It’s my very first day and night here in South Africa and I’ve already felt very warmly greeted by so many!
Tim & Natasha are my new bosses at Living Hope and serve as the volunteer coordinators for LH’s many, many teams that come to work here. They kindly picked me up at the airport and it was wonderful to see their familiar smiling faces when I arrived. They brought along with them Ellen, a nurse who is here from Holland serving, so I’ve already been meeting my coworkers!
We managed to fit all of my enormous and heavy luggage into John & Avril’s loaned car, and straight to the team house we went. Clynton couldn’t believe how much stuff I’d brought. He thoroughly teased me, and I may have deserved it :)
After acquiring the keys to the Fosters’ house from Timo & Mike M. we made our way back to my new place in Inhoff’s Gift. It turns out I live just a few minutes from everywhere and everyone, which is great!
I have a cozy little 400 sq. foot studio that I already adore, although we aren't yet sure if this will be my permanent home. It's a little small for visitors, and I may need something bigger long term. It’s got a trendy bamboo/zen like exterior, on tan adobe plaster, with an “African” décor inside. Lots of orange, which I like, as it makes it bright and cheery. I’ll be posting a video as soon as I have good access to the internet, which is currently on hold while my landlord is away.
Tim took me to the Pick-n-Pay today which was surprisingly adequate. In my opinion, it's much like your neighborhood Kroger. We got just a few basics for me to subsist on and Danielle will be taking me back in the afternoon tomorrow for some “real” shopping. Looks like this girl is going to need to get a menu planner in order, STAT!
I only have one suitcase left to unpack, which I think is a good sign! I will need a place to store winter clothes, but I’m sure we will figure that out.
Security here is a really big deal. There is a security gate within just 40 or so feet or so from my back porch, 24 hour closed circuit television monitoring, and a full alarm system with motion detectors. Plus I have Jesus. He and I are tight like that :)
After a little unpacking for me the LH vol girls & Tim took me to dinner at a local Portuguese restaurant.
This is what they brought out when I ordered a chicken kibob....
This is what they brought out when I ordered a chicken kibob....
Oh my! It literally came off the grill and they hung it on this contraption. We decided it was most definately worth a photo!
More to come!
So glad you're getting settled in and meeting people! Keep us posted! Praying for you!!