"Normal" Life?

Sorry for the long silence!  So often at the end of the day I get the kids into bed and just want to sit down and knit or not do anything at all.

We've been settling in...as much as you can settle in without a house or a car of your own.  The Beckleys have been so wonderful and have made this experience the best it could be.  Still, we look forward to getting our own place and really settling in.  We've been looking at houses and there is one in particular that I just love.  But...we're waiting on some paperwork on our house in the States to go through and our financial hands are tied until then.  Oh, but that house has such a lovely garden!

We've also been looking at cars and have narrowed it down to one or two.  But...given the condition of the roads here and the unscrupulous nature of so many we really need to get a new or certified used car from a dealership.  And what dizzying expense!  For a car that will fit our family we're looking at around $45,000 to $50,000.  Yikes!  And that's not for anything fancy.  We knew this before we got here, but actually seeing what you get for the money is still jarring.  Even the used ones start at $40,000.  Why so expensive?  Probably location- no matter which way you do it, imported things are expensive here because of the shipping costs.  So, toys in general are really expensive.  A set of Legos that would sell in the States for $30 here goes for $100.  So yes, you can feel free to send the kids Legos.  :)

And as long as I'm talking about money, let me explain a little about the exchange rate and whatnot.  Right now the rate is hovering at about 8 rands to 1 dollar.  So, when shopping I'm forever dividing by 8 to see how much things cost.  It's kind of fun to go grocery shopping, use my American debit card, then come home to see what exchange rate we got.  Most of the time it's about 8.2 or so, but the other day I bought a knitting pattern online and got 8.49!  We've been told that this is a really good exchange rate and it's normally more like 7 to 1, so we'd really like to get our big financial matters taken care of sooner than later.

In the meantime, the kids continue to enjoy being outside.  Dominoes are a favorite right now as are umbrellas for the girls.  They have also enjoyed climbing a mango tree and just plain running around.  This evening they made parachutes out of paper for their toys and launched them, with varying success, off the driveway ramp.

We've had some trouble with Liam being destructive in the garden and have found a punishment that works well for him: work.  Last week he ended up spending an entire morning sweeping leaves off the driveway and sidewalks.  Why all morning?  Because the first hour or two was just too much fun for him.  Even after that experience he still enjoys sweeping the brick!  

So that's what we've been up to.  We're here.  We're happy.  We really do love it here, even if we do miss everyone back home.  I've got a great idea: you can all just move over here and that will solve everything.

Sunday at Tshirenzheni

What a fun day we've had!  Last night before bed Rosie asked me if I would stay up late and finish a shawl that I was working on for her.  I said sure, but I thought it was going to be too warm to wear it in the morning.  I checked the weather after tucking in the kids and realized that the opposite was true- it was going to be cold in the morning!  So, I stayed up late and finished her shawl so the three of us girls could have matching ones this morning.  

On this chilly morning we met with 

the congregation at Tshirenzheni (pronounced Chair-en-gen-ee) for bible class and worship.  The drive into Venda was just beautiful with clouds coming down on the mountains and no traffic.  And...oh, joy!  monkeys!!!  Not only did the kids finally get to see real live monkeys, but they got to see at least a dozen.  We passed a school yard that was, of course, empty on a Sunday morning and there were about a dozen vervet monkeys playing and running about!  We've decided to call it the monkey school.  Just a bit down the road were 5 or 6 other monkeys that I didn't recognize.  And then there were the goats and cows and chickens!  The kids so enjoyed the drive...and I did, too!  

  

The church building at Tshirenzheni is one of the most beautiful locations I've ever seen.  I don't know why, but something about it just appeals to me.  This is the view from the side of the building.

Tshirenzheni has a bible class for the children first thing, then an adult bible class (and the children all sit still and quiet for this), then 2 hours of worship (well, depending on how long the preacher speaks).  The kids really enjoyed the bible class.  It was taught in Venda, but the teacher also translated some into English and asked some of the questions in English for our children.  After bible class the boys got to have their first adventure with a "long drop" toilet.  Yes, it is what you think it is.  "But Mommy, where does it GO?!"  Down the hole, son, down the hole.  They thought it was great. 

It looks like James with be working with the congregation at Tshirenzheni for the next 6 months or so and I'm really looking forward to that.  I've already enjoyed getting to know some of the ladies and look forward to meeting everyone else.