The Journey Inward

Some musings on today…

I had my first African thunderstorm last night into this morning. The thunder was loud, the wind kicked up and the lightning lit the sky beautifully. It poured just before the kids came in this morning, but by 9:45, it was clear and they went to their outdoor snack area. Everyone was so happy to see the rain because the dry season was especially dry. October begins rainy season, so this storm was right on time!

We kicked off a unit on force and motion today and the design teacher brought the kids to the Maker Space to explore force, motion and gravity for an hour. They loved it and had some great trial, error and modification practice. Miss Jude loves her job and exudes enthusiasm! She also had them clean that room and put it right back the way they found it, while also preserving their projects for another time.

The jacaranda tree has come into bloom a bit early according to locals. In fact, it is already dropping its petals, especially with the storm. The flowers are so pretty, the trees are a gorgeous sight along the road and I saw so many creations at the artisan market this weekend made from the tree’s wood.

Burned areas are common to fertilize the soil. I asked if fires break out given how dry it is, but they seem to be pretty well controlled.

The traffic/speeding control system of Pretoria is speed bumps and roundabouts!

I came home to a power outage today, but also to a thick bundle of newspapers at the guard station like we used to get in our Sunday paper when I was growing up. Pick n Pay is one of the cheaper markets while Checkers is a step up. Checkers Hyper is like a super store back home. That one made me laugh!

I walked on the rooftop track tonight and it was a moody sky with lightning zig zagging in the distance. Next door to the gym is a padel ball court that I get a discount for! Padel is a cross between tennis and squash and is taking off here the way pickleball is at home. I came home and did my first virtual Body Pump class in my gym/office with my new equipment.

Today kicks off my first full week of work. I did more teaching today and will do more tomorrow. The day is busy and packed, but there is so much time for team planning, which is nice.