Celebrations Abroad

As I have mentioned before, if you want to quickly learn who you really are….move to a whole new culture on the other side of the World.  I actually still have no idea who I “really am” (or even what that really means), but I will say I have learned A LOT about myself.  One of the surprising things is my attachment to Holidays and celebrations.  Now having been here in South Africa for over 8 months, we have celebrated Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, Valentine’s Day, Easter, Mother’s Day and all of our birthdays.  Though each event has been special, it has been “different”.  We spent Christmas in the swimming pool and my June birthday was FREEZING!!  We did our best to recreate some of our traditions with each different celebration and build lasting memories.  Though each occasion was wonderful, there was definitely something missing.

Two days ago, I turned 39.  I was very encouraged by my friends here in South Africa and my husband (as always) went out of his way to make me feel special.  My eldest daughter was very concerned that I was not having some sort of a party and was slightly vexed about the absence of a cake!  She was really wanting to make sure I felt special.  All of a sudden, she realised something even more bothersome to her…”It’s your birthday, shouldn’t you be spending it with your Mom?”  With that simple sentence, she tore my heart.  Partly because I felt so touched that she obviously felt it was a crime to spend your birthday without Mommy, but partly because….yes, I would love to spend it with my Mommy.  To be clear, I have spent many birthdays outside of the presence of my Mom, but things are a little more acute here.

BUT…this distance and absence had an unexpected and touching result.  I received an incredibly touching message from my Dad.  It made me tear up as he recounted some of our crazy adventures while growing up.  And Dad….I was 12 when I drove you home that night!!  I sent my Mom a message telling her what my daughter said, and got a equally tearful response.  Then my brother sent me the following “story”.  I was blown away.  I have always felt loved by my family, but something about the 15,000+ mile difference has brought a new level of love and vulnerability.  With that, I will let my brother’s words entertain and (hopefully) encourage you as well!

                                     

TRUE STORY

This story begins in a faraway place. A place that is barely inhabited due to its failing economy and lack of resources. A place that used to thrive due to the trafficking of……never mind. For now….its just a place. 
A place called…..
Smith Center.
In the year of 1976, a small wonder was brought into the world. Her name would forever be known as
Heather Bolton. Well, that is until she was married and her last name was changed to McKean. 
Her name would temporarily be known as 
HEATHER BOLTON.

She was the most BEAUTIFUL young girl the whole worl……….She was the most BEAUTIFUL young girl that Smith Center had ever seen.
She had big blue eyes and a full head of hair. She resembled a white, blue eyed Tina Turner.
With the voice of an angel, and the scream of a young Steven Tyler, she could both soften your heart and bust your eardrums.



For more than 2 years, Heather ruled her kingdom. Her beautiful 2 bedroom, warped floors, paint chipped, wall papered palace was the place of dreams.
She had many adventures and was always in the best of moods.

Well…..not always

She was blessed with the finest of garments and was always dressed to perfection.

And she was always put together so well when she would attend the royal dinners

And EVERY royal dinner was a meal filled with the best food from all around. And for Heather, she enjoyed EVERY meal to its fullest!!

She was always accompanied by her many pets. She had horses, pigs, rabbits, mice, snakes, horny toads, lizards, iguanas, hummingbirds, cows, alligators, jelly fish, scorpion, cats, bald eagles, regular eagles, a Pegasus, a unicorn, care bears, my pretty ponies, wolverines, badgers, and even…….dogs. 

But then one day or evening, I think evening. I’m not really sure actually. It was either in the day or in the night…..that I’m sure of. But it was definitely cold. I think it was cold. I can’t be too sure now that I think about it. I mean, it WAS in November so I can only assume it was cold. However, there are warm days in in November. The nights are usually cold though. Ok….so we’ll just say night. 

One cold dark night, something……well now that I think about it, “cold dark night” doesn’t sound like its going to be a good thing. And really, the story takes a very positive turn from here on out. So for sake of this story we’re just gonna say that it was a warm night in November. 

But then one very unusually nice day in November, there was a change in the palace. There was a new noise that Heather hadn’t heard before. It sounded as if there were another baby in the house. And so it would be…..there was. That seemed a bit anticlimactic. “THERE WAS”. Blah.
And so…….Heather snuck out of her crib and went to investigate. She opened the door to see…. A FIFTY FOOT DINOSAUR THAT WAS EATING THE TV…BUT SHE WAS OK WITH IT BECAUSE IT WAS A CRAPPY BLACK AND WHITE TV THAT ONLY GOT 2 STATIONS…..NEITHER OF WHICH WAS CARTOOOOOOONS.
Oh and, there was a baby laying nearby and his name was Ryan…err…..James. James Bol…James Ryan Bolton but he went by Ryan…..but his name was James. But really it was Ryan. SHE knew him as Ryan….well and James because it was, after all, her brother. But his parents decided to confuse the crap out of him and give him 2 names that he could be referred to. Which made things REALLY stressful on him growing up. Never sure what his true identity was……..I’ll save that story for another time. 
ANYWAY….where was I? OH RIGHT…..the new baby brother. 
Heather was SOOOOOO excited that she would no longer have to play in the palace by herself, and would have someone to share in her many adventures.

Ryan was FAR more beautiful than she. He was, for lack of a better word, perfect. Which is probably why she tried to kill him with an M&M. 

He too was blessed with all the wonderful things that Heather was and enjoyed his life to the fullest!!

He would get the finest of foods. Or the finest of what was left over after Heather had eaten. Don’t eat the glass, dumb dumb. 

The two became the best of all friends. Better than any other friendship. Even yours (whoever is reading this other than Heather or myself). Like….take your best friendship and multiply it times 20, then take that number…double it, then count to 1,000 and you’re still not even close. 

They shared in MANY adventures. From feeding their very exotic animals

and playing games with their food……

We totally ate those guys. They should have named them Bacon and Pork chops…..because that’s what they ended up being. 

To being chauffeured around their royal weed pasture 

Crazy small legs and a big head. 

However…..a near tragedy would soon change their lives forever. I guess it didn’t really change their lives. It was a near tragedy….but I don’t think there was any post traumatic issues. 
Anyway, the 2 were swimming in the biggest lake (pond) in all the land (KS), when Ryan was kicked into the water by some unknown force. A dark and magical force known as…….GRAVITY.
Ryan was dragged beneath the surface in the raging rapids below

He was down under the water for what was probably 20 minutes. Heather JUMPED in and grabbed him by the hair, pulling him to safety. He’s never forgotten that since. And he realizes just how important that moment in life really was. She, unquestionably, saved his life that day. And he can never do enough to repay her. She is and always will be…….his true hero. 

The aftermath was unbelievable. They had both escaped a near tragedy…..

Many years had passed, but the 2 remained remarkably close. Whether it was due to lack of a ride, living in the country, or just the inability to go anywhere….the 2 rarely left each other’s side.
She always presented him with GREAT ideas and they would act out many theatrical classics under her direction……

Oh dear God……
Many magical times came during those years. Most either too embarrassing to discuss, or ones that have been permanently blocked as a coping mechanism.

The 2 siblings didn’t always stay as beautiful as they had started out. There were many……..”Awkward” moments in their lives…..

YIKES



As the 2 grew older, their interests started to change. Their youth was behind them, and the teen years were to come. But no matter how bad they bickered, or yelled, or sprayed 409 in each others face, or held one another down and farted in their mouth……
Their sibling bond never weakened.
Times were changing. They had been through A LOT in their lives. Things that made them the people they are today. Things that made them stronger as individuals. Things that allowed them to persevere and to move forward when they felt there was little hope. Things that allow them to be better parents, better spouses, and better people. They’ve learned a lot from each other, and have had INCREDIBLE journeys together. And will have a bond that can never be broken…..

And no matter how many miles separate them, or how many days go by that they don’t see each other, or talk to each other…….they’ll always be
Brother and Sister

So for now, their journey continues. Though not side by side, they’re as close as ever. Now they share their lives, their experiences, and their love with their own…………hand in hand

To:
My Friend
My Hero
MY SISTER

Lions and Rhinos and more…Oh My!!

As previously mentioned, my in-laws came to visit us recently.  I can’t begin to explain what an encouragement it was to all of us!  They came bearing gifts…3 HUGE boxes of American goodies!  After we opened them all, it looked like a Trader Joe’s exploded all over my living room!  Boxes of gluten free cereal, cookies, candies and most precious….chocolate chips, pepperoni, and corn tortillas!!!  It was like Christmas….BETTER than Christmas.  It is amazing how comforting food can be (amazing and scary…very scary)!  Not only that, but cards and photo albums from some of our dear friends and family.  It was like love…in a box!  Yes, I know my use of exclamation points may seem excessive in this paragraph….but PEPPERONI for Heaven’s sake.  

Now before I seem like a total crazy (food obsessed) person, I can honestly say that the BEST part of this whole thing was not the gifts, but the people who brought them.  Seeing family again after almost 8 months in a strange land was like salve to the soul.  They not only brought love in a box but the love of spending time, giving advice, listening to us and loving us unconditionally.  There is no bigger gift or treasure than to be KNOWN and loved.  

We spent hours talking, playing games and exploring this incredible land together.  We went to a Lion and Rhino park and saw things that blew our minds.  We literally sat in a “rhino jam” while 8 or more HUGE rhinos decided that the best path to their dinner was the road that people drive on.  We had rhinos within mere feet of our windows.  At one point, the car ahead of us decided that they would try to sneak past the meandering beasts.  The lead rhino didn’t think that was such a wonderful idea and proceeded to charge the car!  Needless to say, it was quickly decided (by the rhino) that the line of cars would need to just sit tight and be patient.  During that time that we slowly rolled down the road as part of the rhino migration, we saw sites that people only dream of.  It was an incredibly powerful reminder that we need to SLOW down or we will miss the miracles that surround us (the picture above is one I took with my phone).  We were also able to pet lion cubs and a full grown cheetah.  Kay, my mother-in-law carries “battle scars” from her encounter with the lion cubs!  

We took a trip to a town called Hartbeespoort.  Pronounced “Harta-Beea-Spoort”.  Someone graciously let us use their vacation cottage for the night.  The cottage was almost on the water of the large lake there.  The scenery was breathtaking.  We walked, talked, played and ate.  It was perfect.

There are so many other things that we did….South Africa is an adventure waiting to happen.  And my husbands parents SPOILED us rotten!  But the most precious time was spent just hanging out.  

When it came time for them to leave, we all mourned their loss.  My eldest daughter and I couldn’t hold back the tears.  One week was not long enough and it almost served as a reminder of just how far from “home” we are here.  But as I look back on this entire experience, I feel so grateful for the fact that we are so loved.  From coast to coast and across the sea, we are not alone in this battle.  We are strangers in a strange land.  Not for a job, not for a career boost, not for educational purposes…not even for the adventure.  We are here to help build the Kingdom of God.  We have given up much.  But we have been given SO much more than we could have imagined.  

Matthew 19:29New International Version (NIV)

29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife[a] or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.

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!

It's the Little Things...

They say “you don’t know what you have ‘till it’s gone”.  

Who are “they”?  

I have no idea, but whoever “they” are….I think “they” moved overseas at some point in “their” life!   

Some things are obviously missed, rather acutely and rather quickly.  Family, friends, your home and (as previously mentioned)…your Kitchenmaid stand mixer.

Other things take a little more time to recognise, but hurt in different ways. 

-Like babysitters who know your kids and love your kids and almost act like it’s a privilege to watch your children (Thank you forever Kay, Becka, and Madison Kash….and others).

-My precious dog, Lola.  Not that I didn’t miss her right away, but that particular pain has taken time to come to full bloom.

-Familiar/favourite foods.  

Don’t hate on Starbucks…you hate because you have.  

Chocolate Chips.  I had an epic, and by epic I mean UNBELIEVABLE, conversation with no less than 5 employees at the local Pic-N-Pay trying to find chocolate chips…to no avail. (On a side note, I believe that chocolate chips may help the crime rate here….this is just theory, but also common sense.)

Corn Tortillas/Mexican Food.  My husband has had some serious Chipotle withdrawals.  I have heard him speak longingly about this to others.  For a country that uses corn (or “mealies” as they call them) for EVERYTHING, it is a crying shame to be missing out on tortillas and chips.

I could go on…and on.  But it will only make me sad and hungry, a dangerous combination.

Other things are not painful, and not very noticeable….until they SMACK you in the face.

-Postal service:  Americans are so entitled to this basic service, that it almost never crosses your mind.  Unless, of course, they raise the cost of stamps again…then WATCH OUT!  Here, postal service is a mere “suggestion”.  Kind of like STOP signs and traffic lights (another post, for another time).  When we first arrived and for a few months after, there was NO postal service.  The workers had been on strike for something like 7 months.  Eventually, they worked it out but it was mostly unnoticeable.  We received our first post about two months after we moved into our current house.  It was postmarked two months earlier.  I think we have gotten a total of 3 pieces of mail.

-“Critters”:  After a month or two of living here, we were sitting in a park while the girls played on a playground.  Suddenly, my husband sits up stick straight and remarks, “Have you seen any squirrels?”.  In utter amazement, we realised we had not seen a single squirrel, rabbit, chipmunk or other similar ground animal the entire time we had been here.  They don’t have them!  I know it doesn’t sound weird, but trust me…it’s weird!

-Little Fridges:  Here, they have little fridges.  As a self-professed food hoarder…this was a MAJOR adjustment for me.  In the States, we had a “big fridge” in the kitchen and another in the garage.  As well as a large deep freeze for the frozen foods, also in the garage.  And let me tell you, I STILL had trouble fitting everything at times.  I am proud to say….I have adjusted!  I was nervous at first.  Like…”Oh my gosh, we are going to STARVE!” kind of nervous.  We are not starving.  But I do have another little fridge in the garage!!

I am ever reminded about my “First-World” mindset, and ever thankful that I have opportunities to challenge it!  It’s humbling that it takes “little fridges” and Kitchenmaid mixers to do so….but sometimes…it’s the little things!

The Banana Tree

Hello friends.  I took an unexpected hiatus!  More and more I am convinced that “busy” is a state of mind that has nothing to do with what’s going on around me.  Last week I started to feel the familiar burden of “busyness” creeping up on me again.  We definitely had  more packed into the last few weeks, but it’s funny how “being busy” follows you.  I think that’s another post for another time….

Okay, The Banana Tree.  First off, I don’t think you can hear the story properly unless you pronounce it properly.  And for all intents and purposes, this must be pronounced as closely as possible to the way my dear friend Justin Renton pronounces it.  American friends, when you saw this title, this is what happened in your mind:  Buh-Naaa-Na (notice that the “aaa” and “a” are like the sound in “apple”).  Well, frankly, that just won’t do!  To go further in this story, you must hear the word like this:  Buh-Naw-Naw.  Say it with me “Buh-Naw-Naw”.  Got it?  Good.

Okay…so when my husband and I were deciding upon which overseas location in which to move our family, we chatted to Justin about a difference in South African culture that he labeled “The Banana Tree” theory.  (Did you say it right?  Just checking!)

This theory notes the difference between the Northern Hemisphere and the Southern Hemisphere thinking.  Mainly with regards to weather.  He explained that given the fact that the Northern Hemisphere folks have been trained in regards to planning ahead and keeping busy because they all know that Winter is coming and therefore, crops need to be harvested, food needs to be stored, preparations need to be made and you need to work hard to ensure a sustainability during the harsh winter months.  As a whole, this is worked into the DNA of the Northern Hemisphere human.  In contrast, the Southern Hemisphere folks do not have the same challenges with regard to winter.  Enter The Banana Tree.  The theory is, that the banana tree will always produce bananas.  All year round, fruit will appear on the trees, grain will grow in the fields and in general…”everything will work out in good time.”  There is no rush, no urgency, no fear of the hardships to come.  Culturally, this contributes to the way that people will approach life.  I found this fascinating at the time and wondered what this would look like practically.

I could go super deep and spiritual with this whole theory…but far be it from me to pretend at intellectualism!  Wanna know where it popped up for me?  Let me explain…

"Now Now" vs. "Just Now"

Any South African has just begun to chuckle.  In America, I feel like we are pretty pedantic in the way we measure time.  We tend to be “slaves of the clock”.  We have many ways to describe the length of time we can expect something to happen:

Generally we will give a tangible time frame…

“Be there in 5”- meaning minutes

“Friday, next week, at 2pm” - exactly what is says

Or when we are vague, but still using tangible measurements of time…

“In a sec (second)”- meaning that in under a few minutes, I will get to it

“In a few”- this is referring to minutes and generally can mean anywhere from 3-5 minutes.

“When I can” - don’t hold your breath, this may or may not happen and by the way… “can’t you see how busy I am right now?”

In South Africa, they have two measurements of time.  “Now, now” and “Just now”.  At first, I thought it was kind of cute.  “Now, now” sounded a bit like a stutter and I always smiled a little in my heart.  But what I soon realised was that when you receive this as an answer to your inquiry as to when you could expect something….you actually had no idea when this would happen!  

Speaking to the fridge repair person who hadn’t shown up to the last two scheduled appointments…

Me - “So, when will you be here?”

Repairman-  “Yeah, yeah…just now.”

Me- “But wait, does that mean today?”

Repairman- “Yeah, yeah…soon..just now!”

They did show up.  The next day.  As I started to see this trend, I sought help from my South African friends to understand this measure of time.  The funny thing is, they don’t know either!

Some say that “Now, now” is sooner than “Just now”.  But others reverse the two.  As far as an estimate as to how long either is referring to….well, that is a complete mystery!

In the States, “just now” is a past tense term.  

Me - “Are you going to unload the dishwasher?”

Husband - “I did it just now”.

Husband - “When are going to order the pizza?”

Me - “I did it just now.”

Let me tell you, as a Northern Hemisphere human…this just boggles the mind!  My “slave to the clock” nature screams, “JUST TELL ME WHEN THIS WILL HAPPEN!!!  I WANT A TIME….THAT SHOWS UP ON MY WATCH, FOR THE LOVE OF PETE!!!”

Once again, I am reminded of my prayer when we were thinking of where to serve overseas…”God, take us to a place that is slower paced and help me learn patience.”  God is faithful my friends.

Well, I guess I can just blame it all on the Banana Tree!  

I’ve got to go, I’ll post again soon….”Just now”!

Howzit? And other fun expressions!

Today’s post is fun and will probably be an ongoing topic.  As would be expected, with a new country, culture and continent…comes new words and phrases!  What fun (and sometimes a total embarrassment)!  

To illustrate my point, I shall explain the “Geyser”.  All of my American friends just conjured up something akin to “Old Faithful” in their minds.  A hole in the ground that periodically expels hot water; usually in a National Park somewhere.  Also, your mind pronounced this as “Guy-Zer”.  Let me first mention, that I have taken more cold showers in the 4 months since arriving in South Africa then in the entirety of my life!!  At first, I just thought people had VERY SMALL hot water heaters here.  In the home that we stayed in as guest for the first month we lived here, we never knew whether we would turn on the tap to find nice hot water….or freezing cold!  We just attributed this to the fact that things are “different” here, and hot water might just be another commodity in short supply.  We never thought to ask…(there is a good lesson in this, but I’ll save it for later!).

When we moved into our own place, we had a number of little things that needed to be addressed.  Missing keys, running toilets, leaky windows and some electrical issues.  But we also quickly realised that we had no hot water!  We searched for the hot water heater and found nothing ( at this point I’m starting to get really worried)!  We dealt with cold showers for a week before complaining to a friend.  “Have you checked the geyser?” he asked innocently.  Now when he said “geyser” it was pronounced “geezer”, and I couldn’t for the life of me figure out what some old man had to do with my hot water!!!

Because of the aforementioned power issues, South Africans are very conscious of power usage.  Unlike America, they do not have large hot water heaters hidden in a closet or basement.  They have “Geezers”!  Evidently this is in the roof of the house and heats the water, but ONLY when the switch has been flipped in the fuse box.  This little contraption uses so much power, that people here have it on a timer, OR just flip it on when they know they will need hot water at some point and then flip it off again.  WHAT!?!  So….I need to plan ahead if I want hot water…hmmmm, ok!  Let’s just say, we still take a lot of cold showers!!!

Here are some other fun (and different) words and pronunciations:

“Howzit" - traditional greeting

“Sharp, Sharp”-  honestly, I’m still not sure EXACTLY what this means, but it comes out sounding like “shop, shop” and I still have no idea how to respond....I just smile...and nod....a lot

“costume”- bathing suit….

Okay, another funny story here.  Soon after arriving, we went to a birthday party for a friends daughter.  When we arrived, they asked if we brought “costumes”.  And what was my natural response, “Ohhhh, I didn't realise it was a costume party!”.  Kindly (and probably confused herself) the mother asked if we would like to borrow a “costume”.  Oh no, it didn’t stop there….I was utterly confused as I look around at all the kids wearing normal clothes, “Will they be dressing up later?”.  FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THINGS HOLY!!!!  Why have I never heard of a bathing suit called a “costume”???  I’m picturing all these kids emerging as SuperMan or Cinderella, but no, just going swimming.  Oh the joys of living abroad!!

I’ll leave it there for now…there are SO many more and I am excited to share with you more of my embarrassing moments later.  For now, thanks for joining me!!

LOAD SHEDDING…and more 3rd World adventures

So, what is Load Shedding you ask….I’m actually not entirely sure that I know yet!  Except to say that we often do not have electricity.  Evidently, Eskom (the power company here in SA) wasn’t exactly “forward thinking” in the energy planning for Johannesburg.  Simply put, they don’t have enough power to supply the growing needs of this city and therefore have to “shed some of the load”.  This kind of thing is UNTHINKABLE in the United States.  Can you imagine having rolling blackouts that last most of the day because someone failed to plan well??  There would be riots in the streets!!!  But here in South Africa, it’s just part of the scenery.  Yes, the average citizen isn’t too happy with the situation but “What do you do?”.  As inconvenient as it is, it is also very dangerous.  Johannesburg is rather infamous for it’s crime and violence (that is a whole OTHER blog post…).  People live behind walls, gates and electric fencing.  When power goes out, so does the electric fence!!  And no one knows this more than the “bad guys”!  Also, the traffic lights (called “robots” here!), go out….which complicates an already overloaded and overcrowded traffic system.  

This is one of those things that is hard to wrap your mind around as an American.  I am SO incredibly humbled by my 1st World entitlement!!  If we don’t like something, we change it!  There are countless options for phone, internet, cable and even power!!  I can’t tell you how many times I changed cable/internet providers because I was “displeased” with my service.  That is just not the case here.  Most thing are government run and government controlled.  Choices are limited.  And complaining (although I hear a fair bit of it in the cell phone stores) falls on mostly deaf ears.  

We waited 9 weeks to get a letter from South African Home Affairs before being able to open a bank account.  We waited 3 1/2 MONTHS to get cell phone contracts.  And we had to wait just as long to get our own internet access.  And what a fiasco that turned out to be!!!

You know, one of the things I prayed for in moving here was patience!  I prayed that I would become a more patient person.  WHAT WAS I THINKING?????  But I realised I have a lot to learn from the culture here.  I can’t tell you how grateful I am for our internet….our “slow” and often sketchy internet.  Or for our cell phones, that drop 2 out of every 5 calls!!  

And now, every time I flip on a light switch, I am grateful that we have power!  (Even as I write this, my dear friends are hosting their son’s 5th birthday party IN THE DARK!!!).  On the “bright side” —sorry, bad pun—we have had candlelight dinners and flashlight game nights that have added a special layer to this adventure and are building lasting memories!  

Our kids are getting the wonderful opportunity to be grateful for, and think about, something that I took for granted my whole life.  Electricity!!  

It’s funny how these “hardships” are the very things that are giving me an opportunity to grow.  I am so humbled to have these opportunities.  And for now, I have internet and electricity so that I can share it with you!  Till next time…