Well, we have now officially entered into fall/winter here in South Africa and as you can see it is still nice, warm and sunny! Sorry to rub it in since I know it is still quite cool back home even for May! Such a treat to continue to wear shorts, sandals and t-shirts on most days! It is much drier now and we have had very infrequent rains. The fields and grass on the side of the road is become parched and yellow. Very different from the moist, humid and lush summer we experienced.
Right now they are harvesting the thousands and thousands of acres of sugar cane. Of course this is no easy task. Some of the cane is harvested for sugar and the leaves burned off, some is harvested with the leaves intact and sent to Sappi Paper Mill to be made into a grade of paper. The burning of the cane often happens in the evening and night, and in the dark the flames can be seen from miles away. The smoke in the air creates the most beautiful sunsets of brilliant oranges and reds.
On Mother's day we took a drive to Greytown which is just on the edge of the Drakensberg mountains. From Stanger we drove up, up, up and wound our way through the most beautiful country. Parts reminded me of the Princeton area, other parts reminded me of the flats around Allyn and Kentucky Lakes and towards Kamloops. The sugar cane fields slowly melted away and fields of dry, brittle, crispy corn husks stood rigid in the fields. We saw large herds of cattle and huge acres of grazing grass. The air was cool and crisp yet sunny and warm, just like a beautiful October afternoon in the Okanagan. There is a constant haze in the sky from all the burning and with such little rain it doesn't seem to clear.
Our original plan was to return home the beginning of May just in time for our beautiful, warm Okanagan summer. With the new South African ANC government reigned in, the freeze on Health Care Salaries has now been lifted after over a year! With this unfreezing came wonderful opportunities. Frank has been accepted in Ngwelezane hopsital in the OR department doing Anaesthesia. (http://www.kznhealth.gov.za/Ngwelezane/news3.pdf) I think this is where he wishes he was to begin with. We have found a small, two bedroom, flat that is secure and beside a beautiful park in Empangeni. We move the weekend of June 23 and 24 in full faith that God will provide everything we need.....yes everything! Traveling light has it's advantages when staying in a fully furnished home but seems to be a bit of a disadvantage otherwise!
There have been times in the last month that I have had, for the first time, feelings of missing home and all its familiarity! The drive up to the mountains certainly stirred much emotion. Moving from Sundumbili, although a huge positive in many ways, means we are leaving what is familiar and comfortable. Dear Sundumbili; rural, native, rustic, dirty and smelly has defiantly grown dear in our hearts.
We will keep you posted with our new address and numbers when we have them.
Yebo, sala kahle! (yes, go well!)
No comments:
Post a Comment