The Weekend

Sunday, 24 January. On Friday I had a lovely half-day at work. It's hard to believe that I could go into a clean office with no clutter and read research articles and work on email without interruption. I got to meet Faan, the professor in the next office earlier in the week and then I also met another colleague on Friday morning and I am going to have to work more diligently on names. She and I are in the same department and her area is special needs so I'm eager to learn more about what she is doing in her classes and her research. The only real visitors I had were the gentlemen who had to replace my door lock because it kept getting stuck!

Nkidi gave me a lift home so she could focus on a major translation project and her syllabus for the coming week. I feel a little guilty that I'm not under the same pressure and know that my colleagues on both sides of the Atlantic are facing mounds of work. I spent my afternoon taking a walk to the shopping district a few blocks from my flat to pick up a surge protector so that I could plug all my technology things in at once. Since I was there, I felt compelled to do a little shopping for a book bag and places that my daughter Rebecca might enjoy when she comes in May. Needless to say, I got lost in the shopping and realized that I needed to head home to be there in time for my ride to J'burg.

Thembela arrived soon after I returned and she received the grand tour of my place. I'd share the photos, but can't quite figure out how to get them uploaded so that's my task for later this evening. We had so much fun chatting on the way home and I feel like I have a (much) younger sister when we're together. Friday evening with my second family was lovely and having both Thabiso (who's 9) and Leisha (who's 5) are a real joy. I get lots of hugs as their adopted "auntie". Saturday, Themba and I went out for breakfast and a time to talk, did some car shopping, and then went to see Invictus at the movie theater. I loved the movie from start to finish! I'm only half way through the book which I am also enjoying, but I was most touched by genuine compassion and concern that Mandela brought to a difficult time. There's something about his ability to reach out and see people as individual human beings of worth that touched me and Morgan Freeman conveyed all I have been reading in his performance. I am left wondering about who I am and who I can be given all the advantages that I have. Certainly, this experience in a place that feels like my second home is humbling.

Thembela returned from a class that she is taking and she looked exhausted! I remember the days of being a single mom and going to school and I empathize with the commitment she and her family is making at this time. And while she is taking courses and studying, Themba continues to carry his own load of a new job, consulting, and advanced studies. These are truly inspiring people who have so much to offer! Every time we talk I learn a little more and I'm trying to share it with others.

Today is Sunday and I was back at St. Peters Uniting Presbyterian Church. As an elder in my own church, I am invited (and expected) to join the session as we sit at the front of the church as its leaders. A new interim pastor had his first sermon on their "Covenant Sunday" where people covenant with the church in the activities they will lead or support for the coming year. The church was packed completely with women, men, youth, and children. The advantage of sitting at the very front was that we had access to the fresh air coming in from the door. Others found that it was quite warm in the sanctuary, but that didn't inhibit the worship and praise of the service. Seeing so many familiar faces helped to bridge the gap from my American home to my South African one. And thanks to my dear friend Andiswa for her lunch today, I missed out on a session meeting that lasted from 11-3:30! Since most people who know me, also know that meetings are the LAST event I want to attend, they will certainly appreciate how glad I was to miss out on that one. However, since the session's membership includes elders from both St. Peters and their branch, Ivory Park, I can certainly understand the challenges that both churches must address and the amount of time that it takes for dialogue.

The lunch at Andiswa's home in Thembisa was actually a feast. Because I arrived earlier than most of the women who were still in their Sunday School classes, I had the opportunity to visit with Andiswa and meet her mother and two sisters-in-law, the women who had done all the cooking. And then there was a 5-month-old baby and Andiswa's 4.5 year old son so that was just a little bit of heaven to feel like a granny for a while. When the women arrived, we started eating. Sisters are sisters all over the world! The laughter and love from inside and outside the house was almost palpable. As we ate really spicy fried chicken, rice, pasta salad with little bits of ham, beet root salad, and a veggie mix salad I thought I would gain 100 pounds! How I love home cooking - and this was home cooking at its best. When Themba and Steven arrived, following a harrowing phone call from a relative who needed some assistance and a police stop for speeding and no identification from Themba because his wallet had fallen out of his pocket between church, home, and Andiswa's house (is that a run on sentence?), both Steven and Themba said it seemed like Christmas with all the conversation and food and fun.

By 3:00 we decided that we must leave to head to Pretoria. Although we were too late to do car shopping my friends came straight to my flat, took the 2-minute tour, and then headed back to J'burg with advice to check out cars here in Pretoria this week before making a final decision on a vehicle. With weather that's absolutely wonderful, I took a longer walk through Hatfield, came home to do laundry and read more of "Kafir Boy" by Mark Mathabane. Once the laundry was done, I managed to get online, a real challenge for me lately, to share my adventures.

More tomorrow when I think I'll talk about the challenges of adapting to new routines. The question in my mind is, "Can this old lady learn some new routines?"