One Week Ago

One week ago from this very moment, we weren't even on our way to the airport. It was one in the afternoon, so Jori was sleeping, Darin and Tyson were probably bringing the cans away, and I was most likely on Facebook or blogging. We still had two hours to go before Rachel would come pick us up to head out on our adventure.
Now we are in Hammanskraal, South Africa, living in a house that is more of a vacation home. There are pluses and minuses to this arrangement. The positives are many. They far outweigh the negatives. The grounds here are beautiful thanks to Amos. There is a table outside under a thatched roof shelter surrounded by lots of plants and flowers that smell great. There are lots of birds hopping on the ground, flying tree to tree and making all their bird sounds. The only bird I know is the Hornbill, which is my least favorite bird because the last time we were here they would peck on the windows very early in the morning. So they are on my black list, and I have passed the animosity on to Tyson. All you First Rookers who went to Florida know the joys of sitting outside, drinking coffee and just relaxing until mid morning. It's kind of like that, only with kids and no ocean view.
Seriously, so many more positives, but I am going to move on to the negatives. There are no electrical appliances except for an iron, which I do not intend to use, a hot pot and a microwave-Thank God. No coffee pot, no mixer or blender or any other little handy kitchen item. Pots and pans are limited as are cooking utensils. No big deal really, but for someone who already has a hard time in the kitchen, these are big handicaps. Thankfully, Liz is a great cook and very industrious, so I am learning lots of tricks from her. Tonight I even made Gehaaktballen, Dutch meatballs, which, other than an odd texture, were great. There are also lots of bugs in the house. Really not a big deal, but when I remember that Jori is on a mattress on the floor, it is a little disconcerting. It is also very dark in most parts of the house. That is probably why it stays so cool during the day, but it makes reading and playing cards difficult.
In many ways, being here is quite similar to being home. Only I don't have a car, or a phone, or internet, or a washing machine. We are glad that there are many differences, because we want this experience to change us. We have an opportunity to get internet here at the house, but are not sure we want to because we know how addicting it is and what a time drain it would be. It is nice to not have so many things around. The kids have really been great about not having all their things. I haven't heard either of them say anything about toys from home.
Again, this is kind of a random blog. Writing this is just a huge outlet for me, especially with the lack of internet, so I hope you'll bear with me. And really, if you think it is boring and pointless, I don't really care. : )
It is strange to think where we were a week ago and where we are today. I wish you could all just come see for yourselves what it is like, because it is probably very different from what you imagine. We aren't out in a grass hut surrounded by people with painted faces. We are often the only white people at the grocery store, but it isn't such a big deal. Tyson and Jori are huge hits. They both get lots of smiles and people like to touch their heads. I am so thankful for how well they have adjusted to life here. Ok, time to play Hand and Foot, a Fey card game. More later.