The Journey Inward

The week started with a double delight! My colleague’s eight-year-old daughter was badly hurt in a freak accident and she was home with her last week. I put together a gift basket of items to cheer her daughter up. She is doing much better! Knowing I loved the Protea flower, my colleague brought me this tin of traditional South African cookies. So kind and so delicious! A few minutes later, one of my students who had been out three days the week before gave me this card and some delicious almond cookies. I asked him why he brought them and he just gave me a hug. His mother came in a few minutes later, and I thanked her as well, and she started crying, thanking me for being the first teacher who gets her son. We were both crying!

Over the weekend, I bought this contraption. I was looking for a slow cooker, but this does many, many things besides. It is an Instapot, a steamer, a hard boiled egg maker, and much more. I concocted my first chili here in South Africa, albeit with some substitutions, like lentils. I could not find any black beans, so I added cannellini beans. I bought this amazing chili oil at the market in Johannesburg on Saturday and it really gave the soup a kick!

The next day, I woke to no power. The rest of the estate had electricity, so I texted my landlord. She was very responsive and sent an electrician out, but I had to come home during my prep and lunch, which made me a bit uneasy. I know these house problems have not been my fault, but I don’t like to be the person that always has an issue. Anyway, it was pouring rain out, and I was fascinated by my next-door neighbor who chose this timing for her solar drying! If I haven’t mentioned, very few people have dryers here. Laundry is hung outside and dries quickly in this climate.

I think I’ve always been pretty good at finding joy. This is the perfect example, I was driving home from work and passed this tree with the most humongous flowers drooping down. Utilizing the ever present roundabout, I doubled back around, parked on the side of the road, and got out and investigated them. They are called white Angel trumpets, and look similar to the trumpet flower at home, just much bigger!

I went to Quiz Night with a group last night at a local bar. When I got there, I was asking where trivia night was and nobody could answer me. I then remembered that it is called Quiz Night here. My friend Maria, who hosted the rugby party is on the far left. Then it’s Susana who teaches middle school Spanish at my school. Across from her and next to me is her partner. And at the end is a woman I met for the first time, and we already have a date to play badminton together! It was one of the answers on Quiz Night and we both got so excited. She said she loves to play and I informed her that I was the sixth grade girls badminton champion! Apparently you have to have a mascot and they had forgotten one, so I ran to the car to get Stella! She was much smaller than what they’re used to, but she sufficed in a pinch! I had such a delicious blood orange gin drink. It was R75, which is $4.37 for an enormous drink I didn’t finish!

After weeks of searching and test driving and working with my brother and Charl, I finally brought my new car home! Her name is Rio! I’ve been singing her Duran Duran theme song to her nonstop! (Sidenote that it’s kindness week this week, so every day has a different spirit outfit. That’s why I was wearing a tie in yesterday‘s picture and my House shirt in today’s!). It took a while from my money wire to clear, and Charl told me that in the meantime there was a lot of interest in Little Rio. But she was spoken for!

This little Take a Lot delivery car was so adorable! Most deliveries here are made by courier on motorbikes. This was the first and I saw it today on my lunch walk. Did you have the Amazon here, but Takealot is bigger. I thought this mural at my school was so nice. And this flavor pop chip may be my new favorite! According to AI, “Mzansi” is an informal name for South Africa derived from the Xhosa word “umzantsi,” meaning “south”. It is used colloquially by South Africans to refer to their country and can also be used adjectivally to describe things originating from South Africa. The term gained prominence around the late 1990s and is widely used today.

When I took the keys to drive home, my favorite number was written three times on the tag!

While out for a walk, I saw a centipede that reminded me of the science unit my friend Jan and I used to do in the 1990s while teaching first grade. Carolina Biologic would ship stag beetles and these humongous centipedes. We had to keep them in cages in the classroom and the kids would observe them and keep a notebook.I texted Jan about it and tonight when I was walking and talking to her on the phone, I came up upon this one.

I’ve talked about the hadeda bird here that sounds like a pterodactyl. Tonight on my walk I was able to get pretty close to one.

Which reminds me, when I was on the Johannesburg campus and out for a walk, this beautiful bird that I was watching suddenly came at me, swooped down just over my head and was squawking. I don’t know if I was by its nest or what, but it did very little to increase my comfort around and appreciation of birds.

PS: The sales care manager told me that this car matched my personality, especially the color. MJ said my car is spicy, another friend said sporty and my friend Mark just texted me his research, and I hope I embody some of these traits.

My research says that the care salesman got it right….Leadership: Red personalities are often natural leaders who are confident and assertive, enjoying taking charge. Ambition and drive: They are motivated by results and progress, with a strong desire to achieve and succeed. Passion: They possess a strong sense of passion, whether for work, hobbies, or relationships, and approach life with intensity. Confidence: This color is linked to courage, strength, and a bold demeanor. Energy: They are often energetic and enthusiastic, thriving in competitive or fast-paced environments. I too wondered about the color of your car…it just said “enthusiasm” to me.