Highlights and Changes

Has it really only been a week since we left?  It feels like it's been a month!  Each day has come with its ups and downs, but overall, we are really liking it here.  Yesterday we finally got a rental car (highlight)!  It was amazing how it lifted our spirits to have freedom to get out and go!  College students are on summer break until the end of the month, so we have some time to get settled and explore Cape Town...we decided to start with the beach (of course!).  Though it was a stressful experience for Christian to drive from the right side of the car, shift with his left hand, remember that turn signals are on the right side of the steering wheel,  and drive on the left side of the road (a big change), he did a great job and we made it to Camps Bay beach!  It is actually a little stressful being on the passenger side too...especially turning right in oncoming traffic. Yikes!  But the beaches along the base of Table Mountain are BEAUTIFUL!   Lily and Anya loved the beach!  Especially finding sea shells.  The water is freezing and full of sharks, so we let them get their feet wet as the tide came in, but avoided swimming.   It was a fun adventure!
Another change that has come has been the humidity.  It's not super humid, but definitely more moisture than Colorado!  This means a few things...1.)  Anya's hair is full of tight spiral curls and is oh so cute.   2.)  My hair is frizzy, wavy and a bit unpredictable every day and 3.) It can be blamed for the zit on the end of my nose, which is still looming.  However, I have had a much more positive outlook on life here in spite of my hair crisis and break out since my last blog.:)
God is answering so many prayers!  We have enjoyed time with our staff friends who are here (Leon and Melanie Best and kids (American), Rose (American), and Nicholas and Pravani Kelderman (South African).  Melanie and Rose took Shannon and I on a 5 hour shopping adventure for home decor and food.  They were so helpful and patient with us as we looked for what we were needing.  The first thing I learned at the home store was that there were only two big shopping carts and they are called "trolleys".  I asked a woman as she was leaving if I could have her trolley and she graciously gave it to me.  I stopped to look at duvet covers and all of a sudden my cart was gone!  I looked around and didn't see it anywhere.  Finally, I noticed a man pushing a cart that had the catalog in it I had put in there, and so I graciously confronted him and got the cart back. It was not a big deal, but I felt a little like I was on a shopping game show or something!  It was fun to get some things to make our place feel more like home.  By the time we got to the grocery store I was a little overwhelmed.  It was getting mentally draining to convert rand into dollars, and to make decisions.   Plus, I hadn't even thought about what to cook, let alone the groceries we need.  It seems like we won't be going without too much...their food is very similar to ours.
Today was full of highlights!  We have our own temporarily unlimited internet!  We have to have a bank account in order to get wireless internet, and after doing a lot of leg work before we came, Christian and Tyler were able to get us bank accounts here in South Africa!  It is very difficult to get bank accounts here...our director has tried for the past 3 years he's been here.  So this is a huge praise!
We had our friends Pravani and Nicholas over for "tea" this morning.  We are enjoying the Rooibos tea, and the girls like it too!  Christian would say the donuts he's had here are the best he's ever tasted.  I would probably agree. :)
We were able to have bars installed on our windows and get a dead bolt for our door today, which makes us feel that much more secure in leaving our windows open at night.  However, we closed the door to go to lunch and were unable to get back in!  Tyler crawled over from his 3rd floor balcony to ours to try and crawl through the top of our patio windows...which didn't work.  But he got the door unlocked with a broom handle- pretty impressive!  Ends up something was wrong with how the lock was installed, and we got it fixed.
I also got first hand experience in the South African way of walking around town barefoot...though not on purpose.  My favorite flip flop broke as we were walking outside along the waterfront...so I walked with one shoe on and one shoe off.  It wasn't as bad as I imagined, but I don't think you'll catch me walking around barefoot in public places again.  We've seen people walking around in the mall and outside without shoes on.  The girls have already tried it!  We've been told that everyone goes barefoot at school.  I think Lily will do well with that.
After doing a few loads of laundry and having the drying rack take up our entire living room (we don't have a dryer), I decided to try out the laundry service that many people use.  It's just down stairs and they wash (and do stain removal), dry and fold your laundry and charge you by weight.  Today I picked up my laundry and carried it home folded and bagged...and I was almost giddy with excitement!  This is the BEST service EVER!  Then, as I was coming home, there was a man washing the windows of our apartment!  And I thought "when does this happen?  Someone washing my windows and doing my laundry in the same day?" It was a total highlight!
A few last highlights...1.) Skyping with Paul and Kathy  2.)  We may have found a car to buy...we know the owner and it's been VERY well maintained...but it doesn't have power steering, which makes me even more nervous than I already am to drive.  Many of the cars in our price range don't have power steering.  Please pray for wisdom and that I will overcome my fear of driving here, and go for it!
Thank you for all of your prayers and encouraging words!  I've got to get to bed!  "What time is it" has become my most frequent saying these days...I've got to get a watch and a clock for our house!

Keep in touch!