Well it's Thursday morning, I think, although I'm not entirely sure I know what day it is, where I am, or why Ethan's cries are still ringing in my head from yesterday. All I do know at this point is, I'm at work staring at my computer in a half daze wondering what it is I need to do next. Now...what was I doing? Oh yeah!
The trip was fantastic. Going home is always such a wonderful thing for me, it reminds me of who I am and where I came from and how lucky I am to have the things I have. We drove through some truly depressing parts where you can't even imagine people live. It always humbles me. I go back and have to set my clock to South African time, which means everything takes forever, the food, the driving, and the washing to dry on the line. The thing with this is, I have noticed that on African time I seem less stressed, less rushed and less angry. It feels as though there is more time in the day and not so much pressure to cram a busy day into 10 hours. The kids played and laughed and had fun, Skylar didn't miss TV, she loved the beach and playing outside, and she swam and laughed and glowed. Ethan learnt to pull himself up on everything and how to get dirty. He smiles and waves bye-bye to everyone; he got so much attention and love he was exploding with happiness. We took time to be a family, to relax and to have a little fun. It doesn't get much better than that.
On our trip we did have some hiccups, Skylar choked on some meat and I had to give her the Heimlich, Ethan held his breath till he passed out while I frantically ran around the restaurant hysterical, there are many other crazy instances of danger and living on the edge, almost too many to list, but we made it. Skylar learnt that in the vast expanses of African bush that the need for a potty break simply means pull off the road and go, she loved the idea and it's as if she waited to have to go until we were surrounded by miles of nothing just so she could experience the freedom of bush-peeing. And then on one occasion on a drive through the game park she was laughing so hard she peed her pants and continued to laugh even harder. I think laughing that hard pardons any potty accident, I wish we all laughed so hard we pee our pants. It's good for the heart!
On this trip, we have built relationships, renewed old friendships, fallen in love and learnt that nothing should ever be taken for granted.
Things that I learnt to not take for granted:
Electricity (due to load shedding)
Hot water (see above)
Pot-hole free roads
That someone won't overtake on a blind rise and potentially kill you as you approach
Food to arrive within an hour of ordering it
There are a few more things I could add to my list, but it seems unfair, as if I'm complaining. I'm not, I love Africa, it's my home.
I have many more tales from darkest Africa to share, however at this time I find myself staring blankly at my screen again. I wish the screams of my overtired, exhausted child will stop in my head. Did I mention that he cried all the way from JFK to Denver, no nipple in the world could pacify him. The lady in front of us was clearly not a "baby person" and her hatred was felt with every nasty stare and huff and puff. I wanted to speak, I wanted to ask her if she had a problem with my screaming child, I wanted to scold her for being so insensitive, but my efforts would have been lost on her. I'm not sure we'll be friends, but I do hope that she still has my child’s screams in her head today too. Ahh yes, how does that slogan go..."fly the friendly skies", this does not apply to you my dear friend in seat 8F. May the screams of my child and the whining of my daughter forever be with you.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Planes, Trains and Automobiles
Well we have safely landed in SA but it's been quite the trip. First of course we had to take the midnight flight from Denver to JFK and spend the day in New York, that part of the trip was easy and quite painless. Then we boarded the flight from JFK to Johannesburg and it was a long, long plane ride. Skylar had been so excited about the trip but even to her the long haul got a bit much, about 10 hours into it she looks up at me from her seat, barely keeping her eyes open and says: "Mommy, I don't want to go to Attica anymore". Ha, poor baby, she was so exhausted. But between the two of them I can't complain, they were incredibly good and made the trip pretty stress free.
Since we have been here the kids have been having so much fun. Africa, I do love coming home. Makes me feel like a kid all over again too.
Ethan has developed and ear infection, took him to the doc today, I'm still amazed at how the trip to the doc and the prescription cost me less here than it would in the USA with insurance. Boggles the mind.
Johannesburg INTL, gave us an unregistered car rental, nice, so I come out of the store and sure enough I have a R600.00 ticket for not displaying a valid registration. Honestly, how can you screw up something like that? Anyway all taken care of and we now have a spanky new car that doesn't smell like cat pee.
I have had little sleep in four days, so as I write this I realise it is probably boring and completely un-funny and who knows if any of it even makes any sense. All I can think of right now though is curling up in my 100 degree room and sweating myself into slumber land, that is for a moment until Ethan wakes up again.
Since we have been here the kids have been having so much fun. Africa, I do love coming home. Makes me feel like a kid all over again too.
Ethan has developed and ear infection, took him to the doc today, I'm still amazed at how the trip to the doc and the prescription cost me less here than it would in the USA with insurance. Boggles the mind.
Johannesburg INTL, gave us an unregistered car rental, nice, so I come out of the store and sure enough I have a R600.00 ticket for not displaying a valid registration. Honestly, how can you screw up something like that? Anyway all taken care of and we now have a spanky new car that doesn't smell like cat pee.
I have had little sleep in four days, so as I write this I realise it is probably boring and completely un-funny and who knows if any of it even makes any sense. All I can think of right now though is curling up in my 100 degree room and sweating myself into slumber land, that is for a moment until Ethan wakes up again.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Random Thoughts
Well here I am again...trouble in slumber land. It's 9:25pm and Skylar is whining about what CD she listens to, it's 9:25pm, at this point I'm ready to throw the CD player through a window. Does it matter if it's Curious George or Mermaid?? I think not! GO TO SLEEP.
Right, onto the next thing. While I was dressing Skylar the other day I had to tackle the tiniest button on her shirt. Honestly, do the people who make childrens clothing not have kids? Have they not ever tried to push a tiny button through a tiny button hole and a wiggly tiny person. Hello folks. I think buttons are a bad idea, period.
While shopping the other weekend, seems I've been doing a lot of this lately, I encountered a very rude mother/child combo. The little girl was sitting in the stroller and as we walked by she made some rude noise at Skylar and took a swipe. I didn't pay too much attention, that is until the Mother started yelling at the cashier and practically threw a pair of pants at her. I was amazed. Now this is my question, is she a bad Mother for passing on her nastiness to her daughter who will probably grow up to be a school yard bully? Or am I the bad Mother because I am ready to throw the CD player through a window, along with the CD's and then lock myself in the bathroom and scream until I am hoarse. Hmmm, it's a tough one isn't it?
Ethan said Mamma today, no really he did! I know he did. He said it because he loves me and doesn't judge me for wanting to throw the stupid CD player through a window.
Well the plan was to pack early so that I had time to take things out and rethink things and all of that good -in-theory kind of stuff. Well the plan was to take two suitcases, now a week later I have three. What the heck happened? I guess the plan backfired, it just gave me more time to remember more crap that I don't need but have to take. Ahh yes, still enjoying the wonders of packing.
I wish all these people with the flu would stay home and stay away from me. I'm taking a trip in two days and I'm paranoid as all get-out that I'll wake up Friday morning with the flu. Stay away people, I don't need to share your ickies!
Right, onto the next thing. While I was dressing Skylar the other day I had to tackle the tiniest button on her shirt. Honestly, do the people who make childrens clothing not have kids? Have they not ever tried to push a tiny button through a tiny button hole and a wiggly tiny person. Hello folks. I think buttons are a bad idea, period.
While shopping the other weekend, seems I've been doing a lot of this lately, I encountered a very rude mother/child combo. The little girl was sitting in the stroller and as we walked by she made some rude noise at Skylar and took a swipe. I didn't pay too much attention, that is until the Mother started yelling at the cashier and practically threw a pair of pants at her. I was amazed. Now this is my question, is she a bad Mother for passing on her nastiness to her daughter who will probably grow up to be a school yard bully? Or am I the bad Mother because I am ready to throw the CD player through a window, along with the CD's and then lock myself in the bathroom and scream until I am hoarse. Hmmm, it's a tough one isn't it?
Ethan said Mamma today, no really he did! I know he did. He said it because he loves me and doesn't judge me for wanting to throw the stupid CD player through a window.
Well the plan was to pack early so that I had time to take things out and rethink things and all of that good -in-theory kind of stuff. Well the plan was to take two suitcases, now a week later I have three. What the heck happened? I guess the plan backfired, it just gave me more time to remember more crap that I don't need but have to take. Ahh yes, still enjoying the wonders of packing.
I wish all these people with the flu would stay home and stay away from me. I'm taking a trip in two days and I'm paranoid as all get-out that I'll wake up Friday morning with the flu. Stay away people, I don't need to share your ickies!
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