"March"-ing On

Well, after much too long, it’s high time to post an update to you all! We are currently experiencing technical problems: our laptop has crashed, so I’m writing this on my office computer. Coincidentally, Dan “cleaned out” our Webmail files on “black Tuesday” (the day the computer died), so we now have no record of email received recently. I did get a chance to read over most of the messages, but had not replied to them, so please be patient if you’ve not heard back from us. You may wish to re-send, if an email you sent us needs our attention soon. We are still in the early stages of figuring out just how seriously ill our laptop is. We all have a love-hate relationship with it, since it allows us to communicate efficiently (sometimes!), play games, listen to music, and is our only form of electronic entertainment. But, we often have problems with “the beast”, and long to be back working with our Mac iBooks (sorry, Mike, Chris, and all you lovers of the evil Microsoft

empire!).

We have finally moved into our little cottage at the farm! It’s a 3 room cabin with a porch at the front and a gorgeous view of the jungle trees and plants in the valley below. Best of all, it’s quiet and peaceful here, and waking up to the sounds of birds and monkeys is much preferable to the voices of 92 screaming children! We are currently waging war with ants and leaky pipes, and are still living out of suitcases (no cupboards yet), but we are happy to be able to slowly settle in to a more permanent way of life. We are still amazed by the “South African” standard of building…we’ve never seen a new structure with so many cracks, holes, leaks, and broken or missing parts! Dan and Jess and I are relieved to be more settled and have a more predictable schedule now that we’re living closer to our work, but Micayla already misses her friends from GGA and longs for more action.

The highlight of our lives recently was that last weekend we were able to spend three days with Phil Toews and his daughters Lauren and Lindsey! They are dear friends from Calgary who were traveling home from Malawi and were able to arrange a stopover in Johannesburg. We both rented cars and met in the Drakensburg, the famous South African mountain range about 2 hours Northwest of where we live. We had a great time chatting, eating, playing cards, hiking, and even chasing giraffes together! We visited a small safari park, and were able to see zebra, wildebeest, bushbuck, rhinos, and various other animals in their natural habitat. At one point we found ourselves surrounded by a herd (do giraffes come in herds?) of 11 giraffes almost close enough to touch! After enjoying the massive creatures for a while and taking lots of pictures, I mentioned that it would be cool to watch giraffes running…not something you would see at a North American zoo. Dan and Phil were happy to

grant my wish by chasing the herd across the field. This is one memory we won’t soon forget! And don’t worry…there are no lions or other carnivores at this park, so leaving your vehicle is permitted and not life-threatening!

We stayed at an eclectic B&B at a large farm in the mountains. Our hosts were generous and kind, and served us a delicious breakfast each morning on their beautiful verandah amidst the stunning scenery of the Drakensburg. Thanks Phil, Lauren, and Lindsey for taking the time to visit us, encourage us, and see a bit of Africa with us!

I have been sick with the flu for over a week now, so our move and our holiday were a bit of a challenge as I progressed through the stages…fever, head cold, chest cough etc. But I think I’m on the mend now, and am thankful that no one else has caught the bug.

Yesterday (Wednesday) was municipal Election Day here in SA, and was therefore a national holiday. This meant that schools and offices were closed, and this gave us a chance to unpack, hang curtains, and do the laundry that’s been piling up. As far as we could learn, municipal Election Day for the locals is a good excuse for some partying and a fair bit of violence, but politics itself is taken seriously only by a few. Some of the individuals we talked to expressed that they would not be voting because they felt that it would make no difference to the outcome. There is a loss of respect and trust in the corrupt governing party, and very little hope that anything will change. However, there was a heavier police presence in evidence over the past week in order to discourage violent demonstrations.

We apologize for the glaring absence of pictures to go with the stories we tell on our blog. They are a bit more difficult to post, and require a lot of time, or a high speed connection. It seems that when we encounter a good connection, we never have the necessary equipment with us to post pictures. Hopefully soon. I’d better head up to the house to make supper for the family and prepare for a few GGA guests that are visiting tonight.

Cathy