What really matters...

Fall is in the air here in Johannesburg!  It’s getting COLD.  One of the many misconceptions about Africa is the weather.  Whenever I would think about Africa, I would think HOT.  We had a great summer.  In my opinion, the weather was wonderful.  Of course, the seasons are flip flopped here.  We arrived in October which was the Spring.  As a warm weather lover, I thought I hit the jackpot!  I left America in the Fall and arrived to Africa in the Spring.  Back to back Summer….AWESOME!  When we hit a little cold spell in December, I realised we were in for a rude awakening here as far as weather was concerned.  I grew up in places with very distinct seasons.  Summers were HOT and winters were COLD!!!  When we had a few cold days in December, I realised very quickly what the biggest difference would be here.  In America, in the Summer, you have air conditioning.  It’s almost unheard of to not have AC if you live in a place where summer weather gets over 85 degrees.  Even when I was growing up, I distinctly remember the smell and sound of the window air conditioners.  Even the “less fortunate” had a window unit!!  And EVERYONE had heaters!!  You couldn’t always pay for the kind of heat you had (propane, gas, electric…or even wood burning stoves), but every house had the ability to be heated.  And beyond that, those houses were insulated in various ways.  Here, there is no heat…no air/con…no insulation.  Yes, they don’t get 3 feet of snow in the winter, but with NO heat, your house is COLD!!!  When people find out I grew up in Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming and Colorado, they believe that I should somehow be “cold-weather” adapted.  I think if anything, it’s the reason I took off to California at my first opportunity!  The the thing is, in the Winter, we keep the heat on in the house.  The house stays warm, and we stay warm.  If you have to leave your house, you run out to the “pre-heated” car and run as quickly as possible into the next heated location.  All the while wearing 3 layers of clothing!  We have quickly realised that we did not bring enough “footie pyjamas”!!

Something that has warmed us (our hearts anyway…), is the upcoming visit of my husband’s parents from America.  They are going to come loaded down with American goodies that we have been missing.  Although the arrival of the goodies is VERY exciting, we are just so grateful to see our family again.  

We were so blessed over the previous 6 years to have lived down the street from family.  There is nothing like having someone else who loves your children in a way that only family can.  I think that it reinforces a child’s confidence and strengthens their sense of belonging.  My kids adored their Mèmè and Granddad!  In moving overseas, this was one of the biggest costs for us to count.

Next week, we will see them again for the first time in 8 months.  We have been counting down the days on our calendar.  

I have talked about many things that we took for granted in America.  By far, the things that we miss most is family.  Even though we still lived far from my family members (and didn’t always live close to my husband’s family), at worst, we were a 5 hour flight away from the furthest member.  

Not long after we moved to South Africa, I found out (a full day later) that my Dad had experienced a heart attack.  I can’t possibly convey the feeling of helplessness I had during that time.  I couldn't even make a phone call back home to find out whether or not he was okay.  Even in a time of incredible access to the World, I couldn’t even make a phone call.  Luckily, through broken email communication, I found out he was okay.  The reality of just how far we were from home never seemed so clear.

From weather to heart attack….what’s my point?  I have no idea.  I’m just rambling on about what I am currently feeling.  But if I could communicate one thing it would be…be grateful.  Wherever you are, whomever you are with, be grateful.

I’m grateful for where we are now.  There is no other place I would rather be right now.  But I wish I would have been more grateful where I was before, and before that.

That’s it.  Thank you for joining me on my ramble.  Keep warm…and grateful!