time petting the baby lions and walking around the park.  You can drive your car around the wild life area and watch the feedings.  The truck that delivered the food had a system: stay in the truck while feeding the lions, only put your arm out the window to throw the chain over the log, then pull away so the dead animal falls out the back.  Although the lion decided to just pull the animal out the back of the truck himself.  Then the truck drove to the area with the wild dogs.  The feeder got out of the truck and was running around with the dogs, then just threw the food off the back.  For the cheetahs, he stayed in the bed of the truck and threw the food high in the air and the cheetahs jumped up to catch it.  The only Rhino we saw was way up on the hill as we were exiting the park.  We definitely had our fill of animals after that.

We did a couple of shopping trips to two different types of markets.  Bryanstan Organic Market is located outside and the booths are set up like a craft fair.  It reminds me of the Apple Festival I used to attend at Ward Meade Park in Topeka.  We were able to pick up a few souvenirs before enjoying a lunch of spinach & feta quiche with salad and chocolate croissants to go (they call it 'take-away' here).  I will never eat croissants from a can ever again.  Rosebank market has the same sort of merchandise, just in a larger scale, and most items do not have a price tag because you can bargain.  It is located on the top floor of the mall's parking garage.  We ran into some Americans there, one from California who is living here for a few years for her husband's job, and another two from Maryland who were also here for work, but just for a few days.

Miranda has started swimming lessons and they aren't going very well.  She is very scared and screams and cries a lot.  We've only been to two lessons so hopefully it will get better.  Her school had a concert a couple of weeks ago and her group dressed up like walruses and sang a song.  She was so unhappy and didn't like her costume, and I hardly blame her when I saw what all the other kids got to wear.  Who wants to wear brown when the others get to be bunnies and fairies?  Oh well, she gets to be Ariel for Halloween.  I actually found orange pumpkins at the grocery store yesterday.  They are rare here, and no trips to the pumpkin patch.  Jackson has another tooth, so that makes 7 total.

We had yet another wave of sickness go through the house.  Miranda was battling a 100-102 degree fever for 5 days, then she got pink eye.  Then Jackson got it.  It's been so fun trying to hold his eyes open while I attempt to put in eye drops.  I thought the rain was supposed to wash away all this sickness, but all it did was prove to me that rain spiders know how to get in my house.  I've only had one, but it was absolutely horrifying!  Apparently they eat lizards, so the little one in the garage that keeps hissing at me better watch out.

We went to Gold Reef City amusement park this weekend and it's like Worlds of Fun, only smaller.  It's located on an old gold mine next to Johannesburg, and there's a tour you can take where you can see a gold-containing ore vein.  We didn't have time for the tour.  In the park they have a couple of hotels, and the live shows of 'Idols South Africa' are filmed in the auditorium.  The park was about $50 for the 4 of us.  We pretty much stayed in the kiddie corner, and there were two areas that we didn't even get to go to.  The Apartheid museum is just across the street.  It was sad to drive by Johannesburg and see the ruins of large buildings that were once grand.  After apartheid ended in '94, crime settled in and most of the businesses moved out to Sandton City, which is now the wealthiest city in Africa.

I decided this weekend that I really do despise a few of my neighbors.  Especially the ones next door who let their dog bark non-stop for 45 minutes at 6:30am.  And the ones behind me who let their gardener mow at 6am.  And definitely the ones across the street who have huge parties that last way past midnight where I can hear every word of every song in my bedroom.  The only thing that keeps me from egging their houses is knowing that they won't be my neighbors in less than 2 years, and if they ever did anything like this back home, I could call the police and they would be fined and/or arrested for disturbing the peace.

I seriously still cannot understand some of the people here.  Clearly I can't understand what they are saying since I keep saying 'sorry' and 'I don't understand what you are saying' so you'd think they'd slow down or speak louder.  Nope.  They are in fact speaking English, but the Afrikkan accent is so strong that I feel like they're speaking a different language.  There are dozens of languages here, but Spanish is not one of them.  Oh how I wish I could speak Spanish fluently, just to mess with them.  I'm about to whip out all the words I do know the next time I can't understand them and see how THEY feel.  
 

It's Raining In My House

We had another week of sickness but I finally have my allergies under control and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Jackson's ear infection does not flare up again.  Jackson had his first trip to the emergency room a couple of weeks ago after falling in the bath.  He cut open his forehead, but luckily some friends came over just after the incident and taped it up, so the doctor said he wouldn't need stitches.  It is healing nicely and I'm hoping there won't be much of a scar.  Miranda has been injuring herself a lot lately, it's starting to be a bit like the little boy who cried wolf.  She's full of bruises and scrapes after falling outside on the rocks, getting a blister at preschool and tripping over a friend, then falling down the stairs because she was hopping down to try to favor one of her injuries.  I've heard the word 'ow-wee' so many times this past week I'm immune to it.

The air basically has 2 smells:  flowers, or poop/sewer/trash.  It all depends on which way the wind blows.  Since it is spring here, all the flowers are starting to bloom and there are a lot!  It's very beautiful and the weather is outstanding.  I'm wondering if it will ever get hot enough to use the pool.

My dad arrived safely with all his luggage.  He adjusted well to the time change and was able to get over his jet-lag in only 2 days.  About 15 hours after his arrival, we had Jackson's 1st birthday party at our house.  We celebrated with about 40 friends and neighbors and Jackson performed well when  it was time for him to smash his cake.  The kids had fun on the jumping castle and running around the yard.  I made 2 batches of cupcakes and ordered trays of fruit, cheese, and breakfast breads from a local grocery.  I think it all went perfectly!

My dad brought with him the rainy season.  Saturday we got our first downpour, along with some hail, and then our roof started leaking.  It was like is was raining in my house because we would just walk around and get dripped on.  There are about 7 spots in the roof that are leaking, one in each room.  We strategically placed about 14 containers around to catch the drips.  They were used again the next night when it decided to storm again.  I'm glad we don't have to pay to get them fixed!

Our trip to Durban is being postponed until November because there just wasn't a time where it was going to work out.  We plan on doing all the local touristy-stuff while my dad is here, and there is a lot.  We've done a bit of shopping and he is becoming familiar with the parking lot attendants who help you find a spot.  I don't know how I'm going to back out of a parking spot without someone guiding me when I get home.  ;-)

WTF is THAT?!?!

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!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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!
          

Tiny Cars are Awesome!

We are a 2-vehicle family again.  Our 'new' car is a 2004 Citroen C2.  It's bigger than a Smart Car but smaller than anything I've ever owned.  It fits in every parking space very easily.  Rusty is enjoying going into work early so he can be home early.  He still carpools once in awhile, but he can now go to World of Golf every day for lunch if he wants to, and I can go anywhere I want without having to call someone for a ride.

The hailstorm last week was certainly an interesting event.  I hadn't expected my lawn (or 'garden' as everyone calls it here) to ever be white.  We lost a couple of small palm tree branches and the patios were covered in debris and leaves.  Luckily my gardener was scheduled to come the next day so it all got cleaned up nicely.  

Last week I visited the Byanston Organic Market which reminded me of the Apple Festival I used to go to at Ward Meade Park in Topeka.  It was an outside venue with different booths set up where people were selling their hand-crafted goods.  I found a hand-carved wooden candle holder, a couple of ostrich-feather hair clips, and several other things I will have to go back for someday.  I also had the most delicious spinach-quiche I ever tasted.  The weather was absolutely glorious!  I was able to leave Miranda and Jackson at home with Anna so I could have a much-needed kid-free outing with friends.

Miranda is now a bike owner again, this time with a JD Bug Training 'Balance' Bike.  It does not have pedals, the seat is low enough for the child to reach the ground, and it helps train kids to balance so they will not need training wheels when they switch over to a regular bike.  She is improving every day although she rejected it at first.  These bikes have been around for 10 years, originating in Germany.  They are very popular here.  Jackson is walking all over the place.  He takes more and more steps every day, although he still prefers to crawl or zoom around in his walker.  Today he walked all the way across the room and looks so proud every time.  He has figured out how to open the washing machine door and his favorite spot is to sit in the big drawer under the TV that houses all his toys.

The bird that got stuck in our chimney yesterday made his way into our fireplace this afternoon.  He spent a very long time trying to fly in and pecking at the glass door.  After an hour or so, Rusty was able to rescue it with a pitcher and a newspaper.  The bird was pretty exhausted, but after releasing him outside, he flew away.   

Having the Flu Sucks

It's been a couple of weeks since my last post due to sickness that went through our house.  I blame Miranda's preschool, especially when she comes home telling me which kids were out sick and which ones were complaining about tummy aches all day.  So last weekend was spent with each of us taking our turn with the stomach flu.  We tried to take advantage of the nice weather this weekend to make up for it.  On Sunday we went to the Pretoria Zoo.  The drive there was quite scary as downtown Pretoria is not a nice place to be.  I have never been to Detroit, but I can imagine what the worst area would be, and that's what we drove through.    The zoo was ok, but since it is winter here (65 degrees), a lot of the animals were hiding inside their little homes and the vegetation was dry and dead.  We plan on going back this summer and renting a golf cart so we can see the zoo in it's entirety.    

I have found a new favorite place to be, and that is World of Golf.  You might be thinking, "I didn't know you played golf!"  I don't.  But I might start.  This place is every golfer's dream.  For only $55 a month, you get access to the entire club which includes a gym, restaurant, and several areas to practice all your golf swings.  There is a little 9-hole pitch-and-putt course, a putting green, a chipping area, and a bunker area.  There might be even more that we don't know about.  Of course there are plenty of tees to practice with whichever club you desire, with an unlimited supply of golf balls piled in a pyramid next to each tee.  There are also nice covered wooden bench swings which is where I sit, breathe in the non-humid air, look at the beautiful blue sky and gaze at palm trees.  Miranda plays in the kiddie area and Jackson eats cereal while sitting in his stroller.  It is paradise.

I do not understand the people in charge of electrical things here.  The outlets are not only few and far-between, but they don't exist in the bathrooms.  You also have to flip a switch to turn them on.  You'd think that if you bought an electrical item at the store in Africa, for example, a hair dryer, that you could take it home and plug it in at your Africa house.  Nope.  You need an adapter.  Some stuff has 3 prongs, some have 2.  The ones that have 2 prongs, some are round, some are oval, and some have a hexagon shape.

I went to Super Spar again last week and scored big time.  They will import American items, and you can also request things, but it's hit-or-miss on what they have.  I have been pretty good at accepting the things I cannot have, but I'll admit I spent way too much on luxuries.  My Mrs. Butterworth's syrup was $7, and Froot Loops with marshmallows was $8.  A&W Root Beet was $1.30 a can, and a box of fruit snacks was $6.  The store is not down the street so I do not go very often.  At the other grocery store I usually go to (Pick N Pay), I found mint-flavored canned peas.  I bought one, but have yet to taste it.  

Miranda still enjoys preschool, but is now on winter break until September 5th.  Poor thing spent 8 hours throwing up last Saturday, but by dinnertime she was back to normal.  I wish I could bounce back that fast!  We went to our next door neighbor's 3rd birthday party on Friday and she spent the whole time playing with a girl from her class.  After singing the traditional "Happy Birthday" song, everyone does the "hip-hip-hooray" cheer three times.  They also do not open gifts at parties which isn't too bad of an idea.  Jackson seems to finally be over his cold.  Two weeks ago he got a fever and wouldn't eat or drink, so I took him to the doctor and he was given antibiotics for an ear infection.  I think we're all healthy now, hopefully we'll stay that way for awhile.  Rusty took a 4-day weekend because today is a holiday.  It's "Women's Day" which commemorates the national march of women in 1956 to petition against legislation that required African persons to carry the "pass", special identification documents which curtailed an African's freedom of movement during the apartheid era.

We have booked my dad on a flight to come visit on the first of October for 20 days.  We're only here for 2 years so if you've ever desired to see South Africa, you will have a free place to stay!  

I Have a Nice Accent

Rusty has decided to buy a car so I'm not stuck at home when he has the company car.  He's hoping to find a tiny one for under $10k that we will be able to sell before we leave.  If Miranda's preschool wasn't a 30 minute hike, it wouldn't be a big deal.  But I've been told the rainy season will start in September.  I have met a couple of my neighbors.  The family right next door moved into the estate a few months ago and have a son who is 3, and a daughter who is a week younger than Jackson.  They have lived here their whole life, so they will be a great resource of which local activities to do.  They also have two giant dogs that I want to play with.  The other neighbor lives just down the street and has two boys, one looks to be around one, the other is in Miranda's preschool class.  She has helped me get her to school on the days I'm without a vehicle.  They also have a dog, a tiny little dachshund puppy, that I can't wait to cuddle.  We saw a 9-month-old black standard poodle at the park yesterday.  She wasn't as friendly as Crissy.  I miss my dogs.


We have to go to the store a lot because you can only buy milk in 2 liter size which is about 1/2 gallon, and it expires quickly so you can't stock up.  Although there is something called 'long life' milk that you can put in the back of your pantry and it will be fresh for about 6 months or so.  Once opened, you have to refrigerate it and use within a few days.  But it's nice to have in case you run out and can't make it to the store.  The loaves of bread are really small, about half the size of a loaf of Iron Kids.  They also get moldy quickly but I manage to go through 2 loaves before they go bad.  They're also really crumbly, I keep trying different kinds but it doesn't seem to matter.  I have a couple loaves in the freezer just in case.  That is one thing that I really don't like here: you can't go shopping in the evening.  You cannot run errands after work because all the stores are closed.  The weekends are bad too because the stores close super early.  Car dealerships are the worst because they close around 1pm on Saturdays, and they aren't open on Sundays.  I don't know when people buy stuff here.  I have yet to do my grocery shopping online, but it will be happening very soon.

Our trash pickup company is called "Piki Tup".  Get it?  They're very literal here when naming stores/companies.  I found a new chiropractor here in the estate that I can actually walk to if I need to.  Her sessions cost the same as my chiropractor at home, but instead of just coming in for an adjustment and being worked on for about 5 minutes, she spends an entire hour on me.  It's amazing.  I'm finding that you can pretty much hire people to do anything for you.  There are dog-washing compaines who will come to your house with a truck and will wash/groom your dogs right there in your driveway. 

I have been to my gym a couple of times now, but I'm not impressed - yet.  The registration process has been quite a headache, but I think I finally have all the paperwork complete.  I took what was supposed to be a hip-hop aerobics type class, but it was very elementary compared to Jazzercise.  As I was doing my initial orientation today, I was told I have a very nice accent.  Not used to being the one with the acccent, I notice I turn heads when I'm out in public, just like I would turn around to see who was speaking in a foreign accent if I were at home.  I'm anxious to use the pool, I bought everything I need this weekend, including a nice Speedo costume.  Yes, a swimsuit is called a costume.  So what do they call a Halloween-type costume?  A costume.

The gas strike is still going on, but we have managed to fill up the car.  Right now the fuel price is R9.76/litre.  After converting that to gallons and figuring out rand to dollar, that comes to about $5.36/gallon.  The price of fuel is the same at every petrol station, you can't run around town looking for somewhere that has it 3 cents cheaper.  The price is set by the government.  The driving age here is 17, but that's only for a permit, you can't get a full license until 18.  When you first get a license, you have to drive with a big red 'L' on the back window of your car for a year. 

I joined a knitting group called "Hip to be Square".  We are part of the 'Knit-a-Square' charity that knits/crochets squares for South African orphans and child AIDS victims.  The squares are sent down the road to another group who sews them together to make blankets.  The more skilled knitters will make hats or edging on fleece blankets.  I have made a nice start on my first square and hope to have it completed before our August meeting.     

Miranda still likes preschool, but gets sad when the bigger kids won't let her play with them in the sandbox.  There is one group of kids that are older than her, but they will 'graduate' in November and then Miranda will be in the oldest class.  But she likes her teacher and the other kids in her class.  She got to go to a princess-themed birthday party on Saturday with other kids of Rusty's co-workers.  She dressed as Snow White, and the 'real' Snow White was there, as well as Cinderella.  She has been talking about it constantly and planning her own birthday party that won't happen until March.    Jackson started taking his first few steps last week, but he still prefers to crawl because it is much faster.  He is still suffering from a cold, and today he has a fever.  He was checked out at the doctor on Saturday, and they think he might be teething again.  He was supposed to get his measles vaccine, but now we're going to wait until he's healthy. 

The weather has been very nice lately, I've only had to wear 1-2 layers of long sleeved shirts instead of 3, and I actually wore short sleeves one day last week.  Today it is very windy and cloudy, it might actualy rain.  It has only rained once since we've been here.  There is a lof of field burning and it creates a yucky yellow haze that I think may be causing my asthma to act up.  The rain would sure be helpful right about now!

I've been baking a lot of different breads lately because Jackson likes them so much, and the oven warms up my kitchen.  So far I've done banana, apple, butternut, lemon, and banana/orange.  I also baked some cookies using the chocolate chips I found at a baking store and the Nestle recipe.  They turned out perfect.  And since I can't find brown sugar, I used treacle sugar, and it worked out just fine!  The No-Bake cookies were good too.  My next goal is to find a good vanilla cake recipe.