Adjusting to Winter in Summer

Some of the things I am learning to adjust to in Cape Town are setting the oven temperature in Celsius and looking at a scale that says I weigh 55.7 kg. Light switches for the bathroom are located outside the room. So it takes a small amount of forethought. There are also no electrical outlets in the bathroom. Electrical outlets have an on/off switch and most places close by 1:00 pm on Saturdays. Nice things are lekker and there 3 different clicks in Xhosa (that x is a click).

I went to apply for my visa last week (right now I can only stay until the end of July). I don’t have a return ticket and I thought that if I set aside the money in my bank that would be fine, so I had a letter stating that $2,000 was being held for my return ticket. That is no good. I have to deposit cash with the Department of Home Affairs. Returning to the USA requires a deposit of R3110 ($450), that won’t even get me a ticket to Swaziland. Then I can’t actually use that money to purchase my ticket. I get the money returned to me after I return home and request it from the South African embassy in the USA. I went to see about getting my visa today, but the government employees are on strike and I guess today was the day the government decided to close offices too.

I watched a movie last week titled “Faith Like Potatoes.” It is based on a true story of a farmer in Zambia that moves to South Africa and turns his life over to God. Some miracles happen and he plants potatoes in a drought and the thing with potatoes is that you can’t see them growing, so one has to have faith that there will be something to harvest.

I’ve named by beetle Christopher Robin on the suggestion of a friend and so my car song will most likely be “Pooh Corner” by Kenny Loggins.

My other odd thoughts: I ordered a pair of winter boots. Every year in Albuquerque I look and decide I don’t need them, but with no central heating, warm feet would be lekker.

But it is 430 and closing time at work, so I am going home. :)