One Week, Going Strong

We have officially been in South Africa for a week!

In this week we have accomplished the following:

• set up a South African bank account
• learned to drive stick (Sara, almost!) and on the lefthand side of the road (J.J., mastered!)
• bought a cute lil Chevy Spark car from a very patient South African
• visited 4 homes for rent, all different & unique
• signed the lease on our new home (what!? amazing!)
• moved twice (we are currently living in a cute little room in a home we found on AirBnb)

I actually don’t know how he fits in this car…

In this week we have learned:

• that the inspiration for the weird cell towers disguised as trees actually came from real trees (see photo below)
• how well we know the restaurants around our home in Albuquerque (we put together a top ten list for anyone who stays in our home while we are away; many of the restaurant descriptions mentioned waiters by name)
• that J.J. can fit in a small airplane bathroom for hours at a time (he got food poisoning on the way over here)
• that God can answer our prayers beyond our wildest expectations (we put in an offer on a two bedroom apartment, much lower than the asking price AND we asked the owner if they would like to go in 50/50 on a washer & fridge. They not only accepted our offer but told us that they have a washer, dryer, microwave and vacuum that we can use for the year we are here!!)
• that veg=vegetable, robot=traffic signal, fanny does not = bottom, and aircon = airconditioner
• that internet is slow, cell service is complicated, and central heating/clothes dryers are not standard features in a home
• that housing here is expensive (more than ABQ) but food is pretty inexpensive
• that the people of South Africa are very welcoming, kind, and joyous

cell tower or tree? You decide

And most of all, we have learned how much we can miss our friends & family!

We hope you guys are doing well!

at the kirstenbosch gardens. ah-maze-ing