STAN
Stan has been working hard on the project to build one of the biggest coal powered plant in the world, working for Black & Veatch and Eskom (South Africa's local utility). In his free time he has fixed the pond that came with our house as well as added fish. He is currently looking at purchasing/building another pond with a water fall to go in the area at the end of the pool against a wall. We would be able to see and hear it from our main living area.
He loves to plan our vacations, as well as help the kids with their school projects, and play in the pool with the family. He is enjoying using our new outdoor built-in barbecue as well as occasionally entertaining in our backyard. Right now, Stan is planning a vacation to a game reserve for the end of this month, so we can all be together for his 54th birthday. In June, we plan to visit with my Dad and Judy at their villa in Italy (Prov. of Cantanzaro). In December, my Mom and Auntie Jean will be visiting and Stan is making all of those arrangements. We also plan on seeing Victoria Falls, as well as Cape Town and the Durban area (beaches). We would also like to visit Mozambique. We would like to travel as much as we can now that we have the opportunity.
PAULETTE
I am getting to know my way around and will even set out on my own without turning on the Garmin. I have become quite an aggressive driver and am staying far away from those crazy taxi drivers that seem to have their own rules of the road. I continue to work on a queen sized quilt and am thankful that I get to quilt again after 11 years.
I shop at the grocery stores quite often since the food here does not contain any preservatives and spoils quickly. There does not seem to be any processed foods here which is a blessing.
Services are a lot less expensive here. Ice Skating is about 1/3 of the price as in the U.S. as well as horseback riding, piano lessons, quilting classes, etc. Domestic help costs about $10.00 a day. I did not realize what life could be like without having to do the laundry. Our domestic worker washes and irons everything, even our PJs, socks, etc. Everything is folded neatly on our shelves (no dressers). I am so thankful for this and realize that it is only for a short time until we return to the U.S. Also, our domestic worker used to work at our home for another family and had not worked since last December. Her and her husband live in a one room shack and they cannot even afford for their two kids to live with them. Their kids live with their grandmother in Malawi. We try to help Maggie as much as we can. At first I did not want someone in our home 3 days a week, but was told by many, that employing her would be a blessing to her and her family and without her job at our home, she would have no income.
I finally have the time to start taking better care of myself and have started seeing a Physiotherapist up the street from where I live. She is really helping my lower back pain and will be giving many exercises to strengthen my core. I also walk 3 mornings a week and plan to increase that to every day. There is a walking group in my community that walks every MWF at 8am.
I also attend ladies bible studies at Rosebank Union Church.
CHRISTINA
Christina loves playing soccer after school every Wednesday. She evened scored her first goal since she has been here. She loves horseback riding again and takes a weekly drawing class after school on Tuesdays. She has made many friends and has been enjoying her new cell phone a little too much. It was given to her for security reasons to contact her parents when we are needed. She has been practicing her texting a little too much. They call it SMSing here. Most every adult sends SMS's and I have had to learn how to text in order to keep up with all of the SMS's I receive from the school, doctor's offices, stores, etc. Christina has been teaching me.
Christina takes piano lessons at school and we have recently purchased an upright Casio keyboard with weighted keys that sounds wonderful. Christina has also started ice skating and now has a coach that has won a gold in South Africa and Canada (Miss Debbie). She is excited to start training again. Figure Skating time on the ice is from 6am-9am on Sat. and Sundays. For now, I take her on Sat. mornings and we can get there in 20 minutes without the traffic. We are hoping that she will be in a competition soon in Cape Town. I am back to being an "ice skating mom". Christina also joined the local ice skating club.
Christina also finished a book at school and had to make a board game based on the characters and plot of the book. She had to bring it to school and present it to the class and play the game that she made with another class mate to test it out. It was a fun project for her. She is now starting a writing workshop at school. Writing is her most favorite subject.
ANGELA
Angela is also taking piano lessons at school, and on Wednesdays after school she takes an art class. She loves school and is currently working on a unit called, Simple Machines. She had to make her own simple machine, so she made a fishing type pole with a piece of bamboo and attached a pulley, piece of cork and a screw as well a piece of clothes line. She calls it her Pet Shop fishing pole. Pet Shops have a magnet on them, so she can use it to pick up her Pet Shop toys. She is now working on a poster to present her machine at a "Simple Machine Science Fair" at her school.
Angela continues to love animals and pretends she is a different animal depending on the day of the week. You never know what animal you will see her become. Last night she slept with her jaguar hat and tail on. She came down for breakfast in her PJs and the tail and hat. I had to do a double take. Angela loves to study birds and had a book to help her identify the birds.
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