Hanging By A Thread

39 days to go before we fly back to America…

Sorry I haven’t written an entry for so long. Things have gotten pretty routine here for Michael and I and it has been a while since we have done anything worth blogging about.

For the past few weeks we have been spending a lot of time with the Sparrow Village kids helping them study for their final exams which are coming up this month. We are seeing a great need for help with math, and I love seeing the joyful expressions on their little faces when they figure out the answers! We now have our regular customers who always bring us homework – mostly the younger kids who are so eager to learn! Many of the little children love to read books to us… Even though they struggle a lot with the words, finishing a book is like discovering magic! They glow with pride and happiness. And Mike and I absolutely love giving them the opportunity to pick a book and read to us… I don’t know how, but somehow I feel like that one book is a huge investment in their life.

We haven’t done much site seeing or touristy things for a while. So this morning Mike and I made a trip to Magaliesberg where we went on a canopy tour (zip line) for 2.5 hours. The Magaliesberg Mountains are more than 2400 million years old and are the second oldest range in South Africa. We went on a total of 10 zip lines through the canyon and went more than 45m above the stream. We drove through a game farm to reach the canyons. The landscape was absolutely gorgeous and the ride a thrill! I was very nervous for my first slide, but once it happened I realized there wasn’t much to it… The only scary part was when they switched the order and I had to slide before Mike did. I had tons of fun (this was my first time and Mikes second – he went zip lining in Guatemala as well). After the canopy tour we received a complementary lunch and headed home before the rains hit. It was a great day and it felt good for us to go out for a while…

p.s. Last night Mike and I went out to dinner at the Cape Town Fish Market and we had a stunning evening! It had been too long since we went out for a sit down dinner and prawns with robata baby squid (calamari tubes) was the perfect meal! Of course, I had the best company!

p.p.s. Michael and I are officially Michigan State medical students and are in the class of 2015!

Shark Bait

The past few days have been pretty rough – literally.

Two days ago, Mike and I went swimming at a little quiet bay here on the coastline by our house. No one was around, but the water was so inviting and we could not resist! Stripped down into our swim gear, we ran for the waters and embraced how warm and soothing it was. Mike and I were thoroughly enjoying ourselves in the water, floating up and down with each wave…. Until….. I saw a fin. I saw a black fin in the waves but it was with the corner of my eye. I needed confirmation but I could not find any. I told Mike I was not sure what I saw and he said it was not worth the risk – so we went back on to the beach. With some distance between us and the water, I surveyed the area again only to find a huge school of dolphins swimming in the crest of the waves by us. Wow, beautiful but so scary! Especially because we were all alone in this bay. Close call.

That night we woke up in the middle of the night to the sounds of gale force winds and heavy rain beating against the windows. It was so dark outside, we had no idea as to what was happening in the seas but a few feet away from the house…. With a cellphone close by (in case I needed to call the security company for more information about the severity of the storm) Mike and I carefully listened to the howling wind and shaking trees until eventually we fell asleep and woke up to a calm morning.

The morning started with us scouting out the weather forecast. 100% chance of rain. But the sun was peaking out here and there and we were hoping to go to the Durban aquarium for the day. So we took the risk, packed up, and drove out for 2 hours. uShaka Marine World is the 5^th largest aquarium in the world – and it certainly lived up to its title! Best of all – we had a stunning day weather wise! It was sunny and dry the entire day! How superb…

Also, Mike and I decided to be spontaneous and meet the beasts we thought we were swimming with earlier…. At uShaka we went Shark Cage Diving and it was fantastic! Submerged under water with only thick Plexiglas between you and the giants of the sea – nothing was more thrilling and yet tranquil at the same time. I think the controlled environment was a big factor in this. We had 43 photos taken of the experience and I have attached a few down below. Its really not as frightening as you would think… That is until the sharks get hungry.

We returned home to gale force winds again and counted ourselves lucky for the wonderful day we had!

Born for the Sea

Here we are laying out on chairs facing the ocean which lies only a house away… The view is absolutely gorgeous and serene! Sipping cold drinks, feet resting up on chairs and Mike playing “Beyond the Sea” from his laptop: this is a true vacation.

We arrived in Glenmore on Friday, which is along the coast past Durban. After a 7-8 hour scenic drive, Michael and I were more than ready to welcome the smell of salty water and the sounds of crashing waves on the boulders below. With a late afternoon walk along the boulder path, Michael for the first time looked out at the far reaching edges of the Indian Ocean with much awe and delight. Nothing has made me happier on this trip than seeing his excited response.

Unfortunately yesterday was a gloomy day. The sky was overcast, it rained occasionally, and we barely saw the blue sky. Most of the day was spent inside relaxing, napping, and watching movies. We woke up at 4am and went for a long walk along the boulders. We were lucky enough to wake up to gorgeous blue skies this morning!! After spending breakfast outside, Mike and I went to Port Edward where he swam in the ocean for the first time, and the Indian Ocean at that… We spread out our chairs, put sun screen on, and absorbed all the rays and the view. Once we were nice and toasty (and I had given Mike a heads up on what to expect with the rough waves) we headed for the water. It was chilly at first, every wave landing an explosion that froze our sun-warmed skin. Im just thankful that we are on the side of South Africa that has the warm ocean currents… Any colder and I don’t think we would have gone far. All in all, Mike was a champ! It was clear that he loved the experience and he did great for his first time in the waves… He was born for the sea.

We returned to the house before lunch and relaxed some more. Shockingly, we woke up from a nap and discovered that our skin decided to change color – red – while we were sleeping. Seems like the sun fooled us today…. With lots of lotion and the shade of the night, we hope it will go away soon.

I think I can speak for us both when I say that it is nice to get away like this… The sea is so enchanting!

p.s. We saw dolphins this morning and while we were eating lunch outside we watched whales swim across the view ahead. Stunning!

Jabulani (Celebrate)

This past week proved very busy, but quite exciting and entertaining at the same time. Our Sparrow Village kids held a Heritage Day celebration – dancing, singing, miming, and entertaining the crowds. For a few weeks now Michael and I have been working with two age groups (the 7 year olds and the high school kids) in preparing their performances. Our sweet little Sparrows sang the national anthem beautifully and held a huge flag we painted together with colorful handprints, and our brave Sparrow boys represented Reverend McClintock’s Scottish heritage with a dance and painted blue and white faces modeled after the movie Brave Heart (our only solid resource here). Hehe. But it was a wonderful celebration in honor of Reverend McClintock’s last year at Sparrow – and a great introduction for Michael to the vast cultures of Southern Africa.

My gran was in the hospital most of the week due to a lung infection that severely restricted her oxygen intake (which is difficult enough with her 1 and 1/3 lungs). But she has recovered well, and was let out of the hospital a few days early. We celebrated her 66th birthday on Saturday and it was nice to be with the family in an atmosphere that focused on her for once. Syd took some great pictures. I will have to get them from him so that I can post them on here.

On Sunday Michael and I went to church and then we went to the cemetery to locate my Ouma’s grave (grandmother). It took some searching, but with the original map and funeral service flyer we were able to find it. She passed away 17 years ago on September 29th (coming this Wednesday). It was nice to finally see her resting place again, but I knew I would not find here there because she is in a more heavenly place.

Well, a new week begins and we are almost at our half way point in our trip… We are excited to get back to doing some serious homework with the kids at Sparrow now that Heritage Day is over. Im starting to really enjoy seeing familiar and friendly faces there. Most are adorable and just make your heart melt!!

A Delicious African Feast

This past Thursday Michael and I celebrated our one year of dating and to celebrate we had a lovely dinner at Carnivore Restaurant (which we reserved a month in advance). There are only three Carnivore Restaurants in the continent, with one in Johannesburg, South Africa. The décor was captivating, the service a pleasure, and the food simply delicious! My favorite part was when Mike said that we should wait for the menu to choose our dinners and he soon found out that everything on the menu gets served to you on your plate at your table. Hehe! All the food is cooked over a huge fire pit (pictured below).

Our meal started with some pineapple juice, honey bread and farmers soup (which was very creamy and wholesome – vegetable soup). Following this our table was decorated with tons of sauces and mini salads and hot sizzling plates were placed before us. Time for the main course – meat and meat galore! We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves as men with huge chunks of meat on spears swung by and carved thick slices into our plates with machete-looking knives. We ate everything from honey chicken wings, pork sausages, and roast beef to crocodile, kudu, gemsbok, zebra, and my favorite – impala. The night was topped off with some light cheesecake and then we were off to rolling our fat selves back to the car. The evening was divine and I had the best company! May there be many more for Mike and I… anniversaries that is, not huge fatty feasts. Lol.

Not much has happened in the past week. We have been slammed with homework with the kids since the strike and the pressure for getting them ready for their Heritage Day cultural concert is on. We had our second day of physician job shadowing at the HIV clinic and attended some really thought provoking academic lectures. Mike and I have also managed to land a job with my Gran for her salon – we will be working in the advertising department and start tomorrow morning. It will feel good to be working again and have money rolling in for us to do more things and bring gifts home. The Lord provides for his children….

Well, that is the latest update. Sorry there is not much to write, we usually do our fun tourist activities on weekends and just work our weekdays away. So until next time, keep well and look out for some delicious impala meat to try – I personally recommend it.

p.s. I have so far received two medical school interview requests. Keep your fingers crossed for Mike and I!

New and Old Adventures

Now that schools are back in session and the strikes are over Michael and I are quite comfortably finding our way here in South Africa… We are in the routine of hitting the gym every morning, doing our work, going to church on Sundays and taking on new adventures over the weekends. Having a routine is certainly making our stay more comfortable and less stressful.

This Friday we started our first session of job shadowing at the Themba Lethu HIV clinic. Poor Michael was nervous about the setting and I think very surprised when he saw just how relaxed the clinic and physicians were… It felt good to be back there – I know I had a tremendous learning experience there back in December and I cannot wait for Michael to experience the same! Im only glad that because I have this experience I know where to go and who to talk to, this should surely make things easier for him… We were hoping to do a full day of shadowing, but with the strikes the hospital is backed up and still trying to iron out some kinks, so we only spent 4 hours there. Mike got a tour of the clinic, saw 2 HIV patients and then went on hospital rounds with the physicians and I. I love rounds – you see so many interesting cases and I thoroughly enjoy watching the physicians collaborate together to find a series of solutions. We saw two patients on rounds and were fully briefed on their status and obstacles in treatment. Im not sure if Mike mentioned t his in his blog, but before rounds I told him that he should be aware of the fact that the hospital wards are pretty dirty and crammed – a sight Im sure he has not seen before. He was very quick to let me know it appeared to be a combination between an insane asylum, an old school, and a parking garage. I think he nailed the description. The staff are wonderful and the learning experience fantastic! This is truly rural medicine at its best… By exposing ourselves to the healthcare systems of the underprivileged we are already preparing ourselves to be better physicians for these people in need… I cannot wait for next Friday! Hopefully it will be a full day in the clinic.

On Saturday I made a trip to Edenvale Hospital where I met with Dr. Ndekera to have a letter of recommendation signed. Following this, Michael and I headed out to the Cradle of Humankind where the oldest human remains in the world have been found. Here we went to the Maropeng Museum where we travelled back in time and experienced the sequence of creation according to science. The architecture was absolutely stunning and the information interesting… I especially loved the underground water ride through dark tunnels that depicted the various stages of earth’s formation. After our tour we drove 12km to the Sterkfontein Caves where we went through a small museum and was guided on an hour tour in the underground caves. This was the highlight of my day! The caves are gorgeous and a must see!!! We found ourselves lost in the huge caverns meters underground and had to shuffle through tiny tunnels that were only one meter in height. My favorite feature was the elephant rock formation – complete with ears, tusks, and even legs. See if you can spot this giant in the photo below.

Overall we had a stunning weekend… Caving was a highlight, but spending time with my family on Sunday was great too! Pappa is really warming up to Mike, which I am always glad to see. I like to think that maybe he is warming up to me too… but we are all still in the dark and unsure of what lies ahead in terms of my grandparents’ health. Until then, there will be plenty of family dinners and new adventures.

Catch-Up

Well, this is embarrassing. Sorry for the far and few blog entries. Michael and I have gotten lost in the days’ activities and medical school applications… But we have found ourselves back behind the computer again and ready to post our adventures.

Hospital worker and Teacher strikes have continued for the past two weeks and we have felt the effects of both lately. The children at Sparrow have become very restless and have no desire to do any reading or work. Kenith, one of their Youth Leaders, was struggling to entertain them and desperately sought our help. So while the strike continued and the kids remained behind we would volunteer in the mornings instead of the afternoons. From games and word puzzles to Spring Day art drawings we found our days fast-paced and tiring. Today the strikes have been suspended and our kids have gone to school and returned as little sweet angels with homework and a drive to do it. It could not have happened any sooner. Hopefully the kids will be able to end the school year in time and not have to repeat their grades because of the strikes.
In the past 2 weeks Michael and I have gone to the Johannesburg Zoo, Lion Park, and Chameleon Village (a huge flea market). When at Chameleon Village, I soon realized that I had not adequately prepared Michael for the hustle and bustle of the place – one look and you could see his senses were overwhelmed and he needed a way out. We stopped for some milkshakes and had lunch at a pancake restaurant. Mike went for the sweet caramel and banana pancake and I went for a savory bacon, mushroom, and cheese pancake with mushroom sauce (a mooCOWpolo pancake). I forgot to mention that the restaurant was cow themed and decorated with every picture of a cow that they could find (even the chik-fil-a cows from back home!!!! )Over a week ago we signed 4 girls out from Sparrow Village and brought them to the house to swim with us. They rarely get to go out and hardly know anyone outside of the village, so they were very excited when we put out the offer. Mike made delicious boerewors rolls over the fire and we had a great time in the sun. Its about time we started working on our pale tans from back home. Lol.
This week has gone well so far… Because the strikes are over we are now able to job shadow at the HIV clinic on Fridays beginning this week. I cannot wait for Mike to experience it!!!! I know it will feel good to be back there… And school had finally started up again for the kids. But while I look forward to what lays ahead I am also weary and asking for help in prayer. My gran was admitted to the hospital on Sunday after having a mild aneurism. She returned on Monday but is not doing well… I can only hope that these next few months will go smoothly. Please pray. Thank you.

Well, that is all I can think of for now. I will promise to make an effort to write more frequently. Hopefully my entries will become more interesting as well.. Until then, take care.