Settling In

I have spent the good part of a week settling in here. There are many differences to get used to. Language, driving, security, and weather are all very different.

LANGUAGE:
There are 2 main languages spoken here, British and Zulu.
South African British terms are very different. A Copi is hill (pronounced copy). A Robot is a stop light. There are your typical British phrases like chap or chips (man or fries). A Braai (Br-eye) is a bar-b-q. A Bakkey (buck-E) is a truck. Im catching on little by little.
Zulu is far beyond my language skills. They have many sounds in their words that are like clicks of your tongue. I have a hard time pronouncing some of the kid's names. Many of the younger children have only ever spoken Zulu....so when they get to the day care, their English is limited. The teachers speak English AND Zulu, so half the time I dont know what is going on.

DRIVING:
I finally plucked up enough nerve to try my hand at driving. Here we drive on the left side of the road. Being on the opposite side of the car to drive is very interesting....I tend to drift to the right because I am not used to having more car on that side. Intersections are the hardest. I have to think before I turn so that I dont turn into oncoming traffic. Adjusting to looking RIGHT when you pull out of the drive way is important too.

SECURITY:
Locks, bars and gates are a way of life around here. To get to my flat (apartment) I have a remote to open the gate. I have 2 keys for the front door. I have an additional key to my room. I have keys to all of the closets, the laundry room and the gate to get into the back yard. The church has just as many security precautions as the homes. Cars have alarms, gear locks that go around the stick, and you have to keep doors locked at all times. There are security men at all of the malls and stores to watch your car. You tip them a bit for guarding the car and you let them take the buggy back to the store for you. And you never go shopping after dark. These are precautions we take. Ive never had any problems. I suppose the rule is better safe than sorry.

WEATHER:
I think the weather has been one of the biggest obstacles to get used to. There is NO central heat or AC. Not at the homes, church or malls. So when its cold (which it is now) it is cold inside and out. There are space heaters to take the chill out of the air and I have an electric blanket and down comforter to help at night. But during the day, you wear 3 and 4 layers and still feel chilled. The biggest difference is how DRY it is. And the sun shine makes a BIG difference. When you stand in the sun you can feel the warmth. And when the sun goes behind a cloud, there is a BIG difference in temperature. Apparently I am experiencing a cold spell. I hear that winter is usually very mild during the day and only a bit chilly at night. I'll believe it when I see it! hahaha


I have only spent a few days at the church observing the Day Care. There are lots of things we need to add/change to make it a great program, but they have really gotten things off to a great start. I will write more about the kids and the church when I have more time.

Thanks for all of your emails. Please forgive me if I dont respond right away. My time online is limited. Hopefully we will be able to correct the Internet problems in the next month or so.

Please pray that I can work with the teachers and help implement some needed changes. Pray that cultural and racial differences do not hinder us from working together to provide the best for these children. Pray that the teachers are excited about new ideas and embrace the changes as a positive step in the right direction. And please pray that God's will be clear through the whole process. Thank you for your prayers. I have felt them and know they are working!