Well, we’re in South Africa! Its so weird to think that after the last 2 months of constant traveling and living out of a suitcase, this is “home” for the next few months. I don’t know the exact length of time we’ll be here…. I think anywhere from 6 months to a year.
Anyway, after spending a wonderful two days in Kampala, full of manicures, pedicures, craft markets, internet, malls and great food, we went back to Entebbe to spend the night at the Airport Guesthouse, like I mentioned before.
The next morning (the 19th), at 3:45am, we got up to drive to the airport for our 7:00 flight. Carissa and I stayed up talking till around 1:15ish (we’re so smart) so we were exhausted!!
Anyway, the flight from Entebbe to Johannesburg is barely 4 hours (even though it felt like longer), and then we had a 3 hour wait in the airport before our shuttle- the City Bug- came to drive us to Nelsprite, which is the nearest city from where we’re living now. You can get pretty much anything there, and it even has a Cineplex…. Where New Moon will be showing on the 27th! Megan, Carissa and I have been counting down the days, and are soo excited to see it!!! (I know it already came out in Canada so please nobody give anything away!!)
We’re staying just outside of a place called White River (about 10 minutes away), which is a little town, with a mini mall and a one screen movie theatre etc, and on the other side (also about 10 minutes away) is Masoyi. Masoyi is what is called a perisuburban “town”. It has about 250,000 people, and my dad described it as the layout of a slum town, with some random well-off houses. Most of the people living there are the poorest of the poor however, and this is where my parents will be doing a lot of their ministry.
Anyway, when we got to the Jo’burg airport, Carissa and I were hoping beyond anything that there would be a Starbucks there. Unfortunately there wasn’t, but there was a Woolworths, which made amazing frappes, so we weren’t too upset. If we have to survive for the next 1 ½ years without any Starbucks however.. well, that’ll be a different story. :S :S
The City Bug took just about 3 ½ hours, 2 of which I was asleep for, and when we arrived in Nelsprite, we were met by David and Jed&Brooke, who are some of Hands at Work volunteers here in SA. It was about a 45 minute drive (plus a quick stop for some groceries) to get to the Hands Village (where most of the Hands at Work staff live), and then another 15ish minute drive to get up to the farm, which is where Jed&Brooke, another couple called Liz&Weston and their family, and now us are living. We’re temporarily (how temporarily we don’t know) staying in a building that is used for retreats and camps and such… it has a bit of a dorm/camp feeling, but its big and has lots of beds, a kitchen, and a washer and drier, so it works well for our family for now.
Since arriving we haven’t done much except for settle in, do all of our laundry, and freeze. Yep, despite the fact that we have arrived in the middle of SA’s hottest season, it has been raining and freezing cold since we got here! So weird.
Anyway, we’re going into town soon for a more extensive shop, and maybe to get some coffee or something…. Then on Monday I’m really hoping we’ll be able to visit the pre-school/daycare here and meet some of the kids!! (more on this next time J )
No comments:
Post a Comment