Hey All,
Headed out to a Braai tonight, spent the day relaxing and baking choc chip cookies (everyone here loves them) Just wanted to quickly post a few photos for now. Here it still costs for bandwidth. So I will put many more on facebook etc when I get back but for now here are few just to entice you. I also wanted to CONGRADULATE my AWESOME brother who will be graduating with his GED this Saturday. JUSTIN I AM SO PROUD OF YOU!!
Love from Africa,
Friday, May 15, 2009
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Breaking in is hard to do.
Hey All Faithful blog readers ( ie mom and Maureen:) haha
We had an awesome camp up in Gauteng. Our adventure began last Wednesday morning. We loaded up the Higher Ground trailer, picked up two volunteers and began our 600km drive. Driving in Africa is pretty much like driving in the States, with the exception of seeing lots of people walking down the roads and women with huge bags balanced on their heads. The drive was long and we got to our destination at about 10:30. Our first night we stayed at a friend organization (adventure and beyond who are fellow members of Christian Camping South Africa) We had to stay here because our actual camp that we were renting was still full of about 200 little children on a school adventure.
I feel like I can't really do the camp justice without photos and I need to actually get those of my camera so I will save dramatic details for later. But I will just leave a few highlights to get you caught up.
It was our first camp in Gauteng so it was considered a ground breaking, which means Higher Ground is GROWING YAY!
We got to do paintball, archery and rock climbing and had a great time.
We froze much of the time at night, mental note it gets cold in Africa.
We were very glad to be back in warm Durban with warm beds and a few days of relaxation.
and now for the exciting bit.
I have to say that in the whole time I lived here I never felt the least bit afraid nor saw any more than a car of a friend stolen. but last night at about eleven we heard a bag and then the house alarm began to sound ( we are in an apartment on the property of a house and it was the house alarm.) Margot, the kind lady who Emma and Kerneels rent from, got out of bed and realized that the back door had been broken and was open. Luckily, she has a panic button and the security company was here immediately. The police also came and searched the area with dogs.
This is interesting when you realize how secure places are..we have gates with spikes on top, fences, reinforced steel glass doors, alarms and burglar bars. It just goes to show that GOD is the only real protection.
We are all safe and fine, they didn't find anyone but the door is being fixed and we are all grateful that it was such a bland outcome.
I am homeward bound in 5 sleeps. I will miss Durban soo much, but I cannot wait to see"the worlds' best husband"
We had an awesome camp up in Gauteng. Our adventure began last Wednesday morning. We loaded up the Higher Ground trailer, picked up two volunteers and began our 600km drive. Driving in Africa is pretty much like driving in the States, with the exception of seeing lots of people walking down the roads and women with huge bags balanced on their heads. The drive was long and we got to our destination at about 10:30. Our first night we stayed at a friend organization (adventure and beyond who are fellow members of Christian Camping South Africa) We had to stay here because our actual camp that we were renting was still full of about 200 little children on a school adventure.
I feel like I can't really do the camp justice without photos and I need to actually get those of my camera so I will save dramatic details for later. But I will just leave a few highlights to get you caught up.
It was our first camp in Gauteng so it was considered a ground breaking, which means Higher Ground is GROWING YAY!
We got to do paintball, archery and rock climbing and had a great time.
We froze much of the time at night, mental note it gets cold in Africa.
We were very glad to be back in warm Durban with warm beds and a few days of relaxation.
and now for the exciting bit.
I have to say that in the whole time I lived here I never felt the least bit afraid nor saw any more than a car of a friend stolen. but last night at about eleven we heard a bag and then the house alarm began to sound ( we are in an apartment on the property of a house and it was the house alarm.) Margot, the kind lady who Emma and Kerneels rent from, got out of bed and realized that the back door had been broken and was open. Luckily, she has a panic button and the security company was here immediately. The police also came and searched the area with dogs.
This is interesting when you realize how secure places are..we have gates with spikes on top, fences, reinforced steel glass doors, alarms and burglar bars. It just goes to show that GOD is the only real protection.
We are all safe and fine, they didn't find anyone but the door is being fixed and we are all grateful that it was such a bland outcome.
I am homeward bound in 5 sleeps. I will miss Durban soo much, but I cannot wait to see"the worlds' best husband"
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Monkey business and Higher Ground
HEY! Good news, the computer is still kickin....YAY! So I have been trying to think of a few things that are different about South Africa. I think it is a little challenging to me because I have been here so much and lived here so I am pretty used to everything but I will try to give a few examples of things you might find interesting.
Security- We live in a different world of security here. There are car guards in the parking lots to watch cars, Automatic gates that must be opened in front of all houses, security guards at the top of most roads. burglar bars on all windows and door are locked at all times, for instance, if you come into your house you always lock the door behind yourself even in broad daylight. I am not telling you this stuff in an effort to scare you or be over dramatic, It is poverty that causes the crime here, and if and when people do rob or steal it is not to harm people but to survive. It is also important to know that I have never felt even the least bit afraid or in danger here.
Monkeys tend to be a nuisance animal here. The other day Kerneels was working and one opened up the window and came into the house to look for a snack. Now the problem with Monkeys coming to visit is that they are fairly rude guests. They come in without being invited, randomally dig through your cupboards, eat whatever they please and trash anything in their path. They are clever so we usually keep bananas and other fruit hidden to keep them from coming in after it. They also refuse to leave until they are good and ready.
The water goes down the drain in the oppisite direction.
Summer is December, January and February.
South Africans drive on the oppisite side of the road and the driver is on the oppisite side of the car. ( where the passenger sits in the States.
Soda is still served by the can ( there are very few fountains)
Most places still have tea break
Many South Africans have maids who either work during the day, or even live in. Many also have gardeners. Laundry is still mostly hung out to dry , food is still made mostly from scratch and TV is not the focus of evening entertainment.
There are 11 national languages and most people speak at least 3 of them.
For a few more fun facts tune in again next week.
Tomorrow we are headed to Pretoria to hold our first Guateng area camp for adults who are Visually Impaired. This should be an AWESOME opportunity to break new ground in a new area. I will not have a computer until next Monday night so I at that time about what has been happening. will update
My next post will be about Higher Ground and how AMAZINGLY Emma has grown it since I have been gone but if you are just dying to check it out early you could always go to www.highergroundsa.org.za
Thanks for reading,
love from Africa
Security- We live in a different world of security here. There are car guards in the parking lots to watch cars, Automatic gates that must be opened in front of all houses, security guards at the top of most roads. burglar bars on all windows and door are locked at all times, for instance, if you come into your house you always lock the door behind yourself even in broad daylight. I am not telling you this stuff in an effort to scare you or be over dramatic, It is poverty that causes the crime here, and if and when people do rob or steal it is not to harm people but to survive. It is also important to know that I have never felt even the least bit afraid or in danger here.
Monkeys tend to be a nuisance animal here. The other day Kerneels was working and one opened up the window and came into the house to look for a snack. Now the problem with Monkeys coming to visit is that they are fairly rude guests. They come in without being invited, randomally dig through your cupboards, eat whatever they please and trash anything in their path. They are clever so we usually keep bananas and other fruit hidden to keep them from coming in after it. They also refuse to leave until they are good and ready.
The water goes down the drain in the oppisite direction.
Summer is December, January and February.
South Africans drive on the oppisite side of the road and the driver is on the oppisite side of the car. ( where the passenger sits in the States.
Soda is still served by the can ( there are very few fountains)
Most places still have tea break
Many South Africans have maids who either work during the day, or even live in. Many also have gardeners. Laundry is still mostly hung out to dry , food is still made mostly from scratch and TV is not the focus of evening entertainment.
There are 11 national languages and most people speak at least 3 of them.
For a few more fun facts tune in again next week.
Tomorrow we are headed to Pretoria to hold our first Guateng area camp for adults who are Visually Impaired. This should be an AWESOME opportunity to break new ground in a new area. I will not have a computer until next Monday night so I at that time about what has been happening. will update
My next post will be about Higher Ground and how AMAZINGLY Emma has grown it since I have been gone but if you are just dying to check it out early you could always go to www.highergroundsa.org.za
Thanks for reading,
love from Africa
Sunday, May 3, 2009
High Voltage
So, you know those little bricks that are part of your charger for laptops etc... Well, i tseems that though mine says that it is approved for up to 240v. Well, turns out it may not work all that well with high voltage. It would appear( due to the strong smell of burning coming out of my computer) that my laptop may be on the way to blowing up. Now I know you computer geeks out there may be muttering something about a mother board and a friend hard drive at this point, BUT i figure it is too late now so I'm going to use it until it is gone( this is not a secret plot to get the lime green DELL I have had my eye on)
So, In case I don't post again I just wanted you all to know that it is not by choice.
A summary of Africa so far
Tuesday Evening we went to get Fisn n Chips (the kind wrapped in Newspaper that you cannot get in teh states) YUMM, hmm I wonder if I should be worried that all of my blogs include food, anyway. We went over to Emm's parents and I got to see all of my host family. it is SOO GOOD to see my family I haven't seen in 3 years, it felt kind of surreal.
Wednesday I got to see a friend from Australia, who was also visiting home, and eat my first toasted cheese sandwich. We went and saw Bron and Goonga ( my South African homegroup leaders) and I practiced regaining the accent so TIm could make fun of me on the phone later that day.
Wednesday evening we went back to Emma's Mom and Dad's and again ate. I got attacked my Mozzzies and began permanently smelling of mozzie spray) Emma's dad cooked on the barbecue, which they call a weber)
Thursday, we got up REALLY early and went to walk and pray at the beach, It is crazy in South Africa, you walk amongst the greates wealth and extreme poverty simultaneously. After Emma's dad cycled about 40 Kilometers ( no, I am not exaggerating for entertainment) We went and had breakfast a beach front restaraunt. We then went down to Durbs so Kerneel scoudl go to a Braille Lesson, while Emma and I went and had coffee with Bronnie( South Africans drink a LOTTT of tea and coffee) We went back to pick up kerneels and then went home and literally sat on the couch and chatted for about 12 hours, which was actually LOVELY!
On Friday, My bestest friend and her bestest husband threw me a welcome Braai ( a South African Tradition in which the men cook meet over open fire and feel manly , while the girls gossip in the house and feel girly REALLY FUN! I got to see some of my best friends and it was SOOO nice.
On Saturday we went to a wedding(amazingly I have been telling these people to get married since I was here last time and they finally listened to me) Weddings in South Africa are more than a quick event. ( from 2 pm to 10pm) tea, cofee, wine, soda, snacks, starters, soup, main course, dessert, tea, coffee YUMM ( Tim says he is losing weight while I am gone, but I am finding everything he is losing GRRRR) It was awesome. Weddings are very much the same, though I think there is a lot more tradition here. One of my favorite things about Africa is that people are not rushed like in the States. You are often forced to shove your impatience away, take a deep breath and take it easy. I think all Americans could get a lot out attending a South African wedding and finding the discipline for pleasantries and relaxing.
Today we got to go to church in the park ( something Glenridge does once a year ) and it was soo LOVELY, then we had a picnic, Then we came home and had lunch number 2 hha , then went to Kerneel's cousin's on the beach fo ra braai ( yes they do a LOT of them around here ) So , as you can see I have been busy but perhaps not with the type of stuff you would expect in Africa. I will try to attend more tribal dances and such to entertain you more fully.:)
Another strange thing is that a member of Emm'a extended family passed away yesterday, she turned 90 a year ago and it was fairly expected . but I knew her so as it turns out I wll attend a wedding an da funeral during my time here, Emma says that is how you know you have ties to a country."
I feel like I belong here but not without my other half. Timmy I miss you so much it aches. I saw a guy who looked like you today, Emma even agreed, he is lucky I didn't run up and hug him.
Will write more when I get back from the Camp. Also, getting a camera cord tomorrow if I can find one so will have pictures.
Love,
from africa.
So, In case I don't post again I just wanted you all to know that it is not by choice.
A summary of Africa so far
Tuesday Evening we went to get Fisn n Chips (the kind wrapped in Newspaper that you cannot get in teh states) YUMM, hmm I wonder if I should be worried that all of my blogs include food, anyway. We went over to Emm's parents and I got to see all of my host family. it is SOO GOOD to see my family I haven't seen in 3 years, it felt kind of surreal.
Wednesday I got to see a friend from Australia, who was also visiting home, and eat my first toasted cheese sandwich. We went and saw Bron and Goonga ( my South African homegroup leaders) and I practiced regaining the accent so TIm could make fun of me on the phone later that day.
Wednesday evening we went back to Emma's Mom and Dad's and again ate. I got attacked my Mozzzies and began permanently smelling of mozzie spray) Emma's dad cooked on the barbecue, which they call a weber)
Thursday, we got up REALLY early and went to walk and pray at the beach, It is crazy in South Africa, you walk amongst the greates wealth and extreme poverty simultaneously. After Emma's dad cycled about 40 Kilometers ( no, I am not exaggerating for entertainment) We went and had breakfast a beach front restaraunt. We then went down to Durbs so Kerneel scoudl go to a Braille Lesson, while Emma and I went and had coffee with Bronnie( South Africans drink a LOTTT of tea and coffee) We went back to pick up kerneels and then went home and literally sat on the couch and chatted for about 12 hours, which was actually LOVELY!
On Friday, My bestest friend and her bestest husband threw me a welcome Braai ( a South African Tradition in which the men cook meet over open fire and feel manly , while the girls gossip in the house and feel girly REALLY FUN! I got to see some of my best friends and it was SOOO nice.
On Saturday we went to a wedding(amazingly I have been telling these people to get married since I was here last time and they finally listened to me) Weddings in South Africa are more than a quick event. ( from 2 pm to 10pm) tea, cofee, wine, soda, snacks, starters, soup, main course, dessert, tea, coffee YUMM ( Tim says he is losing weight while I am gone, but I am finding everything he is losing GRRRR) It was awesome. Weddings are very much the same, though I think there is a lot more tradition here. One of my favorite things about Africa is that people are not rushed like in the States. You are often forced to shove your impatience away, take a deep breath and take it easy. I think all Americans could get a lot out attending a South African wedding and finding the discipline for pleasantries and relaxing.
Today we got to go to church in the park ( something Glenridge does once a year ) and it was soo LOVELY, then we had a picnic, Then we came home and had lunch number 2 hha , then went to Kerneel's cousin's on the beach fo ra braai ( yes they do a LOT of them around here ) So , as you can see I have been busy but perhaps not with the type of stuff you would expect in Africa. I will try to attend more tribal dances and such to entertain you more fully.:)
Another strange thing is that a member of Emm'a extended family passed away yesterday, she turned 90 a year ago and it was fairly expected . but I knew her so as it turns out I wll attend a wedding an da funeral during my time here, Emma says that is how you know you have ties to a country."
I feel like I belong here but not without my other half. Timmy I miss you so much it aches. I saw a guy who looked like you today, Emma even agreed, he is lucky I didn't run up and hug him.
Will write more when I get back from the Camp. Also, getting a camera cord tomorrow if I can find one so will have pictures.
Love,
from africa.
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