The Journey Inward

It’s hard to believe the first month of the new year is already behind us! I slept in a bit on Saturday morning and then went to get my haircut from a stylist I’m really enjoying. My favorite part is laying down completely flat while she washes my hair. Well, actually my favorite part is having my hair washed! Being single suits me, but I do miss having someone run their fingers through my hair! I had several inches cut off my hair and she used a flat iron. It is just so shocking to see myself with straight hair!

From there, I drove to Cappuccino’s restaurant, where Yuri had arranged an afternoon of fun for a group of us. I only knew him and one other woman who was also a teacher. It was nice to meet new people. I ended up having my 2nd cup of coffee ever because the waiter mixed up my dirty chai latte with Lindsay‘s coffee something something latte. I just assumed it had an extra shot of espresso! The man next to me was Raj, and when I asked him if he travels back-and-forth between Asia and South Africa so often for work, he replied, “No, lifestyle.” I vowed then and there that I would answer that question just that way someday!! I guess in a small way that’s what I’m doing now!

After lunch, we went to see Hamnet. If you haven’t seen it yet, you must! I took the whole journey with the main character, and tears were streaming down my face at the end.

Next stop. we were heading to the arcade and I couldn’t imagine a more stark contrast in moods, but sure enough we had a blast playing skeet ball and digital connect 4 and basketball

I left to get back home for my South Africa Gals zoom. Jan, Liz, and Lori booked their flights and are ready to come! We talked through ideas and just generally caught up. It was during this phone call that I realized that my power was out. As it turns out, the vast majority of the Tshwane region of Gauteng was out! Grocery shopping was on my list of things to do, but I couldn’t get anything that needed refrigeration because it didn’t look like power would be restored anytime soon. A terrible storm had moved in that prevented workers from doing what they needed to do. It lasted for hours and provided the only light in my house!

I sleep with a fan blowing on me on each side of my bed. Before going to bed, I turned them both on hoping that at some point during the night I would wake to breezes on my face. I did not. Luckily, it was a cool night and with my windows open, I was comfortable.

Power was still out the next morning, and this was a problem! I had listened to the women’s finals of the Australian open the day before via radio, but today I was planning to watch the men’s final. Friends assured me that local cafés would have power, so I combined my walk with a visit to Blos. It indeed did have power, so I set myself up in the bar downstairs right in front of the TV and spent the next four hours watching with two old, white Afrikaans men. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and had great discussions about points and players. During the course of that time, I ordered two bottles of water, a green juice, and lunch. It was a great end to the Australian open, and I knew that I would be in withdrawal Monday morning! Below is my beloved blos!

The walk back home was delightful, and I arrived there to find power! I ran out to the store to buy just a few perishables for the next day.

I got some disturbing news about a student, so I talked it through with Jan and Mark. While we were chatting, my power went out again. I sat down to work on my painting project in the light, and it suddenly occurred to me that it was so quiet. I didn’t hear the loud buzzing of the neighbors’ generators on either side. I went out to the garage and it turns out I had blown a fuse. Easy fix!

MJ and I had a good long conversation Sunday night and I got to see how she was feeling about her new job. I also spoke to two out of three kids! A wonderful weekend!